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Place in Andalusia, Spain
Photo: Martin Morris, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Marbella is a cosmopolitan beach resort on the Costa del Sol in Spain.
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The square lined by the city hall, orange trees, restaurants and bars is the lively heart of the old town. Built after the Christian reconquest of the city, it is an example of renaissance architecture.
A nice little park in the middle of the city with a beautiful benches and a fountain decorated with painted tiles. Buy an ice cream, sit down and watch locals and tourists.
From the park, the pedestrian street Avenida del Mar leads down to the Mediterranean. Along it you can see ten statues by the famous Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí.
Marbella's baroque cathedral, from 1618 and colorful on the inside.
A former mosque, this building next to the main square is nowadays a small church — the oldest one in Marbella.
It was built in 1994 on the site of a former hospital. The throne inside it depicting Christ is much older and is carried around Marbella on Good Friday.
A 16th-century chapel that also has functioned as hospital and a home for foundlings.
A statue of Holy Mary looking out from a window over the eponymous alley.
Alcazaba de la Medina
Part of a former fortress dating back as far as the 10th century, the old town still boasts the fortifying walls and some other remnants of the Alcazaba of the Medieval Medina of Marbella. What's left is far less impressive than what you will find in Granada, Málaga or Córdoba, but together with the other monuments in the old town they still make for a very impressive walk.
A quite long and narrow park, just east of the old town. The park was constructed in the 1980s on a former riverbed, and a road bridge goes across it. The park also housed a Bonsai Museum but this permanently closed in December 2018.
The beach promenade, 6 km in length with palm trees, restaurants, bars and of course the Mediterranean.
Interested in contemporary Spanish art? Then this museum is something for you.
The activity takes place at Puerto Deportivo of Marbella and consists of 12 minutes of flying over the sea, at a height of over 70 m. The company offers you a lifejacket, harness and other equipment needed. Then a boat will pull you across the water until you take off and during your flight. Then you're brought back to land.
One of the largest and best golf courses in Europe with a 45-hole course.
This all-weather racetrack has meetings throughout the year, including floodlit night racing on summer weekends. The course also boasts plenty of entertainment including bars, music and restaurants.
Basque style tapas.
Outdoor and indoor seating. This is a popular tapas bar where you can try gambas pil pil (fried shrimps and garlic served with bread), patatas bravas (roasted potatoes with spicy sauce), pimientos fritos (fried paprika with sea salt). Dishes cost €4-8. Fast and attentive service.
A nice restaurant next to the sea with pleasant ambiance, good service and delicious fish. Dishes to try are boquerones fritos, lenguado a la planche, dorade al sal and rodaballo al horno.
Popular restaurant open all day, specializing in tapas.
Well worth checking out if you're looking for an authentic tapas bar in the old town of Marbella. There's a range of tapas, media raciones and raciones to choose from, and you'll find yourself amongst the locals if you're stopping in for lunch from around 13:45.
One of the restaurants at Plaza de los Naranjos, so the outdoor seating is great for people-watching too. Fish, meat, seafood, and of course paella on the menu. The secreto iberico (barbecued ham with baked potato) is particularly delicious.
Specialising in Andalusian cuisine, although with a lot of different paellas on the menu. Indoor and outdoor seating, like most places in the old town.
'Friendly international personnel. Excellent place for casual mornings and evenings with your company.
Mediterranean food and sushi, to that a large selection of wine and beer available.
Italian restaurant.
International cuisine, with a Mediterranean touch, as well as a sun deck with free loungers.
A good fish restaurant with beautiful decor.
Internationally awarded restaurant of the eponymous upscale hotel.
Night club.
Club and entertainment venue.
Tapas bar.
Probably the cheapest beds in Old Town. Also has triples and quads.
Shared bathrooms, roof terrace, no breakfast. Bar with pool table.
Youth hostel.
The hotel with pool, spa, gym and golf course.
The hotel contains 199 rooms, a spa, a gym and an outdoor pool. Family location.
Small and well-functioning hotel. At the outside it looks a bit shabby, but the rooms and the lobby seems to have been refurbished lately. Free Wi-Fi and TV, bathroom, A/C and fridge in the rooms. Rooms also have balconies.
A luxury hotel with contemporary design and first-rate gastronomy.
A shopping mall with about 150 shops with many European name brands off exit 185.
Clothing.
Local supermarket with a great selection of fresh fish prepared by a fishmonger and a cortador de jamón.
Discount supermarket with good fresh food selection.
By car
The main coast road (N340, now known as the A7) connects the major towns along the whole southern coast and Marbella is approx 30 minutes drive along the N340 from the provincial capital, Malaga.
By bus
Marbella's central bus station is right off the motorway (A-7 / E-15), right off exit 164. It's 1½ km to the old town and the beach, walkable in 15–20 minutes.
By train
There is a train service between Fuengirola and Malaga, which is to be extended to run further down the coast to Marbella.
By taxi
Taxis are available from Malaga Airport to Marbella outside the terminal. The cost of the journey is around €68.
By boat
By bus
The city operates a network of seven local bus lines. Here is information concerning routes, schedules and fares.
By car
A car is probably an option if you want to go somewhere further out — west, east or inland.
By taxi
If travelling any distance, agree on the fare in advance. Official rates should be displayed inside any licensed taxi. +34 952 823 835.
By moped
There are a lot of scooter rental shops located in the city centre, and there are also a couple near Malaga Airport. You can find 50cc scooters for approximately €25 per day.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Málaga · International · AGP
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