10 Things to Do in Malaga at Holy Week

The best things to do in Malaga do not differ so much during the spring compared to the summer and this has to do with the fact that Andalusia has a favorable climate during most of the year. At least when it comes to enjoying its sandy coasts. On the other hand, during Easter 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 trip to Malaga. This information will allow you to enjoy your trip with a better planning of your time and budget.

The most important date within the Holy Week in Malaga is Holy 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 night 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 along the historic center of the city.

For your convenience, you should know that the schedules of these processions change every year, as well as the route they may follow. That does not mean that the tourist influx will be 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 within the Costa del Sol.

This will avoid the challenge of having to deal with public transport and will allow you to gain enough time to enjoy the procession closer to your hotel. And then you can spend the rest of your Holy 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 headquarters where they exhibit the carvings of their respective virgins and Christs, as well as other elements of the long history that most of these religious congregations have.

Within this list of places stands out the Basilica of the Brotherhood of Hope, mainly for the large collection of Catholic art and religious elements that are part of this institution.

At the same time you should not miss the cathedral of the city, especially during Holy Week. Even more so knowing that its strategic location within the city center will allow you to tour 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. That while at the same time it is one of the most significant constructions of the whole panorama of Malaga. So betting on a guided tour of the historic center and this cathedral is an excellent way to enjoy the city within the cultural framework of Holy Week.

Another tradition that is directly related to the Malaga Holy Week processions is eating lemons with salt to hydrate during these long walks. The exact reason for the birth of this culinary element of Holy Week in Malaga is not precise. But what is certain is that nowadays both tourists and locals can taste this sour rite thanks to the street vendors that 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, since for less than 1 € it is possible that you can enjoy the lemons with salt on more than one occasion throughout the procession. In fact, if you are a lover of sour flavors, then this could become one of your favorite moments during a 4-day trip in Malaga, which is enough time for you to explore most of the city in such a peculiar time 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 also need to 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 sour and sweet.

Every Holy Wednesday in the city of Malaga a rather interesting tradition takes place with hundreds of years of antiquity. It is the release through a pardon of a prisoner who has not committed a crime of blood. The ceremonial act is organized 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 went out into the streets without taking off their chains and took the image of Jesus El Rico, which was being kept in its chapel, to make a procession through the places most affected by that epidemic.

When the procession ended, they returned the image to the church and returned to the prison. The fantastic theme of the legend arises because the epidemic that threatened Malaga suddenly disappeared. For that 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 activities to do in Malaga during Holy Week. This usually takes place in the Plaza del Obispo in front of the cathedral of the city, as it is a place that is usually part of the route of the procession of this Brotherhood of Jesus the Rich.

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

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

That mainly because some of them will take you on a tour of typical restaurants known for their fish or vegetable 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 Holy Week, you have the privilege of visiting them at special times because it is a season with a large influx of tourists. Some of them are dedicated to religious art as it happens in the headquarters of the brotherhoods that participate 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. Therefore, in the Picasso Museum of Malaga you will find one of the largest collections in the world of works produced by the greatest representative of cubism and abstraction of the 20th century.

Visiting the Pompidou Centre in Malaga is also an excellent opportunity that you can not miss during your visit at Easter. This site is the first headquarters of this French art institution outside Paris and the collection of works that you will find in its interior have to do with contemporary art. In addition, the museum facilities are an architectural spectacle on its own merit.

The Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga is another important art institution in Malaga and it is the private collection that belonged to Carmen Cervera, who in life was the third wife of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.

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

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, because 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 along 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. Especially if you take into account that the demand for this type of tourist services 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 people with no religious traditions also tend to visit the city of Malaga during Semana Santa either to enjoy its beaches or simply to take advantage of its favorable climate. This means that the abundant bars and restaurants in the historic center will have one of their best sales seasons during these dates and if you want to enjoy a night out then you can't miss a tour through the streets of the city center.

The terraces are usually the favorite type of environment to spend a night in the historic center of Malaga, as these 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. The Batik, the Terraza del Málaga Palacio and the Terraza de San Juan are a bit more exclusive bets while the street bars of the Plaza Uncibay and the Malagueta are essential places to continue the night.

Anyway, going out to dinner and then continue the evening with drinks and music is one of the best things to do at night in Malaga throughout the year. Especially during Holy Week, as these are the dates preferred by locals and tourists to go out and have fun.

In the village of Riogordo, which is located in the province of Malaga, less than 40 minutes away from the city, there is a representation of the Passion of Christ that is several decades old and that has turned this place into a place that you cannot miss during the Holy Week in Malaga. The event is known as the Paso de Riogordo and, without a doubt, is one of the most interesting religious manifestations in all of Spain.

The interpretative act as such usually lasts several hours and basically follows step by step what were the moments prior 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 recommended 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 cannot 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 for you to familiarize yourself with the city's neighborhoods. As well as with the very traditions that are taking place among the locals during Holy Week.

A good way to speed up the tourist exploration is to participate in a Segway tour. Especially because 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.