Getting to and from Málaga Airport: every option compared

Where are you heading?

Your options at a glance

The train is the fastest and simplest way to Málaga city and to the resorts between the airport and Fuengirola. Line A is the cheap city alternative that keeps running after the last northbound train. West of Fuengirola there is no railway at all, so Marbella, San Pedro, Estepona and beyond mean a coach, a taxi or a transfer. A taxi or ride-hailing car is the door-to-door option and the only realistic one in the small hours.

• Train (Renfe Cercanías C-1): station at the airport, signed "Access to RENFE local trains" from Arrivals.
• City bus (EMT line A): stop on the Arrivals kerb, Floor 0. €4, luggage free.
• Coaches (Avanza, ALSA): same Arrivals stop. Avanza has a ticket office opposite the T3 Arrivals exit.
• Taxi: rank at Arrivals, Floor 0, priced by the Junta de Andalucía's authorised tariff.
• Uber and Bolt: arrivals car park, Floor 0 – a short walk with road crossings, not the kerb.
• Car hire: desks on level -1.
• Own car: five Aena car parks; drop-off on the Departures level, Floor 1.

Train: Renfe Cercanías C-1

Line C-1 runs between Málaga Centro-Alameda and Fuengirola and has its own station at the airport. From Arrivals, follow the signs reading "Access to RENFE local trains". Both directions use the same access, so check which platform you need before you go through.

Times from the airport (Consorcio timetable valid 23 August 2026 to 31 December 2030, checked 9 October 2026):

• Towards Fuengirola: first 05:31, last 23:41, 52 trains a day.
• Towards Málaga Centro-Alameda: first 06:44, last 00:54, 52 trains a day.
• For most of the day trains run every 20 minutes, so you do not need to plan around a timetable between about 07:00 and 22:00.

The full line, in order: Málaga Centro-Alameda, María Zambrano, Victoria Kent, Guadalhorce, Aeropuerto, Plaza Mayor, Los Álamos, La Colina, Torremolinos, Montemar Alto, El Pinillo, Benalmádena-Arroyo de la Miel, Torremuelle, Carvajal, Torreblanca, Los Boliches and Fuengirola.

What the train does not reach: Mijas village, Marbella, Puerto Banús, San Pedro de Alcántara, Estepona, Nerja, Ronda, Granada or Seville. There is no train to Marbella. A rail line west of Fuengirola has been discussed for years, but no official source gives it any approved status or date.

Long-distance trains: María Zambrano, 9 minutes away, is Málaga's main-line station. Change there for AVE and other long-distance services; check times and fares with Renfe.

Tickets: buy at the airport station before boarding. Renfe information: 912 320 320.

Does the metro go to the airport?

No. Metro de Málaga has two lines, and neither has a station at or near the airport. If you need the metro, take the C-1 to María Zambrano (9 minutes) and walk to El Perchel metro station next door.

City and metropolitan buses

EMT line A (Paseo del Parque – Aeropuerto, Express) leaves from the Arrivals kerb on Floor 0. A single costs €4, luggage travels free, and you pay the driver by Visa, Mastercard or cash (Aena, checked 9 October 2026). The Consorcio transport card gives no discount on this line: its fare is also €4.00. From the airport the first bus is at 07:00 and the last at 01:15 on weekdays (01:10 at weekends and on public holidays), roughly every 20–30 minutes. It reaches Málaga bus station in about 17–19 minutes and Paseo del Parque in about 24–40 minutes, depending on traffic. Stops, timetable and the route back are on our bus page.

Train or line A into the city? In daytime the train is faster and more frequent. The bus goes closer to Plaza de la Marina and runs later at night: its last departure (01:15 on weekdays, 01:10 at weekends) comes after the last train towards Málaga at 00:54.

Consorcio line M-135 (Málaga – Aeropuerto – Santa Amalia, via Alhaurín de la Torre) is the only metropolitan line that stops at the airport. Since 1 August 2025 the stop has been in front of the Cercanías station, not at the old roadside stop. No step-free route from there to the terminal door is published, so with heavy luggage or reduced mobility use the train, a taxi, or book assistance rather than assuming a level walk. Every journey towards Alhaurín de la Torre calls there, but only some journeys towards Málaga do, so check the specific journey.

Do not get off at "Cruce Aeropuerto". Six metropolitan lines (M-110, M-112, M-113, M-132, M-133 and M-230) stop at this airport junction on the main road, which is not the terminal. A journey planner that offers one of them "to the airport" is sending you to a roadside stop with no published walking route.

Coaches along the coast and inland

Coaches use the same Arrivals stop on Floor 0 as line A.

• Avanza runs direct services to Marbella (about 45 minutes, ordinary fare from €6.48), San Pedro de Alcántara (about 55 minutes), Estepona (about 1 h 15), La Línea de la Concepción and Algeciras (about 1 h 55). Some journeys to La Línea and Algeciras involve a change of coach in Marbella, and Ronda is only reached with a change there. Avanza's ticket office is opposite the T3 Arrivals exit, open daily 07:45–23:00 (checked 9 October 2026).
• ALSA lists the airport as a stop on its Nerja, Motril, Granada and Seville routes. The airport is one of several Málaga stops on those routes and not every service calls there, so choose "Aeropuerto Málaga – Cost. Sol" when you book.
• FlixBus: Aena lists FlixBus lines to Córdoba, Lisbon and Lagos from the airport, but FlixBus's own website shows only Málaga bus station as its Málaga stop. Confirm the boarding point with FlixBus before relying on it.

Times, fares, luggage rules and the level -1 coach station are on our bus and coach page.

Taxi and the 2026 tariff

The taxi rank is outside Arrivals on Floor 0. Aena names Taxi Union and Unitaxi as the companies working at the airport. Fares for journeys within the city of Málaga are set by the Junta de Andalucía. The resolution of 9 February 2026 (BOJA no. 41, 2 March 2026) is in force; Aena's own taxi page still shows the earlier 2025 figures.

Supplements: €0.58 per item of luggage, €2.23 between 00:00 and 06:00, and €2.79 from the fifth occupied seat. The €6.49 airport supplement is charged on journeys to the airport, not on fares starting there, because tariffs 4, 5 and 9 already carry the higher airport minimum. All figures include VAT and were checked 9 October 2026; the driver must display the tariff in the vehicle.

Aena and ENAIRE put the airport 8 km from Málaga city centre, but that is a straight-line, administrative distance; the official taxi distance to the centre used by the Ayuntamiento is 11 km. Either way the meter stays below the minimum fare, so on a weekday daytime trip you pay €18.24 plus any luggage or night supplement. A journey ending in another municipality is charged under the Junta's separate interurban tariff. Our taxi page explains which tariff applies to which destination.

Uber, Bolt and private transfers

Uber and Bolt both operate at the airport. Aena gives Uber's pick-up point as "Priority park T3, Floor 0" and Bolt's as "Arrivals Car Park, Floor 0". Both are in the arrivals car park, not at the terminal door. Uber's own directions: follow the "Ridesharing VTC | Uber" signs from baggage reclaim, leave Arrivals by the right-hand door, cross a pedestrian crossing, pass under the footbridge, turn right into the car park and cross a second crossing to the pick-up area. Follow the pin in the app.

No step-free route to the pick-up is published. If you use a wheelchair, a walking aid or a loaded trolley, book Barrier Free assistance or take a taxi from the rank outside Arrivals instead, which needs no road crossing. Ride-hailing prices are set by the app, not by the taxi tariff.

Private transfers and shared shuttles are booked with a transfer company. Aena publishes a meeting point for ride-hailing and shuttle companies on Floor 0; use it unless your operator tells you otherwise in writing. If the driver does not appear, that is for the transfer company to resolve, not the airport.

Package holidays: tour-operator desks are in the arrivals area before the public hall. Find your representative there. Your transfer is the tour operator's responsibility under your package contract.

Car hire

Avis, Europcar, Goldcar-InterRent, Hertz, Proa, Record Go and Sixt have desks on level -1, in the zone Aena signs "Basement. Terminal 2". Take the lift or escalator down from Arrivals. OK Rent a Car is also listed by Aena, but Aena's own sources do not agree on where its desk is, so confirm the collection point with OK Rent a Car before you travel.

Opening hours vary by company and season. If you arrive late in the evening, check your company's hours against your landing time before you book; our car hire guide lists the hours each company publishes, and the company itself has the final word. Deposits, excess and cross-border rules are set by each company; see our car hire guide.

Driving and parking

Drop off departing passengers on the Departures level, Floor 1. Aena does not name the approach roads; use satnav or the map link on Aena's "getting there by car" page.

Aena runs five car parks at the airport:

• Parking express – short stays: first 10 minutes free, maximum stay 2 hours. Aena does not publish its rate online; it is displayed at the barrier.
• Parking llegadas (arrivals car park) – 450 spaces, on the arrivals side.
• Parking general – 1,384 spaces, height limit 2.10 m.
• Parking VIP – a valet service: hand over the car at the T3 door and collect it in Arrivals.
• Parking de larga estancia (long stay) – 837 covered spaces, open 24 hours, height limit 3.50 m, with a free on-demand shuttle 24 hours a day.

Aena describes the Express area as the one closest to departures. Aena's own published coordinates for the car parks are inconsistent, so no exact distances are given here; go by the signs. You can book and prepay through the Aena app or parking.aena.es, but the number plate on the booking must match your car. Prices change constantly and are shown only in Aena's booking engine. More on our parking page.

Late at night and early morning

Between the last bus and the first train, only taxis, Uber or Bolt and pre-booked transfers are available. Taxi night tariffs and the €2.23 night supplement apply.

Early flights: the first train reaches the airport at 05:31 from the Málaga direction and at 06:44 from the Fuengirola direction; the first line A bus leaves the city at 06:25. For a flight before about 07:00, public transport will often not get you there in time, so allow for a taxi or transfer. Work back from your airline's check-in deadline, not from the departure time.