Is Malaga worth a day trip?

Yes: 8.4 hours in Malaga, £97 for the whole day, 12 min into town each way. Enough for the main sights and a proper lunch without rushing.

How long do you actually get in Malaga?

About 8.4 hours in Malaga. Landing to take-off is 11.5 hours; the trip into town and back, passport checks and the time at the airport come off that.

How do you get from Malaga airport into town?

Train C1, 12 min, €1.80. A day ticket on local transport is No day ticket sold.

What does a day in Malaga cost, not counting the flight?

About £41 a person for the day: local transport, lunch, dinner and a drink. Paid attractions are listed separately because most people do one or none, and an average that includes them is a number nobody actually pays.

Is the flight price on this page the one I will pay?

The fare shown was checked 15 October against Google Flights for this exact date and these exact flights. Fares move, so it can change before you book, and the price is not held for you.

How early do I need to be back at the airport?

Leave the city by 19:43. That allows 12 min to get back to the airport and 135 min there, including 45 min for passport checks on the way out, before the 22:10 flight home.

Will passport checks eat my day?

We allow 30 min on landing for the EU Entry/Exit System (fingerprints and a photo on your first trip) and 45 min extra on the way out. That is already taken off the 8.4 hours shown. These are estimates; queues run longer on busy days.

Day trip to Malaga.
From East Midlands, back by 00:10, after midnight.

Spain·Mon 23 Nov · 8.3 hours in the city

£97

the whole day

8.3 hours

in the city

00:10

back in East Midlands

Time in the city

8.3 hours

after transfersAfter transfers and airport time

Airport distance

8km

to the centreFrom Malaga centre (AGP)

Daylight

10.0 hours

08:04 to 18:05Sunrise 08:04, sunset 18:05

First EU trip since 2025? Allow 30 min more.

FlightAirport, immigration and transportIn the city

06:40
Leave East Midlands
Jet2
11:22
In the city
Lands 10:40, 30min immigration, 12min from the airport
19:43
Leave the city
12min back, 135min at the airport incl. immigration
00:10
Back in East Midlands
Flies 22:10 with Ryanair

Leave East MidlandsJet206:40
Land in Malaga3h10:40
In the city30min immigration, 12min from the airport11:22
Leave the city12min back, 135min at the airport incl. immigration19:43
Fly homeRyanair, 3h22:10
Back in East Midlands00:10

How we'd do it

Open up the maps to see full detail.

11:3530 min there

4 min walk

12:0960 min there

9 min walk

13:1875 min there

9 min walk

14:4230 min there

7 min walk

15:1960 min there

12 min walk

16:3175 min there

17:46Free timeuntil 19:26

about 17 min walk

19:43Back to the airport

Cercanías C1 · 12 min

AirportFlight 22:10

Typical weather for this date

18°C

average high

10°C

average low

2 in 10

years it rained

This date is too far out to forecast. These are Malaga's actual figures for the same date across the last 10 years.

Things to do in MalagaShow

Museo Picasso MálagaTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
Malaga Flamenco ShowsTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
Malaga Bus ToursTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link

All things to do in Málaga · Tiqets, affiliate link

With kids in MalagaShow

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Day Trip Flight Details

How we'd do it

Open up the maps to see full detail.

11:3530 min there

4 min walk

12:0960 min there

9 min walk

13:1875 min there

9 min walk

14:4230 min there

7 min walk

15:1960 min there

12 min walk

16:3175 min there

17:46Free timeuntil 19:26

about 17 min walk

19:43Back to the airport

Cercanías C1 · 12 min

AirportFlight 22:10

What a day in Malaga costs

Flights and on-the-ground spend, per person.

£97/ all in, per person

Train to city centre and back£4

Lunch£11

Dinner£26

Beer calculator× 0£0

Entry fees, on top (optional)

Alcazaba de Málaga£6 (€7)

Museo Picasso Málaga£11 (€13)

Catedral de Málaga£9 (€10)

Opening days vary, so check before you go.

Museo Picasso Málaga is free in the last two hours on Sundays, Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga is free on Sunday afternoons, La Malagueta city beachFree

On the ground£41

Prices checked 3 Oct 2026

Return flight from£56

Google Flights price. Checked 18 hours ago.

Getting to East Midlandsfrom free

All in, per person£97

Out with Jet2, back with Ryanair. Two separate tickets. Book both before you go.

Estimated cost. Fares last checked 15 Oct, 12:50. Prices and availability change and are set by the airline or agent when you book.

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Become a founder

Half the price, kept for good, for the first 1,000 members.

£19a year, locked for life

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Try it for 14 days. Full refund if it's not for you.

Built by Josh and Samar

£19 today for your first year, then £19 a year for as long as you stay.

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Getting to the airportShow

Getting to East Midlands

Per person. Not in the total above. Prices checked 25 Sept 2026.

Free

Free drop-offFree
Blue Badge holders get free 30 min at Short Stay 1. Purple Parking separately claims Long Stay 2 is free for the general public for up to 60 min with a shuttle, but EMA's own page only confirms that free allowance for Blue Badge holders, flagging the discrepancy rather than asserting it applies to everyone. Source

Coach

Skylink Nottingham from NottinghamPrice not published
Runs round the clock. Source
Skylink Derby from DerbyPrice not published
Runs round the clock. Source
Same Skylink Derby route from LeicesterPrice not published
Runs round the clock. Source

Taxi

From Nottingham£25-£40 one way~15 miles
Estimate, not a quote.

Parking at the airport

Paid drop-offfrom £6
Rapid Drop-Off (Short Stay 1 tariff): up to 30 min £6, 1hr £8, 2hr £12, 3hr £16. Source

More parking

Short StayNo same-day price
From £52.99 (4-day stay). Source
Mid StayNo same-day price
From £59.99 (8-day stay). Source
Long StayNo same-day price
From £50.99 (8-day stay). Source
JetParksNo same-day price
From £48.99 (8-day stay). Source
Meet & GreetNo same-day price
From £73 (8-day stay). Source

Parking nearby

No same-day price published. See multi-day prices

Midlands Parking (Midlands Airport Parking Ltd, ~3.8 mi, 24hr staffed/CCTV), Standard£66
Multi-day price, not a same-day quote. Source
Midlands Parking, All Inclusive£100
Multi-day price, not a same-day quote. Source

Costs people forgetShow

Costs people forget

Not in the total above. Worth a minute before you go.

Phone data. EE, Vodafone and Three charge about £2.75 a day to use your allowance in Europe. O2, Tesco Mobile and giffgaff include it free.
Card fees. Many cards add a foreign-exchange fee to every payment abroad. Check yours before you go, or take one that doesn't charge it.

Ask about Malaga

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Tips from day trippers

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Comments on MalagaShow

Comments

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Day trip to Malaga.From East Midlands, back by 00:10, after midnight.

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Day Trip Flight Details

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Day trip to Malaga.
From East Midlands, back by 00:10, after midnight.