Known around the world as a place where the jet setters go to flaunt their wealth and the place where celebrities hit the clubs and next appear in Hello magazine, Marbella is essentially Europe’s Miami Beach.
Marbella’s popularity as a resort started in the 1950s with the opening of the Marbella Club Hotel. It was a luxury establishment that can claim Hollywood stars James Stewart, Cary Grant, Ava Gardner and Audrey Hepburn amongst its famous guests.
Thanks to its hot summers, mild winters, spectacular mountain scenery and beautiful “Blue Flag” beaches, Marbella continues to attract wealthy residents and thousands of tourists eager to see for themselves what all the fuss is about.
There are frequent buses that run from Malaga bus station to Marbella, but you will need a bus into Malaga city first when you arrive at Malaga airport. A taxi to Marbella centre may be more convenient for families as it’s much more direct. Getting to Marbella by taxi is now just a 45 minute journey, thanks to the newly opened toll road.
Unfortunately, many people mistakenly think that a holiday in Marbella is out of their budget, but truth be told so long as you stay away from the chic clubs, Michelin restaurants and the designer shopping, a holiday in Marbella can be no more expensive than anywhere else on the Costa del Sol. Here are 5 amazing things to do in Marbella that are available to any visitor no matter what budget you might be on.
1. Family day at the beach
Why not take advantage of a free day out with the family at one the beautiful beaches found along Marbella’s stunning coastline?
Marbella is no slouch either when it comes to quality and protected beaches with a total of 24 spread out along Marbella’s 27 kilometre coastline.
Nikki Beach, La Cabana, Ocean Club Marbella and Beach Club Estrella del Mar are all trendy venues with a price tag to match, but if you head east of the centre you will find less crowded beaches geared towards families. With exceptionally clean water, fine golden sand and a gentle slope into the sea, Cabopino Beach is perfect for children and if you prepare well, you will save a lot by packing a tasty family picnic.
There some really useful shaded wooden ‘booths’ on all beaches that are perfect areas for your picnic. What’s more, the carefully placed volleyball nets and football goalposts provide hours of family fun together right on the beach itself.
2. Go Shopping
Even on a budget you may decide to check out the local stores for offers. If Versace, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Armani are too rich for your wallet, take a 10-minute bus ride from Marbella to La Cañada Shopping Mall where you will find more than 150 shops including more affordable Spanish fashions from Zara, Mango and Massimo Dutti.
It is completely enclosed and air-conditioned. A trip to La Cañada is a great way to escape the heat and on the rare occasion when it rains and a place to take the family for the day. Its a popular mall as unlike some parts of Marbella, parking here is free.
Also in the complex, you have high street fast food restaurants such as Burger King, KFC and McDonalds as well as several more upmarket dining options. For the kids, there is a play area, amusement arcade, bowling alley and cinema complex. No need to use your cell phone’s internet in the centre as WiFi here is ‘gratis’ also!
3. Stroll along the charming Promenade
Marbella has a stunning paved promenade called the Paseo Marítimo. This paseo connects with a fascinating wooden boardwalk that allows you to enjoy a leisurely stroll all the way from Marbella to Puerto Banus.
This walk is particularly pleasant in the evening just before sunset whilst absorbing the ambience, as you let your everyday trials and tribulations fade away. On Sundays the Paseo becomes a scene from a bygone era when all the locals go out dressed in their best attire to meet up and chat with friends.
No need to use a treadmill or pay for gym membership here, with the sea as an attractive backdrop you will be getting your steps in outdoors in this amazing climate. Even during the winter there’s plenty to do on the promenade, with cycling lanes, opportunities for kids to skate along the promenades, whilst mums and dads do some power walking!
4. Grab your camera and head for ‘The Old Town’
Built during the height of Spain’s colonial “Golden Age” when the country was awash with the wealth brought back from South America, Marbella Old Town or Casco Antiguo is a maze of narrow cobblestoned streets adorned with Renaissance and baroque style buildings.
Almost like its own separate village within the city, the Old Town is full of boutique shops, art galleries and plenty of bars where you can sample a traditional Andalucian tapa with an ice-cold Cruzcampo beer.
The highlight of the Old Town is the Plaza de los Naranjos or the Orange Square, where you can sit and end watch the world go by. Grabbing your camera and snapping up all of the olde-worlde photogenic scenery, is a great money saving pastime.
5. Explore Puerto Banus – A must see
No trip to Marbella would be complete without checking out the mega yachts in the marina at Puerto Banus. To be sure, you will want your binoculars.
This is also the place to visit if you want to see the very latest in designer fashion with all the top name Italian and French brands represented in swanky boutiques. You may be on a budget, but the feel and buzz of the place is all for free and worth the effort to gander.
On the opposite side of the coin, meandering around a traditional market is a great experience in itself. Street markets in Spain are very special. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, they are also definitely worth a browse. Puerto Banus is the place to be on a Saturday for the weekly street market, close to the bull ring in Nueva Andalucia.
Here you will a great vast variety of local produce. The ripened avocados, oranges and lemons by the bucket load alongside fresh walnuts, almonds and pomegranates are an amazing sight. The local love it when the crowds come close and try some free samples.
These would all likely have been picked less than a mile away, fresh that day, from a local farmer or even from nearby trees in the campo (countryside). Talk about organic. Observing the generations of Spanish families working and laughing together on their stalls, is a great delight to behold.
*Have you visited Marbella?
Originally from the UK, Nicola Griffin now lives in Southern Spain with her family. She loves to share her experiences of expat life in Spain and her adventures discovering its culture, food and what makes it a wonderful place to live.
-Thank you for this wonderful post, Nicola!
This is a part of a series called Five Free Family Friday which is a collective guide of free family-friendly attractions from places all over the world. If you’d like to contribute with the free attractions in your home city, I would love your guest posts. Thanks!
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I’ve never been but that photo of the greenery in the Old Town is fantastic. I think I could stay right there for a good long while if I visited Marbella!