Marbella also offers unique experiences away from Puerto Banus or The Golden Mile. The old town maintains the character of Andalusian villages with its gleaming lime white walls and flowerpots. Narrow streets that invite you to get lost in the scent of flowers and careful cleanliness, with small shops, restaurants and places to enjoy the particular lifestyle of the area.
The small fishing village of Marbella
Through the different gates that give access to the old walled city and thanks to the different squares within the old town, Marbella sits in front of the sea enjoying the best of the Mediterranean Sea. A past in which coal mining and agricultural farms marked the landscape. Marbella keeps its identity despite receiving visitors from all nationalities. The stunning Plaza de los Naranjos opens before our eyes, giving the place a special charm throughout the seasons. That Andalusian character is present in its fountains, its benches and in the buildings and monuments surrounding the area.
A cosmopolitan Andalusian village
A walk through the old town of Marbella allows to learn the history of the town. A small fishing village that has become the focus centre of a multicultural community easily mixing permanent and temporary residents and visitors from all over the planet. Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths, and Muslims have passed through here in a myriad of comings and goings of diverse cultures and traditions.
A privileged climate for unique experiences
The proximity of La Concha peak makes the old town an ideal place. Even in the hottest months, narrow streets help diminish the thermal feeling, providing visitors with fresh spaces and gastronomy from all over the world, combining the most traditional businesses with avant-garde proposals within a fishing village. Marbella lifestyle is special. A sense of belonging invades anyone who walks by its streets and squares. Many Marbellas coexisting under the watchful eye of history.
Historic origins of Marbella
The origin of Marbella goes back in centuries, with Palaeolithic sites, Roman baths such as Las Bóvedas when the town was known as Salduba, or the strong presence of the Islamic-Andalusian period. After the Catholic Monarchs took the town in 1485, the keys of the town were handed before a cross that is kept in a small chapel, the Cross of the Humilladero. From that moment the town grew beyond the walled area. Later in time the first blast furnaces in Spain were working in the area until 1931, then it switched to agriculture, especially for the sugar industry, and fishing. Back in that time people from Marbella would not dare swim in the sea until the Virgen del Carmen did not bless the water in mid-July. An incipient coming and going of people from all over the world started to happen in the 40s thanks to the Hohenlohe family, who made the area known to the most varied personalities, shaping the legendary luxury trip to paradise of Count Rudi and the Marbella Club.
An exceptional tour in the old town
The old town of Marbella hides unique experiences within its narrow streets. From boutique hotels to charming shops and a wide offer of gastronomic spaces. A variety that matches perfectly with the many cultural influences this area has been receiving for centuries.
Luxury Boutique Hotels
To live the unique experience of old town Marbella, nothing better than staying in one of La Ciudadela boutique hotels. Historic buildings, tastefully rehabilitated to keep intact the memory of the town. Just a few rooms equipped with the best services and designed to enjoy a different experience to that already offered in the area, such as private villas or luxury resorts. A different way to visit this town any time of the year. With 27 kilometres of coastline, Marbella is an easy place to travel through with your own vehicle or rentals, but it also invites you to walk along the extensive sea promenade. The old town, further away from the Golden Mile and Puerto Banús, becomes an idyllic place full of history. The purpose of La Ciudadela is to keep alive that spirit of an old town with its own identity where local culture and visitors meet. A continuous exchange that does not spoil the essence that makes unique this part of Andalusia.
Unique experiences in the centre of Marbella
More unique experiences can be enjoyed in the old town, at the many gastronomic spaces available, all kinds of shops and hidden beautiful spots. This respect for tradition and the ability to welcome the new make this enclave a unique place. From breakfast to dinner, Marbella's old town is full of possibilities.
The best breakfast: the tradition of churros
Churrería Ramón is one of the oldest businesses in Marbella. It was established in 1941, in a first location in Plaza de los Naranjos. Even today the descendants of the founder carry on the tradition of frying round churros at any time of the year. An airy and crunchy dough that the visitor may dip in rich chocolate, have with a coffee or enjoy with a freshly squeezed orange juice without added sugar. Undoubtedly, the legendary Ramón is the churrería par excellence in Marbella since its foundation and one of the delicatessens in the area. These churros are different from the Madrilenian porras or the well-known potato churros, with a house recipe daily made dough, one of the secrets of their success.
A ceramic atelier in the heart of the old town
After a walk through the narrow streets of the centre looking for unique experiences, we find a small local craft workshop. Ana Ortiz has been working in ceramics creating unique pieces with various finishes. With a carefully chosen range of colours and a special interest in the research of materials, this trained sculptor owns an atelier in the centre of Marbella, on Calle Huerta Chica. One more reason to stroll through the old town and calmly admire the different styles displayed on the shelves at her shop.
Andalusian cuisine as an objective
Once the ceramics have been chosen it is time for a small aperitif. Located on the beautiful Calle del Carmen, La Niña del Pisto is one of those businesses rooted to Andalusian gastronomy. With the air of a Córdoba tavern, it offers an excellent selection of food: salmorejo, flamenquines or ensaladilla rusa. It is the perfect place to have a vermouth, a moscatel or one of the great D.O.P. Málaga wines paired with some tapas.
Unique experiences with EVOO
After a good wine, it is time to visit a space dedicated to EVOO. Extra virgin olive oil, one of the excellent food products of Andalusia, has a temple in this small shop. Located on Calle Ancha, this store has got many oil varieties. D'Oliva is one of those places that you must visit in the old town. Their own canned specialities include flavours as suggestive as basil and sun-dried tomatoes. They also have got varieties designed for the little ones such as popcorn flavoured olive oil. In a few square metres, D'Oliva holds olive oil tastings, not only according to olive variety but also according to extraction process or aromatization, since the world of olive oil is as complex as that of wine. It is worth knowing.
Pescaíto frito and the best seafood
In order to live a unique seafood experience, there is no better choice than stopping by the Altamirano. Right in the middle of the central Plaza de los Naranjos, it is one of the old town’s legendary spots. Devoted to seafood and taking care of the smallest details, it also shows an unquestionable football background. Altamirano is a family business offering a wonderful selection of langoustines, prawns, breams, hake, cuttlefish or chopitos, all beautifully displayed at the restaurant. A wide variety easily obtained at the five fish markets supplying Costa del Sol restaurants with exceptional fresh products from the rich Mediterranean Sea. Altamirano is a reference of Marbella local culture, where all kinds of clients have stopped by, many of them returning to enjoy the delicacies that Salvador and his family serve every day with the best of smiles.
Shops with character
After a fabulous lunch we continue the tour through the old town, stopping at Déjà vu, the Calle Pedraza vintage shop established in 1996. A tastefully arranged space whose aesthetics makes you travel just going through the door. Shop windows displaying high-end fashion brands and art selected with exquisite taste. They work with second-hand luxury products and all kinds of vintage objects, creating a space with its own identity where you can find clothes, accessories, decoration objects and art within the narrow streets of the old town.
Gourmet cuisine in the old town
One of Marbella’s unique experiences is gastronomy. A few metres from each other at this privileged location, you can find two very interesting offers to enjoy fine dining: two Michelin-star Skina restaurant on Calle Ancha, and Thaissence, which is part of La Ciudadela boutique hotels. Two clear bets for the exchange between local culture and a cosmopolitan vision of the town through food.
Gourmet cuisine in Marbella
Thaissence is one of those spaces that is bound to be talked about. From Thai to Peruvian cuisine without forgetting the roots of Spanish cuisine, all paired with an interesting selection of wines from Málaga and the most select whites and reds from all over the world. A commitment to a cuisine with different influences, but with a clear foundation in seasonal proximity products. Its entry in the Michelin Guide as one of the best restaurants in Marbella makes it a must-go place.
Two Michelin-star in a charming place
The old town of Marbella is plenty of unique experiences, such as a visit to the two Michelin-star restaurant Skina, owned by sommelier Marcos Granada. Located on Calle Aduar, Skina focuses on gourmet local gastronomy, taking the excellent ingredients available in the province of Málaga to their finest creating an Andalusian haute cuisine with the utmost respect for the product. Undoubtedly a perfect way to end a day in the old part of one of the most cosmopolitan and open but deeply rooted to history towns in Southern Europe.
