Muelle Uno and the Pompidou cube at sunset

Málaga turned its working docks into a promenade about fifteen years ago, and the result is the most usable modern set in the city: the Palmeral de las Sorpresas, a long white pergola of slats and steel ribs; a line of palms; the marina; and at the far end the Centre Pompidou's glass cube, a stack of primary colours designed by Daniel Buren.

Three completely different frames sit within four hundred metres of each other. The pergola throws hard stripes of shade that work best in strong light — the one place in town where midday sun is an asset. The quayside gives clean horizontals of white hulls and blue water. The cube gives saturated colour, and after dark it is lit from inside.

The promenade runs roughly east to west, so the last hour of sun comes down its length and side-lights everything, with the Gibralfaro hill and the Alcazaba warm on the skyline behind. Twenty minutes after sunset the cube, the lighthouse and the boats all come on at once and the water in the marina holds every colour.

It is free, open and flat, which makes it the easy option with children or with anyone who cannot manage the old town's slopes. It is also the city's evening walk, so expect people: cruise-ship days are the worst, and the Malagueta beach immediately east gives sand and space when the quay is full.