548km (340 miles) S of Madrid, 132km (82 miles) E of Algeciras

Mȥlaga is a bustling commercial and residential center with an economy that doesn't depend exclusively on tourism. With a population of 560,000, Mȥlaga is not only the capital of the Costa del Sol but also Andalusia's largest coastal city. It was the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, and a museum devoted to the artist is its chief attraction today.

In spite of its crime, noise, pollution, and traffic, it is also the cultural capital of the coast, with more museums and historic monuments than any other resort in this chapter. For most rail and air passengers, Mȥlaga is the gateway to the Costa del Sol, but most visitors move on to other resorts in the east or west before nightfall.

However, those who linger in Mȥlaga find much to reward them, including the city's casco antiguo, the cultural heart of the Old Town. Linger at least long enough to taste the sweet Mȥlaga wine, famous since antiquity and served from 500-liter barrels in little tascas and bodegas.

Paseo del Parque is the center of town. It begins at Plaza de la Marina (you'll find underground parking here) and curves to the east. This is a palm-lined pedestrian promenade filled with banana trees and fountains, even duck-filled ponds.

The beaches, for the most part, are popular for their bars, not their gritty, grayish sands. Paseo Marȷtimo runs along La Malagueta Beach, but even better are the beaches lying to the east of BaɁos de Carmen and El Palo.