Digital Nomad and Remote Work in Málaga – The Complete Guide
Digital nomad Silvie van der Zee gives One Planet Journey’s readers the complete guide to a successful digital nomad experience in Málaga. She offers the full account of what to do in the city, why it’s perfect for remote work, which neighbourhoods to live in, suitable co-working spaces, and the practicalities for digital nomadism in Spain. Also, don’t miss the interview with Ben Kolp, the founder and owner of coworking space The Living Room.
Digital nomad in Málaga
Digital nomadism, while popular for quite a while now, surged in popularity post-COVID. Suddenly, people discovered they didn’t have to be in the office to get things done. Being a digital nomad means you can work remotely with your laptop and decent Wi-Fi. You also have the opportunity to experience local life in different places, because digital nomads tend to stay between a month and up to a year. It allows for a deeper travel style where you get to establish a genuine connection to the destination, the culture, and the resident community.
When winter arrives in the Netherlands, it’s time for me to leave. I usually go to Spain for a workation, like Tenerife or Gran Canaria. My last one took me to the south of Spain, to beautiful Málaga in Andalusia. I stayed here for a month, together with a friend and colleague of mine. We rented an apartment and a desk in a coworking space, so we had plenty of choice concerning where to work from.
Why you should visit Málaga
The location
Málaga is centrally located in the region of Andalusia. You can easily reach cities like Ronda and Cádiz with a car, or why not take direct trains to Granada, Seville, and Cordoba from the main intercity train station, Málaga María Zambrano. There’s even a fast connection to Madrid that takes less than 3 hours. Perfect if you want to explore another Spanish city on the weekend. If you prefer to stay close, take a train from Málaga Centro Alameda station to beach favourites Fuengirola, Benalmádena or Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol. The airport is only 20 minutes from the city centre and serves a great deal of destinations in and outside of Europe.
The weather
Málaga has a very pleasant climate throughout the year, keeping in mind it can get extremely hot in the summer (40+ degrees Celsius). I worked from there in November and could enjoy, as I like to call it, “shorts weather”, although I saw some locals already wearing their winter coats. The city has about 300 days of sunshine annually, and most rain falls between November and March.
Culture and history
Málaga has over 40 museums, with the Museo Picasso Málaga a headline grabber, as this is Pablo Picasso’s home city. The museum features many of his works, and you can take a guided tour or listen to an audio guide. It’s well worth a visit.
Something completely different is the Centre Pompidou Málaga, a museum for modern art (20th and 21st century). If the name looks familiar, that’s because the primary location of this museum is in Paris, but this outpost in Málaga is excellent too, if you’re into modern art.
As for history, the city has a grand cathedral, la Manquita. Entry is not free, but the audio tour comes included in the price. Nearby in the centre there is a very accessible Roman theatre. The Roman legacy also extends to the harbour. There are many traces of the time Málaga spent under Arabic influence of the Moors. “Malaqah” formed part of the Islamic Al-Andalus empire, and it shows. Two of the most important buildings from that time are the stunning Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle. I particularly loved the mosaic details.
Nature
The city has a beautiful botanical garden, the Jardín de la Concepción, central and impossible to miss. With Málaga surrounded by mountains, there’s plenty of nature to enjoy outside of the city. For instance, visit the Parque Natural Montes de Málaga or the Caminito del Rey (if you dare).
The food
Spain has a sterling reputation for its tapas and sangria. And given its location by the water, seafood is another popular choice in Málaga. Many beachside restaurants and bars serve fried fish or typical dishes such as ajoblanco and pipirrana a la Malagueña (a local salad).
As a vegetarian, it’s not always easy in Spain, but I’m a sucker for patatas bravas and tortilla de patatas. However, the benefit of living in a larger city means that there are quite a few vegetarian restaurants. My personal favourite? Restaurante Vegetariano Cañadú on Plaza de la Merced.
Sports
The Malagueños love their sports, both playing and watching. Málaga got the designation of European Capital of Sports in 2021. Padel is hugely popular in Spain, and Málaga offers plenty of facilities for other sports as well. There are excellent golf courses, and of course you can do all the water sports you like, such as swimming, scuba diving, sailing, surfing, you name it. If the weather is not too warm, hiking is a fun activity to do there too. For instance, in the national park.
Safety
As women, we wanted to go to a destination where we felt safe walking on the streets at night. I’m not much of a party girl, but I felt very safe walking home around midnight after a delightful meal or pub crawl. Spanish people spend a lot of time outside, and kids stay up late. So even at a late hour, plenty of people, even families, lingered on the street, and safety was never a concern during my time in Málaga.
Living in Spain as a Digital Nomad
Language
Spanish is the official language in Málaga, but the Andalusian accent is much harder to understand than the variety spoken in Madrid, for instance. When I came here in 2006 to learn Spanish, hardly anyone spoke English, but now that the city (unfortunately or fortunately depending on your perspective) has become more touristy, you can get by with English. Especially the people working in tourism speak English reasonably well. But learning a few Spanish words is very much appreciated.
Visa
Spain has a visa for digital nomads. You can find more info about it here. EU nationals may move to Spain without needing any visas or permits. However, you do have to register for a “residencia” if you plan to stay longer than 6 months.
Affordability
While the south of Spain is not exactly Asia in terms of prices, it is still a lot more affordable for visitors from Western and Northern Europe. I had a very large sangría on a lovely terrace in the sun for only 4 euros. Of course, we didn’t go out to eat every day, but the price of groceries also delivered good value for money.
Málaga neighbourhoods for digital nomads
As the second-largest city in Andalusia, Málaga has a lot of different neighbourhoods, each with its own characteristics. These are my favourites.
Soho
This is a great neighbourhood for digital nomads in Málaga, next to the Old Town. Known as the artistic neighbourhood or “Barrio de las artes”, you will find a lot of murals and other types of creativity here.
Centro Histórico (Old Town)
Málaga is like an open-air museum with plenty of beautiful old buildings, squares, and streets. It might be a little crowded, but it’s still a pleasant area to stay in. And a central location to visit all the sights on foot.
Malagueta
The “barrio” next to the beach, La Playa de la Malaguéta. A lively neighbourhood that includes the new harbour area Muelle Uno, with lots of nice shops and restaurants.
La Merced
At the heart of this neighbourhood lies the main square, la Plaza de la Merced. Since my last stay in 2006, it’s had a facelift and these days it’s filled with restaurants and bars.
Coworking spaces for digital nomads and remote workers in Málaga
The Spanish government is keen on attracting digital nomads and has even set up a special programme: Malaga Workbay. It offers support for digital nomads with housing, coworking, networking, starting a business, etc.
Although we had an apartment to work from, we rented a desk in a coworking space because we wanted to have a professional set-up and enjoy other benefits. This included an actual desk with a large monitor, reliable and secure Wi-Fi, free coffee and tea, and, of course, nice people. Here are a few coworking spaces in Málaga:
The Living Room (TLR)
This is the one I stayed at in Soho. It’s an international coworking space with a focus on community. They organise activities such as dinners, monthly drinks, and presentations.
Larios First
A coworking space in a historic building on the main shopping street in the Old Town, near the sea. Convenient location with lots of natural daylight.
Impact Hub Málaga
Located next to the María Zambrano train station in an old Renfe (train company) building, and with two additional locations throughout the city. They also organise activities for their community.
La Aduana
This coworking space has 2 locations: next to the cathedral in the Old Town, and in Malagueta. So you can choose if you want culture or sea on your doorstep. They even have a shower, perfect after taking a dip in the sea during your lunch break!
Grow Working Málaga
A huge 1,650-square-metre facility in the city centre, with coworking desks, meeting rooms, a shared kitchen and large common rooms with comfy couches.
To give you a clear idea about what to expect as a digital nomad in Málaga, I had a chat with Ben Kolp, the founder and owner of coworking space The Living Room (TLR).
Why did you start TLR?
I needed a place to work from. In 2015, I had been working for nearly 5 years, and had grown a bit tired of the corporate world. So I became a freelancer, collaborating with a former colleague based in London. I had a customer in Copenhagen and lived in Málaga. During the first week working from home, I realised I couldn’t do it. I really wanted people around me. I preferred having an office to go to again. And that’s why I started TLR.
Digital nomads like to live the local life when they visit a destination. What does that look like in Málaga?
Churros for breakfast is a very local thing to do, so looking up places that have those could be an authentic experience. Paella is a lunch thing; never order it in the evening if you don’t want to out yourself as a foreigner. And Spaniards don’t do sangria; tinto de verano is much more common.
When it comes to activities, locals do loads of things with family and friends, which is difficult to get into, unless you make real Spanish friends and get invited to beach outings, birthdays, lunch or dinner at home etc. It’s a very social country, bars are always full and is the place to be for a slice of Spanish culture.
Why is Málaga great for digital nomads?
Because of its glorious weather. Málaga is on the coast, which is a big upside compared to other bigger inland cities. And nomads always look for something tempting when they go on a trip. It could be skiing, surfing, or hiking, for example. Exceptional activities they cannot do anywhere else, whatever the destination. I think that’s why Málaga, and the province of Andalusia overall, is a great destination for digital nomads.
Here you have the coast, you have the sea, and Africa is super close. You can visit Morocco; you can sail over from Gibraltar. There are so many cool things you can do in Andalusia when it comes to hiking. It’s absolutely breathtaking. It has proper mountains. In the winter, you can ski in the Sierra Nevada. So it has a little bit of everything. And on top of all of that, the most important thing is that the Spaniards have an open and welcoming mindset that made this boom possible in the first place. Tourism is still the main income source for Spain, especially for southern Spain, for Málaga. People are friendly, and there is good food. It’s just a great place to be.
Reflections on being a digital nomad in Málaga
I genuinely enjoyed digital nomad life in Málaga. Not only because I could escape winter but also because I like deep travel and the relaxed pace of southern Spain. Of course, when arriving in a new place, I want to explore and understand the city. Going deeper and staying for a longer period means knowing where the locals eat, shop and hang out. I enjoy meeting other digital nomads too. For instance, during my time in Málaga, we watched a couple of World Cup matches together on a big screen that someone hung in the coworking space. That’s what community is all about for me: authenticity, intentional living, deep travel and fun. I am glad I got to experience being a digital nomad, and I would love to do it again. And Málaga is always a good idea, whether you visit as a tourist or a digital nomad.
Have you been to Málaga? Did you go there as a digital nomad for remote work? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to our newsletter and benefit from travel guides, sustainable tourism and luxury travel tips, insightful interviews, and inspirational places to visit. One Planet Journey – The World’s First Deep Travel Magazine.
