Things to do in Marbella
In the heart of Marbella’s historical centre is the charming Plaza de Los Naranjos, a Renaissance square surrounded by noble buildings of the old quarter, the former ‘Casa del Corregidor’ from the seventeenth century, and the city’s town hall from the sixteenth century.
Another spot to visit is the Church Square, where the sixteenth century church of the Incarnation stands. At the same location there are several towers that were originally part of an Arab fortress that protected the city. These towers belong to the ninth century, at the very least. Over a thousand years old.
However, Marbella´s history goes back even further as we can see in the many archaeological sites found in the area, such as the early Christian Basilica ‘Vega del Mar’, the Guadalmina baths and the Roman villa of Rio Verde, Marbella’s first urban layout.
Beyond the shows and activities at the big hotels and resorts and the glittering night life of Puerto Banus, Marbella also has a very interesting cultural offer. For example, the Contemporary Spanish Engraving Museum, which is the largest in Spain in this genre. It’s located in the Bazan Hospital, a building from the sixteenth century, and hosts a large collection of prints from the last two centuries, by artists such as Miro, Picasso and Dali.
Marbella has a wide variety of offers. We highly recommend you to discover and enjoy this lovely facet of Marbella, with its ancient streets and squares; there is nothing better than enjoying a coffee under the shade of an orange tree in bloom and pleasantly watch life pass by. You don´t have to be rich in Marbella to feel privileged.
Marbella’s lovely old quarter, together with its marinas, the famous Puerto Banús and its excellent Golf courses have made of Marbella the internationally renowned Tourist Resort for wealthy and famous personalities it is today.
There are many things to do in Marbella like strolling through the Marbella Old Town, or a visit to one of the many shopping malls for those who want to kill some time doing a bit of shopping. We would like to recommend some of the places to visit in the city:
- Old Town
- Santo Cristo de la Vera Cruz Church
- Ermita del Calvario
- Bonsái Museum
- Ralli Museum
- Villa romana de Río Verde
- Termas romanas de Guadalmina
- Basílica paleocristiana de Vega del Mar
- Yacimiento fenicio de Río Real
- Pecho Redondo Caves
- Nagüeles Caves
- Bajadilla Beach
- Fuerte Beach
- Fontanilla Beach
- Puerto Banús
Visitors of Marbella will be able to enjoy all kinds of exclusive shopping malls, designer boutiques, arts and crafts, gift shops and luxurious interior design.
Many of these shops can be found around the city centre so it’s a good excuse to explore Marbella’s offer by strolling through the streets, where there are plenty of good cafés and restaurants.
Marbella’s major shopping area is concentrated in its two main streets, the Avenida Ricardo Soriano and the Avenida Ramon y Cajal , where some of the best shops, brands and top fashion boutiques are located. For more traditional shopping and local souvenir shops, head towards the Old Quarter of Marbella, where you’ll find a great selection of art galleries, craft shops and gift ideas.
Luxurious boutiques and designer brands, as well as magnificent art and craft galleries, can be found along the leisure marina of Puerto Banus.
Shopping in Marbella includes exclusive malls like Centro Comercial Benabola in Puerto Banús, with designer stores and fashion boutiques; the elegant shopping centre Marina Banús on the Avenida Ramón Areces; the famous El Corte Ingles with several floors packed with goods ranging from high-street fashion clothing and perfumes, to furniture and home ware, including a massive supermarket on the bottom floor.
Every Saturday morning there’s a popular street market in Nueva Andalucia.
Nightlife in Marbella
Marbella´s glittering nightlife is quite spectacular and very different to the rest of the tourist resorts along the Costa el Sol.
Start the evening with a pleasant walk along the dazzling Golden Mile, with many chic cafes, lively bars and international restaurants, or through Marbella’s charming Old Quarter with plenty tapas bars to choose from around its whitewashed back streets and squares. Both areas have a great, lively nightlife. In Puerto Banus you will find a wide range of top quality restaurants, bars and discos, as well as a casino and a cinema at the leisure marina.
Puerto Banus is relatively quiet during the winter months but it’s buzzing with Marbella nightlife in peak season. Other interesting spots worth mentioning along the Golden Mile and in Puerto Banús are: the Buddha Beach, Charleys, Desvan, Dreamers Night Club, Glam, Linekers Bar, News Café, Olivia Valere, Polo House, Portside Bar, Seven, Studio 10 TIBU, Vanity Marbella, Lola Lounge, Oh Marbella and Mansion Club.
Restaurants
Eating out properly in Marbella can be quite expensive. But not all Marbella restaurants are high-priced and luxurious. For example, the Marbella beach bars have a great price-quality relationship and are ideal to enjoy delicious fish and seafood while sitting out on their terraces, overlooking the Mediterranean sea and soaking up the sun. However, some of these beach bars do belong to some of these luxury hotels so watch out where you sit down as, in such case, prices could go up considerably. In these more informal beachside restaurants you can spot quite a few well-known faces who also like to enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere and the traditional local cuisine, as quality doesn’t always mean pricey. They are normally quite crowded during the summer and you often have to wait a while until you can get seated, which is why it’s not a bad idea to pop by the restaurant as soon as they open in the morning to book a table for lunchtime. Most of these beach bars (or ‘chiringuitos’ as the locals know them) turn into restaurants in the evenings when the sun goes down.
More information about restaurants in Marbella.
Marbella Jobs
If you are interested in jobs in Marbella, you’ll be glad to know that normally this holiday resort offers you a wide range of possibilities to work.
Although the summer season is the busiest time of the year for the tourism sector with its corresponding wave of vacancies ( as a waiter/waitress, bar work, house keeping, tourist guide, and/or anything related to the Hotel Industry in general), it’s not that hard to find a job during the rest of the year. The more languages you speak, the easier it will be for you to find a job, not only in Marbella but along the whole Costa del Sol.
How to get to Marbella
Marbella is located 54 km west from Malaga airport.
- Taking a bus from Malaga airport to Marbella may not be the best option if you have a lot of luggage;the bus has a main stop at the bus station in Marbella, and can take much longer to arrive that going by car. You cah check the schedule here.
- You can take a Taxi from Malaga airport to Marbella, with an aproximate cost of 50 Euro which is expensive if you think you can rent a car a whole week for a little more..
- Currently there is no link by train to Marbella.
- Car hire at Malaga airport may be a nice and cheap option if you also plan to visit Malaga and Marbella surroundings.
- Transfers from Malaga airport to Marbella is a fast and confortable way if you don´t need to hire a car.
Continue reading in how to get to Marbella ,it could be of help if you are looking for the road route, and if you still have questions or want to know how to go to Malaga airport from Marbella don´t hesitate in contacting us in the Malaga transportation forum.
