Spain · Costa del Sol
Yacht Charter Málaga
A Phoenician port with a Moorish fortress above it, Picasso's birthplace, and the longest season in Spain.
Málaga was founded by Phoenicians around 770 BC, which makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, and it has spent the last decade turning itself from an airport into a destination. There are now more than thirty museums, a Roman theatre under a Moorish fortress, and a marina in the middle of it all.
The city above the port
The Alcazaba is an eleventh-century Moorish palace-fortress built on top of a Roman theatre, and the two are excavated together so you walk from one century into another in about forty steps. Above it the Gibralfaro castle looks down on the whole bay.
Picasso was born on the Plaza de la Merced in 1881 and the museum holds work his family kept. The cathedral has one tower instead of two because the money for the second went to the American war of independence, which the city has never let anyone forget.
Along the coast
East of the city the coast turns to cliffs at Nerja and Maro, with sea caves and small coves under them and the Sierra Almijara rising straight behind — this is the quiet half of the Costa del Sol and almost nobody sails it.
West runs to Marbella in forty minutes and Gibraltar in about three hours, with the Rock visible long before you reach it.
Practical notes
- The season here is the longest in mainland Spain: comfortable from March to November
- Málaga airport is fifteen minutes from the marina — one of the shortest transfers on this coast
- The Alcazaba and the Roman theatre are excavated together and are a morning
- Nerja and the Maro cliffs are an hour east and are the quiet half of this coast
Reached from: the Balearics
Where to dine
A table by the water
El Pimpi
MálagaA bodega beside the Roman theatre, with barrels signed by everyone who has passed through since 1971.
Mercado de Atarazanas
MálagaA market hall inside a Moorish shipyard gate, with counters at the back where the city eats at noon.
Los Marinos José
FuengirolaHalf an hour west, and the best fish restaurant on this coast — they buy it themselves at dawn.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Alcazaba
An eleventh-century Moorish palace-fortress built on a Roman theatre, both excavated together.
The Picasso museum
In a sixteenth-century palace, holding the work his family kept, five minutes from the Plaza de la Merced where he was born.
Gibralfaro
The castle above the Alcazaba, with the whole bay laid out from the walls and a walk up through pines.
Nerja and Maro
An hour east: sea caves and small coves under the Sierra Almijara, and the quiet half of this coast.
The fleet
Yachts available for Málaga
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Málaga
- What is worth seeing in Málaga?
- The Alcazaba and the Roman theatre beneath it, excavated together so you walk from one century into another, and the Picasso museum, which holds work his family kept.
- What is east of the city?
- Nerja and the Maro cliffs, an hour along: sea caves and small coves under the Sierra Almijara, and the half of the Costa del Sol almost nobody sails.
- What does a yacht charter in Málaga cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season, the crew and the positioning, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter in Málaga
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.