One day
Morning in the old town — the Plaza de los Naranjos before the tables go out, the church, the castle walls. Down through the Alameda and the Avenida del Mar to the sea. The middle of the day on the beach or in the Museo del Grabado. Late afternoon, walk the promenade west, and end at Puerto Banús after dark.
Two days
Day one as above. Day two: a beach morning, then San Pedro — and, if you have arranged it, the Roman baths at Las Bóvedas and the church at Vega del Mar.
Three days
Add the Río Verde villa to the Roman day, and give the third day to the east: the dunes at Artola, Torre Ladrones and Cabopino.
Five days
Add two day trips: Ronda — go early, and spend the hottest hours inside the old quarter's buildings — and a mountain village, Istán or Ojén, for a long lunch.
A week
Add Gibraltar and Estepona, and between October and May the walk up La Concha. Keep one day with nothing planned: this is a resort, and the beach is the point.
