Puerto Banús Marina
La Bajadilla Marina
Puerto Deportivo de Marbella
Cabopino Marina
La Fontanilla Roadstead
Shop the boutiques and watch the superyachts at Puerto Banús
Play a round at one of the courses along the Costa del Golf
Stroll the flower-filled lanes of the old town to Plaza de los Naranjos
Spend a day at a beach club such as Nikki Beach or Trocadero Arena
Drive up into the Sierra Blanca foothills above the town
Puerto Banús Marina and its Dalí rhinoceros sculpture
Plaza de los Naranjos, Marbella’s 15th-century old town square
The Golden Mile between the town centre and Puerto Banús
Marbella Club, the hotel that launched the town’s jet-set era in 1954
Cabopino’s dunes and pine woods near Elviria
Marbella suits a charter from April through October, when the Costa del Sol enjoys some of Europe’s most reliable weather and summer sea temperatures around 23 to 25°C. July and August bring the busiest scene at Puerto Banús and the fullest beach clubs, while May, June and late September offer the same sunshine with quieter marinas and easier berthing throughout the town.
Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) is the closest, around 55 to 60 kilometres east of Marbella and a 45 to 60 minute drive along the AP-7 toll motorway or the coastal A-7. It’s one of Spain’s busiest airports, with direct flights from most major European cities, making it a straightforward gateway for guests joining a yacht already berthed at Puerto Banús or La Bajadilla.
Puerto Banús remains the headline marina, with 915 berths and slips for yachts up to 50 metres, but La Bajadilla and the town-centre Puerto Deportivo de Marbella offer easier, less crowded berthing. For a daytime stop, many yachts anchor off La Fontanilla beach, close to the old town, or continue east to Cabopino’s quieter marina near the pine-backed dunes of Elviria.
Two to three days is generally enough to enjoy Marbella itself, taking in Puerto Banús, the old town and a beach club or two, before continuing along the Costa del Sol. Many charters combine it with Málaga to the east or Sotogrande and Gibraltar to the west, using Marbella as a glamorous midpoint rather than the entire itinerary.
José Banús, a Spanish property developer, opened the marina in May 1970, with an August launch party attended by around 1,700 guests including Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. It was Spain’s first privately funded marina, and it now holds 915 berths and a three-ton bronze rhinoceros sculpture by Salvador Dalí, installed at the harbour entrance in 2004.
