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Andalusia · Spain

Luxury travel in Marbella

The Costa del Sol at its most polished: 24 beaches below Sierra Blanca, the old town around the Plaza de los Naranjos, the marina at Puerto Banús and the golf. Avelia plans private, tailor-made time in Marbella, as a stay of its own or as the end of a journey through Andalusia.

Plan your Marbella tripExplore Marbella

Marbella at a glance

Recommended stay
Three or four nights, or a week with days out to Ronda and Málaga
Best seasons
May to October, and above all June to September
Getting there
Málaga airport (AGP), about 40 minutes by car; the AVE to Málaga
Best for
The sea and the beach clubs, the old town, golf and long dinners
In a wider trip
Pairs well with Ronda, Málaga, Seville, Córdoba or Granada
The coast
24 beaches along nearly 28 km, below Sierra Blanca's La Concha
Plan your Marbella trip

On this page

  1. Experiences
  2. Hotels
  3. When to go
  4. Itineraries
  5. Planning
  6. FAQs
Plan your Marbella trip

01Inspiration

Experiences in Marbella

Each of these is arranged privately for your dates, subject to availability.

  • A curving sandy beach with palms and agaves behind a line of white boulders, a small stone lighthouse at the end of the breakwater, and a rocky mountain peak rising behind the town

    The sea and Puerto Banús

    Twenty-four beaches, four marinas and the sea between them: a private boat for the day or a sail at sunset, and Puerto Banús, its yachts and its boutiques.

    More of the sea
    • The beaches — 24 of them along nearly 28 km of coast, from Cabopino in the east to Guadalmina in the west, most of them in the town itself.
    • A private yacht — along the coast for a day or an afternoon, with a skipper, on request, subject to availability.
    • A sunset sail — out of the marina as the light goes, with cava on board and Sierra Blanca behind the coast, on request, subject to availability.
    • Puerto Banús — the marina opened in 1970, with more than 900 berths for yachts of up to 50 m and more than a hundred luxury boutiques along its quays; a personal stylist for the afternoon on request.
    • From the air — a helicopter flight over the coast and the mountains behind it, on request, subject to availability.
  • A narrow old-town street at night, its restaurant terraces full of diners beneath hanging plants and bougainvillea, lit by street lamps, a waiter standing between the tables

    The old town and the table

    The old town with a guide, from the Plaza de los Naranjos to the castle walls; then dinner, at a terrace in its lanes or at one of Marbella’s Michelin-starred tables, and flamenco after.

    More of the old town and the table
    • The old town with a guide — the Plaza de los Naranjos, laid out after the town surrendered to Ferdinand the Catholic in 1485, the walls of its Moorish castle, and the church of the Encarnación.
    • The Avenida del Mar — the promenade between the old town and the sea, with its permanent exhibition of bronze sculptures by Salvador Dalí.
    • Michelin-starred tables — a tasting menu with Andalusian wines at one of Marbella’s starred restaurants, reserved ahead.
    • A private cooking class — traditional Andalusian dishes, with a chef.
    • Málaga’s wines — a private tasting of the province’s wines, from the sweet Málaga wines to the reds of the Serranía de Ronda, a subzone of the D.O. Sierras de Málaga.
    • Flamenco with dinner — a private performance, on request; UNESCO has listed flamenco as intangible heritage since 2010.
    • Late evenings — the bars and clubs of Puerto Banús and the coast, with a table reserved ahead.
  • Thatched parasols and sun loungers on a sandy beach, a palm tree in front, the sea and a line of white buildings behind, and a bare rocky mountain rising above them

    Beach clubs, golf and the hills

    A day bed at a beach club, a morning’s golf or a hotel spa, or a day inland: a ride in the hills, or a walk in the Sierra de las Nieves, a national park since 2021.

    More of the slower days
    • A beach club — a day bed, lunch and the sea, reserved ahead at one of the beach clubs along the coast.
    • Golf — by the town hall’s own count, Marbella has more golf courses than any other town in Spain; tee times on request, subject to availability.
    • A spa afternoon — treatments and a massage at one of the hotel spas by the sea.
    • Riding — a morning on horseback in the countryside behind the coast, on request, subject to availability.
    • The Sierra de las Nieves — a walk with a guide in the national park inland, declared in 2021, with a picnic by a river; see the Sierra de las Nieves among Spain’s national parks.
    • Polo — the international tournament the Santa María Polo Club holds each summer, along the coast at Sotogrande; seats on request.
    • A car for the coast road — a sports car for the day, on request, subject to availability.

02Featured hotels

Where to stay in Marbella

A selection of hotels we recommend in Marbella. We can also arrange other properties to suit your preferences and travel plans.

  • The entrance of Nobu Hotel Marbella: a tiled porch among fan palms below a whitewashed façade bearing the hotel's name

    Milla de Oro

    Nobu Hotel Marbella

    A Nobu hotel within Puente Romano on the Golden Mile, with Nobu's restaurant and bar, an adults-only pool for its guests, and the resort's beach and spa.

  • The Beach Club pool at Marbella Club, with palms, white parasols and a wooden pier running out to sea

    Milla de Oro

    Marbella Club

    A five-star resort on the Golden Mile's beach, with rooms, suites and villas in subtropical gardens, a Beach Club, a Thalasso Spa and a Kids Club.

  • Pools among tall palms at Puente Romano, crossed by a timber footbridge, with white loungers on the decking and the beach and the sea beyond

    Milla de Oro

    Puente Romano

    A whitewashed village of suites on the Milla de Oro's beach, with a Six Senses Spa, a tennis club and more than twenty restaurants and bars.

Explore where to stay in Marbella

03Seasons

When to go

Spring March to May

Mild and bright: highs rise from about 20°C (68°F) in March to 24°C (75°F) in May, with rain on three to five days a month. Good weather for walking and golf.

EventsSemana Santa, 21 to 28 March in 2027, with nine brotherhoods in Marbella, Nueva Andalucía and San Pedro Alcántara.

Summer June to September

The beach season: highs of about 28°C (82°F) in June and September and 31°C (88°F) in July and August, warm nights, and almost no rain from June to August.

EventsSan Bernabé, the town's patron, on 11 June, with a daytime fair in the old town; and the Virgen del Carmen on 16 July, carried by sea from the marina to Puerto Banús.

Autumn October and November

Highs ease from about 24°C (75°F) in October to 20°C (68°F) in November, and the rain returns, on four to six days a month; November is one of the two wettest months.

EventsThe fair of San Pedro Alcántara, around its patron's day on 19 October, with a daytime fair along the town's boulevard.

Winter December to February

Mild for the season: highs of about 17–18°C (63–64°F), nights of 7–9°C (45–48°F), rain on five to seven days a month, and five or six hours of sun a day. A quieter time to visit.

The figures are AEMET’s averages for Málaga airport, the nearest official weather station, on the same coast. Region by region across Spain, our best time to visit Spain guide.

04Shape your trip

Routes and itineraries

Each route is a starting point, tailored to you. Two of our multi-city Spain itineraries spend nights in Marbella, priced in US dollars per person.

  1. 4days

    Culture, cuisine and the coast

    Places
    Marbella
    Suits
    A first visit built around the old town, the table and the sea
    What the route includes
    • A guided walk through the old town, ending with churros and chocolate at a café
    • A tasting menu at one of Marbella’s Michelin-starred restaurants, with Andalusian wines
    • An afternoon at a hotel spa by the sea
    • A sunset cruise with cava, with Sierra Blanca behind the coast, on request
    • An evening of tapas and flamenco in a courtyard

  2. 7days

    The coast and the hills

    Places
    Marbella, with a day in Ronda
    Suits
    A slower week, between the sea and the mountains behind it
    What the route includes
    • A finca in the hills with views over olive groves to the sea, on request
    • A day in Ronda, with a winery visit and lunch in the country
    • A guided walk in the Sierra de las Nieves, with a picnic by a river
    • A day bed reserved at a beach club
    • An afternoon in Puerto Banús with a personal stylist
    • Cocktails and live jazz above the Mediterranean

  3. 10days

    Marbella and beyond

    Places
    Seville, Marbella, Granada and Málaga
    Suits
    Andalusia's cities, with the coast at the heart of the trip
    What the route includes
    • Seville first: a private tour of the Real Alcázar, and an evening of tapas
    • Days by the sea in Marbella, with a spa and time on the coast
    • A private sail along the coast, stopping to swim and snorkel, on request
    • A day in Granada, ending with the Alhambra’s own night visit to the Nasrid Palaces, on the nights it runs
    • Málaga to finish: the Museo Picasso with a guide, and dinner with paired wines
    • Private transfers, guides and hotels arranged throughout

Itineraries that include Marbella

All our Spain itineraries

Beyond Marbella

  • Ronda's Puente Nuevo lit gold at dusk, spanning the gorge between sheer cliffs, with white houses along the clifftops

    Day excursion

    Ronda

    63 km inland over the mountains: a town split by a gorge 100 m deep, the Puente Nuevo across it, finished in 1793, and wine estates in the hills around. Best for a day out, or a night of its own.

  • Málaga from the hill above it at dusk: gardens and lit streets below, and the port and the city spreading along the bay under a purple sky

    Day excursion

    Málaga

    57 km along the coast: Picasso's birthplace, the Museo Picasso, open since 2003, the Alcazaba above the port and the Centre Pompidou. Avelia is based here. Best for art, and for arriving and leaving.

  • The Giralda bell tower and Seville Cathedral rising above the city's rooftops in golden light

    Another stay

    Seville

    259 km by road: the Cathedral, the Giralda and the Real Alcázar, on the World Heritage List together since 1987, and flamenco in Triana. Best for three nights at the start of a route that ends here.

  • Córdoba's Roman bridge lit at dusk, with the Mezquita-Catedral rising behind it under an orange sky

    Another stay

    Córdoba

    212 km by road: the Mezquita, founded in 786–788, at the heart of an old town on the World Heritage List since 1984, and the caliphs' city of Medina Azahara 8 km out. Best for two nights.

  • The Alhambra on its wooded hill in Granada, its towers and palace walls lit orange at sunset, with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada behind

    Another stay

    Granada

    180 km by road: the Alhambra and the Generalife above the Albaicín, the old Moorish quarter, with the Sierra Nevada behind. Best for two or three nights; we reserve the Alhambra as soon as your dates are fixed.

05Planning with Avelia

How we plan your time in Marbella

We help you choose the right hotel, balance the old town and the days out with time by the sea, and fit Marbella into your wider journey — or shape a stay on the coast itself.

  1. Share your plans

    Tell us your dates, interests, preferred pace and any practical requirements.

  2. Shape your trip with us

    We prepare a tailored proposal and refine it with you, with a quoted trip price and clear inclusions.

  3. Travel with our support

    Once you approve the proposal and complete the agreed booking requirements, we confirm your arrangements. We coordinate the details and support you while you travel.

Peace of mind

  • Clear before you commit. A written proposal with a quoted trip price and clear inclusions, before any payment.
  • Financially protected. Your payments for a package trip are covered against our insolvency by a guarantee with AXA.
  • One point of contact. From the first conversation to the last day, with support while you travel.

Plan with peace of mind

What we can arrange

Your proposal sets out the arrangements included in your trip.

  • Hotels matched to you — on the beach, near the old town or in the hills, and not only the ones featured here; private villas, with a chef if you wish, on request.
  • Private transport — chauffeur-driven premium cars for the transfer from Málaga airport, about 40 minutes, days out to Ronda, Málaga or Granada, and the drive to your next stop in Andalusia.
  • Private guides — for the old town, Ronda and the Alhambra, and walking guides for the Sierra de las Nieves.
  • Experiences — a yacht or a sail at sunset, flamenco with dinner, a cooking class, a wine tasting, a morning’s riding.
  • Tables and tee times — reservations from Michelin-starred dining rooms to beach clubs, and tee times on request, subject to availability.
  • Special occasions — honeymoons, anniversaries and family trips, planned around who is travelling.

Spain guides

06Questions

Questions we are asked

What does it cost to have a tailor-made trip designed by Avelia Travel?

Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.

How many nights should we spend in Marbella?

We recommend three or four nights for Marbella itself, and a week if you would like days out to Ronda, Málaga or the Sierra de las Nieves.

When is the best time to visit Marbella?

May to October, and above all June to September, the warmest and driest months, for the beach clubs, the boats and dinner outside. Spring and autumn are milder and quieter, and winter is mild on the coast, with daytime highs of 17–18°C.

Can I include Marbella in a larger Spain itinerary?

Yes. Ronda and Málaga are close enough for a day out, and Granada, Córdoba and Seville lie 180 to 260 km away, so Marbella fits at the end of a route through Andalusia or between its cities. From Málaga, high-speed trains run to Madrid and Barcelona, and a trip can go on to France.

Do you only plan full itineraries, or can you help with just a hotel?

Both. We plan complete trips, and we also arrange a stay on its own: a hotel matched to you, with transfers, a guide or a few reservations added if you wish.

Is Avelia right for me?

Avelia suits travellers who want a private, well-paced trip planned around them: the right places in the right order, hotels chosen for them, guides who know the ground, tables and tickets taken care of, and one point of contact from the first conversation until they are home.

Start planning your time in Marbella

Tell us your dates and who is travelling. Everything else we can work out together.

Plan your Marbella trip

Usually answered within one business day.

Marbella in pictures

The coast at Marbella from a wooden pier: clear turquoise water, a long sandy beach lined with palms and white villas, and the rocky peaks of Sierra Blanca behind under a cloudless sky
The beach below Sierra Blanca