Flamenco Museum

Museo de Arte Flamenco is a small museum in a side street of Calle Alamos. This small but informative museum  consists of 2 floors with detailed information about the history of flamenco dance and music in Malaga.

As you step into the building you see immediately a room with tables and chairs, this is the space where members of Pena Juan Breva meet. This club, named after the famous flamenco singer Juan Breva from Malaga, is also the manager of the museum. Guided tours are given  by a member of the Pena Juan Brava in Spanish. If you do not speak Spanish then the different objects and pictures will give you a good impression of flamenco in Malaga.

The first floor has a nice collection of different objects that belong to the flamenco culture of Malaga. You can see many old gramophone players and a large collection of old records with flamenco music. The second floor is going deeper into the history of flamenco in Malaga and the people who play an important role here. Personal belongings of the local population, who are or were active in the world of flamenco, are showed with pride. There is also a collection of guitars, scarves and dresses. 

The flamenco museum is not a large museum and certainly not one of the most famous attractions in Malaga. However, for only one euro you will get a good impression of the flamenco culture in Malaga. If you want to experience more of the flamenco culture, then you can visit the museum on Friday afternoon (in the same building) and listen to live flamenco music which is sometimes supplemented with dance. This is an activity of the Pena Juan Breva itself and not specifically designed for tourism. Pure Spanish and admission is free.

Indoor Fresh Market in Malaga

Indoor Fresh Market in Malaga

You can visit this large indoor market in Malaga, located in the historic center. An Arabic port is the main entrance to the market. The port is a part of the old city wall which is build by the Moors. “Mercado Atarazanas” is the largest market in the centre of Malaga. The name “Atarazanas”, which is Moorisch for shipyard, result from the fact that this place was used to recover ships.

The central market hall is a lot bigger than Mercado de Salamanca in the central district of El Molino. This indoor market has a large selection of fresh foods, such as fish, fruits, meat, olives and nuts. Many local people like to use this market to buy their daily fresh food. There is a subdivision in three halls, one with meat, one with fresh fish and one with fruit and vegetables. Cheese, olives and nuts are also available in this market.

There are a few small bars where merchants and customers can have a tapa and a drink.

Almonds or olives are often offered by the marketers to taste. The marketers are especially proud of their products and won´t obligate anyone to buy something!

Although the market is a place buy fresh goods, you should also put this market on your list of paces to visit in Malaga. 

The Central Market is open from Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 14:00 pm

Casa Mira Ice Cream Store in Malaga

Casa Mira is the most famous ice cream shop in Malaga. Many locals were grown up with Casa Mira as the place to go for a ice cream or enjoy a refreshing summer drink.

Since 1890, several generations of the family Mira worked in the business which makes it a traditional family business. The quality and the taste of the ice cream and drinks are always to perfection.

In 1890 they started selling ice cream in the streets of Malaga and in 1900 they opened their first Ice cream store. 25 years after, in 1925, they opened a second store in the famous Calle Larios. This last opened ice cream store was later moved to another property which was more modern. It has a bar where you can stand at to eat your ice cream.

The interior is still authentic in the shop located in Calle Nueva. A typical Spanish Ice cream stoore with white tills and a lots of fluorescent lighting. The elders love to visit Casa Mira in Calle Nueva where they can sit and enjoy an Ice Cream in a traditional interior. 

“Turrón ice” (nougat ice) is the most famous and most sold ice cream at Casa Mira. A different flavor as we are used to, but definitely recommended! It is made with their own recipe and like all the other flavors, prepared  daily in the ice cream shop.

Would you rather have a drink, try a “leche merengada” or “horchata”. Refreshing drinks based on milk. The “leche merengada” is usually a bit thicker then horchata.

If you order a "blanco y negro" then you get black coffee from the freezer combined with a scoop of ice cream. To make it complete, you can still get whipped of cream on top.

Casa Mira also sells bars with almonds and honey nougat (turrón). The staff of Casa Mira says that earlier turrón was sold to compensate the drop of ice cream selling in the winter. Nowadays, the turrón is sold in every season of the year. Especially tourists buy it, they see it as a specialty from Malaga. The origin of this sweet bar is not in Malaga but in Jijona (the birthplace of the Casa Mira founder: Severino Mira).

There are two Casa Mira ice cream stores located  in the historic center of Málaga, in Calle Nueva and Calle Larios.
Casa Mira is open during the whole year on daily base from 10:30 to 01:00. On Friday and Saturday nights until 01:30.

We invite you to visit the Google+ page of Casa Mira.

Feria de Malaga - Malaga Fair

“Feria de Malaga” is a traditional party which is celebrated every year in august. Beside “Semana Santa” is “Feria de Malaga” the biggest event of the year. The Feria de Malaga is famous outside Malaga and Andalusia is “Feria de Malaga”, because of the size of the event and its traditions celebrated by the people who live in Malaga.    

The opening of the “Feria” is at the City Hall of Malaga. This is at  Friday, the week before August 19. 

The Feria gets announced just before midnight, and exactly at 00:00 the “Feria” starts with fireworks and music. The local people are dressed in flamenco style to go to the fair. The ladies are dressed in the most beautiful flamenco dresses and the men are dressed in a tight suit with hat. The next morning horseback riders and carriages will come together at the Town Hall, for the procession called  “Romeria de la Virgen de la Victoria Malaga”, which passes trough the streets of the city. 

On Saturday at 21:30 pm the “Fair” is opened with thousands of lights. Streets like “Paseo del Parque” are decorated with many colored lights and flags. During the following days there are various performances, for instance in the “Auditorium of Malaga”. From the afternoon until the early evening, the “Feria de Malaga” is celebrated in the historic center of the city. There are plenty of stands with snacks and drinks on the main squares. The center of Malaga is filled with dancing and singing people. After a little break, the party continues in the evening in the “Feria ground" just outside center of Malaga, where the eating, drinking and dancing goes on until the early morning. There are also hundreds of attractions set up in the Feria ground to entertain young and old.

During the feria, in the “La Malagueta Bullring” are bullfights every day.

The “Feria de Malaga” is famous in Andalusia because the size and importance of this event.  “Ferias” in Andalusia are usually kept in one location called the Feria ground, but Malaga has two locations with an afternoon and an evening program. When you are near Malaga is definitely worth a visit.

During the “Feria” it is very busy in the hotels. You need to make a reservation far in advance to get a hotel room. During the nights it can be rather noisy in the center, which can make it hard to catch sleep (if you are not at the fair!). It’s a party which the locals are celebrating mainly in the streets, even at night.