10 Things to Do in Malaga at Holy Week

The best things to do in Malaga are not so different in spring than in summer and this has to do with the fact that Andalusia has a favourable climate for most of the year. At least when it comes to enjoying its sandy coastline. On the other hand, during Semana Santa there are many plans that have to do with religious traditions.

So in this post I have compiled some of the places you could visit and some of the things you could do during an Easter Week trip to Malaga. These facts will allow you to enjoy your trip with better planning of your time and budget.

The most important date in Malaga's Holy Week is Maundy Thursday and this has to do with the fact that most of the processions take place from the early hours of the morning until the evening of this day. The brotherhoods of La Esperanza, Cristo de Mena, Santa Cruz and Los Viñedos are just some of the congregations that usually make their marches with their nazarenos through the historic centre of the city.

For your convenience, you should know that the timetables of these processions change every year, as well as the route they may follow. This does not mean that the number of tourists will be any less significant. Therefore, if you do not want to miss this important cultural event, it is advisable to book a direct transfer from Malaga Airport to your accommodation on the Costa del Sol.

This will avoid the challenge of having to deal with public transport and will allow you to save enough time so that you can enjoy the procession closer to your hotel. You can then spend the rest of your Maundy Thursday exploring other sightseeing activities.

The different Catholic brotherhoods and confraternities that are in charge of carrying out the Holy Week processions in Malaga have venues where they exhibit the carvings of their respective virgins and Christs, as well as other elements of the long history of most of these religious congregations.

The Basilica de la Cofradía de la Esperanza stands out in this list of places , mainly because of the large collection of Catholic art and religious elements that form part of this institution.

At the same time, you should not miss the city's cathedral, especially during Holy Week. Even more so knowing that its strategic location within the city centre will allow you to walk around the rest of the historic area so you can focus on other tourist entertainment activities.

The official name of the cathedral is Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación and if you are a lover of architecture, you should know that it is one of the greatest Renaissance treasures of Andalusia. At the same time, it is one of the most significant buildings in the whole of Malaga. So opting for a guided tour of the historic centre and this cathedral is an excellent way to enjoy the city within the cultural framework of Easter Week.

Another tradition that is directly related to the Easter processions in Malaga is eating lemons with salt to hydrate yourself during these long walks. The exact reason for the birth of this culinary element of Holy Week in Malaga is not clear. But what is certain is that nowadays tourists and locals alike can sample this tangy rite thanks to the street vendors who are present in most of the places where the processions take place from early morning until late afternoon.

The price of this ritual will not be too much for your pocket, as for less than 1 € you can enjoy lemons with salt on more than one occasion during the procession. In fact, if you're a lover of sour flavours, then this could become one of your favourite moments during a 4-day trip to Malaga, which is plenty of time for you to explore most of the city at a time as peculiar as Semana Santa.

The easiest way to identify these street stalls will be by the name of this dish, as it is known locally as limones cascarudos. You should also know that eating bits of sugar cane is also part of this Easter culinary tradition in Malaga. At least among those looking for a contrast between sweet and sour.

Every Holy Wednesday in the city of Malaga there is a very interesting tradition that is hundreds of years old. It is the release by pardon of a prisoner who has not committed a blood crime. The ceremonial act is organised by the Brotherhood of Nuestro Padre Jesús El Rico and María Santísima del Amor. All thanks to a historic grant by King Carlos III in 1795.

The exact origin of the tradition has to do with the fact that in the past there was a plague in Malaga that also affected the prison population. As a result of this crisis, the prisoners took to the streets without taking off their chains and carried the image of Jesús El Rico, which was being conserved in its chapel, to make a procession through the places most affected by the epidemic.

When the procession ended, they returned the image to the church and went back to the prison. The fantastic theme of the legend arose because the epidemic that threatened Malaga suddenly disappeared. For this reason, Charles III issued a decree granting the exceptional prerogative of releasing a prisoner annually during Holy Week.

Witnessing this act is one of the top 10 things to do in Malaga during Holy Week. This usually takes place in the Plaza del Obispo square in front of the city's cathedral, as it is a place that usually forms part of the procession route of this Brotherhood of Jesus the Rich.

One of the most interesting traditions of Catholicism is the fact that during Lent, which runs from Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday , no meat is eaten on Fridays. This means that in places like Andalusia a special menu was configured with specific recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation to make daily life more favourable during this time of the year.

The city of Malaga does not escape from this reality and fortunately today has a wide variety of Lenten recipes typical of the Costa del Sol. If you want to know what some of these representative dishes are, then it is advisable that you take part in one of the best gastronomic tours in Malaga.

This is mainly due to the fact that some of them will take you on a tour of typical restaurants known for their fish or vegetable-based dishes. There are also others that offer wines and tapas based on this tradition.

Throughout the length and breadth of Malaga there are more than 30 different museums and, during Easter Week, you have the privilege of visiting them at special times as it is a season with a large influx of tourists. Some of them are dedicated to religious art, such as the headquarters of the brotherhoods that take part in the processions, while others delve into the history of art in this city.

A good example of the importance that Malaga has had for contemporary art is the fact that Picasso was born in this city. For this reason, the Picasso Museum in Malaga houses one of the largest collections in the world of works produced by the greatest representative of Cubism and 20th century abstraction.

Visiting the Pompidou Centre in Malaga is also an excellent opportunity that you cannot miss during your visit at Easter. This site is the first headquarters of this French art institution outside Paris, and the collection of works you'll find inside is all about contemporary art. Furthermore, the museum's installations are an architectural spectacle in their own right.

The Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga is another of Malaga's important art institutions and is the private collection that belonged to Carmen Cervera, who was the third wife of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.

Many people dare to say that the beaches on the coast of Malaga accompany the processions as the main protagonists of the Holy Week season in this city. One of the great attractions of Malaga is its strategic location within the Costa del Sol, which allows it to have more than 15 beaches, including the Misericordia beach, whose name coincides with that of one of the brotherhoods that every year usually participate in the Holy Week processions.

You should know that this decision to take one of your afternoons to go to the beach is one of the best things to do in Malaga with children, as it is an appropriate activity for the whole family that allows them to be in a natural space that in this case has the necessary commercial offer to have all the amenities throughout the day.

The Palo Beaches, the famous Malagueta Beach and the nearby community of Torremolinos are some of the corners of the coast of Malaga that you could enjoy during your trip.

In any case, it is also highly recommended to rent a boat to explore other beaches and communities of the Costa del Sol a little further away during Easter Week. Especially if you take into account that the demand for this type of tourist service is less significant at Easter than during the high summer season, which means you won't need to book as far in advance.

Young people and those without religious traditions also tend to visit the city of Malaga during Semana Santa either to enjoy the beaches or simply to take advantage of the favourable climate. This means that the plentiful bars and restaurants in the historic centre will have one of their best sales seasons during this time and if you want to enjoy a night out then you can't miss a stroll through the streets of the city centre.

The terraces are usually the favourite type of atmosphere for a night out in the historic centre of Malaga, as they are places that allow you to enjoy the good weather and the starry night while you are with music and a couple of drinks among friends and people in search of fun. El Batik, the Terraza del Málaga Palacio and the Terraza de San Juan are a bit more exclusive, while the street bars of Plaza Uncibay and La Malagueta are essential places to continue the night.

Either way, going out for dinner and then continuing the evening with drinks and music is one of the best things to do at night in Malaga all year round. Especially during Holy Week, as these are the favourite dates for locals and tourists to go out and enjoy themselves.

In the village of Riogordo, which is located in the province of Malaga, less than 40 minutes away from the city, there is a decades-old re-enactment of the Passion of Christ that has turned this place into a place you can't miss during Easter Week in Malaga. The event is known as the Paso de Riogordo and is undoubtedly one of the most interesting religious manifestations in Spain.

The performance as such usually lasts several hours and basically follows step by step the moments leading up to the death of Jesus Christ as well as his resurrection process. All this takes place in a space that has been created in this locality to receive up to 10,000 tourists annually. The performances usually take place between Friday and Saturday and the process involves more than 500 actors.

Likewise, you should know that coming to this town is something to recommend beyond the representation of the Passion of Christ because it is part of the best day trips from Malaga during most of the year. All this because it is an authentic Andalusian village that can be very entertaining depending on how you decide to enjoy it.

Finally, there is also the fact that Holy Week in Malaga offers you many cultural and religious entertainment plans, but you can't leave the city without having toured it through the approach of a specialist in its history. Therefore, opting for some of the best tours of Malaga is a good way to familiarise yourself with the city's neighbourhoods. As well as with the very traditions that are taking place among the locals during Semana Santa.

A good way to speed up the tourist exploration is to take part in a Segway tour. Especially since the guides usually take strategic streets that will get you closer to the monuments, buildings and churches you want to see without having to deal with traffic and crowds of people.