Málaga, Spain

Málaga is a city of about 580,000 residents on Spain's Costa del Sol, founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC as Malaka. An 11th-century Alcazaba and the 14th-century Gibralfaro castle stand on a 130-metre hill above the harbour, while the 1528 Renaissance cathedral, nicknamed La Manquita for its single unfinished tower, anchors the historic centre. Pablo Picasso was born here in 1881 at Plaza de la Merced, and the Museo Picasso Málaga opened in 2003 with roughly 285 of his works. The 2015 Carmen Thyssen Museum adds 19th-century Andalusian art, leaving plenty more to uncover across the old quarter.