Best time to visit Málaga

The sea flattens the extremes in Málaga: the summers are hotter elsewhere at the same latitude and the winters are milder than inland. That makes the season question less about survivable weather than about how warm the water is and how many other people are in it.

On weather alone, summer and spring is the window — which is also when prices and crowds peak, so the shoulder weeks either side are usually the better trade, especially for the 8 spots below that reward an early start.

The other half of the question is the calendar: Feria de Málaga (Mid-August, around a week from the 15th) and Semana Santa in Málaga (March–April (Holy Week)). Those weeks are the most alive Málaga gets and the hardest to get a room in — worth planning towards or around, but not worth discovering after you have booked.