Things to do in Marbella

Marbella is a resort town with a real old quarter buried inside it. A mountain called La Concha stands behind it at 1,215 metres and blocks the north wind. That is why the season here runs long.

The old town and the front

The historic centre is small. Plaza de los Naranjos was laid out in 1485, after the town changed hands. Fragments of the Moorish castle wall are built into the houses around it.

• Avenida del Mar. The ramp down to the sea, lined with bronze sculptures by Salvador Dalí.
• The paseo marítimo. A flat promenade running west along the sand, about six kilometres to the marina.
• The beaches. Some 27 kilometres of coast, most of it sheltered and shallow.
• Golf. The province counts around seventy courses, and a good share of them sit within half an hour.

Puerto Banús and the Golden Mile

The marina opened in 1970 and was built low, in the shape of a village, rather than as towers. That decision still shows. Between it and the old town runs the Golden Mile, a strip of walled villas and hotels.

What happens in Banús is looking at things: boats, cars, shop windows, other people. It is not a place with much to visit. Treat it as an evening rather than a sight.

Practical

• A longer season than the rest of Spain. Winter afternoons often reach 17C, and the sea holds warmth into November. January and February are quiet but not shut.
• No train. The coastal line ends at Fuengirola, so the last stretch is by road. Málaga airport is about 55 kilometres, or forty minutes without traffic.
• August. Rooms roughly double and the coast road backs up. June and September are better.
• Guided walking. A local guide through the old town runs about 95 euros and takes ninety minutes. There is not much else on foot.
• Trips out. Ronda is 60 kilometres inland over a mountain road, and one operator runs a five-day crossing into Morocco.
• Prices split. A coffee in the old town is normal Spanish money. The same coffee on the marina is three times that.
• Dress. Beachwear stops at the promenade, and some restaurants enforce it.