Transport Options at Malaga Airport

All Your Transport Options At Malaga Airport: Car Hire, Buses, Trains, Taxis and Private Transfers

So you’ve booked your flights to Malaga, which is the first step. The next thing is to work out the best way to transport you and your party from Malaga Airport to your destination. In this guide, you’ll find all transport options from Malaga Airport with links to more information with prices and timetables.

Your Transport Options from Malaga Airport

We live on the Costa del Sol, so hopefully, the tips we give you below will make it much easier to decide the best transport option for you. There are lots of different options to get to your final destination from Malaga Airport, however, all public transport stops running around midnight or slightly before. So when booking flights, please take this into consideration. Click on the links in the sections below to get more information on each mode of transport (timetables, fares, destinations and so on).

1. Car Hire From Malaga Airport

If you are staying in a remote part of the Costa del Sol or plan to do some exploring while you’re here, hiring a car is by far the best option. Not only does it often work out to be the cheapest solution, but it also gives you the flexibility to go out whenever you want and the freedom to turn off the beaten tourist track and find some secluded beaches and remote villages. You can find many of our little trips in our Albums on our Facebook Page.

You can book your car in advance and stipulate any extras like baby seats that you need to be fitted.  This cuts out a lot of the paperwork when you arrive, as you just need to take your driving licence and credit card used to make the booking to the relevant desk to collect the vehicle. There are over 20 firms at the airport, but only some of them are based in the Malaga Airport terminal building.

There are also plenty of Off-Site Car Hire companies, which are a 5-10 minute shuttle bus ride away. This is not always made clear on the car hire website, so to help you choose which car hire company best meets your needs we have provided details of firms based in the terminal buildings and those located off-site on the approach road. We highly recommend booking your car as soon as your flights are booked to get the best price possible. Get more information in our full guide to Malaga Airport Car Hire.

2. Private Transfers Malaga Airport

Private Transfers for only you and your party

If you are not hiring a car and don’t fancy public transport, private transfers are the only way to travel as far as we are concerned. There’s not a lot of difference between private transfer and taxi prices, and the benefits far outweigh any extra cost. You can book and pay for your private transfer in advance. You provide your flight details at the time of booking, so the company can track your flight and ensure that a driver is waiting for you in the arrivals hall to escort you to a waiting vehicle – no waiting for buses or queuing in a taxi rank! You can order baby seats when booking, and these will be fitted in the vehicle when it is sent to collect you. Get a quote for a Private Transfer by clicking “Get a quote now” below:

Shared Transfers with other passengers

Depending on your destination, you may also be able to select a Shared Transfer from Malaga Airport. This is brilliant if you are travelling alone to a place which isn’t easily accessed via trains or buses, or if you are travelling late at night when the public transport stops running. While it may not be the quickest way to your destination, prices can work out at great value and you will arrive safely. Plus there’s no need to worry about payment as it’s all pre-booked. You will be given instructions on how to find the meeting point for your shared transfer vehicle at a designated shuttle bus stop at Malaga Airport. Should you be staying at a Private Residence, the Shuttle will drop you off at the nearest Hotel. To get a shared transfer quote, click on “Get a quote now” below (put in your destination and date, and you’ll see prices for both private and shared transfers):

3. Taxis At Malaga Airport

There are always plenty of taxis waiting at the taxi ranks at Malaga Airport, although in the summer months, you may have to wait a while. The taxis now have meters installed, so be sure it is on when they set off from the Airport. There is also a price list on the board with a rough guide to fares along the Costa Del Sol.

Most Malaga Taxis are only licensed to carry up to a maximum of four passengers (including children), although some larger taxis can take more people. There are also taxis adapted for wheelchairs. The only problem with the larger taxis is that you cannot guarantee one will be there – and if there are 5 of you, you may have to take 2 taxis! Get more information in our full guide to Malaga Airport taxis.

Malaga Airport Arrivals taxi rank
Airport arrivals taxi rank – Credit: Caron Badkin / Shutterstock.com

4. Trains at Malaga Airport

If your final destination is along the Malaga train line, this is the most convenient public transport from Malaga Airport. As you leave the Arrivals Hall in Terminal 3, walk straight ahead and you will come to the Renfe Malaga Airport Train Station. Malaga Airport is on the Malaga Cercanias line, meaning the “Local Line”. It runs along the coast from Fuengirola to Malaga, stopping at towns like Benalmádena, Los Boliches and Torremolinos, and inland to Alora. If you take the train into the Maria Zambrano Station in Malaga City, just 4 stops away, this is a major transportation hub which operates high-speed Renfe trains and coaches to places like Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Bilbao.

The drawback with the local Malaga Cercanias train line is that you can only get as far south as Fuengirola. Anywhere past this – including La Cala, Calahonda, Mijas, Riviera del Sol, Marbella, Puerto Banus, San Pedro, Estepona and Sotogrande – you need to hire a car, or take a bus, taxi or private transfer. Also, remember that trains do NOT run after midnight… something to consider when booking flights. Get more information in our full guide to the Malaga Airport train.

Málaga Airport train station – Credit: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com
Airport train station – Credit: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com

5. Buses at Malaga Airport

You have several choices of buses at Malaga Airport:

  • “A” Express Bus to Malaga Bus Station (Malaga City), stops along the way
  • Direct Express Bus to Marbella
  • Express Buses (With Minimal Stops) to San Pedro, Estepona, La Linea and Algeciras
  • Bus to Alhaurín De La Torre (including Santa Amalia)
  • Buses to Nerja, Torrox, Almuñecar (With Minimal Stops)
  • Long-Distance Buses to Granada, Seville, Almeria, Cordoba

There are Local Buses, buses that run along the coastal motorways of the Costa Del Sol, and buses that travel to other parts of the Malaga province and Andalucia. If you need to get to somewhere that isn’t mentioned here, or the times do not suit you, then we recommend that you take the Bus or the Train to the main connections hub at the Malaga “Maria Zambrano” Bus Station, where you have a much wider choice of national coaches to choose from. Buses from Malaga Airport do not run much past 10pm to midnight, so this is something to consider when booking flights. Get more information in our full guide to the Malaga Airport buses.

Have More Questions?

We hope you found our general guide to Malaga Airport transportation useful. For more advice, follow the links above to the specific pages with more information. You could also join our Facebook Group The Costa Del Sol Travel Forum and get sound advice from our friendly community of frequent travellers to Malaga. For the latest news, about Malaga Airport, you can also follow our Facebook Page.