[the_ad id=”13767″]
Alcazaba and Teatro Romano in Malaga Visit:
Alcazaba Malaga:
FIND THE BEST MALAGA HOTELS FOR YOUR STAY
What is Alcazaba?:
Alcazaba means Moorish fortification, specifically in Portugal and Spain. The word is derived from the Arabic word Al-Qasba, a walled fortification within a city.
The Alcazaba of Malaga is the most well preserved of all the fortresses in Spain and has a long rich history. It towers over the city and is definitely one of the most visited places, and for good reason. The views are incredible and even though it is a long walk up, it is definitely worth it.
It is built atop a hill just above the Malaga Port. There are two walled enclosures that survive namely:
Outer Citadel :
The “Puerta de la Boveda” or Vault Gate is a pathway that leads to the interior of the fortress. There is an elevator which is useful for people that might have difficulty walking. The pathway leads you right back to where you started, this was a defensive move to make progress difficult to attacking forces. You see fountains and gardens as you move along the pathway.
Inner Citadel:
The palace is located inside the second wall of the inner enclosure and is reminiscent of the Andalusian design patios like at the Alcazar of Seville and the Alhambra.
[the_ad id=”13784″]
Teatro Romano Malaga: History
As said previously, the Roman theatre was discovered about 60 years ago in Malaga, and it is a source of pride for the Malaguenos. It dates back to the first century, during the days of Caesar Augustus. The Malaga Alcazaba used to be a military fortress (Citadel) that was built by the Arabic people in the eleventh century.
The Teatro was used until the 3rd century when it converted to a cemetery. Abandoned after the 7th century, it is thought to have been ravaged by the Moors who used the spoils to build the Alcazaba.
There are three palaces inside it, as well as dungeons where they used to keep the Christian maidens to “rest after their services”. I can’t even begin to imagine what that means, let’s all let our imaginations run wild 🙂
Entry to the Teatro Roman is free when you purchase tickets to the Alcazaba.
[the_ad id=”13783″]
[the_ad id=”14098″]
Ready to begin your new life in Spain? Make sure to get your copy of our guide that answers all your questions so you can begin your new life in the sun quicker.
Climbing the Alcazaba Malaga: A long climb!
Unfortunately, we did not get to the top before the place closed 🙁 . I say that as l would have liked to think l would have made it. Truth be told, l was tired! We made it level 9 (Granada Court) of the gardens, and it looked like we were only halfway..yikes! There are several defense towers and double walls. It is definitely a great place to spend the afternoon and is quite impressive.. The higher you go, the more spectacular the view.
There are so many places to sit, relax, read a book or do some canoodling as we saw many a couple doing. It was also nice to sit on the benches, people watch and laugh my butt off at the girls in like 6 inch heels navigating the cobble stones and a few falling on their keisters :-). The day turned out to be gorgeous, more summer than fall, like 70 degrees, people were sunbathing, and so many of us were frying in our sweaters and coats!
[the_ad id=”14099″]
I would love to return for a longer visit to one of the top attractions in Malaga. Unfortunately not much remains of the whole neighbourhood save for the Teatro Romano and the fortress.
Tips for visiting Malaga Alcazaba:
- Wear sturdy, comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking and steps on cobblestones
- Leave approximately two hours for your visit
- The sunsets are fabulous from the top
- Bring your own water and refreshments if you don’t want to pay the high prices at the cafe
Alcazaba Hours:
Winter: 9am – 6pm
Summer: 9am – 8pm
Alcazaba Malaga entry free:
Entry fee is €3.50
Free entry on Sundays.
Is Alcazaba and Teatro Romano worth visiting?
Yes it is. The price of entry is very reasonable. It is also located right in the city, so very accessible. It is also perfect for the many cruise passengers that have a few hours to explore the city. The spectacular views alone make it worth the visit and climb. I love seeing Moorish architecture. l want to see all the Arabian influenced artwork and mosaic tiles I could ever see because l find them fascinating. It is the distant, little baby sister of the Alhambra, but we’ll take it!
You can book your Malaga accommodation at Barcelo Malaga, one of the top Malaga rated hotels here:
Pin it:
Have you been to Malaga or Spain? Would you care to visit Alcazaba if you made it to Malaga? or would you prefer the challenge of the Alhambra? which is even more humongous? Perhaps you are a daredevil who would do both, after all, Granada is just about 90 minutes from here!
[the_ad id=”13768″]
Well I’ve been to the Alhambra so I’d probably do the other one. Gorgeous pics as usual. And you know I think a LOT of kinky stuff went down back in those days. I think we are way tamer now compared to those days. Talk about people taking power and greed to a shameful level. I guess some things never change. 🙂
Kinky stuff! I bet there were some unspeakable things done. Why else would they lock them down etc. We also know the likes of Caligula. Yep, l think things are tamer now..thank God! Thanks for the compliment.
I came across your blog from a comment posted at Pauline’s Reach Financial Independence and was blown away by your pictures. Travel has become a big part of what I do lately and I will be spending some time going through your past posts and all the places you have been. Keep on posting I will definitely continue reading.
What a lovely compliment to wake up to!!! 🙂 . Thank you. I’m glad you found the blog and hope you keep on enjoying it. I see you did two biggies recently, New York and Hawaii..nice! Good luck with Moneystepper’s challenge. You can do it, just basically repeat last year, lol..you were so close 🙂
What beautiful pics!! I love historic areas like this!
Thank you . This sort of history l like, better than reading books for sure 🙂
I am jealous of all the beautiful places you travel to!
Lol! Says the woman who is constantly traveling.. 🙂 London, Paris, Jamaica ..shall l go on ???? 🙂 🙂 🙂
That’s really beautiful and to top it with such a nice weather at this time of the year? It seems that you made a great choice when you went for Malaga instead of Berlin.
Yeah, one of the reasons l picked it was for the similar weather. For sure Berlin wouldn’t be like this 🙂
Those pictures are downright stunning. I especially the one under the archway.
Thank you Anne for the compliment, and for dropping by and commenting. Have a good day 🙂
Maybe the girl was asked out on a date and her date neglected to mention how she should dress..? Anyway the daredevil in me would do both.
Perhaps l could believe that if it had just been one girl, but there were several..lol.. The only thing l could come up with was that perhaps they came off the cruise line that was docked because Malaga was super packed that day but still if you went on a cruise that docked, why would you wear such high heels. I think some girls just refuse to wear flats and be comfy. Happy New Year to you.
You’re really selling me on Malaga! The lights were so beautiful. Hmmm…Spain for New Years Eve 2015?? I’m going to have to talk to Jave about it because Spain and Portugal are our next European priorities. The views are incredible, and you’re not that short. Lol! And lol at the women in 6-inch heels. I avoid heels that are too high at all possible costs. What would make anyone decide to navigate cobblestone streets wearing them?!
The picture doesn’t do the lights justice. It was incredible. The street is so long too, so it was quite impressive. Yep..talk to Jave, you should definitely come 🙂 . I hate high heels personally. I just can’t sacrifice comfort. Wedges l can do sometimes. Perhaps girls sometimes do it because it gives you a good excuse to hang on to the guys??? 🙂 ..sneaky!
Omg I need to get myself to Malaga! I loved this post. I’ll be in and around Madrid starting from late February to May! I have friends there and it will be like my homebase for a few months. So excited! I’m actually ready for some cold weather haha.
Happy travels 🙂
Oh you lucky girl! You definitely should visit Malaga! The train is really cheap and it’s about 3 hours. I can’t guarantee the cold weather, we went from 40-70 within 24 hours. Like Malta, it might be L.A weather while you are here. Drop me a line if you decide to come check out our Alcazaba! 🙂
Really stunning photos! It’s interesting that the theater was discovered only 60 years ago – that’s not a very long time ago considering how old it is. I’m with you on not understanding why people mix heels and cobblestones – it’s everywhere in Prague, too 🙂
The view is really awesome. I can’t wait to go back and see from the castle top. I’ve seen pictures and it looks awesome. The heels were also common in Malta too..insane..l can’t imagine having a cast while on holiday, and l’ve seen it a couple of times. Fashion!!! 🙂
Now that I’ve been seeing such beautiful pics on your site from southern Spain I really want to go there.
Mission accomplished.. :-). It is really pretty. There is still so much for us to explore too, like Granada, Nerja, Seville etc.. I will keep trying..:-)
The Teatro Romano looks so cool! Those views are spectacular. I think I’ve really only spent a total of 12 hours in Malaga… perhaps it’s time to go back and explore more!
Yes, it’s time to explore Malaga! :-). 12 hours seems to be the average time spent here, were you on a cruise or catching a flight? It is really lovely, and l am looking forward to the castle at the top. Thanks for dropping by..