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The Soho, Málaga It is the arts district: a triangle measuring about 20 hectares between the Alameda Principal, the River Guadalmedina and the port, featuring murals by internationally renowned street artists.
You can walk around it in a couple of hours. Here you go The mural trail, street by street, which is what you really need to make sure you don’t miss them.
This was called the Heredia Expansion and it was one of the most run-down neighbourhoods in Málaga: dilapidated 19th-century buildings, prostitution and drugs on the streets near the harbour.
The initiative came from the local residents and shopkeepers themselves, not from above. In 2013 the City Council launched the project MAUS —Málaga Urban Art Soho— with 120,000 euros on a tight budget, and brought in top-class artists to paint the party walls.
The name «Soho» came later, inspired by the artistic districts of New York and London. And it worked: today it is one of the liveliest places in the city.
It starts at the CAC, on the banks of the Guadalmedina, and walk towards the port. This is the order that works:
Here they are the two most important murals, both on a massive scale:
The black-and-white chameleon by ROA, a Belgian artist who paints life-size animals. His aim is to give these animals back the habitat that cities have taken away from them. He also left a huge rat in the neighbourhood.
A space designed to allow artists to paint freely. Highlights «Make a wish and go out and make it come true», by Boa Mistura, the Madrid-based collective whose name means «good mix» in Portuguese.
At the crossroads, the work by the Chinese artist Dal East. And throughout the area, interventions by Faith47, Pejac, Felipe Pantone, Okuda, TVBoy and the people of Málaga Doger y Dadi Dreucol.
In the Soho Bahía Málaga Hotel There are works by Aryz and Remed.
And if you’re still keen, the banks of the Guadalmedina are covered in graffiti in both directions.
The Centre Pompidou, under the Colourful cube from the port, opened in 2015 and it was the first branch of the Paris museum outside France.
Two practical points: closed on Tuesdays, y Admission is free on Sundays from 4.00 pm.
The CAC Málaga, the Centre for Contemporary Art, marks the boundary of the neighbourhood along the river and Admission is free. Its director was one of the driving forces behind MAUS.
The neighbourhood also has independent galleries and the Museum of the Imagination. More options at no extra cost at Free museums in Málaga.
A clarification that is needed: on CaixaBank Soho Theatre and the old one Alameda Theatre are the same building. Antonio Banderas bought it in 2017 and converted it into a performing arts venue.
It is in 13 Córdoba Street and organises music, theatre and concert events all year round, with more than 3,400 reviews. That is what has brought the neighbourhood national recognition.
If you happen to be there, it’s well worth a visit: you can get on the Tomás Heredia Street on the last weekend of every month, by 11:00 to 19:00.
It features craft and street art — ceramics, glass, wood, fashion, photography, painting — with prices ranging from 1 to 60 euros, and you can speak directly to the person responsible.
Useful information: Many guidebooks include places in Soho that are actually in other parts of the city centre. These yes are located within the neighbourhood:
And these, which are often referred to as being in Soho, are actually outside it: La Tranca It’s an excellent classic, but it’s in Carretería Street, at the other end of the town centre, and Recyclo Bike Café It’s north of the Alameda. They’re well worth a visit, but don’t look for them here.
To eat sensibly, traditional dishes from Málaga y its wines.
Soho is south of the Alameda Principal, between the Guadalmedina and the harbour. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from anywhere in the city centre, and from further afield, you can take the local train or bus into the city centre.
As it’s compact, it fits neatly into any space:
And it’s a free plan: The murals are on the street and the CAC doesn’t charge an entrance fee. More ideas at free things to do in Málaga.
We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. Whether you’d like a guided tour of Soho, or to combine a visit to the capital with the surrounding province:
The whole destination, in The Malaga Guide.
The Arts Quarter: a triangle covering some 20 hectares to the south of the Alameda Principal, between the River Guadalmedina and the port, formerly known as Ensanche Heredia. It was one of the most run-down areas of the city until, in 2013, the MAUS project transformed it with murals by international artists. Today, it is home to street art, galleries, the Centre Pompidou and the Teatro del Soho.
On Calle Comandante Benítez you’ll find the two major works: Obey’s woman bearing the slogan «Peace and Liberty», on a ten-storey building, and D*Face’s pilot wearing a pink helmet. ROA’s chameleon is on Casas de Campos Street, and the ‘Free Expression Wall’ featuring Boa Mistura’s work is situated between San Lorenzo and Barroso. There are QR codes next to many of the pieces.
Yes, it’s the same building. Antonio Banderas bought the former Teatro Alameda in 2017 and converted it into the Teatro del Soho CaixaBank, at 13 Calle Córdoba. It hosts musicals, plays and concerts throughout the year, and this is what has brought the neighbourhood national recognition.
On the last weekend of every month, on Tomás Heredia Street, from 11.00 to 19.00. It focuses on crafts and street art, featuring ceramics, glass, woodwork, fashion, photography and painting, with prices ranging from 1 to 60 euros. It’s also a great opportunity to meet local artists in person.
Yes, practically all of it. The murals are on public streets and are freely accessible, and the CAC Málaga doesn’t charge an entrance fee either. The Centre Pompidou charges an admission fee, although it’s free on Sundays from 4.00 pm. Please note that it’s closed on Tuesdays.
A couple of hours are enough to take your time looking at the main murals, as the neighbourhood is compact and everything is just a few minutes’ walk away. If you want to include the Centre Pompidou, allow half a day. It’s also worth visiting first thing in the morning or at dusk, when the lowered shutters reveal smaller-scale works.
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