10 Best museums in Malaga

Malaga is one of the most visited cities in Spain, but if there is something you can not miss are its museums. Here I show you the best ones.

Andressa García

Andressa García

11 min read

10 Best museums in Malaga

Malaga, Spain | ©Elvis Bekmanis

In addition to a pleasant climate throughout the year, Malaga is recognized in Spain as the city of museums, thanks to the fact that, of course, there is a great variety of them scattered throughout its extension, so this is an excellent plan to include among the activities to see and do in Malaga.

Although it is difficult to choose which are really the best because there is room for all tastes and pleasures, some of the most valued by tourists are contained in this list, which includes everything from art and painting, to popular history and Flemish culture.

1. Picasso Museum Malaga

Picasso Museum Malaga| ©Francisco Ovies
Picasso Museum Malaga| ©Francisco Ovies

It is not unusual that in Malaga there is a museum dedicated to the life and work of Pablo Picasso, if it was right in this city where the artist of painting was born. It is an experience for true art lovers and for those who appreciate the work of this character who dedicated his life to art.

The museum currently exhibits more than 40 paintings, almost 50 drawings, around 40 graphic works and approximately 17 sculptures. In addition, the museum has more than 200 works, some of its own and others belonging to the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation for Art, for a total of approximately 400 works, all by Picasso.

Visiting this museum is one of the 10 best activities in Malaga because it takes you to know the most important aspects that surrounded the life and work of Picasso in his most important years artistically speaking. If you go with family or friends, it is a good place to include in the list of things to do.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located in the Buenavista Palace on 8th Street. If you are staying nearby you can walk there.
  • Price: Prices range from 7 to 9 euros per person. The 9 euro ticket is the full ticket, while the 7 euro ticket is the reduced ticket. I recommend you to check the prices of the Picasso Museum in Malaga to have more detailed information about it.
  • Opening hours: It changes according to the months of the year, sometimes it is from 10:00 to 18:00, from 10:00 to 19:00 and from 10:00 to 20:00. On all occasions it is open from Monday to Sunday. Before visiting the museum, remember to check in detail the opening hours of the Picasso Museum in Malaga.

Book your tickets to the Picasso Museum in Malaga

2. Carmen Thyssen Museum Malaga

Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga| ©Manuela M
Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga| ©Manuela M

This museum highlights different types of works of all times. It is one of the best museums you can visit if you want to know everything about ancient art. Multiple prominent names of art are part of the work that is constantly exhibited in the museum.

Also, before visiting this place I recommend you to check the official website to find out about the latest art exhibitions, because the museum is not only composed of fixed exhibitions but also temporary ones that are available for a certain amount of time only.

But it doesn't stop here, because the museum also offers a lot of activities for tourists, from guided tours to talks and forums where they talk about art and artistic movements that are presented inside the museum.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located in the Plaza Carmen Thyssen at Calle Compañía 10.
  • Price: Tickets are between 6 and 10 euros depending on the type of ticket you choose.
  • Hours: The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 20:00. On Mondays it is closed to the public.

Book your tickets to the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga

3. Contemporary Art Center of Malaga

Contemporary Art Center of Malaga| ©William Vierstra
Contemporary Art Center of Malaga| ©William Vierstra

This is one of the most incredible places to learn about art of all times and in all possible forms. It is a place where you will know much more than paintings and sculptures. They also offer the visiting public different guided tours through the art galleries.

One of the things I like to recommend the most about this Art Center is the large number of workshops offered to visitors. You can take drawing and painting classes. As for the exhibitions, one of the best things about this museum is that you have the opportunity to see the fixed exhibitions as well as the temporary ones.

Temporary exhibitions are constantly being offered that showcase the works of different artists. To keep up to date with all the exhibitions on offer, I recommend that you visit the website before visiting the museum, so that you can find out what activities are available at the time of your visit.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located on Alemania Street in Malaga.
  • Price: Admission is free.
  • Hours: Varies according to the season. In winter it opens from 9:00 to 23:30. In summer it opens from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:30. In both cases it is open from Tuesdays to Sundays. It is closed on Mondays.

4. Automobile and Fashion Museum

Automobile and Fashion Museum| ©Victor Guerrero
Automobile and Fashion Museum| ©Victor Guerrero

This is one of the most impressive museums you can visit in Malaga because it is a place where the best collections of luxury clothing and attire of all time are located.

In it you can see many collections of the most representative fashion brands such as Chanel, Dior or Prada, which are also linked to very famous personalities.

If it is about cars you will see an incredible collection of very well crafted cars in honor of the great creators of cars of all time. In the museum one of the premises is that the automotive evolution is closely related to the evolution of fashion, and that relationship is what they present to the public at all times.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located in the building La Tabacalera in Avenida Sor Teresa Prat 15 in Malaga.
  • Price: Tickets usually cost between 5 and 9 euros depending on the type of ticket you choose.
  • Hours: It is open from 10:00 to 14:30 and from 16:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Sunday. The ticket offices are open until half an hour before closing time.

Book your tickets to the Automobile and Fashion Museum

5. Centre Pompidou Malaga

Centre Pompidou Malaga| ©Pepe Chocolate
Centre Pompidou Malaga| ©Pepe Chocolate

Undoubtedly this is one of the most avant-garde places you can find in Malaga and that's because it mixes a lot of colors arranged in a huge cube which in turn has multiple squares throughout its structure. Already the architectural design of this museum is a spectacle.

It is no less than the only Pompidou outside of France, so it is a good place to visit if you are in Malaga. Pompidou shows an avant-garde and modern style of contemporary art that you can only see by visiting this or its main headquarters in France.

As for the exhibitions, it is quite an interactive museum that is always changing, so the exhibitions always vary, leaving the tourist the opportunity to know a new museum every time you visit.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located between docks 1 and 2 of the port of Malaga, a privileged location for an afternoon visit.
  • Price: For a single ticket you have to pay between 4 and 9 euros. If you want a combined experience of three museums you can pay up to 16 euros for the individual ticket. With this pass you have access to this museum, the Picasso Birthplace and the Russian Art Collection, to complete the three museums. You also have the option to choose the group ticket which costs approximately 7 to 10 euros if it is an open museum, and up to 65 euros if it is a closed museum.
  • Hours: Wednesday to Monday between 9:30 and 20:00. Closed on Tuesdays.

6. Museum of Popular Arts and Customs

Museum of Popular Arts and Customs| ©Andressa M
Museum of Popular Arts and Customs| ©Andressa M

If you like to know the roots of everything or if you simply want to know a little more about the history of Spain and how it has evolved over the years, you can not miss this visit to the Museum of Popular Arts and Customs.

Part of what you will see in this place are tools, utensils, objects of the Spanish daily life of past centuries, let's say from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth century. You will also see sculptures and statuettes that show how people looked like in those centuries.

Other interesting things you can discover in the museum is the large collection of clothing of the time, incredibly preserved dresses, accessories and all kinds of clothing, both of people with money and power, as well as slaves and members of the servants.

As for the layout of the exhibits, they are distributed depending on the type of work. Some examples of the rooms are: the bakery, the traditional kitchen, the rural dining room, the fishing area, among other rooms where the objects are arranged.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located in the Plaza Enrique García Herrera in the center of the city of Malaga.
  • Price: Children under 14 years old can enter for free, while adults must pay a fee ranging from 2 to 4 euros, approximately. You can also plan a group visit with which you can pay up to 2 euros per person if the group consists of at least 10 visitors.
  • Hours: Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 and Saturdays from 10:00 to 15:00. It is closed on Sundays and holidays.

7. National Museum of Airports Navigation and Air Transport

National Museum of Airports Navigation and Aerial Transport| ©Juan Jesus otero
National Museum of Airports Navigation and Aerial Transport| ©Juan Jesus otero

This is one of the most fun visits when it comes to museums. It is an experience that I recommend you to live with family and friends but especially with children. This is an activity that they enjoy very much because they learn while having fun.

The museum gives you the opportunity to do much more than just look at big, iconic airplanes. You can enter the place and touch the airplanes, move the propellers and see what the customs stations were like in grandparents' time.

All of these attractions are mixed with incredible scenery and diverse places to see and photograph during your visit. So this place is perfect to visit during any time of the year, but above all I recommend you to include it among the top 10 things to do in Malaga in summer.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located in the Plaza Pierre Georges Latécoère, right next to the General Aviation building.
  • Price: Both the entrance and the parking service are completely free.
  • Hours: Open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 20:00. Closed on Mondays.

8. Museum of Malaga

Museum of Malaga| ©Liliana G
Museum of Malaga| ©Liliana G

Being definitely the largest museum in Malaga, this is one of the must-see places you have to visit on your tour of the most interesting museums in the city. In this place you will see works of art of all times, as well as sculptures and paintings of the most recognized artists worldwide.

One of the things you will like most about visiting this museum is that you can have an interactive experience, that is, it will be more than just seeing the works of art. An expert guide will teach you everything you need to know about each of the works presented in this museum.

If you go with children, they will surely enjoy it a lot because the museum is very concerned about teaching the little ones a little about art, but from a much more fun perspective. Generally in this place they usually do different types of activities for children, from interactive exhibitions, to workshops and the like.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located in the Aduana square and you can get there by public transportation.
  • Price: In this case tickets are free for European Union citizens, but for foreigners the price is approximately 1.5 euros.
  • Hours: Open from Tuesday to Thursday from 9:00 to 21:00. Sundays and holidays between 9:00 and 15:00. Closed on Mondays, with the exception of the Monday before a public holiday.

9. Interactive Music Museum

Interactive Museum of Music| ©Lupe Montejo
Interactive Museum of Music| ©Lupe Montejo

This is one of the most interesting interactive museums for young and old. Inside the facilities you will be able to see a great amount of instruments in the varied exhibitions that the museum offers. But you can also enjoy different temporary exhibitions that are constantly refreshing the appearance.

As it is an interactive museum, you will have the chance to play different instruments with the help of a virtual teacher who teaches tourists how to play each of the instruments located in this room. You can also see an exhibition of large instruments.

One of the best things you will experience in this museum is the healing power of music. If you go with the kids, they will have the opportunity to visit each of the exhibition rooms and they will surely have a lot of fun practicing with each of the instruments arranged to play, so it is certainly an activity that I would include in the list of things to see and do in Malaga with kids.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located in the Palacio Conde de las Navas in Beatas street, 15 in Malaga.
  • Price: For children under 6 years old tickets are free. For seniors over 65 years the entrance can cost up to 3 euros, while the general admission costs approximately 5 euros per person.
  • Hours: It is open to the public on Mondays from 10:30 to 16:00. It is also open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 19:30.

10. Museum of Flamenco Art

Museum of Flamenco Art Peña Juan Breva| ©Antonio J D
Museum of Flamenco Art Peña Juan Breva| ©Antonio J D

The Museum of Flamenco Art is one of the jewels that you can visit in the city of museums. You can enjoy different activities inside the museum, from talks, to workshops and temporary exhibitions that are there to show you the evolution of flamenco through time.

Inside this place you will be able to see different elements related to flamenco art, costumes, instruments, types of dances and toques, among other things intended to show everything that local artists need to stage the best flamenco shows in Malaga and Spain.

If you want to visit this museum during your trip to Malaga, I recommend you first check the website of the place, so you can find out what are the exhibitions and workshops that are available for the time of your visit. You can include it as one of the places to visit in your list of things to see and do in Malaga at night, given its extensive schedule.

Details of Interest

  • Location: It is located at Ramon Franquelo 4 street in Malaga.
  • Price: Admission to the museum is free.
  • Hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 23:00 every day.