Buses in Malaga are the principal means of public transport and the main routes in the West are run by Portillo and by Portillo and Alsa in the East. There are also some other bus operators like Avanzabus or EMT for urban buses in Malaga.
Services range from reasonable to poor depending on the route; buses arrive infrequently and it’s not uncommon to wait 45 minutes for a bus that supposed to come every 20 minutes. During special events, the frequency and schedule of the buses may change.
Bus stations
Let’s going to find information about the main bus stations in our province and some of the urban bus stops.
Alhaurin El Grande station
Several buses run daily to Coin and Malaga with a reduced service on Sundays and public holidays. The opening time of the bus station is from 7 am to 2 pm from Monday to Friday.
- Bus line and schedule: https://siu.ctmam.ctan.es/es/horarios_lineas_tabla.php?linea=23
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/MUfW4R8rjCYDMt4MA
Coin buses
Buses run daily to Alhaurin el Grande (15 min.): Fuengirola, Marbella via Guaro and Monda, Mijas and Tolox. There is also a bus line with Malaga, but the price is 4 euro for each way. A much-reduced service runs on Sundays and public holidays.
Stop: https://goo.gl/maps/LDjnsxidKUoJvC9E9
Estepona bus station
The bus station is situated near the sea shore on Avenida Litoral. There are several buses daily to Algeciras, Granada, La Linea and Seville. Buses to Madrid and Barcelona leave once a day. Local services to Fuengirola, Malaga (one hour journey) and Torremolinos leave frequently, and the main local bus route is from Estepona to Marbella via San Pedro.
- Lines and schedules: https://booking.avanzabus.com/web/index.php
- Bus station: https://goo.gl/maps/aq4AsgBZU5pn7AZA8
Line L-79 to Marbella
- Promenade stop: https://goo.gl/maps/rfFqAM5RDXo6GK3S6
- Marina: https://goo.gl/maps/15CHrHyHCLotDS8n8
- Calvario street: https://goo.gl/maps/b7G16JztXY8sobKA9
Fuengirola buses
The bus station is situated at the main crossroads between Calle Alfonso XII and Avenida Saenz de Tejada. There are frequent buses to Marbella, Malaga, Mijas and Torremolinos. There are also daily bus services to Alhaurin de la Torre and Coin. Several buses run daily to Granada, Cordoba, Madrid, Ronda, Seville and Algeciras.
The bus to Malaga takes approximately 40 minutes and is the M-113
- Website: https://malaga.avanzagrupo.com/es/itinerarios-y-horarios/lineas/113-m113-malaga-fuengirola-directo
- Bus station: https://goo.gl/maps/xym7X3uv1yxLJkaa9
Other stops and urban buses:
- Fuengirola Park: https://goo.gl/maps/KWXvm6tTPPWanNQD6
- Bus El Castillo, near Sohail Castle: https://goo.gl/maps/MzmSxDm9XExsgopY6
- Hotel Myramar: https://goo.gl/maps/9dcmXT1TxZh1JnWB8
- Los Boliches: https://goo.gl/maps/1z4MvUgUhja7P7dh6
Istan bus
Istán has a regular passenger service on the Istán-Marbella route.
Timetables (Monday to Friday):
- Istán to Marbella: 09:15, 16:00 and 19:45 H.
- Marbella to Istán: 08:30, 15:15 and 19:00 H.
There is no service on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Stop location: https://goo.gl/maps/2tWsksVdEzqHBDMu6
Malaga bus station
The main centre for buses is in Malaga. It is a modern bus station situated in Los Tilos near the main train station and several shopping centres. This bus station has several small shops and cafés, a currency exchange counter and internet facilities.
There are buses daily to the larger cities in Andalucia and express coaches to Madrid and Barcelona; coach services for Europe and Morocco are also available.
Buses depart from here to the main centres on the coast: Benalmadena, Estepona, Fuengirola, Marbella and Nerja. For long distance journeys you can book a seat by phone in Portillo and Alsina Graells.
Remember that you can also take urban buses from the many stops available in the city.
- Website: https://estabus.malaga.eu/
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/LouPbk2voTuJiFYE9
Urban buses in Malaga
There are many urban buses in Malaga, so we recommend to check the following website to find out the bus line you might need to take: https://www.emtmalaga.es/emt-classic/home.html?lang=en
- Price for a single ticket, except for the bus to the airport is 1,40€ that can be paid inside the bus.
- Price for EMT bus to Malaga airport is 4€.
- They only accept letters of up 5€, so better bring coins.
- You can pay for unlimited travel for one month and one year. (39,95-
- You can recharge 10, 20 or 30 journeys valid for one year.
- All recharges must be produced at Customer Service Centre, commercial network establishments and through the NFC top-up functionality of the EMT Malaga app.
Manilva buses
From Manilva there are connections to Estepona, Marbella, Casares, Sabinillas and San Pedro de Alcántara. If you want to travel further afield you will have to change at one of these destinations.
The bus stop is next to the Health Centre.
Marbella bus station
The bus station is on the A-7 to the north of the city on the km 184 exit, and is modern and spacious with good facilities including shops, restaurants and a large waiting room. Parking for private cars is ample. Frequent buses run to Benalmadena Costa, Estepona, Fuengirola, Malaga, Ronda and San Pedro.
There are also several buses daily to the main cities in Andalucia and Madrid. Buses also serve the villages in the vicinity: Coin, Istan, Monda and Ojen.
- Bus lines: Avanza, Alsa and urban buses
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/EeAnx2wH1dF7Dy1v5
Mijas buses and stops
Mijas doesn’t have a bus station and buses leave from the main square opposite the town hall. There are buses every 30 minutes to Fuengirola and several buses daily to Coin.
Below some of the bus stops available in Mijas Pueblo and Mijas Costa. Mijas Golf is only available on request.
- Mijas Pueblo stop: https://goo.gl/maps/kXzXqpNjxNsgUJJEA
- Mijas Pueblo: https://goo.gl/maps/e4j6UPn5U41XHfQG6
- Campo de Mijas: https://goo.gl/maps/3BNRaSUdtvpuLdYF7
- Mijas Golf: https://goo.gl/maps/iXnARSC1yvJmsZaJ8
- Miramar Mijas: https://goo.gl/maps/ydFsqnzAAEvJf27Z7
- La Cala de Mijas: https://goo.gl/maps/mu8b1PphCvHm41TX7
Nerja bus station
The bus station is on the N-940 at the junction with Calle San Miguel and frequent buses run to Malaga, Granada, Malaga airport and the hospital in Velez-Malaga, as well as local services to Maro, Frigiliana and Torre del Mar.
Bus station: https://goo.gl/maps/tJAjRUaptY8WqV7G9
San Pedro bus terminal and stops
The bus terminal is situated on the N-340 in the centre of town. There are several daily buses to Ronda and San Roque, as well as frequent services to Estepona, Fuengirola, Malaga, Marbella and Torremolinos. Buses for Benahavis run twice a day.
- Terminal: https://goo.gl/maps/hZ2LW7Q3F2WXPjD97
- Boulevard stop: https://goo.gl/maps/rd23D1EwBtKhUbfr6
- Health Centre stop: https://goo.gl/maps/jNSUqsjZ869ByR3D7
Sotogrande buses
Buses stop at Guadiaro. Bus services run several times a day from Estepona to La Linea, although not all stop at Guadiaro for Sotogrande. The Malaga to Algeciras bus service also has a stop at Sotogrande and buses run more or less hourly from 5am to 7pm (Malaga) and from 8am to 10pm (Algeciras). These bus services get very crowded and it’s best to book in advance. For more information contact Portillo in San Roque.
- L1 towards La Linea: https://goo.gl/maps/4VdBxaiWmDcfnFLt5
- Sotogrande Alto: https://goo.gl/maps/yxoL4zNrPmF6JFgd8
- Torreguadiaro: https://goo.gl/maps/ot8Aq49eWR3Pr9Su5
Torremolinos bus station and stops
The bus station is on Calle Hoyos and there are frequent bus services to Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Malaga and Marbella. There’s no parking for cars at the station and it is close enough to Torremolinos old town. In case you need to park your car for waiting someone, you can try the street surrounding the station or using the public parking Los Congresos.
The bus station opening time is from 9 am to 10 pm.
- Bus station: https://goo.gl/maps/npe5wsYQ7jt5wHyDA
- Avenida Carlotta Alexandri: https://goo.gl/maps/cWda9riFN5aknd9z8
- Playamar: https://goo.gl/maps/7JUqt6m5ZJQiSkVG7
- El Pinillo: https://goo.gl/maps/VP5wtfi6PtLkCfePA
- Town Hall: https://goo.gl/maps/kuynSddKundUs2gx8
- Costa del Sol Mall: https://goo.gl/maps/cNQQtufi6tTfEKGe6
Velez Malaga bus station and stops
The bus station is on the main road into the town from Torre del Mar on Avenida Vivar Tellez, opposite the main park. Bus services are available to Malaga, Nerja and surrounding villages.
For getting there from Malaga by bus, you should head to Malaga bus terminal.
- Bus station: https://goo.gl/maps/6REGKeaovyxw3wJi6
- Caleta de Velez: https://goo.gl/maps/ckebYyKQZzjQ94Bq9
- Shopping centre: https://goo.gl/maps/gFLhpXchSpFeUSVs8
- Limonar: https://goo.gl/maps/bSZ4ac4w1vmiwHfT8
- Hospital: https://goo.gl/maps/9UVvhkiCzXqPcYHh7
- Cemetery: https://goo.gl/maps/cJqWWK4Apio9Tche7
Tourist buses
Besides the municipal buses, both urban and intercity, there are tourist buses; these buses offer tours in the most touristic areas of our city. In addition, in many municipalities there is a tourist train that runs through different areas. This tourist train is ideal for both adults and children due to its low cost and that will show us the area with explanations in both English and Spanish.
In case you are interested on excursions to another provinces or villages, we recommend to contact any of the airport transfers companies we recommend.
Alternatives to bus in Malaga
If you are looking for alternatives to the bus, we recommend Malaga car hire. Of course this is a car rental website, but having your own vehicle will avoid long waits at bus stops. It will also allow us on deciding where and when you want to go, without depending on external factors.
If you want to visit a white village in Malaga, or getting to a hiking route then the bus is not an option. In that case and if you still decide not to rent a car, then a taxi in Malaga is probably a good choice. Feel free to visit our link to know more about that type of transport in our province and follow our recommendations for the best price and finding a English speaker driver.
If your budget is low but there are many people for sharing costs, then the taxi option above chould be a excellent choice. In case you want to find another option, then you should research about the bus stops or train stations in the area you want to get.
Remember that the Malaga bus terminal is near Malaga train station Maria Zambrano, in case you need to link with a commuter train.