To Malaga with the kids? 10 activities you cannot miss!

Give the little ones an unforgettable experience in Malaga with these 10 tips!

On a holiday to Malaga with the kids? Great idea! The South of Spain is an amazing place to give the little ones an unforgettable holiday. Besides the sunny weather and of course the beautiful beaches, there are countless other reasons that will definitely make Malaga their new favourite destination. So don’t worry: there is plenty to do! In this blog you will read about the 10 activities near Malaga that you and your kids really cannot miss!

1. Eat the very best churros con chocolate at this place

The perfect holiday morning of course starts with a delicious breakfast. And how could you visit Malaga without having breakfast like a real Spanish local? Surprise the little ones with a breakfast with… chocolate! After all, churros con chocolate still are the most popular breakfast dish in Andalusia, and if you go to the right place they are fingerlicking good! We recommend you to go to Casa Aranda in the center of Malaga. This place has existed since 1032, and is perceived as the very best churros place of the area: thus, it is not for nothing that this restaurant has won the Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice. So, here you can eat some great churros con chocolate, and luckily for daddy or/and mommy there is some great coffee as well. Definitely recommended!

2. Visit this amazing water park!

And then, it is of course time for action! Most kids cannot be made happier than with an exciting day at a water park. Yet, beware: we would recommend you to not go to the larger waterparks in Torremolinos and Mijas, as these are quite expensive, busy, and not always even customer friendly. Instead, we would advise you to go to the park called Aquavelis in Velez-Malaga: this is a true water paradise for both the smaller as the bigger children. Compared to the other parks it is relatively safer for kids, as there are plenty of lifeguards that make sure to keep the situation under control. This way, you can easily let them go play without having to be on top yourself! From toddler pools to bigger slides and a large wave pool: you can find a favourite for anyone in this park. It is opened from the end of June until September, so in the summer months you can spend a great splashy day here. There are some things you need to keep in mind, though. First of all, it is a lot cheaper to buy your tickets online the day before going: this would also save you a lot of time at the entrance. Besides that, we would recommend to try to go on a calmer day, as the waiting lines at the slides can be quite long when it is busy. Also, there are some stricter rules,that you should read before going: for example, you cannot easily wear glasses when entering the pools and slides. Furthermore, it is recommendable to bring your own food (this is permitted), and there is a supermarket close by. Finally, it is also best to give the kids (and yourself) some water shoes, as the floors of the park can be very hot on warmer days. If you take these recommendations into account, you will definitely have an amazing day here!

3. Go on a Dolphin tour near Malaga

Een Another must-do with kids in the area of Malaga is to go on a boat tour to find dolphins. There are several boat excursions from the port of Malaga, and you could even go sailing from the port of Marbella.. Of course, you need to be a little lucky, but it happens a lot that you suddenly spot a huge group of dolphins during these tours! Get in touch with us to find the best one for you, so that your kids and you get the very best experience.

4. Visit the Treasure Cave in Rincón de la Victoria

Another super exciting thing you can do is visiting the real Treasure Cave, or ‘Cueva del Tesoro’ in RIncón de la Victoria (right next to some of our apartments!). This cave is just one of the three known underwater caves world wide, and even is the only one in Europe. This cave is called the Treasure Cave, as legends say there is a real-life Arabian treasure hidden somewhere in it: as the South of Spain has been occupied by the Mores during a very long time, there has possibly been some activity in the cave during that era. Some people believe that it was the ruling Arabian king back then, called Tasufin Ibn Ali, that hid his gold in this place., Others say it was ‘just’ some other very wealthy men that wanted to keep their possessions in a safe and hidden spot. So during centuries, there have been countless treasure hunters that have tried to find the golden jackpot in this cave. For example, in the 19th century, one treasure hunter even died because he blew himself up when he was trying to uncover a hidden chamber in the cave. A man with more luck was the scientist called dr. Manuel Laza, who investigated the cave for over 40 years, up until he passed in 1988. He made an enormous study of this magical place, and has been looking for the treasure for countless years. The most exciting thing he has found? Some real golden coins that date from the era of… king Tasufin Ibn Ali! So after all, the legends could be true…

You can visit the Treasure Cave on all days of the week, and on Mondays you can even go for free (other days it is 4,50). You can do an audio tour of around 45 minutes, that leads you through 8 different chambers with underground lakes. So, are you going to try to find the Arabian treasure as well?

5. Eat a delicious lunch at this unexpected restaurant

And after all of these exciting activities, you must of course be hungry! In Spain, it is customary to eat the ‘big meal’ during the day, in the afternoon, before having a nice siësta. Of course, you can eat a delicious fresh fish or cut of meat in almost any restaurant in Spain, but if you want to make your kids really happy we would recommend you to go to a place called ‘100 Montaditos’ or 100 buns. You can find this franchise on multiple places along the coast, and it offers over 100 deliciously topped buns and salsas. Besides that, they have some great fries with cheese sauce and other side dishes. The buns are all numbered, and you have to make a selection of your favourites before passing your order at the counter. After a couple of minutes they will call you and you can pick your order up at the kitchen: time to attack!

As you have a huge choice at 100 Montaditos and can try and combine endlessly, it is a true walhalla for kids. Very near our apartments in Rincón de La Victoria we have a restaurant as well, so we tend to order take away there to eat it on our sunny balcony… it couldn’t be better than that!

6. Visit the best playgrounds in the area… and go for a shopping session yourself!

Another phenomena that you will find in and around Malaga are the huge shopping centers or ‘supermalls’ that blew over from America. In these megacenters you can shop endlessly, have a good bite of food, and even for the little ones there is more than plenty to do, as there are almost always some huge playgrounds in or right next to the mall. So, do your kids get excited about huge slides? Then we would recommend these two places: first of all, you could go to the Plaza Mayor, a huge shopping center + outlet where you can also find multiple large playgrounds. Besides that, in Velez-Malaga there is a shopping center called ‘El Ingenio’, which is in a building that used to be an old distillery. And it is not just a great shopping place, because they just inaugurated a brand new playground with a huge slide tower. Both for the smaller as for the bigger kids there is something to find. And if you convince the hubby- or- wifey to keep an eye on them, you can go to the shopping center!

7. Visit the aviation museum at the airport

Is one of your kids a sucker for airplanes? Then you should really visit the Museo Aeronaútico of Malaga,right next to the airport. It is a free museum, and you can easily park there! Here, you can be a real pilot and have a seat in the cockpit, and there are uniforms, old pictures, scale models, and countless other interesting things to see. Outside there are even some real planes that you can check out, and finally there are some other cool vehicles like firefighters and tractors as well. It is a nice trip for a couple of hours, so you could even visit this place right before your flight!

8. Go snorkel, kayak, pedal boat or paddle surf at sea!

At the Costa del Sol there are countless sea activities that you can do. Both in the city as in the surrounding villages you could do anything that you can imagine: from snorkeling to hiring a pedal boat, and from surfing on an airbed behind a speedboat to paddle surfing along the coast. We could seek out the very best water activities for your family, so ask us about the possibilities and we will give you the best tips!

9. Spot flamingos in Laguna de Fuente de Piedra

And do you feel like having a calmer (but still exciting) trip? Then it would be super fun to go to the nature reserve called Laguna de Fuente de Piedra. Here you can have a great hike, find some amazing viewpoints, and as icing on the cake you can (especially in spring) spot countless flamingos there! A great day in nature, that will really make you disconnect.

10. Find a child friendly accommodation

Great, so now you have a shortlist of what you can do with the kids in Malaga! But in the end you don’t really need to plan your whole holiday completely full with activities in order to give your kids an unforgettable holiday. After all, choosing the right accomodation already can make up for a lot: make sure you have a nice pool or a good beach nearby, and you are set for the larger part of the holiday! From our offer of destinations we would definitely recommend the apartments in Cala de Mijas (5 pools in a secure complex!), the penthouse in Rincón de la Victoria (on top of the beach, without any roads in between!) or the apartment in Calahonda (both a pool and a great beach right next door!) for families with kids. Besides being on a great spot, these accommodations also have enough space, great beds, strong WIFI and anything you need for the little ones (kids seat, toddler pool, and more on demand). This way, your family will have the best holiday ever!

Source: Aquavelis.es

Source: turismoenrincon.es

Source: galopinplaygrounds.com

Source: aeromuseo.org

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