Málaga and Andalusia in spring by car: Semana Santa, Caminito del Rey and the white villages (March to May)

Why spring is the season for inland Andalusia

From March to May the hills are green, highs climb from about 20 C to 25 C and it rains on three to five days a month. The Caminito del Rey names March and April as the best months for the flowers in the gorge, and the flamingo colony at Fuente de Piedra peaks in April. The week to plan around is Semana Santa: hotels fill, the centre of Málaga closes to cars every afternoon and the coast roads are busy on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, both public holidays in Andalusia.

Semana Santa 2027 in Málaga: dates and what you will see

In 2027 Holy Week falls early: Palm Sunday is 21 March and Easter Sunday 28 March. Málaga's Semana Santa has been a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Internacional since 1980; its 41 brotherhoods, grouped in the Agrupación de Cofradías founded in 1921, stage more than 40 processions in a week. What sets Málaga apart is the trono, a huge open platform weighing up to several tonnes, carried on long beams by more than 250 hombres de trono who walk in step to a bell. Every procession passes the recorrido oficial along Calle Marqués de Larios, where seats are sold by subscription; everywhere else is free.

• Palm Sunday (21 March): the Pollinica, the children's brotherhood, opens the week in the morning; eight more follow.
• Holy Monday: the Cautivo, the white-robed Christ known as the Señor de Málaga, draws some of the biggest crowds.
• Holy Wednesday: the brotherhood of El Rico frees a prisoner, a privilege attributed to King Carlos III.
• Holy Thursday (25 March): the Legion lands in the port and escorts the Cristo de Mena in the evening; the Virgen de la Esperanza blesses the city from the Plaza de la Constitución.
• Good Friday (26 March): the Santo Sepulcro, the city's official brotherhood, processes with the municipal corporation.
• Easter Sunday (28 March): the Resucitado closes the week.

Holy Thursday: the Legion and the Cristo de Mena

Early on Holy Thursday a Navy ship brings a company of the Legion into the port; in 2026 it docked at 10:00 at Muelle Dos, beside the Palmeral de las Sorpresas. The legionaries march along Muelle Uno to the Plaza de Fray Alonso de Santo Tomás, by the church of Santo Domingo on the Guadalmedina river, where at midday they carry the crucified Christ out on their shoulders singing El Novio de la Muerte, their hymn of 1921. The first landing took place in 1930; the procession leaves in the early evening. Arrive early: the quays and the square fill long before.

Parking and street closures during Holy Week

• On procession days the Alameda Principal, Paseo del Parque, Plaza de la Marina and Calle Córdoba close from 15:00 until the last trono is home, often after 02:00; from Holy Wednesday to Good Friday they stay closed around the clock.
• The council advises against driving to the centre at all. The Camas and Tejón y Rodríguez car parks close with the streets; Cervantes, Andalucía, San Juan de la Cruz, Salitre and Cruz del Humilladero stay open a short walk away.
• Park before 14:00 and move on foot or by EMT bus, which ran until 02:30 to 03:00 in 2026.

Caminito del Rey: how to book and where to park

Antequera, El Torcal and the flamingos of Fuente de Piedra

Setenil de las Bodegas and the Sierra de Grazalema

Frigiliana, the Nerja caves and the Axarquía in brief

Nerja is about an hour east of the airport; Nerja and Frigiliana are covered in our day-trips guide. One spring note: the Cueva de Nerja extends its hours in Holy Week, from the Friday before Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, opening 9:15 to 17:30 with last entry at 16:30; its car park is paid by the minute. Beyond Frigiliana the mountain villages of the Axarquía make a slow April drive while the hills are still green.

Spring weather, the sea and the Feria de Abril

• March: highs around 20 C, nights near 10 C, about 50 mm of rain on four days. El Torcal and Grazalema are several degrees cooler; carry a jacket for the evening processions.
• April: highs around 22 C, nights near 11 C, 45 mm of rain on five days. Peak month for flamingos and wildflowers.
• May: highs around 25 C, nights near 14 C, 20 mm of rain on three days. Walk El Torcal and the Caminito in the morning.
• The sea: 15 C in March, 16 C in April and 17 C in May; comfortable swimming starts in June.
• Feria de Abril in Seville: expected from Monday 12 April to Sunday 18 April 2027; the city confirms the dates each year. Seville is about 200 km and a little over two hours from Málaga by motorway.

Driving in Andalusia in spring: the rules that matter

• Speed limits for cars: 120 km/h on motorways and dual carriageways, 90 km/h on other roads outside towns, 50 km/h on urban roads with two or more lanes per direction, 30 km/h on streets with one lane per direction, 20 km/h where pavement and road are on one level.
• Alcohol limit 0.5 g/l of blood, 0.3 g/l in the first two years of licence. Roadside checks are frequent around Holy Week.
• Central Málaga is a low emission zone (ZBE) with cameras that read the DGT environmental label. Cars without a label registered outside the city are fined 200 EUR; an extension to B-label cars from outside Málaga, planned for late November 2026, is under legal review. Rental cars carry a C, ECO or Cero label as a rule; check the windscreen sticker before driving into the centre.
• Keep the reflective vest within reach. Spanish-registered cars, rental cars included, must carry a V-16 warning beacon since 1 January 2026; check it is in the car at pick-up.
• Children under 1.35 m need an approved child seat in the back; ask for one at booking.
• Historic centres such as Ronda, Antequera, Setenil and Grazalema have narrow lanes and resident-only zones; park at the edge and walk. Fines reach the driver through the rental company. The inland roads in this guide are toll-free.