Málaga boasts one of the loveliest, greatest and most appreciated tropical/subtropical gardens in Europe: La Concepción Historical and Botanical Garden. However, there are many other parks and gardens to take a nice stroll in the city. For instance, Málaga Park, in the heart of town.

La Concepción Historical and Botanical Garden

La Concepción Historical and Botanical Garden was developed by Amelia Heredia Livermore and Jorge Loring y Oyarzábal,1st Marquis of Casa Loring, in 1850. Designated as a historical-artistic garden in 1943, it covers 23 hectares, housing more than 25,000 specimens belonging to 2000 different native, tropical and subtropical species, including 90 palm trees. Native species make about 10 percent of all the plants growing in La Concepción.

Málaga Park

Málaga Park stretches from Plaza del General Torrijos to Plaza de la Marina. The park is comprised of three 800-metre-long, 10-metre-wide walking lanes, one to the north and two to the side of the wider traffic thoroughfare. Together with the Town Hall building and Puerta Oscura Gardens, it makes a complex covering more than 30,000 square metres.

Pedro Luis Alonso Gardens

Stretching over 6500 square metres and leading from Paseo del Parque (Málaga Park) to Puerta Oscura Gardens, Pedro Luis Alonso Gardens follow a Latin design by renowned architect Guerrero Strachan, with Spanish, Islamic and French elements: rows of flowerbeds and low hedges, orange trees, ponds, etc. The gardens boast as many as 75 types of rose bushes from all over the world.

Puerta Oscura Gardens

These gardens, named after an Islamic gate found on the premises, sit in the southern slopes of Mount Gibralfaro. They make a fine addition to the environs of the Arab Fortress, blending smoothly in the landscape. Visitors can find walking lanes, fountains, bandstands and, of course, lots of plants and trees.

Arab Fortress Gardens

The gardens in the Alcazaba (Arab Fortress) complex make the military fortress from the days of Al-Andalus look even more impressive, affording breathtaking views of the sea. In addition to their high historical value, they offer the weary traveller an invigorating dose of light and colour, peace and beauty.

Alfonso Canales Gardens

Sitting in the district of Ensanche Centro, bounded by Vendeja Street, Manuel Agustín Heredia Avenue and Plaza de la Marina, these gardens are popular for their Ceiba chodatii or floss silk trees, whose bottle-shaped swollen trunk has earned them the name of árbol botella or palo borracho.

Picasso Gardens

These gardens were opened in Málaga in 1981, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pablo Picasso. Their symmetrical layout resembles a flower’s petals. Highlights include centuries-old fig trees and Siéxtasis, a sculpture dedicated to Picasso by Miguel Ortiz Berrocal.

Alfonso XII Gardens

Also known as Military Garden, they are part of a complex also including the Shrine of Santa María de la Victoria, the old Military Hospital and Plaza Alfonso XII, designated as an Asset of Cultural Interest. In these gardens, visitors can be in contact with a wide range of species of plants and trees.