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Marbella
«Marbella es un destino turístico de lujo en la costa.»Marbella is a luxury tourist destination on the coast.
Marbella is located on the western Costa del Sol, between the sea and the Sierra Blanca which serves as its backdrop. It preserves a small casco antiguo of Arab and Castilian origin, with the Plaza de los Naranjos at its centre, while along the coast the city, which grew with tourism, stretches for kilometres as far as the port of Puerto Banús.
Did you know
The mayor who took the eighties.
In the 80s, Marbella experienced an era of unbridled luxury and international jet set thanks to its eccentric mayor, Jesús Gil y Gil.
How they talk in Marbella
The local speech shares the aspiration of the «s» and the «seseo» widespread on the Malaga coast. «Chiringuito» here is not a guidebook word: it is the everyday name for the beach bar where you eat and stay for hours.
hartible
A tiresome, insistent person or someone capable of tiring others out. Colloquial adjective or noun for someone who insists, annoys, or becomes exasperating.
Everyday life in Marbella
The two Marbellas, six kilometres apart
The casco antiguo and Puerto Banús are six kilometres apart and seem like two different towns: on one side the squares with orange trees and white houses, on the other the shop windows and yachts. Those who live here spend almost all their time in the first part.
The «paseo marítimo» all year round
The promenade by the sea is kilometres long and is used in every season: the morning belongs to those who run, the afternoon to families, the evening to restaurants. In winter the climate allows you to be there in short sleeves.
«Andamos por el paseo hasta Puerto Banús.» — We walk along the promenade to Puerto Banús.
The Dalís on the avenue
The Avenida del Mar connects the park to the beach and has ten bronze sculptures by Dalí along the path, in the open air and without a fence. People pass by to go to the sea and sit next to them without paying any attention.
«¿Has visto las esculturas de Dalí?» — Have you seen the Dalí sculptures?
What to eat in Marbella
Espetos de sardinas
As in all of the Costa del Sol: sardines on a cane, roasted sideways over the embers in a boat of sand.
Fritura malagueña
Mixed fried small fish: anchovies, squid, red mullet, floured and fried together.
Festivals in Marbella
San Bernabé
11 June
The patron saint of Marbella: procession in the centre and fair in the grounds for a week.
What to see in Marbella
Plaza de los Naranjos
The square in the Casco Antiguo, from the 15th century: orange trees, the town hall and low white houses, a stone's throw from the sea but away from the noise.
Muraglia del Castello
What remains of the Arab alcazaba, incorporated among the houses of the historic centre: you can walk along the stretch of wall that remains.
Puerto Banús
A marina opened in 1970, six kilometres to the west: yachts, shop windows and the sierra in the background. It is the other side of Marbella.
Parco Alameda
A 19th-century garden with «azulejos» benches, enormous ficus trees and fountains: from here starts the Avenida del Mar, with ten bronze sculptures designed by Salvador Dalí.
Where Marbella comes from
From village to Costa del Sol
Roman era
Villa di Río Verde
Agricultural villas and facilities for salting fish along this whole coast.
8th–15th century
Marbal-la
Fortified village with its alcazaba, on the coastal road.
1485
The conquest
The Catholic Monarchs take it without a fight and redesign it around the Plaza de los Naranjos.
1950 → today
Marbella
The Marquis of Ivanrey and then international tourism change it in a few decades.
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