The Gibralfaro Castle is one of the most visited monuments in Málaga, not just for its cultural value, but also for its great location – from the fortress, you can enjoy some outstanding views of the city and its surroundings, sometimes even see Morocco when the conditions are right.
The Gibralfaro Castle, or Castillo de Gibralfaro, is one of the oldest remaining Moorish castles standing in Spain today. The solid ramparts rising above the pines are the most visible remains of the fortress. It is an architectural masterpiece of the last Moorish Muslim dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula, ruling the Emirate of Granada in the 13th–15th century, and listed as a Cultural Interest Site.
Panning to travel to Málaga soon? In this article, you will find useful information about the Gibralfaro Castle: from interesting facts to opening hours, entry fee and more.
Where is the Gibralfaro Castle?
The ancient castle stands at the top of Gibralfaro hill in the historical center of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. The hill is part of the Montes de Málaga mountain range, protected by the Montes’ natural park status.
Getting there
You can climb your way up to the hill starting at the bottom (take a bottle of water, as there is no kiosk until the top!) or, if you prefer, you can use the hop-on-hop-off bus (or a taxi).
Useful information
Address: Camino de Gibralfaro, 11, 29016 Málaga
Coordinates: 36°43’22″N, 4°24’40″W
Altitude: 132 meters/ 433 feet
Region: Andalusia
Phone: +34 952 227 230
Website: Alcazaba y Castillo de Gibralfaro
Opening hours & Admission prices
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Monday to Sunday
09.00–20.00 (April, May, June, July, August, September, October)
09.00–18.00 (November, December, January, February, March)
Closed: 1 Jan, 28 Feb & 25 December
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Full entrance fee: 3.50 € (Joint ticket Alcazaba & Gibralfaro Castle: 5.50 €)
Reduced entrance fee: 1.50 € (Joint ticket Alcazaba & Gibralfaro Castle: 2.50 €)
Sundays: Free from 14.00
Historical facts about the Gibralfaro Castle
- In 770 BC, the ancient Phoenicians built an enclosure and lighthouse on this hill, where the castle now stands.
- Abd-al-Rahman III, Caliph of Cordoba, build the castle in 929 BC.
- It was enlarged and turned into a fortress in 1340 by Yusef 1, Sultan of Granada.
- The Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, besieged the castle in 1487 and made it their temporary residence after the victory.
- In 1494, King Ferdinand choose the castle for the coat of arms they gave the city.
Gibralfaro Castle Wall
Architecture
The castle, built using brick and earth, occupies an area of over 21,000 square meters (5.2 acres) and has an irregular-shaped floor plan. It consists of two lines of strong walls measuring 730 meters (2400 feet), 30 canvases, and 8 towers, mostly massive. The Main Tower (Torre Mayor), with a height of 17 meters (56 feet), and the White Tower (Torre Blanca), facing the Northeast, are the most visible. Another remarkable feature is the Airón well, excavated through solid rock and goes down around 40 meters (131 feet). On the parade ground are the troop barracks and stables.
Gibralfaro Castle Wall
Rampart and the White Tower
Lookout Tower
Original Gateway
Narrow walkway on the rampart
Gibralfaro Castle Interpretation Center & Military museum
The Gibralfaro Castle Interpretation Center (you will find it near the entrance) is housed in the former gunpowder arsenal of the castle. Here is a small one-room museum that depicts the castle’s history over the centuries, and contains various military paraphernalia explaining about daily life of soldiers in the fortress.
Spanish military uniform: 3rd infantry regiment, officer, 19th century
Visiting the Gibralfaro Castle
It is quite a climb but well worth the effort to reach the top to see the fortress – the Gibralfaro Castle is a fine example of Moorish defensive architecture. I walked right around its walls which offered many great photo opportunities and a panoramic view from each wall I stood on.
Málaga from the castle
Gull and Mount San Antón in the background
Standing in the sun overlooking the city and its surroundings, I felt a surge of peace and tranquility. In conclusion, Gibralfaro Castle is one of the best places to visit in Málaga.
I hope you enjoyed my guide to visiting the Gibralfaro Castle! Please share it with your friends on your social media. Here are a few more informative and interesting articles that I recommend you read next:
- Vilnius Artillery Bastion: A Renaissance-style fortification in Lithuania
- Daugavpils Fortress: A 19th century fortification in Latvia
- The 5 most beautiful cities to visit in Andalusia
- Visiting the National Museum of San Martino in Naples
Have you been to Málaga? Have you visited this Moorish fortress? Feel free to post a comment below.
20 comments
It looks beautiful! What a wonderful thing to see on a trip.
I love the South of Spain and have traveled to Seville, Marbella & Granada. However, although I’ve flown into Malaga Airport which has great connections across Europe. I never had a chance to spend any time in the city itself. I always thought it was just overtouristed. You’ve given some inspiration for my next trip! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve never been to Spain but I am dying to go! I loved looking at all your photos, looks like such a cool and unique place with so much history!. Now I really want to plan a trip!
I’ve been to Malaga! Actually I stayed in Velez Malaga for 2 weeks. This castle was a site to see! So beautiful! Thanks for sharing this post! It gave me warm memories:)
Last time I was in Spain I didn’t make it to Malaga – and clearly I should have, I would love to visit Gibralfaro Castle. Thank you for this inspiration for my next visit to Spain !
To be honest, I never thought about going to Spain until now. Just wow. I do have to ask, what was the food like there?
This is just the kind of holiday that I love. I’ve always wanted to visit the Andalusia area!
This castle is so historical and beautiful piece of architecture. I love visiting historical places like this x
I’ve actually been right where you were, and this place is epic as you’ve noted. The photography on this post is unreal, by the way, especially the featured photo – well done!
Some years ago I went to Malaga, but had to skip Gibralfaro as I had a guided tour booked and time was running out to visit the castle. Luckily I stumbled across your blog post, to finally discover what I have missed! 🙂
Cheers!
Omgg. This looks so cool, the structure and architecture. View from the top also looks great
Spain is definitely on my bucket list!! Looks so gorgeous.
Spain is in our bucket list from long we are planning to visit next year. For the time being we are adding places to visit in Spain so adding this place to list. Thanks for sharing this with us
I love the way Lookout tower is posistioned.
It is wonderfully placed for the 360 view of the place.
What a neat place to visit! This area looks so interesting with lots of explore.
This castle looks so great, it looks like what we often sees on fairy tales. Seems so romantic and dreamy on this place. Thanks for sharing.. 😊
This is such a nice post! The pictures are very beautiful. Spain has been on my list for a long time now. 🙂
Oh, I’ve recently met with an old friend of mine who went to live there after he finished high school. Malaga is a lovely place to be, and I really enjoyed this guide as much as I enjoyed his stories about it!
Beautiful article, beautiful city.
This place looks so interesting to visit! I love the architecture and history of it. Definitely a place I’ll have to remember, thanks for sharing!