Malaga, like most airport cities, is often overlooked but as we found last year, it makes a great and accessible winter city break, especially if you time it for the first weekend of December when some of the best and most tasteful Christmas lights you could hope to see are switched on. Don’t miss the huge nativity scene at the meeting point of Alameda and c/Larios, then explore the marbled pedestrianised streets festooned with red green and gold lights. The atmosphere in the city centre is truly festive, with street entertainers to keep the kids happy and a free rock concert in the Plaza Constitucion. There are many cosy authentic tapas bars where you can drink Malaga wine and eat delicious tapas, such as Malaga Cod (a sort of potato salad with cod and oranges). Drink with the locals at the Casa Guardia, which Picasso frequented. During the day you can visit the Picasso Museum, the Moorish fort and the Alcazaba palace and then return to soak up the carnival atmosphere in the evening.

Malaga centre is pedestrianised and easy to find. Access from the airport is easy - from the central staion it is a 15 minute walk to the centre

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