Rough Guides names Malaga as the World's second best City to visit in 2015

The famous "Rough Guides" travel guide organisation named Malaga City as the world's second best city break destination for travellers to visit in 2015. Respected around the world for the well-researched and accurate travel guides they publish in book format and online, Rough Guides named Malaga as the world's second hottest travel destinations after South Africa's Johannesburg.

The top ten destinations also include, surprisingly for some, the City  of Birmingham, which ranked in ninth position, and Nizwa in Oman, which managed a respectable fifth place.

A potent Cocktail of old and new Attractions

Malaga City and the province as a whole has been undergoing an incredible cultural revival and next year will be the start of even more attractions opening to the public. From the creation of a hiking and cycling trail that will span the entire Malaga province's coastline and link resorts to the incredibly successful Picasso Museum, the soon-to-open Cube, the new Russian Museum and Louvre Museum in Malaga Harbour and the dozens of historic sites and attractions Malaga has to offer, Rough Guides picked out that there is far more to Malaga City than meets the uncritical eye at first glance.

Malaga has seen also the creation of a blossoming art scene that has begun to attract some of the world's most innovative artists.

Gaining a world-wide Reputation as a Centre of artistic Excellence

A statement issued by Rough Guide said: "Founded by the Phoenicians, the ancient city of Malaga has far more to offer than the usual Spanish cocktail of sun, sea and sangria – though all of those things are still in plentiful supply. Projects signalling Malaga’s cultural revival include a new museum of Russian art, set to light up a former tobacco factory, and the continued development of a mural-daubed Soho, which attracts trailblazing artists."

Marbella residents popping to Malaga for a day trip and Spain travellers using Malaga as their base are no longer just traipsing through the old historic centre, the Roman theatre or the Castle of Gibralfaro, when they come to Malaga. The city has seen an 8% rise in visitor numbers in 2014 and bagged several other travel accolades this year, including being named in Spain's top ten travel destinations by travel site TripAdvisor.

This is in no small part due to the fact that the city has seen a plethora of new attractions, such as the Picasso Museum, which stages permanent and temporary exhibitions. Malaga has regenerated itself as a city of culture that embraces contemporary art as much as Phoenician and ancient Roman heritage or 18th century masters.

Malaga's historic attractions range from the original walled fortifications built by the Phoenicians and the 1st century BC Roman theatre to the Gothic splendour of the Church of Santiago and the Baroque and Renaissance elegance and opulence of the Episcopal Palace and Malaga Cathedral.

Malaga Harbour, where super cruise ships disgorge thousands of holidaymakers every summer, and the Pedregalejo, the city's oldest fishing district, couldn't be more different and yet, they make Malaga into what it is today, a highly successful blend of old and new, the futuristic and the historic.

Log on to http://www.roughguides.com/best-places/2015/ for the full Rough Guides listings of the world's most exciting cities to visit in 2015. Among the highlights of a day trip to Malaga are a visit to the Atarazanas Market, the La Concepción Botanical and Historical Gardens, San Miguel Cemetery, Malaga Cathedral, the Picasso Museum and the Palm Grove and Muelle Uno at Port of Malaga.

If you are using Marbella as your base, there are plenty of daily buses running between Marbella and Malaga. There's more to Malaga than just arriving at the airport - be sure to make the most of your visit to Andalusia and see the world's second hottest travel destination for yourself in 2015!