Malaga Old Town private walking and tapas tasting tour

King Badis of the Zirid Dynasty built the Alcazaba Fortress in 1040 to protect the royal family from outside invaders. Situated on the highest point of the hill, it's one of the best-preserved Alcazaba (from the Arabic word al-qasbah which literally translates to the English word citadel), in Spain. The Moorish Muslim rulers that erected the fortress used the remains (visible in its columns and pillars) of a Roman theatre lying adjacent to the Moorish construction.

This baroque-style structure is one of the most beautiful government buildings in Spain. The façade and interiors have many beautifully preserved works of art by well known local artists. It is located in an elegantly landscaped garden near the Alcazaba fortress.

Basilica & Museum of Santa Maria La Victoria Located in the area of La Victoria just 500 meters away from the Plaza de Merced, the Basilica of Santa Maria is one of the oldest in the city, with origins dating back to the year 1487. In the museum, visitors are able to explore the crypt of the Basilica, which famously houses a stunning piece of fine art by Unzurrunzaga. There is also the side-chapel of Santa María La Victoria, a complete antithesis to the exterior of the building with glorious decoration. To the side of the Basilica, there is also an exhibition room which displays historical objects of Santa María.

The ruins of the Gibralfaro castle lie on the slopes of the Malaga hill overlooking the city and the Mediterranean Sea. A Moorish castle of an unknown origin, Yusuf I of the Kingdom of Granada built it during the Phoenician-Punic period. The name of castle is derived from the Arab word Yabal (hill) and another Greek word Faruh (lighthouse). The name Gibralfaro means lighthouse hill.

This parish church presides over one of the four parishes established in Málaga after the defeat of the Moors in 1487. Two fraternities that go on procession on Holy Week have chapels within the building. The fraternity of sorrows of San Juan occupies the sacramental chapel and a chapel in the right aisle and the Fused brotherhood occupies four chapels, three in the left aisle and one at the foot of the right aisle. The church was constructed combining Gothic and Mujedar architectural styles with Moorish arches and pillars. A tower was completed in 1543. The 1680 earthquake damaged the structure including the tower. A baroque style tower porch leading to the building was erected at the entrance of the church in 1770 and reconstruction of the church was completed in 1780. The tower porch has a rectangular shape with an elliptical dome. The chapels and altarpiece of the church are richly carved. There is a splendid 17th-century statue of San Juan by the artist, Franciso Ortiz.

Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón is located in the Plaza de San Ignacio de Loyola. It is a neo-Gothic building constructed in 1920, according to the architectural plans of Fernando Guerrero Strachan, who was commissioned by the Jesuits. It has a basilica, divided into three naves. This church was the seat of the Archicofradía del Santísimo Cristo de la Redención y Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, for as long as their original home, Iglesia de San Juan, was being restored.

Málaga, port city, capital of Málaga Provincia (province), in the Comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Andalusia, southern Spain. The city lies along a wide bay of the Mediterranean Sea at the mouth of the Guadalmedina River in the center of the Costa del Sol. It was founded by the Phoenicians in the 12th century, conquered successively by the Romans and the Visigoths, and taken by the Moors in 711. Under Moorish rule, it became one of the most important cities in Andalusia. When the caliphate of Córdoba disintegrated, the kingdom of Málaga was founded, ruled over by emirs who named it “terrestrial paradise.” After they had failed several times, Christians took the city on August 19, 1487.

Málaga Cathedral, one of the city’s key architectural attractions, is known locally as ‘La Manquita’, or ‘The One-Armed Woman’, due to its uncompleted second tower. Built between 1528 and 1782 near to the site of an early Almohad mosque, original plans for this huge Renaissance and Baroque-style cathedral had included two towers, but the second was never built because of a lack of funds. Construction dragged on for over two hundred years before the Mayor of Málaga commissioned Aragonese architect José Martín de Aldehuela (1729–1802) to finish the cathedral off in the late 18th century. Aldehuela’s other iconic contributions to the province include Ronda’s stunning ‘New Bridge’ and bullring.

El Teatro Romano is the oldest monument in Málaga City; it is situated in the cultural heart of Málaga city, at the foot of the famous Alcazaba fortress. It is one of the only Ancient ruins left in Málaga after the outwardly Republican city was bombed by Nationalist sympathizers - the Italian army during the Civil war, and one of the only remaining Roman ruins in Andalucía after centuries of warfare, and construction. The site is accompanied by the Centro de Interpretación (visitors center) which teaches visitors about the history of the ruins and its subsequent excavation.

Mercado de Atarazanas is a municipal market declared of Cultural Interest in 1979. The current building, designed by architect Joaquín de Rucoba, was built between 1876 and 1879 on the site of a former naval workshop. At the present moment, the market is the best place in the city to get fresh veggies and fruits at the best price. There are also stalls with meat, fish and of course, olives. Be sure to be there early in the morning, because the market closes at about 3 pm.

The Museo Picasso Málaga is a museum in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, the city where artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born. It opened in 2003 in the Buenavista Palace and has 285 works donated by members of Picasso's family. In 2009, the Fundación Paul, Christine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso that owned the collection merged with the Fundación Museo Picasso Málaga that operated the museum, which is based in the home on Málaga's Plaza de la Merced that was Picasso's birthplace, and is now the Museo Casa Natal ("Birthplace Museum"). The new merged foundation is the "Fundación Museo Picasso Málaga. Legado Paul, Christine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso" ("Museo Picasso Málaga Foundation. The Paul, Christine and Bernard Ruiz Picasso Legacy").

The public bullring of Malaga, the Plaza de la Toros de Malagueta, has hosted some of the finest bullfights in the country and many prominent Matadors have displayed their talents here. It was declared a historic artistic monument in 1976 when the centenary celebrations of the bullring were held. The Plaza de Toroz de la Malagueta was built in 1874 by Joaquin Rocoba. The inauguration of the bullring took place in 1876. The area has a Neo Mujedar style built in the shape of a hexadecagon or a polygon with 16 sides. Its diameter is 52 meters. The venue underwent extensive repairs in 2010 and now has a seating capacity of 14,000. Other facilities include 10 pens, stables, a corral to try horses and a nursing home.

Plaza Merced (Plaza de la Merced) is a public square located in the barrio La Merced in central Málaga, Spain. The plaza has been a part of the city since the city of Málaga's Roman era and has been operating as a town market place since at least the fifteenth century. It is one of the largest public squares in Málaga’s city center and is also known for containing Pablo Picasso's childhood home.

Plaza y Acera de La Marina is surrounded by many elegant buildings; though these are modern ones, they just blend in with the historical center's monumental character quite well. The square was projected in the mid-nineteenth century, when a section of the Moorish walls was removed, thus giving the green light to start working on the square. Today, one will find the spot quite modern, due to various renovations, but the fountain and the palm trees surrounding it will provide one with an unforgettable atmosphere. In the Plaza there is also the statue of cenachero or zenachero. The cenachero is a popular symbol of the city of Malaga. In 1968, the Malaga-born artist Jaime Fernández Pimentel immortalized in this very statue the picturesque character inspired by a real fisherman named Manolo "El Petaca". Under the sculpture, there is a memorial plaque containing verses dedicated to the figure of cenachero by poet Salvador Rueda.

A tapa is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine and translates to a small portion of any kind of Spanish cuisine. Tapas may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). In some bars and restaurants in Spain and across the globe, tapas have evolved into a more sophisticated cuisine. Tapas can be combined to make a full meal. The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover", a cognate of the English top.[1] In pre-19th-century Spain tapas were served by posadas, albergues or bodegas, offering meals and rooms for travellers. Since few innkeepers could write and few travellers read, inns offered their guests a sample of the dishes available, on a "tapa" (the word for pot cover in Spanish).