Marbella
An old Andalusian town, the Golden Mile and the marina of Puerto Banús, between the mountain and the sea and forty minutes from the runway at Málaga.
- Arrival
- Málaga-Costa del Sol · AGP
- To the city
- About 40 minutes by car
- Private jets
- Own terminal at Málaga
- Best time
- May to October
The city
An old town, and a mile of gold.
Marbella lies on the Costa del Sol under the Sierra Blanca, whose summit, La Concha, shelters the town from the north and gives it one of the mildest climates on the coast. The old town is still Andalusian: whitewashed lanes around the Plaza de los Naranjos, laid out after the Christian conquest of 1485.
West of it runs the Golden Mile, the stretch of hotels and villas that began with the Marbella Club in 1954, and beyond that Puerto Banús, the marina that opened in 1970.
Arriving
One airport, two doors.
Málaga-Costa del Sol is the airport for Marbella, about forty-five kilometres east along the coast motorway. Scheduled cabins and private aircraft share the runways and use separate terminals.
- Lisbon 55 min
- Ibiza 1 h 10
- London 2 h 35
- Cairo 4 h 45
- Mumbai 10 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
May to October.
Warm and dry from late spring to mid-autumn, in the shelter of the mountain behind the town. July and August are the hottest and busiest months; from November to April the days stay mild, but most of the year's rain falls.
- 14° J 88 15°
- 15° F 76 14°
- 16° M 81 15°
- 18° A 59 15°
- 21° M 34 16°
- 25° J 9 18°
- 28° J 1 20°
- 28° A 5 21°
- 25° S 32 20°
- 22° O 83 19°
- 17° N 94 17°
- 15° D 124 15°
What to see and do
Days in and around Marbella.
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Landmark
Plaza de los Naranjos
The square of orange trees in the old town, with its sixteenth-century town hall.
-
Landmark
The Golden Mile
The seafront promenade from the town to Puerto Banús, past the gardens and the beach clubs.
-
Landmark
Puerto Banús
The marina: yachts on the quay, and the boutiques behind them.
-
Culture
Museo del Grabado Español
Set in the old Bazán Hospital in the old town since 1992, the museum shows Spanish prints from the fifteenth century to Picasso, Miró, Dalí and Tàpies.
Official site -
Culture
Museo Ralli
Free to visit, this private museum near Puerto Banús is devoted to Latin American art and European surrealism, from de Chirico to Francis Bacon.
Official site -
Opera & music
Starlite Occident Festival
Each summer since 2012, international singers have played open air concerts in the Cantera de Nagüeles, a former marble quarry above the Golden Mile.
Official site -
Nature
La Concha
Marbella's own mountain rises to about 1,215 metres, and the usual climb starts from the Refugio de Juanar above Ojén or from the village of Istán.
-
Nature
Parque Nacional Sierra de las Nieves
Declared in 2021 as Spain's sixteenth national park, its 23,000 hectares hold most of the country's rare pinsapo fir forest.
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Golf
Real Club de Golf Las Brisas
Robert Trent Jones laid out this course in the Golf Valley in 1969; it has hosted the World Cup twice and the Spanish Open three times.
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Food & wine
Bodega Descalzos Viejos
In a sixteenth century Trinitarian convent on the rim of the Ronda gorge, the owners and their oenologist lead small group tours and tastings on weekdays.
Where to stay
The Golden Mile, the old town and the coast around.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Marbella Club Hotel Opened in 1954 by Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe: the hotel the Golden Mile grew around.
- Puente Romano Marbella A village of low white buildings in subtropical gardens, named for the Roman bridge in its grounds.
- Nobu Hotel Marbella For adults only, around the plaza of Puente Romano and its restaurants.
- Hotel Don Pepe Gran Meliá A beachfront resort at the town end of the Golden Mile, with gardens down to the sand.
- La Fonda Heritage Hotel A Relais & Châteaux house on a small square of the old town.
- El Fuerte Marbella On the seafront below the old town, raised to five stars after its 2022 to 2023 renovation.
- Kimpton Los Monteros East of the town among the pines, reopened under the Kimpton name in 2025.
- Boho Club Low bungalows in landscaped grounds on the inland side of the Golden Mile.
- Don Carlos Marbella In gardens behind the dunes and the beach, reopened in 2025 after a three-year renovation.
- Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús On the beach, within walking distance of the marina.
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Finca Cortesín Sixty-seven suites beside an 18-hole course laid out by Cabell B. Robinson, a mile inland from the sea.
- Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Benahavís Marbella Resort Built like a Tuscan villa among three golf courses, with a Roman-style amphitheatre and more than 1,200 works of art.
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La Zambra Resort The old Byblos hotel of 1986, restored around courtyards and stone fountains, with three pools and four restaurants.
- Grand Hotel Las Dunas, Autograph Collection Fifty-one rooms on the beach, the Serena Spa and the Casa Calma restaurants.
- The Westin La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa In the valley the coast calls the Valley of Golf: 170 rooms by three nine-hole courses designed by Manuel Piñero.
- Elba Estepona Gran Hotel & Thalasso Spa Built around a thalassotherapy centre on the seafront at the edge of Estepona.
- ME Marbella Directly on the beach, with tacos at La Neta in the gardens and the Oasis Pool Club open from midday until sunset.
- Hacienda del Mar Meliá Collection A new opening between Estepona and Marbella, with a kids' club and the Neguri beach club.
- Vincci Selección Estrella del Mar Its beach club stands on the sand, and El Mercado de Baraka cooks over the coals at night.
- Senator Banús Spa Hotel Recommended for adults, in a building whose lines borrow from a cruise liner, with its own spa.
Where to dine
Tables the guides rate.
The starred tables from the MICHELIN Guide 2026, and a few others, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Skina Two Michelin stars Contemporary Andalusian €€€€ Old town
- Messina One Michelin star Contemporary €€€€ Town centre
- Nintai One Michelin star Japanese €€€€ Town centre
- BACK! One Michelin star Contemporary Andalusian €€€ Town centre
- Leña Chef Dani García Grill €€€ Puente Romano
- Nobu Marbella Nobu Matsuhisa Japanese €€€€ Puente Romano
- La Milla On the beach Seafood €€€ Golden Mile
Elsewhere in Spain
More reasons to come.
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Madrid
The Prado, late dinners, and the capital's long nights.
- Barcelona Gaudí, the old town and the city beaches.
- Ibiza Coves and the old town by day, the island's clubs by night.
- Palma de Mallorca A cathedral city on its bay, with the coves of Mallorca all around.
- Seville Moorish palaces, orange trees and flamenco in the capital of Andalusia.
- Málaga Picasso's birthplace, and the airport of the whole Costa del Sol.
- Valencia The City of Arts and Sciences, the old silk exchange, and paella at its source.
- San Sebastián La Concha bay, and one of the great food cities of Europe.
- Bilbao The Guggenheim on the river, and the Basque coast beyond.
Flying to Marbella?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.