Almogia – “the nice one”, as it was named in Moorish – is a small city close to Malaga. It is an attractive cycling ride that can be easily done in half a day, with both challenging climbs and lovely views. Depends on what you focus on 🙂

Route in a nutshell

Distance: 44 km | Elevation gain: 800 m (max elevation 513 m)

Route: Malaga – Almogia (viewpoint) – Malaga

Malaga → Almogia

From Malaga city center we headed towards the hills via the Western exit of the city, which is less pleasant compared to the exit via the coastline we did in our previous ride (check our Puerto del Leon ride here). This outskirt area is more industrial and less scenic. There is a good bike path though, supporting the navigation in the area.

Then we started to climb towards Almogia … an interesting climb, to say the least. The views are lovely, with hills of olive and almond trees.

In terms of gradients, most sections are manageable, but there are 2 very punchy sections (the longer being 1 km) – those were brutal for me. With proper nutrition and mental support I avoided push-biking, but it was though.

After those painful sections, all the others will seem piece of cake – you’ll even find some energy to pose for the camera 😉

Bonus: there are very few cars in this area, and all the drivers we met were super patient, overtaking super safely.

The views from the top are totally worth it! The viewpoint is super nicely arranged, perfect for a short photoshoot with an amazing background.

Almogia → Malaga

For the way back we chose a slightly different course – the main road – and it was so pleasant and smooth! I would actually recommend taking the main road also up to Almogia instead of taking secondary ones (as we did).

The bike

I rode a lovely rusty-red Basso Astra Disc 45. The bike was brand new, so I had the privilege to show it for the first time the hills of Malaga ❤

The bike was rented from Eat Sleep Cycle Malaga. We knew about Eat Sleep Cycle before, as we also rented bikes from their store in Girona.

If you are curious what rides we did in Spain, you can check it out here – Spain cycling adventures.

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Malaga offers plenty of opportunities to have a good meal after the ride – we chose to enjoy traditional tapas at El Pimpi.

One more note: if you enjoy combining cycling holidays with a bit of art, Malaga is a great place, as it is the birthplace of Picasso. There are plenty of opportunities to discover Picasso during an after-ride walk through the city 

Have you ever been cycling in Malaga? What rides would you recommend in Costa del Sol?

‘Till next time … happy riding!

Georgiana