To Málaga Centro-Alameda station · One way · All prices are totals for 1 adult · All service hours
3 transfer optionsCar hire · not ranked
Not everything runs all night.Not all night: the Cercanías C1 runs 06:44–00:54, the Line A Exprés Aeropuerto runs 07:00–01:15.
Recommended
The cheapest way in. Nothing listed is quicker.
Regional
Cercanías C1
C1 · Renfe Cercanías Málaga
8–12 min rideEvery 20 min06:44–00:54
The Cercanías station in the transport interchange at arrivals level→Málaga María Zambrano in 8 minutes
€1.80total for 1 adult€1.80 eachBuy ticketOn Renfe Cercanías Málaga
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. The Cercanías station in the transport interchange at arrivals level, floor 0; Aena marks the access on its arrivals map
EUR 1.80, a two-zone single. A return is EUR 3.60 — two singles, valid the same day only. Children under six travel free, up to two per adult ticket. Buy at the machines or ticket office, to use within two hours; a contactless card or phone also opens the gates, but you must tap out as well as in, or the card is charged the five-zone maximum.
Luggage. A commuter train with space by the doors; no limit is published.
Hours. From the airport toward the city: 06:44, 07:19, 07:54, then every 20 minutes at :14, :34 and :54 until 22:54 (weekends: 07:54, 08:34, 09:14, 09:54, then every 20), then 23:24, 23:54, 00:24 and a last train at 00:54, every night. 52 trains a day Monday to Friday, 49 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Boards at. Arrivals, floor 0, at the stop opposite the transport interchange
The Billete Aeropuerto, EUR 4.00, one ride, no transfer, valid only on Line A. No other EMT ticket or pass works on it. Pay on board in cash (drivers need not change a note above EUR 5), by card tapped once on boarding, or with a QR ticket from the EMT app; there is also a ticket window by the arrivals exit. The metropolitan Consorcio card is accepted at the same EUR 4.00. Under-threes travel free.
Luggage. A city bus with a luggage area; Aena and EMT both say luggage is carried free.
Hours. From the airport: 07:00 every day; Monday to Friday every 20 to 25 minutes to 00:00, then a last bus at 01:15; Saturday and Sunday every 20 to 25 minutes to 23:50, then a last bus at 01:10. There is a gap of over an hour before that last departure.
The options are still here — your budget or journey-time filter is drawn tighter than any of them. Widen either one, or reset the filters, to bring them back.
Prices marked "from" are starting prices set by the operator. Prices are whole-party totals; group fares are included. Ride times are recorded journey durations — no waiting or onward travel has been added — and road times vary with traffic. Confirm prices and availability with the operator. Going the other way? Málaga to Costa del Sol airport: where each one boards and when the first one runs
How do I get from Málaga airport to Málaga city center?
For one traveler the Cercanías C1 at €1.80, 8–12 min, is both the cheapest way in and the fastest. Every option below is priced as a total for your party and says where it leaves you.
A few things for the rest of your trip
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Car hire at Málaga airportDiscover Cars
Hire a car for Marbella, about 45 minutes down the coast, where no train goes and the coach runs at uneven intervals. You already reach María Zambrano, Centro-Alameda, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola on the Cercanías C1 every 20 minutes. Discover Cars shows the full price before you book.
A flight three or more hours late, or cancelled at short notice, can be owed up to €600 a passenger under EU and UK rules, depending on the flight. AirHelp charges only if the claim succeeds.
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Arriving late?
Not everything runs around the clock: the Cercanías C1 runs 06:44–00:54, and the Line A Exprés Aeropuerto runs 07:00–01:15. Outside those hours, the Pre-booked private transfer is what remains. Set the hour you leave arrivals and the board keeps only what is running.
Luggage
A commuter train with space by the doors; no limit is published.
Going somewhere specific?
"The center" is not one place, and the answer changes
The Express bus into central Málaga stops on floor 0 of the terminal, at arrivals — the same stop nearly every other city and intercity line from the airport uses.
Tickets
Pay for the Express bus with a Visa or Mastercard, or in cash, on board — there is no need to buy a ticket beforehand.
The taxi rank
The taxi rank is at arrivals, floor 0. Every posted fare from the airport is a minimum charge, not a flat price.
Uber and Bolt
Uber and Bolt both operate here, booked through their apps. Pickup for both is on floor 0 of Terminal 3 — Uber's priority area, or Bolt's arrivals car park.
Luggage
Luggage is carried free on the airport Express bus into central Málaga.
Before you travel
Where each one starts, how long it runs, what it carries
C1 · Renfe Cercanías MálagaCercanías C1
From
The Cercanías station in the transport interchange at arrivals level, floor 0; Aena marks the access on its arrivals map
To
Málaga María Zambrano in 8 minutes, then Málaga Centro-Alameda, the end of the line, in 12
Luggage
A commuter train with space by the doors; no limit is published.
Runs
06:44–00:54
Journey
8–12 min
EUR 1.80, a two-zone single. A return is EUR 3.60 — two singles, valid the same day only. Children under six travel free, up to two per adult ticket. Buy at the machines or ticket office, to use within two hours; a contactless card or phone also opens the gates, but you must tap out as well as in, or the card is charged the five-zone maximum.
The last train is at 00:54 and the first at 06:44, every night. Between them only the airport bus runs, and only until 01:15.
EUR 1.80 is the two-zone single: the airport is in zone 1 and the two city stations are in zone 0. Do not buy more zones than that for the center.
Paying at the gate with a bank card means tapping out at the other end too. Renfe charges the maximum for the whole network — the five-zone fare — to any card that enters and never exits.
A return is EUR 3.60, the price of two singles, and the return half must be used the same day; there is no saving in it.
Every train calls at María Zambrano before Centro-Alameda. Get off at the first for the AVE, the metro and the bus station; stay on for the Alameda and the old town.
No EMT product is needed or valid: this is Renfe's fare, bought at the station.
From the airport toward the city: 06:44, 07:19, 07:54, then every 20 minutes at :14, :34 and :54 until 22:54 (weekends: 07:54, 08:34, 09:14, 09:54, then every 20), then 23:24, 23:54, 00:24 and a last train at 00:54, every night. 52 trains a day Monday to Friday, 49 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
C1 · Renfe Cercanías MálagaCercanías C1 to Torremolinos
From
The Cercanías station in the transport interchange at arrivals level, floor 0
To
Torremolinos, the fifth stop south of the airport
Luggage
A commuter train with space by the doors; no limit is published.
Runs
05:32–23:42
Journey
9–10 min
EUR 1.80, a two-zone single: the airport is zone 1 and Torremolinos is zone 2 on Renfe's own fare map, the same price as the ride into central Málaga. Buy at the machines or ticket office; a contactless bank card also opens the gates, but tap out at the far end too or the card is charged the five-zone maximum.
Same train, different direction: this is the C1 heading south, away from Málaga. Boarding the wrong platform gets you to the city, not Torremolinos.
EUR 1.80 covers one or two zones. Torremolinos is one zone past the airport, so it costs exactly what the ride into Málaga costs.
Trains run every 20 minutes from 05:32 to 21:42, then every 30 to the last at 23:42.
From the airport, southbound: 05:32, then every 20 minutes to 21:42, then 22:12, 22:42, 23:12 and a last train at 23:42, every day — 52 departures Monday to Friday, 49 on Saturdays and Sundays.
C1 · Renfe Cercanías MálagaCercanías C1 to Benalmádena
From
The Cercanías station in the transport interchange at arrivals level, floor 0
To
Benalmádena-Arroyo de la Miel, nine stops south of the airport
Luggage
A commuter train with space by the doors; no limit is published.
Runs
05:32–23:42
Journey
17–18 min
EUR 2.05, a three-zone single: the airport is zone 1 and Benalmádena-Arroyo de la Miel is zone 3 on Renfe's own fare map. Buy at the machines or ticket office; a contactless bank card also opens the gates, but tap out at the far end too or the card is charged the five-zone maximum.
Same train, different direction: this is the C1 heading south, away from Málaga.
EUR 2.05 is one zone dearer than the ride into Málaga or to Torremolinos.
The station is Benalmádena-Arroyo de la Miel, a little inland; it is not a seafront stop.
Trains run every 20 minutes from 05:32 to 21:42, then every 30 to the last at 23:42.
From the airport, southbound: 05:32, then every 20 minutes to 21:42, then 22:12, 22:42, 23:12 and a last train at 23:42, every day — 52 departures Monday to Friday, 49 on Saturdays and Sundays.
C1 · Renfe Cercanías MálagaCercanías C1 to Fuengirola
From
The Cercanías station in the transport interchange at arrivals level, floor 0
To
Fuengirola, the end of the line
Luggage
A commuter train with space by the doors; no limit is published.
Runs
05:32–23:42
Journey
34 min
EUR 2.70, a four-zone single: the airport is zone 1 and Fuengirola, the end of the line, is zone 4 on Renfe's own fare map. Buy at the machines or ticket office; a contactless bank card also opens the gates, but tap out at the far end too or the card is charged the five-zone maximum.
Same train, different direction: this is the C1 heading south, away from Málaga, to the far end of the line.
EUR 2.70 is the highest single on this line — four zones from the airport.
Trains run every 20 minutes from 05:32 to 21:42, then every 30 to the last at 23:42, taking 34 minutes end to end.
From the airport, southbound: 05:32, then every 20 minutes to 21:42, then 22:12, 22:42, 23:12 and a last train at 23:42, every day — 52 departures Monday to Friday, 49 on Saturdays and Sundays.
Arrivals, floor 0, at the stop opposite the transport interchange
To
The Alameda Principal and the Paseo del Parque, calling at the bus station beside María Zambrano on the way
Luggage
A city bus with a luggage area; Aena and EMT both say luggage is carried free.
Runs
07:00–01:15
Journey
25–40 min
The Billete Aeropuerto, EUR 4.00, one ride, no transfer, valid only on Line A. No other EMT ticket or pass works on it. Pay on board in cash (drivers need not change a note above EUR 5), by card tapped once on boarding, or with a QR ticket from the EMT app; there is also a ticket window by the arrivals exit. The metropolitan Consorcio card is accepted at the same EUR 4.00. Under-threes travel free.
Your EMT card does not work here. Every EMT product, including the ten-ride card and the free children's card, excludes Line A. The EUR 4.00 airport ticket is the only fare, and it is valid on no other line.
It is more than twice the price of the train and takes about three times as long: EMT's own scheduled times give 27 to 40 minutes to the Paseo del Parque on weekdays and 24 to 33 at weekends, against 12 minutes by train to the same avenue.
The last bus from the airport is 01:15 on weekdays and 01:10 at weekends, and there is no bus at all for more than an hour before it. The first is 07:00. Nothing else public runs at the terminal overnight.
The Consorcio's Tarjeta de Transporte is accepted on this line but charged the full EUR 4.00, though it pays under a euro on an ordinary EMT bus.
Two travelers pay EUR 8.00 here and EUR 3.60 on the train; the bus is only worth it for a stop the train does not make — the bus station, or the Paseo del Parque at the far end of the Alameda.
From the airport: 07:00 every day; Monday to Friday every 20 to 25 minutes to 00:00, then a last bus at 01:15; Saturday and Sunday every 20 to 25 minutes to 23:50, then a last bus at 01:10. There is a gap of over an hour before that last departure.
Terminal 3, arrivals — every Avanza line to Marbella shares this one stop
To
Marbella bus station, Avenida Hermanos Blánquez
Luggage
A long-distance coach with a hold; no limit is published.
Runs
08:45–23:59
Journey
35–55 min
EUR 6.48 is the lowest fare Avanza states for this ride; the operator publishes no single fixed price, and the fare can be higher depending on the departure and how far ahead you book. Buy at the airport ticket counter (daily 07:45–23:00) or online in advance.
EUR 6.48 is a floor, not a fixed fare: Avanza states it as a "from" price and does not publish what the ceiling is.
Eleven differently numbered lines call at the airport on the way to Marbella; there is no single line name or colour to look for on the stop, only the destination.
The last two departures, 23:15 and 23:59, are advance-purchase only — turning up at the counter will not get you on either.
Coaches are not evenly spaced: some gaps are ten minutes, others run over an hour. Check the specific time before you plan around it.
Spacing is uneven through the day rather than a fixed headway — sometimes two coaches within 10 minutes, sometimes a gap of an hour or more. The first from the airport is 08:45, the last 23:59, which (like the 23:15 before it) is sold only as an advance purchase, not at the counter or on board.
What is the best way from Málaga airport to Málaga city center?
For one traveler, the Cercanías C1 at €1.80, 8–12 min. The cheapest way in. Nothing listed is quicker. The same holds for a group of up to eight. How we weigh price against time is set out on the fares page, in numbers.
What is the cheapest way from Málaga airport to Málaga city center?
For one traveler, the Cercanías C1 at €1.80. Per-person fares multiply with the size of your party and per-vehicle fares do not, so check the total for your group rather than the single fare.
How do I get from Málaga airport to Málaga city center by train?
One train reaches Málaga Centro-Alameda station: the Cercanías C1, €1.80 for one traveler, 8–12 min, to Málaga María Zambrano in 8 minutes. For one traveler that is the cheapest way into Málaga by any means. See every option by train
How do I get from Málaga airport to Málaga city center by bus?
One bus reaches Málaga Centro-Alameda station: the Line A Exprés Aeropuerto, €4 for one traveler, 25–40 min, to the Alameda Principal. It is not the cheapest way in: the Cercanías C1 at €1.80 is. See every option by bus
How do I get from Málaga airport to Málaga city center by taxi?
One taxi reaches Málaga Centro-Alameda station: the Pre-booked private transfer, €37 for one traveler, 17 min, to any address. It is not the cheapest way in: the Cercanías C1 at €1.80 is. See every option by taxi
How long does it take to get from Málaga airport to Málaga city center?
Cercanías C1: 8–12 min. Line A Exprés Aeropuerto: 25–40 min. Pre-booked private transfer: 17 min. Málaga Airport is 11 km from the center by road.
How far is Málaga airport from the city center?
11 km to the center by road. The fastest way in takes 8–12 min.
Is there Uber or Bolt at Málaga airport?
Uber and Bolt both operate here, booked through their apps. Pickup for both is on floor 0 of Terminal 3 — Uber's priority area, or Bolt's arrivals car park.
Where do I catch the Cercanías C1 at Málaga airport?
The Cercanías station in the transport interchange at arrivals level, floor 0; Aena marks the access on its arrivals map. Follow the signs from arrivals. It leaves you at Málaga María Zambrano in 8 minutes, then Málaga Centro-Alameda, the end of the line, in 12.
Is there a train from Málaga airport to Málaga at night?
The Cercanías C1 runs 06:44–00:54. The Line A Exprés Aeropuerto runs 07:00–01:15. Outside those hours the pre-booked private transfer is what remains; it is €37 for the vehicle. From the airport toward the city: 06:44, 07:19, 07:54, then every 20 minutes at :14, :34 and :54 until 22:54 (weekends: 07:54, 08:34, 09:14, 09:54, then every 20), then 23:24, 23:54, 00:24 and a last train at 00:54, every night. 52 trains a day Monday to Friday, 49 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Does the Cercanías C1 to Torremolinos go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
This is the C1 heading away from Málaga, toward the coast — it reaches Torremolinos, not the city center. For central Málaga take the northbound C1.
Does the Cercanías C1 to Benalmádena go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
This is the C1 heading away from Málaga, toward the coast — it reaches Benalmádena, not the city center. For central Málaga take the northbound C1.
Does the Cercanías C1 to Fuengirola go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
This is the C1 heading away from Málaga, to the end of the line on the coast — it reaches Fuengirola, not the city center. For central Málaga take the northbound C1.
Does the Avanza coach to Marbella go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
Goes to Marbella only, about an hour down the coast — not to central Málaga, which the Cercanías C1 and Line A already cover.
Does the Welcome Pickups transfer to Málaga cruise port go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
This goes to the cruise port, not to the city centre: the driver takes you to the terminal.
Does the Private transfer to Torremolinos go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
This goes to Torremolinos, not Málaga: the driver takes you to any address there.
Does the Private transfer to Fuengirola go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
This goes to Fuengirola, not Málaga: the fixed price covers any address in Los Boliches, its eastern half.
Does the Private transfer to Marbella go to Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western end of the Alameda Principal, with María Zambrano as the main station?
This goes to Marbella, not Málaga: the driver takes you to any address there.
Worth knowing
Cercanías line C1 leaves the airport every 20 minutes and reaches María Zambrano, the AVE station, in 8 minutes and Centro-Alameda in 12, for EUR 1.80 a head. A return is EUR 3.60, exactly two singles, used the same day. Children under six travel free, two per adult. Eight people pay EUR 14.40, less than a single taxi can legally charge.
The airport bus accepts nothing but its own ticket. EMT's Line A, the Exprés Aeropuerto, costs EUR 4.00 and takes roughly half an hour to the Alameda Principal — the street the train reaches in 12 minutes for EUR 1.80. No other EMT product, ticket or pass works on Line A, and its own ticket works on nothing else, with no transfer. The metropolitan Consorcio card is accepted, at the same EUR 4.00. What the bus does that the train does not is stop at the bus station and end at the Paseo del Parque.
The last train leaves the airport at 00:54 every night, the first at 06:44. The last bus is 01:15 Monday to Friday and 01:10 at weekends, the first 07:00 — with a gap before that too: nothing between 00:00 and 01:15 on weekdays, or 23:50 and 01:10 at weekends. No night bus serves the airport. Land between 01:15 and 06:44 and the answer is the taxi rank.
No fixed taxi fare exists, only a metered minimum: EUR 18.24 on weekdays 06:00–22:00, EUR 22.48 on weekday evenings/early mornings and weekend days, EUR 25.80 at night on Friday to Sunday and holiday eves — plus EUR 2.23 between 00:00 and 06:00 and EUR 0.58 per bag. The city puts the center at 11 km, priced at exactly this minimum; an ordinary taxi seats four. Sources disagree on whether a EUR 6.49 airport supplement applies leaving the airport. Either way, the taxi loses to the train at every party size.
The airport's own taxi page is a year behind: it prints 2025 minimums of EUR 17.37, 21.72 and 24.93 and a luggage supplement of EUR 0.56, all five percent below the current tariff. Trust the card in the taxi, which must show the current tariff, over the airport's website.
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