Marbella in brief
| Country | Spain — Andalusia, in the province of Málaga, on the Costa del Sol |
|---|---|
| Population | Around 160,000, and a great many more in summer |
| Language | Spanish. English is spoken very widely along the coast |
| Currency | Euro |
| Getting around | ⭐ On foot in the center and along the seafront; buses and taxis along the coast |
| Arriving | ⚠️ No railway station. Málaga airport is roughly 50 km east along the coast |
| ⚠️ Summer | July and August are the peak — full beaches, a jammed coast road, the highest prices |
| ⭐ Beaches | Every beach is public by law. A beach club rents you a lounger, not the sand |
1485the town passes to Castile
1552the Casa del Corregidor is built
1706a sugar mill at Miraflores
1860San Pedro Alcántara is founded
1970Puerto Banús opens
1,215 mLa Concha, above the town
Start here
Ten sections. The old town takes a morning and the coast takes days, so these begin with what a resort town needs you to know first: how to get here, and where to stay.
EIGHTEEN PLACES, ONE PAGE EACHSightsEvery sight on this site has its own page with its own photographs.THERE IS NO TRAINGetting HereMarbella is one of the largest towns in Spain without a railway station, and its airport is in another city.A TOWN STRUNG ALONG A COASTGetting AroundMarbella is long and thin, and that decides how you move around it.EVERY ONE OF THEM IS PUBLICBeachesSpanish law makes the shore public. A beach club can rent you a lounger; it cannot close the sand.SARDINES ON A CANE, OVER A FIRE IN A BOATEating & DrinkingThe food that belongs to this coast is fish, cooked simply, eaten on or near the sand.THE SEASONS RUN THE OTHER WAYWhen to ComeA capital is quiet in August. A resort is at its fullest.WHERE YOU STAY DECIDES THE TRIPOld Town and the StripThe municipality runs along the coast for miles, and its parts are genuinely different places.MOUNTAIN VILLAGES, A GORGE, AND A BORDERDay TripsMarbella sits at the foot of the mountains, and the best day out is usually up them.BUILT AROUND THE HEAT, AND WHAT NEEDS ARRANGINGItinerariesFive lengths of stay, each built around the middle of the day and the sites that must be arranged ahead.TWO THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE THE HOTELSBefore the ResortMarbella is known for the last seventy years. The town is a great deal older than that.
All eighteen sights
The Old Town
Plaza de los Naranjos
Iglesia de la Encarnación
The Castle Walls
Parque de la Alameda
Avenida del Mar
Paseo Marítimo
Puerto Banús
Museo del Grabado
Las Bóvedas
Vega del Mar
Villa Romana de Río Verde
Mezquita del Rey Abdelaziz
La Concha
Dunas de Artola
The Golden Mile
San Pedro Alcántara
Cortijo de Miraflores