Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Marbella has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Start your day with breakfast amid the orange-trees in the Orange Square (La Plaza de los Naranjos) off the main street in the old town.
- Arts and culture
- In the old district, wander through the ruins of the 15th-century castle and take in the Moorish influences on the area’s architecture. For plays and concerts, head to the amphitheatre at Parque de la Constitucion. The municipal art gallery in José Palomo Square has a good selection of work by local artists and is open from 19h–22h (+34 952 825 035).
- Something for nothing
- On Mondays, check out the earnest Spanish bargaining techniques at the street market next to the Recinto Ferial. Open from 09h–14h, it sells food, clothes and shoes. Or relax in the shade and watch the horse-drawn carriages trot by in the Parque de la Alameda, a leafy refuge on the coastal side of the town centre.
- Shopping
- Leather-lovers and shoe fetishists will be in heaven amid the maze of shops in the old quarter. Those seeking more designery boutiques should head to Puerto Banus, about 6km out of town. There they’ll also find Spain’s best-loved department store, El Corte Inglés – the Macy’s of Marbella. On Saturdays there’s a fabulous fleamarket in Puerto Banus, near the bullring. When it all gets too much, relax and unwind at the Miramar Spa Hotel (+34 952 768 410).
- And...
- Get a good map, with Spanish as well as English names. Stay up late, and remember to have a siesta during the heat of the day – as if you needed an excuse.
Diary
- 11 June San Bernabé Fair lasts for the whole first half of June, but this is the highlight, when Marbella commemorates its conquest by Christians. Expect fireworks, dancing, bullfights and live music. 3 May Cruz del Juanar: Marbella celebrates its past with a procession up to the Sierra Blanca mountains that surround the city, to honour the cross of Juanar, 1,160m above sea level.
