Calle Marqués de Larios, the most famous street in Málaga

Calle Marqués de Larios is right in the heart of Málaga's old town and links two points that any visit ends up covering: it runs from the Alameda Principal to the Plaza de la Constitución.

It is also a street made for strolling, because it is wide, straight and very easy to place, with that stately air of symmetrical buildings that makes it impossible to mistake for anywhere else. Between shopping, terraces and celebrations, it has become the city's social shop window: if there is something going on in the centre, it is almost always happening here.

Calle Marqués de Larios was born at the end of the 19th century as a very specific solution: opening a grand avenue where there had been a warren of alleyways from the old Muslim layout, with overcrowding and a lack of hygiene, ventilation and drainage that encouraged outbreaks of disease.

To that public health need was added another, just as practical: creating an axis that connected old Málaga with the new area growing towards the Park and the Alameda. The City Council drove the project forward in 1880 and the Larios family took on much of the funding, leading a scheme that ended up shaping the city centre's great drawing room.

Walking along Calle Larios, the first thing you notice is that everything fits: a wide, straight street flanked by symmetrical buildings that keep the same line and proportion. The layout was by the municipal architect Manuel Rivera Valentín, and the building projects and site management were the responsibility of Eduardo Strachan Viana-Cárdenas, who brought to Málaga influences from the Chicago School and the European air of Haussmann's Parisian boulevards.

That harmony rests on very specific decisions: there are twelve blocks with buildings of the same height, and that height matches the width of the street, which reinforces the sense of balance. The rounded corners also have a reason behind them, which is to help the sea breeze pass through, given how close it is, at a time when drainage was poor and ventilating the centre helped clean the air.

It was also a very advanced street for its time: homes with high ceilings, metal columns in the structure, hydraulic tiled floors, its own drainage, running water and two bathrooms per home. Even the orientation was worked out to let the winter sun in and keep it out in summer.

And one detail almost nobody imagines today: the original paving was made of wood, laid from end to end. It not only gave a stately finish, it also absorbed the noise of carts and cars, which is why the people of Málaga nicknamed it the ballroom.

The statue of the Marquis of Larios at the start places you at the beginning of the street and explains who backed the work financially

The route between the Alameda Principal and the Plaza de la Constitución is the whole idea of Larios: a direct route linking two key points of the old town

The symmetry of the buildings hits you straight away: twelve blocks with a harmonious design and the same height

The rounded corners are not only there for looks, they were designed to help the air flow through at a time when drainage was poor

The alignment of cornices and balconies means that as you walk, your eye is drawn towards the end of the street with a very marked sense of order

The comforts the street introduced: high ceilings, metal columns, hydraulic tiled floors, its own drainage, running water and two bathrooms per home

The curious fact about the original paving: it was made of wood, which is why many nicknamed it the ballroom, and it also helped dampen the noise of carts

The social role of Larios today is as the great shop window of the centre for celebrations such as Holy Week, Carnival, the August Fair and the Christmas lights, as well as catwalks and exhibitions

Calle Larios is the social shop window of central Málaga, so when the city celebrates something, it often ends up passing through here. If you enjoy seeing Málaga in full swing, there are times of year when the street changes completely.

Holy Week, because the centre fills with atmosphere and Larios is part of the pulse of those days, with a huge amount going on from early in the morning.

Carnival, when the centre comes alive with activities and the atmosphere is especially noticeable along the Larios–Constitución axis.

The August Fair, because during the day the centre turns into one continuous party and this street tends to be one of the liveliest spots.

The Christmas lights, when Larios becomes the city's great promenade and the plan is to come and see it, walk it and do it again.

Catwalks and exhibitions, because as well as traditional celebrations, the street is used as a stage for fashion events and open-air shows.

If you come from the Alameda Principal, the natural thing is to enter from that side and head straight on towards the Plaza de la Constitución. And if you are already in the Plaza de la Constitución, you just have to look towards the start of the street and walk the whole length down to the Alameda.

Coming in from the Alameda Principal is the most typical way if you are arriving from the port, the Park or the transport hubs in the centre, because Larios starts right there and you recognise it straight away

Coming in from the Plaza de la Constitución is the easiest option if you are arriving from Calle Granada, the Cathedral area, or you have been walking around the old town for a while, because the square leaves you right at the top of Larios.

On foot around the centre, you almost always end up here without looking for it, because it is a straight, pedestrian street and it connects with the most common routes through the old town.