Málaga is located on the edge of Europe in southern Spain, yet it is very accessible thanks to its major airport.

By air

Due to Málaga's distance from other European countries, the most common form of transport to the city is by plane. Here you'll find Málaga's only major international airport , Málaga-Costa del Sol AGP, with literally hundreds of flights a day from all over Europe.

The following airlines fly to Málaga most frequently:

• Iberia - provides frequent services to Madrid and via Madrid to the rest of the world.
• Ryanair - a large number of direct flights to all of Europe
• Wizz Air - flies direct from Málaga mainly to destinations in Central and Eastern Europe, including Vienna and Katowice
• Vueling - operates routes mainly to Spanish and Western European destinations
• easyJet - flies in large numbers mainly to the British Isles, but also to Western Europe

By train

Málaga is connected to the high-speed railway which runs via Córdoba to Madrid. The train is the most convenient and fastest connection to these cities, but ticket prices are quite high and it is ideal to buy in advance on the rail website renfe.com.

• Madrid - the journey takes about 2 and three quarters hours and the cheapest single tickets cost from 45 eur, running about twice an hour
• Córdoba - the journey takes less than an hour, the cheapest fast train tickets are from 37 eur, regular trains from 23 eur, running about twice an hour
• Seville - journey takes 2 hours, cheapest tickets from 47 eur, runs about once an hour

On other routes from Málaga, the railways are not very competitive and the bus will be faster, busier and cheaper.

The main station is called Malaga-Maria Zambrano and is west of the historic centre (about 1km).

By bus

Málaga can be reached by a very frequent bus service, especially from the coastal areas, but also from Granada or Ronda. Always buy tickets online for the lowest price and ideally several days in advance in the summer season to ensure a seat on a particular service.

When travelling to/from Málaga, make use of 2 bus companies in particular:

• Alsa.es (mobile app Google Play / App Store) - very frequent services to Granada, Ronda, along the coast to the east (Nerja, Motril, Almería) and on long-distance routes (Madrid, Alicante, Valencia, Barecelona, Seville) where they are the cheapest connection, but for example at Madrid or Seville significantly longer than the train
• Avanzabus - frequent service from Málaga along the coast to the west (Fuengirola, Marbella, Estepona, Algeciras, La Línea)

To find local bus services around Málaga, use siu.ctmam.ctan.es.

The main bus station is next to the train station (google.com/maps), and the local Avanzabus and Alsa services stop at the port - see the map for the location.