Malaga airport to city centre: taking a transfer, taxi, bus, or train

Flying from the UK to Malaga any time soon? Read on, as we’ve put together a handy guide to Malaga airport transfers to help your trip run smoothly.

We’ll look at the best ways to get from the airport to the city centre, and out to popular destinations such as Marbella and Nerja. Whether your preference is bus, taxi or private transfer, we’ve got all your options covered here.

And for convenient, cost-effective spending while in Spain, make sure to check out the Wise card. This clever multi-currency card automatically converts GBP to EUR at the mid-market rate whenever you spend. This means you can spend in EUR like a local at the airport, hotels near Malaga airport, city centre or whichever sun-soaked resort you’re heading to.

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What to know before leaving the airport?

Málaga-Costa del Sol airport is around 8km from the city centre, and around 5km from Torremolinos.¹ It’s also very well-connected to other major resorts in the Costa del Sol area.

It only takes around 15 minutes to reach either Malaga city centre or Torremolinos (in the other direction) from the airport, although this may vary slightly depending on which mode of transport you choose.

There’s a taxi rank, train station and bus stop conveniently located outside the main arrivals building.

If you need to change currency before you head into central Malaga, you should find ATMs and currency exchange services within the airport.

Remember though that if you have a Wise card, you won’t need to bother changing cash. You can simply breeze through arrivals and head directly to the city centre, spending on your Wise card in EUR whenever you need to.

Malaga airport transfers

One of the many options you can choose for your trip from Malaga airport is a private transfer.

This has the benefit of being convenient and private, with no need to wait around or share with other passengers. It’s also door-to-door, so you can be dropped off right outside your Malaga layover hotel. However, it does tend to cost a lot more than using public transport.

Typical transfer routes from Malaga airport

As Malaga airport is so well-connected to the rest of the Costa del Sol, travellers landing here tend to go to nearby resorts - not just central Malaga. Here are a few of the most popular onward destinations:²

• Marbella - around 35-40 minutes by private car transfer
• Nerja - around 50 minutes by private transfer
• Benalmadena - around 20 minutes by private transfer.

Cheap transfers from Malaga airport

One option to save money on Malaga airport transfers is to book a shared shuttle bus/coach service. These can be arranged in advance, so you still have the convenience of being able to hop straight aboard at the airport without waiting for a bus, train or taxi.

You will be sharing with other passengers, but you’ll be travelling in air-conditioned comfort while also saving some money on the journey. For example, a private car from Malaga airport to Marbella with Holiday Taxis costs around £33 per person (at the time of writing), whereas a shared shuttle bus is just £21 a person.³

How to organise a private transfer?

The easiest way to organise a private transfer from Malaga airport is online. You can enter your journey details and compare prices between companies such as Holiday Taxis, Zip Transfers, Sun Transfers and Hoppa - although there are many other providers to choose from.

You may also be able to arrange a private transfer in the airport once you land. However, this is likely to be more expensive than organising your transfer in advance.

Alternatives to private transfers

A cheaper way to get to your destination from the airport is via public transport or taxi. Malaga airport is very well-connected, especially to the city centre. It has its own train station, bus stop and taxi rank.

Taxis from Malaga airport to city centre

You can hop in a taxi at the taxi rank outside arrivals, from either Taxi Union Malaga or Unitaxi Company⁴ - the two operators which run Malaga airport taxi services. It’s useful to note that there’s a €5.50/£4.82* supplement⁴ for taxi journeys to and from the airport.

Taxi Union Malaga operates a 24-hour service, and you can pay by cash or card.⁵

How much is the taxi fare to Malaga?

A taxi from Malaga airport to the city centre will cost you around €25/£21.90*, including the airport supplement of €5.50/£4.82*.⁶ However, the cost may vary depending on what time of the day or night you’ll be travelling.

You can also expect to pay around the same for your return journey.

How taxis look and where are they parked?

Official Malaga taxis tend to be white, with a blue stripe on the side.⁷ You’ll find them parked at the main taxi rank outside the terminal building, and there should be signage to direct you once you leave arrivals.

Shuttle buses from Malaga airport

A fast, affordable way to get to central Malaga from the airport is via the Express Airport-Málaga centre shuttle bus. This runs all day from a bus stop outside arrivals, with a bus leaving every 30-45 minutes during peak hours.⁸ It takes around 30 minutes to reach central Malaga.

A single trip to the city centre (Malaga bus terminal or Alameda Principal) costs just €4/£3.50.⁸

Bus to Granada

The bus to Granada from Malaga airport is run by Alsa (which also happens to have a very user-friendly website for booking your ticket). The journey takes around 2 hours and 15 minutes direct, with frequent departures throughout the day. It costs from around €12/£10.51* for a one-way trip.⁹

Bus to Estepona

The direct bus from Malaga airport to Estepona is run by Avanza. The L-605 bus takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to arrive in Estepona, with regular services throughout the day. Tickets cost from around €8.75/£7.67* to €10.50/£9.20* for a one-way trip.¹⁰

Bus to Marbella

Avanza runs a number of bus services stopping in Marbella, with the journey taking around 35-40 minutes. A one-way ticket will cost you between €6.15/£5.39* to €8.50/£7.45*.¹⁰

Taking a train from Malaga airport

Lastly, there’s the option to take a train from Malaga airport to the city centre or a number of other holiday destinations. It’s just a short stroll to Malaga airport train station (in the airport itself), from which you can travel to:¹¹

• Malaga central (Málaga-Centro Alameda station) in 12 minutes - €1.80/£1.58*
• Benalmádena in 18 minutes - €2.05/£1.80*
• Torremolinos in 11 minutes - €1.80/£1.58*
• Fuengirola in 34 minutes - €2.70/£2.37*

And that’s pretty much it - all the different ways you can travel from Malaga airport to the city centre and other popular destinations nearby. We’ve covered everything from private transfers to super cheap trains, so you should find it easy to choose the right option for you.

And for a convenient way to pay for transport and spend in Malaga or nearby, consider going with Wise. You can get a Wise card for spending abroad that lets you convert GBP to 40+ currencies using a fair exchange rate, the mid-market rate.

Register with Wise today

*1 EUR = 0.8760 GBP (19-09-2022)

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