Traveling to Costa del Sol and Malaga with Kids

This post is part of my Traveling Tuesday Series.

After our little ferry-boat trip to Liverpool, we decided when our second daughter, Sugarplum, was 12 weeks old we were ready for a bigger adventure so set off for Malaga and the Costa del Sol region of Spain. It was the only beach holiday we took while living abroad and while we loved the trip, we realized we’re just not really beach people and still spent a lot of time seeing the sites rather than lounging on the beach.

Here are the basics of traveling to Costa del Sol and Malaga with kids:

Getting Around

There is a great train system that runs from the airport in Malaga and along the coast of Costa del Sol though it is a bit of a walk from the train station to the beach in places (about 15 minutes).

Kid Accessibility

It is very easy to walk around Costa del Sol, especially along the beach areas where there are wide sidewalks and plenty to see and do from restaurants and cafes to shops to playgrounds on the beach. The cities, though, are a little more challenging for taking strollers/buggies as the area is quite hilly so there are many steps and steep climbs throughout the villages and cities.

Eating in Costa del sol and Malaga with kids

We stayed at one of the many all-inclusive resorts along the coast about 15 km south of Malaga which made eating with the kids a lot easier (the resort staff even walked off with Sugarplum a few times while I was eating!) But we also enjoyed some meals out at local restaurants where we got to try the local fare and enjoy the beach side atmosphere. The options were plentiful and we didn’t have a problem finding things that our then two-year old, Honeybun, would eat.

Preparing for a trip to Costa del Sol and Malaga with Kids:

I’m big on planning our trips ahead of time because traveling with kids makes things just a little bit more complicated as they aren’t always very patient when you don’t have a plan so I always did a lot of research and planning before our trips. Check out my tips and advice for:

What to see and do in Costa del Sol and Malaga with Kids:

We arrived in Malaga from Dublin mid-day and then spent four more days exploring the Costa del Sol area.

We filled our five-day beach holiday as follows:

Day 1:

The Beach

We spent the first day getting settled in our hotel and exploring the immediate beach area. We walked up and down the beach before dinner at the resort.

Day 2:

Torremolinos

The second day it was a little chilly in the morning so we decided to explore the local area and walked to Torremolinos where we did a little shopping in the village before taking the train back to our resort area. Torremolinos had a lot of little local shops and cafes and tons of steps that kept Honeybun entertained and hubby and I working to move the buggy and Sugarplum around!

The Beach and Swimming

By the afternoon, the temperature had come up enough to finally head for the beach. Honeybun explored the water with hubby while Sugarplum and I lounged in the sand. After the beach we took a dip into the resort pool before dinner and bedtime.

Day 3:

Alcazaba Fort

The next day we took the train into Malaga to explore the city. We started by visiting the 11th century Moorish Alcazaba Fort which towers above the city. We had a lot of fun exploring the historic ruins and climbing to the top where there is a surprisingly beautiful palace and gardens.

Picasso Museum

Malaga is the birthplace and childhood home of Pablo Picasso and the house where he was born is open for visitors.

While in Malaga, we visited the Museum Picasso which is a wonderful collection of the artists works and other temporary exhibits which change. The museum houses art works and artifacts from throughout Picasso’s career and even Honeybun enjoyed the museum.

Day 4:

The Beach

After two days wandering and exploring Malaga and Costa del Sol, we decided to spend our fourth day close to the resort and did another beach and swimming day.

Day 5:

Sohail Castle

Because we had a late flight the last day but had to check out of the resort mid-morning, we decided to spend our last day in Costa del Sol exploring Fuengirola which is situated at the south end of the train line from Malaga. We wandered the city and grabbed lunch at a beach side restaurant before hiking up to Castillo Sohail, another Moorish Fort. Honeybun loved exploring the expansive fort, climbing up all the steps to look out over the sea and checking out the old canons.

Overall, our trip to Costa del Sol and Malaga with kids was a relaxing yet fun time. We explored a lot of places from time periods we didn’t previously know much about and it was the perfect mix of fun in the sun and seeing new things.