The casco antiguo
Marbella’s old town is its heart — orange-tree plazas, whitewashed church towers and tiny shops selling olive oil and ceramics. Wander after siesta, when the lanes come alive.
Marbella
Whitewashed lanes and golden Costa del Sol evenings
Best time
May – June & September – October
Gentle pace
4–6 slow days
Ideal for
Families · Beach lovers · First-time Spain
Marbella is the Costa del Sol’s most graceful face — and its surprise is the old town, a maze of whitewashed lanes, bougainvillea-draped walls and flower-filled plazas that feels a world away from the marina glamour it is famous for. Pair a few days here with the long golden beaches of the coast and you have a holiday that works for every generation.
With children, Marbella is effortless: calm swimming beaches, a flat promenade that runs for miles, chiringuitos grilling lunch on the sand, and an old town where an evening stroll becomes the highlight of the day.
Worth lingering over
The Paseo Marítimo
A flat, palm-lined promenade stretching for kilometres along the beach — perfect for evening walks, scooters and an ice cream at every turn.
A beach day at Playa de la Venus
Calm, central and family-friendly, with sunbeds, chiringuitos and shallow water. Order paella on the sand and let the afternoon take care of itself.
Hidden gem
Mijas Pueblo, the white mountain village
A short bus ride up the mountain above the coast sits Mijas Pueblo — a whitewashed village of cobbled lanes, donkey taxis and jasmine-scented plazas, with the whole Costa del Sol and the African coast laid out below. Go in the morning before the day-trippers, breakfast on churros in the plaza, and walk the old garden wall for the finest view on the entire coast.