Family things to do in Marbella — beaches, parks, attractions and days out that actually work with children.
A seafront promenade lined with ten bronze Salvador Dalí sculptures — a free open-air gallery running from Alameda Park down to the beach.
The early-16th-century parish church on the edge of the old town, blending Gothic and Baroque, with a striking gilded 18th-century altar of Canadian pine.
The real Marbella — whitewashed lanes, orange-tree squares and Plaza de los Naranjos. Free to wander and endlessly photogenic.
Calle Hospital Bazán, Marbella
Spain's contemporary print museum, housed in the Renaissance-era Hospital Bazán in the old town — thousands of works including pieces by Dalí and Miró. An ideal cool, cultural hour off the beach.
A shady tiled park of fountains and ceramic benches leading down to the beach — a cool, calm break from the sun.
Marbella's main town beach — wide golden sand, a lively promenade and some of the town's best-known chiringuitos.
Refugio de Juanar, Sierra Blanca
The leafy gateway to Sierra Blanca's trails — easy forest loops up to the Cruz de Juanar viewpoint (4–6 hours round trip), with mountain goats and eagles overhead.
Playa de Santa Petronila, Golden Mile, Marbella
The original old-school Golden Mile chiringuito — heavy wooden furniture set around a palm-shaded oasis on the sand, with long lunches and a loyal Marbella crowd. The most characterful of the Trocadero clubs.