The city guide to Marbella, Spain

Best of Marbella

Whitewashed lanes and orange trees in the Old Town, superyachts in Puerto Banús, beach clubs on the Golden Mile and the Sierra Blanca rising behind it all.

Where to eat What to see

Your trusted, one‑stop guide to Marbella

Marbella is the most glamorous town on Spain’s Costa del Sol: an Andalusian old town of whitewashed lanes, a coastline of beaches and beach clubs, the yachts and boutiques of Puerto Banús, and golf courses and mountain villages in the hills behind. We cover the best places to eat, drink, stay and explore, the stories behind them, and the trips beyond, from Ronda to Gibraltar.

Wild Marbella

Walk the last dunes on the coast

Cabopino·Natural monument

At Cabopino, boardwalks cross the protected Artola dunes to a natural beach, watched over by an old coastal tower.

Plan your visit

Christmas & New Year in Marbella

Lights in the Old Town, Nochebuena dinners, twelve grapes at midnight and the Three Kings parade.

HolidaysChristmas in MarbellaLights in the Old Town

New YearNew Year’s EveTwelve grapes at midnight

EpiphanyThe Three KingsThe 5 January parade

Marbella by neighbourhood

From the orange-tree square to the yachts of Puerto Banús.

Neighbourhood guideOld TownOrange trees and lanes

Neighbourhood guideGolden Mile & Puerto BanúsResorts and yachts

Beach clubsBeach clubsDay beds and DJs

GolfGolfGolf Valley

Beyond Marbella

Ronda, Mijas, Gibraltar, Benahavís and Málaga.

Beyond MarbellaRondaAbout an hour

Beyond MarbellaMijas PuebloThe white village

Beyond MarbellaGibraltarThe Rock

Beyond MarbellaMálagaPicasso’s city

Marbella: the back story

Moorish walls, a prince’s hotel and the making of a legend.

The back storyOld MarbellaWalls and orange trees

The back storyThe jet setHow Marbella became Marbella

The back storyThe Marbella tableTapas to MICHELIN stars

ULTIMATE City Guides: Europe & beyond

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

SerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.Visit the guide

GreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.Visit the guide

GreeceULTIMATE Greek IslandsIsland hopping made easy: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos and the Cyclades, plus Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, with ferries, beaches, hotels and tavernas.Visit the guide

TurkeyULTIMATE IstanbulTwo continents, one city: Hagia Sophia and the bazaars, Bosphorus ferries, meyhanes and rooftop bars, Sinan’s hammams and the car-free Princes’ Islands.Visit the guide

RomaniaULTIMATE BucharestBelle Époque palaces, concerts at the Athenaeum, a buzzing food and coffee scene, and the castles and mountains of the Carpathians.Visit the guide

HungaryULTIMATE BudapestThermal baths, grand coffee houses, ruin bars and MICHELIN-starred dining on both banks of the Danube, with day trips to the Danube Bend and Lake Balaton.Visit the guide

CroatiaULTIMATE ZagrebCroatia’s elegant capital of cafés, museums and markets, and the gateway to Plitvice Lakes, Istria, Dubrovnik and the islands of the Adriatic.Visit the guide

SloveniaULTIMATE LjubljanaSlovenia’s green, car-free capital of river cafés and Plečnik’s bridges, an hour from Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the caves and the Adriatic.Visit the guide

The Sebilj fountain and the square of Baščaršija

Bosnia & HerzegovinaULTIMATE SarajevoWhere East meets West at a line in the pavement: an Ottoman bazaar, Habsburg boulevards, Bosnian coffee and the 1984 Olympic mountains, with Mostar two hours away.Visit the guide

MontenegroULTIMATE PodgoricaMontenegro’s relaxed capital of rivers and café terraces, and the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, Cetinje and the mountains.Visit the guide

AlbaniaULTIMATE TiranaAn Ottoman mosque painted with waterfalls, museums in bunkers, Blloku’s cafés and the Dajti cable car, with Berat, Gjirokastër, the Alps and the Riviera within reach.Visit the guide

North MacedoniaULTIMATE SkopjeA 15th-century stone bridge between a 21st-century square and an Ottoman bazaar, Kenzo Tange’s concrete city, Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid three hours away.Visit the guide

BulgariaULTIMATE SofiaRoman streets beneath the city, golden domes, warm mineral springs and a mountain at the end of the main boulevard.Visit the guide

FloridaULTIMATE NaplesWhite-sand beaches and sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico, Fifth Avenue’s terraces, grand beach resorts and golf, with the Everglades and Marco Island close by.Visit the guide

Our sister guideULTIMATE Sri LankaColombo, the ramparts of Galle Fort, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the tea country by train, Sigiriya and leopards in Yala.Visit the guide

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals talking about Marbella, its beaches, restaurants, golf and nightlife.

Have your say in HOT TOPICS

This week's pick

Old Town & Plaza de los Naranjos

Old Town·Historic quarter

October is perfect for the Old Town: the summer crowds have gone, the evenings are warm, and the terraces of Plaza de los Naranjos are at their most relaxed.

Find out more