Getting around Malaga
In this chapter you will find out how to get around Málaga by public transport, how much tickets cost and where to buy them.
Public transport fares
In Málaga and the surrounding area, there is an integrated fare for all urban and suburban buses, metro and Cercanías trains under the Consorcio de Transporte Málaga.
If you use a ticket or the Consorcio Málaga app, fares will be cheaper than paying directly with your contactless card or cash.
Consorcio Málaga - mobile app and transport card
The easiest way to pay your fare is via the Consorcio Málaga mobile app (available on Google Play / App Store).
In the Virtual Wallet section, you top up from 5 eur to 50 eur and then just pay by putting your phone with the app open to the readers at the turnstiles (metro and trains) or inside the bus (boarding and alighting).
If you don't want to pay via the mobile app, you can buy a plastic card for the purchase price of 1,50 eur, on which you have to upload at least 5 eur right at the time of purchase and pay the fare in the same way as with the app.
You can buy the card in any newsagent ("TABACOS") and in some vending machines at stations, and you can share one card between several people.
Fare prices
Málaga and the surrounding area is divided into several zones.
The entire city of Málaga (including AGP airport) is included in one zone A.
In the table below, we compare the price of a single ticket (when paying with cash or your own contactless card) and the fare with the Consorcio Málaga card/app.
The metro only operates within one zone.
| Zone transfers | Individual fares | Consorcio Málaga |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (50 minutes) | 1,60 eur | 0,62 eur - bus, train 0,49 eur - metro |
| 1 (70 minutes) | 1,75 eur | 0,71 eur |
| 2 (90 minutes) | 2,50 eur | 0,95 eur |
| 3 (110 minutes) | 3,75 eur | 1,55 eur |
| 4 (130 minutes) | 6,25 eur | 3,07 eur |
If you change trains within this time validity, the next journey will always incur a charge 0,39 eur.
Exceptions are transfers between buses in Zone A (all of Málaga), where you can ride freely within 50 minutes for the basic fee 0,62 eur without incurring any additional charge.
When is it worth using Consorcio Málaga?
If you travel around Málaga at least 4 times, it is worth using the Consorcio Málaga fare even after factoring in the need to top up at least 5 eur.
City buses
The main means of transport in Málaga, at least the part with the most tourist sights, are the buses of the transport company EMT Málaga. These ply the streets of the city on around 30 routes, which usually run once every 15 minutes. However, there are usually several lines running together, so the resulting interval is much shorter.
During the day the buses run from about 6:00 am to midnight, at night they are replaced by special night lines, always marked with the letter "N", which run on 5 lines at 30 minute intervals.
Full information on tickets and fares can be found at emtmalaga.es/es/tarifas.
Suburban rail
There are also two frequent suburban rail lines from Málaga outside the city limits, generally known as Cercanías in Spain. While line C2 does not have much tourist potential (it runs a short route to the inland city of Álora), line C1 is very well used.
It takes you from the centre to Málaga airport and to the coastal resorts of Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola.
Trains run every 20 minutes from about 6am to midnight during the day, and every half hour at weekends and late hours. Tickets are simply bought from the ticket machine at all stations and prices range from 1,80 eur to 3,60 eur depending on the number of zones. There is no extra charge for travel to the airport, as there is for the A bus service.
You can buy cheaper fares via the aforementioned card or the Consorcio Málaga app.
The terminus of the suburban trains is at Málaga-Centro Alameda (underground station), about 300 metres on foot from the historic centre.
Málaga Metro
In Málaga you can currently use 2 metro lines, but this is actually more of a fast-track underground tramway, it is not the classic "big" metro trains. The metro network is not yet very usable for tourist purposes. Both lines start at the main train station and go from there to the housing estates in the west of the city.
A single metro ride costs 1,35 eur, and you can buy a ticket from a machine at all stations. However, you will also have to pay for a plastic card 0,30 eur, which can then be loaded with up to 9 individual tickets.
For a cheaper price, you can buy tickets using the aforementioned card or the Consorcio Málaga app.
For information, maps and current ticket prices, visit the official website at metromalaga.es/en/tickets-and-fares.
Car rental
If you're only heading to Málaga for a long weekend with the aim of staying purely in the city, renting a car doesn't make much sense, but if you're travelling for a longer period of time, it can definitely pay off. Especially for trips into the hinterland, where there are many interesting destinations, remote Andalusian villages or hiking trails to visit, hiring a car definitely makes sense.
The best place to rent a car is right at the airport, where many local and large multinational car rental companies are based.
Even on the Costa del Sol, general car rental guidelines apply and if you're new to this segment, read our article How to rent a car abroad for the first time.
Compare car rental prices - book a car
How much does it cost to rent a car?
Car rental prices at Málaga airport are reasonable and you can pay for a week's rental of a small car from 165 eur. Of the local lesser-known car rental companies, we would only be able to recommend Wiber. On the other hand, Goldcar or Clickrent have mostly negative reviews. Prices at the larger multinational car rental companies currently start at 293 eur per week.
The most transparent price comparison of all car rental companies is offered by booking.com, where you can book a car directly or pay for additional insurance.
Parking Málaga
You can park your car for free anywhere on the street as long as there are white dashed lines painted on the parking spaces. These areas are the majority in Málaga and so, apart from the narrowest historic port, the area around the port and the La Malagueta district, you can park virtually anywhere. On the other hand, if the lines are blue or green, you have to pay to park.
Any questions left?
If you have any questions or comments about the article...
4 comments
For getting around Malaga, the "Consorcio de Transporte Metropolitano del Área de Málaga" chip card can be useful, it's also called the Green Card on tripadvisor - website https://ctmam.es/en/transport-ti...avel-card/
The card costs 1,5E + a minimum credit of 5E to top up (probably all Tabacos newsagents sell the card, you can top up the credit there too, there is a map of the points of sale on the website). You can use it to get around Malaga on buses, metro, trains. Outside Malaga intercity buses, C1 (Fuengirola) and C2 trains. Fares are excellent, better than using a credit card or buying single tickets. I have one card for 4 people (each person is "activated" on the card when entering through the turnstile or by attaching the card to the card reader where there is no turnstile, same when exiting by attaching the card to the turnstile, if there is no turnstile then you have to find the card reader at the exit where you "end the journey" - this takes into account the resulting ticket price for each person).
How do I find out how much has been charged on the card and what the balance is?
josefkra: Great, thanks for the useful info. I will edit the text!
Láďa _1: on the C1 train, the turnstile or reader on the platform showed the credit balance on the card on a small display after each card loading/ticket activation, the card balance is supposed to be shown by the ticket vending machine, but what it showed was bizarre, I couldn't make out the displayed table at all, it was for the previous day. On intercity buses there are printed tickets from the driver where you can find out everything about credit and spending. It's strange that they don't sell this card directly at the airport by the trains there is information, yet just next door at Arroyo de la Miel station they sell it at the information window by the turnstiles (it's not listed on the association's website as a point of sale).
That they don't sell it at the airport is more embarrassing than weird. Here are the instructions, a bit complicated and less understandable for my taste, I didn't understand the "whoops" and nobody asked about them in the newsagent anyway. https://ctmam.es/en/transport-ti...avel-card/
Current experience. Getting a card is all about chance. In Málaga, out of three attempts, zero success. In Torremolinos only after two days they had it (only in one Tobacco). Its website says it temporarily doesn't work at the turnstile by the train. But that's not true, normally the turnstile will let you on the card. No problem using one for multiple people, you just hand it to yourself. On the bus you tell the number of tickets. I didn't get the "jumps" either, no one really asked about them when buying the card. The saving is really very good, in simple terms you save about a euro on each ticket.
I don't see any message on that page about the train not working, just some talk about only being able to buy such and such tickets in the machine and not being able to top up the Renfe y Tú card with it. We travelled normally on the train and there was no problem with the card.
In Málaga we bought the card without any problem in a newsagent's near the train terminus: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8MW4RU6PoSFuH2We7
Mostly, though, I wonder if there really isn't a place to buy the card at the airport.
Can I pay for my bus ticket by credit card?
Yes, tickets can be paid by card.
Ďakujem pekne za info.
You don't have to buy any ticket. Just tap your card (credit or debit) at the turnstile or with the driver - see my post below.
Ďakujem,
Kde nájdem ten Váš príspevok?
A few posts down:
I don't know since when, but currently (5/2024) there is no need to buy any tickets or cards in Malaga - you can pay the fare by "beeping" your contactless payment card (mobile, watch,...) at the turnstile at the entrance to the metro or train and a second time at the turnstile at the exit. On buses, you then just beep at the driver and take the ticket that comes out of the machine.
Ďakujem pekne.
Can I pay with a debit card loaded on my phone?
The Firefly rental company requires a physical card to pay for the deposit, the one loaded on your phone is not enough - my own experience. Otherwise, I guess it depends on what you want to pay for.
Yes, you can also pay on public transport with your mobile phone (card in it).
Has anyone used the Consorcio Málaga mobile app for public transport. According to their very simple instructions, you just install the app, open it and there is supposed to be a Digital single ticket option. But I don't have anything like that.
I haven't even figured out how to search for connections. I just have the routes and timetables, that's all.
I don't see that option there either. Only the option of topping up a virtual wallet and paying through it.