Malaga airport – how to get to resorts of Costa del Sol

The Spanish city of Malaga, located in the south of the country, is a transit point for many tourists. Arriving at the international airport of this city, they are in a hurry to quickly find themselves on the warm sands of the Mediterranean coast. How to get from Malaga airport to the resorts of the Costa del Sol? Below you will find detailed information about the main airport of Andalusia and learn about various types of transfer to the city and to the main resorts of the Sunny Coast. Also on the page you will find useful information about the cost of transport from Malaga airport.

Malaga Airport – general information

One of the oldest airports in Spain is Malaga Costa del Sol Airport. Informally it is also called as Pablo Picasso Airport. This famous Cubist was born in Malaga city. In fact, the Spaniards gave the name of Pablo Picasso not to the whole building, but only to  Malaga Airport  Terminal 2, but they use this name, when they speak about the entire airport. The Costa del Sol was opened almost 100 years ago, in 1919. It was at this time, that regular air communication was established between Malaga and other Spanish cities: Barcelona, ​​Alicante, as well as French Toulouse and Moroccan cities of Tanger and Casablanca. During the Second World War, the airport was used as a military base, and since 1946 it became civilian again.

Shema of Malaga Airport Costa del Sol

Currently, Malaga Costa del Sol Airport consists of three terminals. The oldest of them is no longer used. The other two, built in 1991 and 2010, receive and send aircraft to Europe, the United States, and North Africa. The third terminal has 2 runways. The airport serves more, than 20 cities within the country and more, than a hundred European cities. Air communication is established with 60 countries and countries of the planet. Passenger traffic is huge. About 15 million people use the airport for the year. And the capacity of the Costa del Sol is 30 million people a year. Thanks to these figures, Malaga Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the country. It is only ahead of Madrid Barajas, Barcelona El Prat and Son San Juan Airport, located on the island of Mallorca. 85% tourists, arriving in Andalusia, use the services of the Costa del Sol airport.

Below you can see the electronic live board information. It will give you information about the flight, you are interested in. You will find here the exact time of departure of aircraft from all cities, associated with the airport, information about, whether the aircraft is en route or has already landed. You can also read the name of the airline, point of departure (city) and flight number. On the page with the live board  are information about the aircraft arriving in the near future. If you want to know about earlier or later flights, then in the drop-down list you can choose the time, you are interested in, and the information on the live board will be updated.

                LIVE BOARD OF  DEPARTURES AND ARRIVALS OF MALAGA COSTA DEL SOL AIRPORT

 

All travelers, arriving at the airport of any country, are interested in information about the distance from the airport to the city. Everyone wants this distance to be small. In the case of the Malaga Costa del Sol airport you are lucky, because the distance from it to Malaga is only 8 kilometers. To the resort of Torremolinos – 5 kilometers. If you fly with a transfer, and you need to get to other Spanish airports on the ground, the distance will not be very large either. 85 km to Granada, 114 km to Ceuta (on the African continent). And if you have a British visa and you want to visit Gibraltar, then you will need to travel 95 kilometers.

Bus from Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport

The most democratic means of transportation, not counting the bike, is the bus. The bus service in the country is well established, so budget tourists can comfortably navigate the roads of Spain on this transport. If you do not want to spend money on a taxi, as traveling alone, then the bus is the best solution for you. All, you need, is to find a bus stop, buy a ticket to your destination and wait for the arrival of the vehicle, that takes you to the desired city. When you finish the basic procedures at the airport and get the luggage, you must move to the exit from the T3 terminal on the zero floor. Directly next to the exit you will see several ticket kiosks, where you can buy a ticket for travel. It will be useful for you to find out, that the bus service in Malaga is carried out by several transport companies. When you buy a ticket of a certain company, you will be able to drive through it only in the bus of the company, whose name will be indicated on your ticket. Be careful not to go wrong on your bus.

Bus from Malaga airport to Marbella

The main bus companies in Malaga are Avanza and Alsa. The kiosks of these companies open after 8 o’clock in the morning. The ticket office of Avanza company is open until 8 o’clock p.m. The Alsa ticket kiosk closes earlier, at 18.30. Having bought a ticket to the point, you need, you pass to the stop, located next to the arrival hall (it is located opposite the exit from the terminal) and you expect your flight. If you want to quickly get to the center of Malaga, you will need a special express bus № 75. In just 15-20 minutes, it will take you to the city center for 3 euros. There are buses on this route from 7 a.m. to midnight. The interval of movement is 20-25 minutes. You can also buy a ticket from the driver, having paid off with coins or small notes. Another flight is the bus №19, which for the same amount takes you to the main points of the city of Malaga, although it will take more time to do so.

If you are interested in other western cities of Andalusia, which you can see with webcams Malaga, Granada, Almeria, then you can also get to them from the Malaga Costa del Sol airport. For example, 128 bus takes you to the nearby resorts of Torremolinos and Benalmadena. The bus 135 takes you to Santa Amalia at any time of the day. You can get to one of the most popular resorts of the Costa del Sol Marbella from 7 a.m. to 11.45 p.m. for 7 euros, by buying a ticket at the Avanzabus kiosk, since you will not be able to buy your ticket inside this bus. In 45 minutes you will reach your destination. In the summer, 7 times a day, an Estepona shuttle bus runs from the airport to the airport. Travel time is 1.15, a ticket costs about 10 euros. If you are interested in the faraway seaside town of Andalusia Algeciras, then you can also reach it by direct bus from the airport. True, it walks only 3 times a day: at 11.20, at 17.20 and at 18.50, so pay attention to this circumstance, so that you do not have to wait long for the next flight. You can drive to Algeciras in almost 2 hours. The fare is 17.3 euros.

Train from Malaga airport

Another convenient and inexpensive means of transportation from Malaga Costa del Sol Airport is the train. RENFE trains serve the whole Spain, so, if you are on holiday in Barcelona, ​​you are already familiar with this means of transportation. As for Andalusia, here everything is the same. There is a network of railways, connecting the main cities of the country with nearby resorts. On the RENFE trains you will quickly reach your vacation place. Where to look for trains at Malaga airport? It is easy to finding a train station. When you exit the arrivals hall, you will see, slightly to the side (left) opposite terminal 2 (across the road), the RENFE station. From here, once every 20 minutes, trains move in two directions. One in the direction of Fuengirola through the resorts of Benalmadena and Torremolinos, the second in the direction of Malaga.

Train RENFE from MALAGA AIRPORT

You can get to Malaga by train from 6.45 am to 00.55 nights daily. The ticket costs 1.8 euros, the journey takes 12 minutes. If you are interested in the city center, then you need to buy a ticket to the Málaga Centro Alameda stop. If you are going to change trains in Malaga and continue to the cities of Granada or Seville on another train, you should get off at Maria Zambrano station. It is there, that the main railway station of the city is located. It is also convenient to get to the western resorts by train. To Torremolinos within 10 minutes for 1.8 euros. To Benalmadena in 12 minutes, paying 2.05 euros, to the final train station in Fuengirola for 34 minutes (fare 3.60). To the western resorts, the train starts from Málaga Costa del Sol Airport from 5.32 a.m., running up to 23.42 p.m. Tickets for travel can be purchased at the machines at the entrance to the station Aeropuerto. Then skip the ticket through the turnstile and save until the end of the trip.

Taxi from Malaga Airport

The world consists not only of people. who want to save money, but also of travelers, who love comfort. It was for the second category was invented such a mode of transport, as a taxi. The car quickly takes you to a hotel, and you will not have to get to it in the bus with other strangers, endure their neighborhood, glance at your suitcase, or keep a voluminous backpack on your knees. No, taxis are transport for you or your family, or your friends ’company. The disadvantage of a taxi is a higher fare compared to a bus, but you really like comfort, which means money is not the main thing for you. A taxi is suitable for those tourists, who arrive at Malaga airport at night, when trains and buses stop their movement. In order not to wait all night at the airport, you can take a taxi and quickly get to Malaga or another resort.

Taxi from Malaga Airport to resorts of Costa del Sol

 

Where is the taxi stand? When you exit the arrivals hall of Terminal 3, then on the right side you will see the taxi rank, you need. There is also a table with information on taxi rates, prices from the airport to the main resorts of Andalusia and to Malaga. Any tourist should know, that in Spain there are 2 rates for a taxi, depending on the time of day and what day it is. So in the daytime on weekdays from 6 am to 10 p.m. the fare will cost you less, but on holidays, weekends and at night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. you will have to fork out for a large amount. In addition, getting into a taxi at the Malaga Costa del Sol airport, be aware, that all taxi drivers will charge you an additional 5.5 euros for boarding at the airport. You will also have to pay for baggage, if its size exceeds 60 cm. Thus, a trip from the airport to Malaga will cost you or your company 25-35 euros. Basically, in one car taxi drivers transport from 1 to 4 passengers, if your company is larger, you will need to go by 2 cars or order a taxi transfer.

Taxi-transfer from Malaga Costa del Sol Airport

So, you are 5-7 people. In one taxi car you will not sit down. What to do in this case? There is a great solution: taxi-transfer KiwiTaxi. It is very good service. It received deserved positive feedback. What are its advantages? First, as soon, as you leave the arrivals hall, service representatives will meet you. They can hold a sign in their hands with your last name. You will quickly go with them to the ordered car and drive it in the right direction. This circumstance is very important in the summer months, when there are a lot of travelers, who want to take regular taxis and have to wait a long time for a free car.

Secondly, a taxi-transfer service KiwiTaxi will suit you, if you come on holiday with small children. Regular taxis are not equipped with child seats, and this service has it all. Thus, you can not worry about the safety of their children. You only need to specify in advance, when booking, how many seats for children you need. Another good solution for a large company is the ability to order a roomy car such as a minibus or a minivan: you can fit everything into such a car. You can order this service online, everything will be calculated for you there, and you will know the final cost of your trip even before traveling to Spain. If you are unable to fly to the airport on the scheduled day and need to stay at home for a day or two, then you can refuse the transfer service 24 hours before the date, specified in the order, without losing even 1 euro.

Rent a car at the airport of Málaga Costa del Sol

Despite the developed network of public transport: trains, taxis, buses, many tourists prefer to travel along the roads of Spain on a rented car. In this case, travelers are not tied to the time of departure, they can visit more sights or beaches in a day or stay there longer, than they could on arriving by bus or train. Thanks to the live webcams of Malaga, you can see the beaches and cities in advance in real time and, going on vacation, you will already know, where to go. Car rental in  Malaga Airport is a good opportunity to explore the entire Costa del Sol, as well as the white towns in the mountains, the famous Granada or Seville.

Car rental Malaga airport

If you flew to Spain by plane, you can rent a car at Málaga Costa del Sol airport. There are rolling offices of Spanish and world brands, engaged in providing cars for temporary use (Avis, Goldcar Rental, Hertz, etc.). By completing the contract, you can become the owner of a car, whose class you prefer for a day, 5 days, a week or more. If you enter into a contract at the airport, then save on transfers, taxis and public transport. But it happens, that the car, that you want is not in the office or the tourists, who arrived in Andalusia a little earlier are already traveling out on it. Therefore, you should take care of renting in advance, while you are still in your country.

You can easily rent a car online, using the services of the international broker Rentalcars. With it, you will find a car, that suits you by price, appearance, class for those dates, that interest you. To avoid trouble, we advise you to purchase insurance for a car or a franchise. You can read more about rental terms in Spain, about insurance and the Rentalcars service in the article Rent a Car in Tenerife. The main thing, is that you will know, that upon arrival you will be able to pick up your temporary car directly from the airport and return it to the point, specified in the contract, when you have plenty to explore the beauty of Andalusia. Now you know. how to get out of Malaga Costa del Sol airport on different vehicles. If you have questions, leave them in the comments. Enjoy your holiday in Spain.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.