It opens 1pm-4pm and 8pm until midnight daily, and until 1am at weekends.El Chinitas, at Calle Moreno Monroy 4 (00 34 952 210 972), is a long-established city centre restaurant serving a good selection of regional specialities. Fried fish is served on different sized plates designed for sharing, with prices starting at €5 (£3.50) a plate. It opens every day from 1pm-4.30pm and 7.30pm until midnight or later.The Caf?e Paris, at Calle Velez Malaga 8 (00 34 952 225 043; www.rcafedeparis ) is one of the finest restaurants in the city. The menu reflects what is available locally, and there is a "market menu", varying every day, for €39 (£28).
It opens from 1.30pm-3pm Monday to Saturday, and 8.30pm-10.30pm Tuesday to Saturday.El Piyayo, at Calle Granada 36 (00 34 952 220 096), is a great place for tapas and is often packed late into the night. House specialities include fried anchovies, and cod in a tomato sauce. Admission to the cathedral is €3.50 (£2.50), and it opens 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am-5pm on Saturday, and for mass only on Sunday.British Airways, operated by GB Airways, flies to Malaga from London Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester. For more details visit ba FIVE FOR FOOD AND DRINKEl Palo, east of the city centre, is the latest place to eat, and El Tintero (00 34 952 204 464), on Playa del Dedo at the point when the coast road comes to an end, is one of its most popular restaurants.
It opens 9.30am-8pm daily except Monday, and 8.30am-7pm in winter. Admission is €1.90 (£1.35), but is free after 2pm on Sunday. In the heart of Malaga is its 16th-century cathedral on Calle Molina Larios (00 34 952 22 84 91; www3.planalfa.es/catedralmalaga). It is an imposing building with an impressive fa?e, notable for the fact that only one tower has ever been finished; this has earned it the nickname of "la manquita", or the one-armed lady. The museum inside the castle chronicles the town's history and opens 9am-7.45pm daily; admission costs €1.80 (£1.30).Down the hill, and with walls connecting it to the castle ruins, is the restored Moorish fortress or Alcazaba at Calle Alcazabilla (00 34 952 227 230).
Although its contents pale in comparison with those of the Picasso Museum, it contains some interesting sketches, ceramics and family photographs. The ruins of Gibralfaro Castle, which was built by the Moors, are on a site once occupied by the Phoenicians. It opens 10am-8pm from Monday to Saturday, and 10am-2pm on Sunday; admission is €1 (70p).Elsewhere in the city are traces of Malaga's varied past. The museum opens 10am-8pm from Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 10am-9pm Friday and Saturday. Admission is €6 (£4.30), with an extra €4 (£2.85) for the regularly changing special exhibitions; the next of these opens on 24 October and looks at mythology in the artist's work.The house at Plaza de la Merced 15 (00 34 952 060 215; www.fundacionpicasso.es) where Picasso was born and spent the first 10 years of his life is also open to the public.