Málaga is the biggest tourist magnet on the south coast of Spain. Second only to Seville in the list of Andalusian cities by size, Málaga is busy and cosmopolitan. You'll get a sense of this when you step off the train at the city's main station. It is a stunning piece of modern design, named in honour of writer María Zambrano. For many visitors, Málaga means beaches. But the birthplace of Picasso is a major centre for cultural tourism, too. The heart of the old city is very compact and conveniently close to María Zambrano station. For access to nearby resorts, local suburban trains (called Cercanías) shuttle along the coast to Torremolinos and Fuengirola. There are also good links to other cities in Andalucía. Córdoba is less than an hour away, Ronda and Seville both less than two hours.

Málaga lies at the southern extremity of Spain's (and Europe's) high-speed rail network. All main rail routes out of the train station lead north. The fastest train of the day covers the 513 kilometres to Madrid in just 2 hrs 25 mins. There are also direct high-speed services to Zaragoza and Barcelona. These first-class links mean that it is perfectly possible to travel from Paris to Málaga in a day. The journey takes just over 13 hrs.

Our local tip: the Media Distancìa trains (usually bound for either Ronda or Seville) which run north from Málaga take a very different route from the high-speed trains. There is an especially dramatic stretch of this line, about 30 minutes out of Málaga, as the train runs up El Chorro gorge. There are lots of tunnels to be sure, but also some stunning views of chasms and precipices. It is one of Europe's great rail rides.