Short stop in Malaga - stay there or rush to Alhambra and back?

[Scb71]

We will be arriving in Malaga at 7am on Seabourn Encore and the ship departs at 5:00pm.

Should I:

1) Book bus tickets and Alhambra tickets and try to squeeze it in myself? We are not typically group tour people and like to do our own thing and are usually comfortable travellers.

2) Try to find a group tour that will bus us to Granada, do the Alhambra and return in time to board the ship?

3) Stay and enjoy Malaga?

 

 

I am really torn on this one.... I am not sure why they are not staying in port longer but they are not. We have much longer in Cadiz and in that instance it seems the trip to Granada would be more logical. I think it is doable on this timeframe but it could be a stressful mess as well.

 

 

Appreciate your comments in advance!

[GrJ Berkshire]

Do the Alhambra on another occasion, as you will not have time to do it justice on this short port stop, with a long journey 2.30hrs each way from Malaga. The town of Malaga has a lot to offer without the journey.

[LTC]

If you do want to tour the Alhambra look at Spain Day Tours website. Have used them a number of times in Spain, they get excellent reviews and are reasonably priced.

[cocod08]

If you do want to tour the Alhambra look at Spain Day Tours website. Have used them a number of times in Spain, they get excellent reviews and are reasonably priced.

 

 

 

I second Spain Day Tours I did Alhambra when we stopped in Malaga on my TA and if you think this maybe the only time you be in the area do it!!! It’s worth the bus ride which is just about 2 hours.

 

 

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[vadell]

We recently spent five days in Malaga and are we are looking forward to going back, Malaga is a lovely city with lots to offer there is the Alcazaba, the Roman ruins, lots of museums, a really nice shopping area and Port area with restaurants. We were not on a cruise but there was a cruise ship in when we were there and you could easily walk to the main attractions. There is also a long promenade and several beach restaurants that were cooking on the beach in large boat shaped bbq's the one we ate in was very good. We have not been to the Alhambra to compare but would recommend spending time in Malaga if you decide not to take the trip.

[ollienbertsmum]

I have visited Granada several times and love it. The Alhambra is also beautiful and well worth the visit, but I would be reluctant to do it on public transport in that time frame.

 

You certainly would find lots to do in Malaga if you decide not to take a Granada trip, it is a worthwhile destination in itself.

 

I took a look at the journey from Malaga to Ronda as an alternative because it is closer, but looking at the public transport options, I think it would be hard to do it unless you hired a car. In terms of time spent on the road, the journey to Granada and Ronda are about the same. The roads to Ronda require slower speeds. The advantage of Ronda is that it is more compact and so you could do a surface "see it all" in a couple of hours.

 

If the OP does want to see Granada (the photos are really how it is) I would think that this is a time to splash out and do a private or ship tour.

[ollienbertsmum]

I went back to the train website .... Can I also suggest a day trip to Cordoba. There are lots of direct trains from Malaga so it only takes an hour, the train station is outside the old town but I am sure it is only a couple of km. Make sure you don't get the latest train possible on your return journey. Leave yourself some wriggle room for delays.

 

Cordoba is a very compact old town so you can get a great feel for it in the day. A visit to the Mezquita is unforgettable.

[JimmyTheSaint]

That is a tight timeframe for the Alhambra but if you're unlikely to be back in Malaga again then do it.

 

if you're looking for an alternative in Malaga check out the Caminito del Rey. It's a path in the mountains above Malaga with great scenery - but it is a guided walk.

[Scb71]

I appreciate all the posts. I've looked at this periodically and really wasn't able to find any professional tours that works as they were all out of "tour operator available tickets" for the palace, etc. I did find some later tickets if I just bought myself but trying to squeeze the time in just wasn't working for our short window. I may keep looking.

 

 

I think we may just enjoy Malaga as that is certainly the easiest and it appears to be a lovely place to enjoy on our own. I'd welcome any suggestions for that too!

[campolady]

I think we may just enjoy Malaga as that is certainly the easiest and it appears to be a lovely place to enjoy on our own. I'd welcome any suggestions for that too!

 

There is a lot of Malaga info and suggestions on this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2268599

[ollienbertsmum]

I appreciate all the posts. I've looked at this periodically and really wasn't able to find any professional tours that works as they were all out of "tour operator available tickets" for the palace, etc. I did find some later tickets if I just bought myself but trying to squeeze the time in just wasn't working for our short window. I may keep looking.

 

 

I think we may just enjoy Malaga as that is certainly the easiest and it appears to be a lovely place to enjoy on our own. I'd welcome any suggestions for that too!

 

If you are still considering it, I would make this one of those times that you just join the ship tour (if they have any tickets left). Malaga will be a very enjoyable day, but the Alhambra is a very special place and worth the compromise. With your time frame it is not worth a DIY.

[poss]

We loved the caves in Nerja, very close to Malaga: maybe the best caves we've seen on our travels.

[Scb71]

Sorry I didn’t follow up.

We ended up doing the Seabourn tour which was top notch; but more importantly the Alhambra and the scenery was amazing.

 

Very glad we did it and I would highly recommend it - even for those like us that aren’t group tour people. We probably got lucky in having a high end and small “group” tour but regardless I’d suck it up and do this one for sure.

Thanks for the input

[ab21au]

Sorry I didn’t follow up.

We ended up doing the Seabourn tour which was top notch; but more importantly the Alhambra and the scenery was amazing.

 

Very glad we did it and I would highly recommend it - even for those like us that aren’t group tour people. We probably got lucky in having a high end and small “group” tour but regardless I’d suck it up and do this one for sure.

Thanks for the input

 

Thanks for the feedback. We will be in Malaga on the SB Ovation in about 4weeks. We tried to get on the SB excursion to Alhambra months ago but are waitlisted. (We have been waitlisted on a SB excursion before and never got on, so fingers crossed this time). Sounds like it was a good tour. If we don’t get on, I might do Caminito Del Rey and DW wander the sites of Malaga.

[ollienbertsmum]

That feedback is great. I really do feel that the Alhambra is worth seeing but I would not be prepared to go unless I was on a ship tour.

 

for ab21au - If you don't get on the Alhambra trip, I have heard good things about Caminto del Rey - but I would not do it because I have a fear of heights.