Málaga Airport to City Centre & Marbella: Train, Bus, Taxi 2026

The quickest and cheapest way from Málaga Airport to the city centre is the C1 Cercanías train: a single costs around €1.80 and the ride to Málaga Centro-Alameda takes about 12 minutes. The Express airport bus (line A) costs €4 and drops you by the Paseo del Parque, while a taxi to the centre usually costs around €20–€30. If you are heading to Marbella or need a car waiting at arrivals, compare local operators on our Málaga Airport transfers page.

Málaga Airport to city centre: quick comparison

Option	Price	Journey time	Runs	Best for
C1 Cercanías train	Around €1.80 to Málaga, around €2.70 to Fuengirola	12 min to Málaga Centro, 34 min to Fuengirola	About every 20 min at busy times, from early morning to late evening	Málaga centre, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola
Express bus line A (EMT)	€4, luggage free	Around 20–30 min	Every 20–30 min, last bus from the airport around 01:10	Old town, port, Paseo del Parque, late arrivals
Avanza bus to Marbella	Around €8–€11	Around 40–50 min	Frequent through the day	Marbella, Estepona on a budget
Taxi	Metered; around €20–€30 to the centre	15–20 min to the centre	24/7 from arrivals	Luggage, families, door-to-door
Uber, Cabify, Bolt	Price shown in the app	As taxi	Depends on driver availability	App users travelling light
Pre-booked private transfer	Fixed price agreed in advance	As taxi	24/7	Groups, night flights, child seats, Marbella

Train and bus fares are per person; taxi and transfer prices are per vehicle. For three or four people going beyond Málaga, a car often costs little more than the combined bus tickets and saves a change of transport.

Málaga Airport train: C1 Cercanías to the city centre

The Renfe Cercanías line C1 runs between Málaga Centro-Alameda and Fuengirola and stops at the airport. The airport station is a short, signposted walk from arrivals; follow the signs for Tren or Renfe. According to Aena, the airport operator, approximate journey times from the airport are:

• Málaga María Zambrano (main railway station, AVE high-speed trains to Madrid, Seville and Barcelona): 8 minutes
• Málaga Centro-Alameda (the end of the line, a short walk from Calle Larios and the old town): 12 minutes
• Benalmádena: 18 minutes
• Fuengirola: 34 minutes

Trains towards Málaga leave from one platform and trains towards Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola from the other, so check the screen before you board. At busy times there is roughly one train every 20 minutes; it is less frequent early in the morning and late in the evening. If your flight lands late, check the last departure on Renfe before you rely on the train.

C1 train tickets and fares

Fares are zone-based. A single from the airport to Málaga is around €1.80 and to Fuengirola around €2.70. Buy tickets from the machines in the station or, on Cercanías Málaga, tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gates; Renfe charges according to the zones travelled. Keep the card or ticket to hand, because you must validate again when you leave the destination station, otherwise you can be charged the maximum fare. Trains have space for suitcases, though they get crowded on summer evenings. Timetables and fares are on the Renfe Cercanías Málaga page.

Málaga Airport bus: Express line A to the centre

EMT Málaga runs the Express Aeropuerto–Centro bus, signed as line A. It leaves from the stop outside arrivals on floor 0 and runs into the city along the seafront, finishing at the Paseo del Parque near the port, the cathedral and the Alcazaba. Aena lists the single fare as €4, with luggage carried free. Pay on board; contactless cards are generally accepted, but carry some cash in case.

Buses run every 20–30 minutes, more often at peak times. The service runs later than the train: since EMT extended the timetable, the last bus from the airport leaves around 01:10 on weekdays. Allow around 20–30 minutes to the centre depending on traffic. Line A is the better choice if your hotel is near the port, the Malagueta or the eastern end of the old town, or if you land after the last train. Check the EMT information line (952 367 200) or the stop display if you arrive in the middle of the night.

From the same arrivals area, other buses go further afield: Avanzabus to Marbella and Estepona, Alsa to Nerja, Granada and Seville, and long-distance Flixbus routes. The full list of airport bus lines is on Aena’s Málaga Airport bus page.

Málaga Airport taxi price

The taxi rank is directly outside arrivals; Aena lists the Taxi Unión and Unitaxi companies at the airport. Málaga’s taxis are metered, and fares from the airport use special airport tariffs set by the city council. The 2026 tariff sheet from Málaga’s mobility department shows minimum fares from the airport of:

• €18.24 on weekdays (Monday to Friday, 06:00–22:00) – tariff 4
• €22.48 on weekday nights, weekends and holidays by day – tariff 5
• €25.80 on Friday and holiday-eve nights and weekend nights – tariff 9

Small supplements apply: €0.58 per suitcase in the boot and €2.23 between 00:00 and 06:00 on the night tariffs. A supplement of €6.49 applies to journeys to the airport, so the return trip often costs more than the outward one.

In practice, expect around €20–€30 to Málaga centre, around €20–€30 to Torremolinos, around €30–€40 to Benalmádena, around €40–€55 to Fuengirola and around €80–€100 to Marbella, depending on the time, traffic and exact address. Longer trips to the Costa del Sol towns are charged on the interurban tariff, so ask the driver for an estimate before you set off. Taxis in Málaga generally take cards, but confirm before starting a long trip. The official rates are published by the city’s Área de Movilidad (taxi tariffs 2026, PDF).

Uber, Cabify and Bolt at Málaga Airport

Ride-hailing apps operate in Málaga under Spain’s VTC licence system. Bolt lists Málaga Airport as a served airport and shows the current pick-up point in the app; pick-up zones can move, so follow the in-app directions and the ride-hailing signs rather than waiting at the taxi rank. Uber and Cabify also work in the city. Prices are shown before you confirm and rise when demand is high, such as on summer Saturdays when many flights land together. Check the number plate and driver details before getting in.

Pre-booked private transfers from Málaga Airport

A pre-booked transfer means a driver is waiting in arrivals with a name sign, and the price is agreed before you travel. That is worth it in several situations:

• Travelling to Marbella, Estepona or further, where a metered taxi can run high and the bus means a change or a walk at the other end.
• Groups and families who need a minivan for six to eight people or a car with child seats fitted.
• Late arrivals after the last train, or on busy summer weekends when the taxi queue is long.
• Golf bags, bikes or lots of luggage, which need a larger vehicle booked in advance.
• Fixed budgets, since flight delays and traffic do not change the agreed price with most operators.

You can compare companies that serve the airport on our Málaga Airport transfers hub and contact them directly. Local operators listed in the directory include Shine Malaga Transfers, Malaga Taxi Services, Malaga Airport Transfers S.L., Sunrise Taxi – Your Taxi Transfer Malaga, MarbeTaxi – Marbella Airport Transfers and Simply Shuttles. When you book, give your flight number so the driver can track delays, and ask what waiting time is included and whether child seats cost extra. For trips that start in the city, see our Málaga transfers page.

Málaga Airport to Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Marbella and beyond

Málaga Airport to Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola

The C1 train is the simple choice for these resorts. Torremolinos station lies between the airport and Benalmádena, Benalmádena (Arroyo de la Miel station) about 18 minutes away and Fuengirola about 34 minutes away. Some hotels in Torremolinos and Benalmádena are a long walk uphill or along the seafront from the station, so a taxi from the airport (around €20–€40) can make sense with heavy bags.

Málaga Airport to Marbella

There is no train to Marbella. Avanzabus runs direct coaches from the airport arrivals area to Marbella bus station, taking around 40–50 minutes for a fare of around €8–€11, with departures through the day. Marbella bus station is on the northern edge of town, above the motorway, so most people still need a taxi to Puerto Banús or the beachfront. A taxi from the airport costs around €80–€100, and a pre-booked car is often similar. See operators on our Marbella transfers page.

Málaga Airport to Granada and Seville

Alsa runs coaches from the airport to Granada (around 2 hours) and Seville (around 2 hours 45 minutes), with a handful of departures a day. Alternatively, take the C1 to María Zambrano and change to a high-speed train, which reaches Seville in around 2 hours and Granada in around 1 hour 15 minutes. By road, private transfers take around 1 hour 30 minutes to Granada and around 2 hours 30 minutes to Seville. Compare operators on our Granada transfers and Seville transfers pages.

Tips for arriving at Málaga Airport

• Night arrivals: the train stops running before the last flights land. After that, use line A (until around 01:10), the taxi rank or a pre-booked car. Night supplements apply to taxis between 00:00 and 06:00.
• Use the official rank or an app: ignore anyone offering a ride inside the terminal. Licensed taxis queue outside arrivals, and VTC drivers must be booked through an app or in advance.
• Keep your ticket for the train: you need it, or your contactless card, to exit the destination station.
• Tipping: not expected. Rounding up a taxi fare or adding a euro or two for help with bags is common.
• Payment: cards are widely accepted on the bus, in taxis and at train gates, but carry some cash as a back-up.
• Peak traffic: the A-7 and AP-7 towards Marbella are slow on Friday and Saturday afternoons in summer and during events. Allow extra time for a return flight.
• Events and roadworks: city-centre stops sometimes move for marathons, the Feria in August and Easter processions. Check EMT notices before you travel.