Malaga Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

There is a good way to get to know Malaga and it is nothing less than taking a bus tour. I will tell you everything you need to know to enjoy this ride.

Andressa García

Andressa García

11 min read

Malaga Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

Malaga Tourist Bus | ©City Sightseeing

During a good touristic bus ride in Malaga you will be able to get to know closely each of the emblematic places of the city. Generally this bus allows you to make multiple stops, to know each place.

Whether you want to visit museums, see the Botanical Garden, visit the Alcazaba or even the Malagueta beach, the tourist bus is always a good option to do so and include among the things to see and do in Malaga, whether you choose private or common rides.

The best tourist buses in the city

Malaga Tourist Bus| ©City Sightseeing
Malaga Tourist Bus| ©City Sightseeing

If it's about tourist buses in Malaga, the option you will find is City Sightseeing, a tourist pass to know the city and its most emblematic places aboard a bus.

This bus takes you beyond the typical beach scenery, in it you will know other places like some of the best museums in Malaga, the bullring, the Gibralfaro Castle, the botanical garden and other incredible and charming places.

It is advantageous because paying little money you have the opportunity to enjoy the service for at least 24 hours, that is, a whole day. You can choose the option to travel a few hours during the day, make every single stop or stay on the bus contemplating all the attractions from afar.

This is an incredible alternative if you are going to Malaga for a short time or if you are going for the first time. In this bus you will see only the most emblematic sights, so you will not leave Malaga thinking that you missed more places to visit. If, on the other hand, you have already been to the city many times, then this bus will be a good alternative to complete those visits that you have not been able to do before.

One of the best things you will enjoy about this bus is its convertible form, which allows you to go up to the roof of the bus and from there enjoy not only the monuments and landmarks, but also the breeze that is pleasant in almost any season of the year.

Book your ticket to get on the tourist bus of Malaga

Malaga tourist bus routes

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

In the case of the tourist bus routes, you will have the opportunity to choose between any of the three routes or do all three at different times of the day. Each of the routes takes you to different and interesting places, so it is definitely one of the top 10 activities to do in Malaga during your vacation.

Red route

The red route is the most used and crowded because it takes you to the port of the city of Malaga where you can see lots of cafes and bars that are located right in front of the sea, so if you want to go up a tourist route to see the most active and bustling side of the city, this is definitely the route I recommend you to choose.

One of the most interesting places you will see going up on this route is the Alcazaba, a walled city that dates back to the Islamic period in Spain. This is one of the places of interest that tourists most often look for. Before visiting the Alcazaba I recommend you to check the prices and schedule to visit the Alcazaba.

As if that wasn't enough, you can also visit the famous cube that houses the Centre Pompidou, one of the top ten museums you can visit in the city of museums. And if you want even more adventure, you can take this red route to the Malagueta beach area, a spectacular urban beach that offers a vibrant party atmosphere and a good place to rest after so many places.

You can also visit the bullring, one of the most iconic buildings in the city of Malaga. Regardless of your feelings about bullfighting, the Plaza de Toros is definitely an iconic place that represents Spanishness.

Blue Route

The blue route is short, and takes you to some really interesting places, one of them being the museum of fashion and motoring. Actually the stop that takes you to this place drops you right in front of it. This is another museum that you can't miss in the city, especially if you are a lover of the history of cars and of course the advancement of fashion.

Inside this place you have the chance to see the most beautiful models of cars ever assembled, and also get a home the most sophisticated designs of fashion and the most recognized brands in the world, among some firms that can be found in this museum are Dior, Chanel and Prada.

You can also visit places like the Contemporary Art Center, the Plaza de la Marina and the Paseo del Parque. This route actually shares some stops with the red route, but most of the stops can only be visited by taking this route.

Green route

It is almost as long as the red route and among the most fun places you will see if you get on it is the Jardin Botanico de la Concepcion. Inside this place you will be amazed by the great amount of plants and flowers that are kept inside this enclosure.

Most of the species shown to the public come from all over the world, so it is a very diverse botanical garden, worthy for a visit with children or with the family, to spend a different day appreciating the colors of nature.

One of the characteristics of the green route is that it takes you to the outskirts of the city, so you will know Malaga from another point of view, having a much quieter and clear tour.

You will be able to visit the Paseo del Parque, San José Park and Casabermeja. Each of these places has its natural charm. In fact, the latter is a Spanish village in the province of Malaga that stands out for its large number of mountains around and its village landscape, a very good place to clear your mind and that you can enjoy using the tourist bus.

Advantages of using the tourist bus

Bus stop| ©tigercub66
Bus stop| ©tigercub66

Using this tourist bus will bring you many more advantages than disadvantages. The main of these advantages is that this bus will take you to multiple places in the province of Malaga just by paying a minimal amount of money.

This is one of the best tours of Malaga because you will have at your disposal an audio guide in eight languages, so if you go with other friends who do not speak Spanish, they can also enjoy the trip.

It is a ride of 30 stops where you can get off whenever you want and for as long as you want, because this tourist bus works to offer a complete experience of touring the city, which is not only based on seeing and contemplating, but also visiting each of these places.

The ticket to get on this bus can be both printed and online, so it is ideal to save time. In addition cancellation is free, so if you can not enjoy the tour at the time you bought the ticket, you can cancel without problems.

You can choose between three routes that will take you to know the whole city from one end to the other. The ticket has a duration of 24 hours but is valid for 12 months, which means that you have all that time to use it at any time you want.

During the tour you will not only get to know each of the most interesting places in Malaga, but you will also get to know all its culture, history and interesting facts about this city.

How long is the complete tour of the tourist bus?

Alcazaba| ©Fabio Cecchin
Alcazaba| ©Fabio Cecchin

If you want to do the whole tour, counting the three lines of the bus, then you can spend up to three and a half hours on this bus knowing each of the places to see. But it all depends on the amount of time you spend at each site.

If you are just touring and seeing, then this is the full duration, with the longest route, the red route, lasting approximately one hour and 20 minutes. The green and blue routes can take approximately 60 minutes each.

In case you want to get off at each place or at least at some of them, the route can be extended much longer than usual. As for the frequency of each bus on each route, it all depends on the time at which each bus departs.

In any case, the route that has a lower frequency is the red route, whose frequency ranges between 15 and 40 minutes from one bus to another. In the case of the blue route, it can have a frequency of at least 60 minutes between one bus and another. And the green route is the one that has less frequency, with a duration of approximately 75 minutes between one bus and another.

What will I see from the tourist bus?

Gibralfaro Castle| ©Mark P
Gibralfaro Castle| ©Mark P

Malaga is an incredibly complete city, which goes beyond the typical coastal area that offers only beaches and nothing else. On board this tourist bus you will get to know what the real city of Malaga is like and how its rhythm of life works. From the unmissable beaches to the more cosmopolitan and cultural areas, this is a city you are going to love.

If you get on the bus, you will be able to see the tourist diversity that this city has. Some of the places you will be able to see, get off to see or at least listen to the audio guide's commentary are described below.

Bullring

Going up to the red line you will have the opportunity to get very close to the Plaza de Toros, a must to visit because it is considered one of the most important symbols of the city. Its history and what this place represents for the people of Malaga, is something you can't miss if you go to the city and get on the tourist bus.

You need tickets to visit the inside of this bullring, so to get them you have two options, either buy them online or go directly to the ticket office of the place. If you go during the fair season in Malaga, you will probably have the opportunity to witness a bullfighting show, if you like this practice.

Gibralfaro Castle

The Gibralfaro Castle has more than history, it is a fortress that dates back to the Islamic period in Spain. It has well preserved its Islamic roots and nowadays it is one of the areas you have to visit to know the Spanish popular culture from its entrails.

This walled place is located at the top of the mountain of the same name, facing the city, being in a way a great watchtower of both the city at its feet and the sea at the other end. It is a special place to admire the imposing city of Malaga and also to have nice postcards of the open sea.

Book your visit to La Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle

La Farola Promenade

Between La Malagueta and the Port is the Paseo de la Farola, a place that emulates an avenue that ends up reaching the great lighthouse that is located at the end. This is a quite picturesque and touristic place that you have to include in your list of things to do in Malaga at night, when the temperature drops a little and the lights illuminate the place.

The promenade has an approximate length of 670 meters, quite a comfortable distance to walk on a sunny and cool evening together with family and friends. You will love the urban contrast with the palm trees typical of the coastal environment.

La Malagueta Beach

This place is one of the ones I like the most because it is an urban beach, which is located very close to the city of Malaga itself, specifically in the district of La Malagueta. It is a dark sandy beach that I recommend you to visit when you have already exhausted the energy of a long tour of recognition of the city.

Playa La Malagueta is a good place to leave the stress behind and have a few drinks or a bite to eat before continuing on your way to the hotel where you are staying or to a bar to enjoy the Malaga nightlife.

How much does the tourist bus ticket cost?

Money in Euros| ©Pixabay
Money in Euros| ©Pixabay

Depending on where you buy the ticket, you will pay a higher or lower price, but generally the ticket to enjoy this tour is about 25 euros per person. There are no tickets that you can buy for less money due to disability or old age.

Reduced tickets are available for children. You pay full price as an adult from 13 years of age. Children between four and twelve years of age enter with a ticket costing approximately 13 euros.

In the case of infants and children up to 4 years of age, they can board the tourist bus for free. This is a plus that you can not miss if you go on a trip and want to do some of the best activities in Malaga with children, because it represents a considerable saving of money.

Tourist bus schedules

Tourist Bus| ©City Sightseeing
Tourist Bus| ©City Sightseeing

The schedule of this tourist bus basically depends on the route you choose, because each of them has different departure times. In any case, the schedule can vary between 10:00 and 19:00.

In the case of the red route, buses start running from 10:00, in other cases the first buses leave at 17:00 and others at 16:00. The blue route departs at 11:00 and 14:00, while the green line departs at 11:00 and 18:00.

How does the tourist bus work?

Tourist Bus| ©Chas
Tourist Bus| ©Chas

The way the tourist bus works is quite interesting and tourist friendly. You will love it because it is a flexible ticket that you can use whenever you want, get on and off the bus as many times as you want and get to know each of the stops or just stay and watch from afar.

To enjoy this tourist bus, the first thing you have to do is to buy the ticket, which has a duration of 24 hours that you can take advantage of during the next 12 months from the time you buy the ticket. After that you can choose when to get on the bus and listen to each of the stories they have to tell you.

There are specific stops at different points in the city, from where you can get on the bus. Each bus, depending on the route, has a different schedule and frequency as you know. Once you are on board, you will go up to the top to see the city in the open air and enjoy the cool breeze that accompanies the city throughout the year.

Each line starts and ends at the same place, so if you want to do the whole route, you can take any line at any of its stops and get off when you are already back at that stop, so you will have done the whole route of that specific line.