An endless supply of world-class restaurants, luxury hotels, huge golf courses, fashionable shops, a lovely marina and a vast number of lively activities keep you entertained throughout the day.
The city offers great things to do, here are a select few to help you plan your trip:
The historic center of Marbella has a small square called Pateo de los Naranjos, Spanish for Orange Square, the name was inspired by all the orange trees surrounding the area. The houses in downtown Marbella are inspired by Islamic architecture with beautiful Andalusia artistic windows, doors and balconies.
The street plan of this part of the city preserves the irregular layout that is characteristic of the Islamic era, they are made narrow, packed with small houses, statues, fountains and loads of small boutiques and shops selling local products. Walking through the streets, you will find the Ayuntamiento, Spanish for City Hall, standing on this beautiful plaza. It was built in the sixteenth century and enlarged in the eighteenth. Even older than the Ayuntamiento is the Casa del Corregidor, House of the Magistrate that was built in the sixteenth century.
The former Hospital Bazán was built in the sixteenth century, and today houses the Museo del Grabado Español, Museum of Spanish Engraving, considered the best of its type in Spain. Old Town Marbella is a great location for meals and shopping, it is packed with small restaurants and cafes serving local cuisine.
Puerto Banus
This port is the place to see and be seen. It is the place where the rich and famous hangout in their yachts or just dine in one of the fine dining restaurants overseeing the port. This cosmopolitan port is known to be the most luxurious marinas in the Mediterranean Sea. Expensive cars and luxurious yachts make for a great view when taking a stroll down the dock and getting a glimpse of the life of the wealthy international crowds making an intermediate stop here. You will find many tourists taking photos and selfies with these expensive objects, some owners are actually nice enough to invite you in for more interior photos.
Even though Puerto Banus is very small, it offers an amazing wealth of facilities and attractions, including beautiful beaches on both sides of the port, a myriad of restaurants and cafes, water sports, golf, cinema and an amazing selection of upmarket and expensive fashion boutiques; there is also an El Corte Ingles department store here, the largest department store chain in Spain.
Beach and promenades
The extensive promenade is great to experience and join the Spanish in the traditional “paseo.” Flanked by pavement cafes, restaurants, this promenade is one of the most attractive on the Cosra de Sol and has the added advantage of being within minutes of the town’s center.
The beaches are packed during the summer time with restaurants, water sports, sun loungers and other amenities; there are also lifeguards on duty in the summer months. Many beaches celebrate summer to its fullest, hiring DJs and organizing other fun activities. You will also find freelance masseuses and food for those who are enjoying their time under the sun. Marbella also offers women-only beaches for those who feel more comfortable away from men.
Parks and gardens
When it is hot and sunny outside, one of the best things to do is to visit Marbella’s parks because they are always cool and comfortable. You will enjoy the beautiful fountain in the park, Fuente Virgen del Rocio, and benches made out of lovely, colorful tiles.
Take a walk in the rain into La Alameda Park and you will love the spirit of the colorful nature and families picnicking and children running around playing outdoors sports. Pass by the Avenue del Mar where you will find a series of statues that look like the wind, rain and waves had distorted them beyond recognition, all made by artist Salvador Dali.
If you travel with kids, you should visit the Selwo Park. It is located off the highway N-340, between Marbella and Estepona, less than an hour’s drive west of Malaga. Selwo Safari Park is one of the world’s most exciting nature parks.
The African styled safari park features more than 2,000 species of animals living in more than 100 hectares of land in semi-wild conditions. It is more than a zoo for the animals live in natural habitats with great space between them and the public and you can see all your favorites such as lions, tigers, rhinos, elephants, giraffes and bears.
Museums
Bosani Museum is world-renowned as it is home to one of the world’s finest collections of bonsais featuring trees over 500 years in age. This place is especially for nature lovers. The museum is actually built over a small lake set in a park; the lake is filled with turtles, which you will often see basking in the sun on the rocks. Part of the lake resurfaces within the building.
Contemporary Spanish Engraving Museum was built on the 16th century and it was originally the home of the Mayor Don Alonso de Bazán,later. The museum offers a collection of engravings and graphic works including a widespread revision of the best contemporary Spanish art, with etchings, lithographs, xylographies and other form of art expression by well international-known artists, such as, as Dali, Picasso, Tapies and Miro.
There are two fabulous museums in Malaga, 30-minutes from Marbella: The Picasso Museum, which hosts some of Pablo Picasso’s most famous and stunning works of art, and the Thyssen Museum, named after Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza who has given much of her personal art collection to the city for display.
King Abdulaziz Mosque
The building architecture is an example of Andalusian-inspired contemporary Arabic architecture. Built by Córdoban architect Juan Mora, it is said that the mosque houses a selection of 30,000 books focusing on Qur’anic studies, and that it can accommodate more than 800 people at a time. Besides the library and a stunning iconic garden, it also houses the imam. The stunning mosque built by Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia is the first mosque to be built after the Christians recaptured Spain in the fifteenth century and subsequent expulsion of the Moors from the Spanish continent.
Visiting Ronda
Ronda is 60 km away from Marbella and is very popular among those who want to take a day trip away from the noise of the city. The journey up to Ronda takes just over an hour from Marbella and the road up meanders through the mountains with some spectacular scenery all along the way!
Ronda is a beautiful white-walled city and has many sights that you must go and see whilst you are here holidaying on the coast. The three bridges that span the canyon are the most well-known and the tallest one, Puente Nuevo, stands 120 ft above the canyon floor. The Arabic baths are also worth a visit as they date back to the 13th century, as well as the Plaza de Toros or bullring, one of the oldest operational bullrings in Spain.
Shopping
Marbella and Puerto Banus offer the best luxury and high-end shopping experiences. Spain is known for great leather so make sure to look for local designers who use authentic leathers for making some unique one-of-a-kind leather goods. You should head to one of the daily markets that take place along the coast and grab a bargain if Gucci, Prada and Jimmy Choo are a little out of your price range. The most well-known markets include San Pedro, which takes place on Thursdays, Puerto Banus on Saturdays, Estepona on Wednesdays, and Marbella Center on Mondays.
You should also visit their famous indoor food markets and try their local produce. The Mercado Municipal is located at the top of the old town and is open from Mondays to Saturdays. You can get fresh fish, meat, vegetables and herbs of every kind; it’s a must-visit, especially for food lovers!
Food
You cannot miss on the amazing Spanish food. Enjoy a great variety of tapas at a local restaurant in the downtown area or maybe some of their famous Paella with seafood.
At the end of the day, Marbella is a great destination for everyone. It is great for families, a group of friends and honeymooners, you get to pick and choose what you want to do next and the city offers it all.
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