The short version
- Where: just west of Marbella on the Costa del Sol. Not a separate town — it’s part of Marbella.
- Parking: six main car parks, mostly underground. Saba is around €3 an hour; Tembo, Cristamar and Avenida Julio Iglesias run 24 hours.
- From Málaga airport: about 55 km, roughly 55 minutes. No train — the line stops at Fuengirola.
- Best time to go: evening. The light comes off the water, the restaurants fill up, and the whole place looks the way it’s supposed to.
- With kids: better than its reputation. It’s flat, safe to walk, and there’s ice cream. As a place to visit. Not as a place to stay.
- Cost of a visit: free, unless you want it not to be. You can walk the marina, look at the boats and buy an ice cream, or you can eat at a waterfront table and spend properly.
Puerto Banús has a reputation for being expensive and slightly ridiculous, and both are fair. It’s also genuinely worth an evening, and a lot easier to visit on a normal budget than people assume.
Here’s the practical version.
Amàre Beach Hotel Marbella and Hard Rock Hotel Marbella are the other two worth a look on this stretch. These are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Where is Puerto Banús?
Just west of Marbella, on the Costa del Sol. It’s part of Marbella rather than a town in its own right, which catches people out when they’re booking — a hotel “in Puerto Banús” and a hotel “in Marbella” can be twenty minutes apart.
From Málaga airport: about 55 km, roughly 55 minutes. There’s no train — the C-1 Cercanías line runs down the coast from the airport and terminates at Fuengirola, well short of here. Your options are the Avanza coach to Marbella (from around €8, 45–60 minutes) and then a local connection, or a taxi or private transfer at about €82.
Full detail: Málaga Airport to the Costa del Sol
Parking in Puerto Banús
The question everyone actually has, and almost nobody answers.
There are six main options, most of them underground:
| Car park | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Saba | Underground | Around €3 per hour |
| Parking Tembo | Underground, Avda. Rotary Internacional | 24 hours |
| El Corte Inglés / Hipercor | Multi-storey, beneath the store | 10:00–22:00 |
| Cristamar | Underground, Avda. Naciones Unidas | 24 hours |
| Avenida Julio Iglesias | Underground and roadside | 24 hours |
| Centro Plaza | Open-air and underground, Avda. Manolete (across the A-7) | Underground 08:00–21:00, open-air 08:00–00:00 |
Practical advice: if you’re coming for the evening, use one of the 24-hour ones — Tembo, Cristamar or Avenida Julio Iglesias. The El Corte Inglés and Centro Plaza underground car parks close while you might still be at dinner, and there is no more irritating end to a nice evening than a locked barrier.
Centro Plaza is across the A-7, so it’s a walk over rather than a walk out. Fine, but not what you want with a tired child at 11pm.
What’s actually at the marina
The boats. This is the reason to come. The yachts moored along the harbour are genuinely something to look at, and it costs nothing to walk the length of the quay and stare at them. Our two were more interested in these than anything else.
The shops. Louis Vuitton, Dior and Gucci sit along the front — and, a few metres away, souvenir stalls and ice cream counters. That contrast is what Puerto Banús actually is: designer windows and a €2 cone, thirty seconds apart. You don’t have to participate in the expensive half.
The restaurants and bars. Fresh seafood, tapas places, cocktail bars looking out over the water. They fill up in the evening and the waterfront tables are priced accordingly.
Somewhere to sit. There are benches along the front, which sounds trivial and isn’t — it’s what makes this a place you can spend an hour rather than a place you walk through.
Is Puerto Banús worth it with kids?
To visit: yes, and more so than you’d expect.
It’s flat, it’s pedestrianised along the front, it’s safe to walk, there’s ice cream within reach at all times, and the boats hold a child’s attention for a surprisingly long stretch. As an evening out on a Costa del Sol holiday it works well.
To stay: I’d think harder. Parts of Puerto Banús are firmly nightlife territory, and basing a family with small children in the middle of it is a different decision from visiting for an evening. With teenagers it’s genuinely good — it’s the one stretch of this coast that interests them.
More: Where to Stay on the Costa del Sol · Costa del Sol with Kids
The best time to go
Evening, without question. The marina is fine in daylight — bright, hot, and the shops are open — but it comes alive at sunset, when the light comes off the water and the restaurants and cafés along the front start filling up.
If you’re going for dinner, arrive an hour before you want to eat and walk the quay first while the light is going. That’s the bit worth the trip.
Avoid the middle of a July afternoon. It’s unshaded, it’s hot, and the marina at 3pm is just a car park with boats in it.
What it costs
Genuinely as much or as little as you want:
- Walking the marina, looking at the yachts, an ice cream: the price of the ice cream, plus parking.
- A drink at a waterfront table: you’re paying for the view, and you’ll know it.
- Dinner on the front: this is where Puerto Banús earns its reputation. Excellent, and not a casual spend.
- A cheaper evening: eat slightly back from the water rather than on it. Same marina, noticeably different bill.
Where to stay nearby
We stayed at the Occidental Puerto Banús, which is steps from the marina, has separate adults’ and children’s pools, and includes breakfast — a considerably more sensible price than the postcode suggests.
More: Occidental Puerto Banús Review · Grand Hotel Guadalpín Banús
Frequently Asked Questions About Puerto Banús Marina
Where is Puerto Banús marina?
Puerto Banús is just west of Marbella on the Costa del Sol, and is part of Marbella rather than a separate town. It is around 55 km from Málaga airport, roughly 55 minutes away. There is no train — the C-1 Cercanías line terminates at Fuengirola — so you need the Avanza coach to Marbella, a taxi or a private transfer.
Where can you park at Puerto Banús and what does it cost?
There are six main car parks, mostly underground: Saba at around €3 per hour, Parking Tembo on Avda. Rotary Internacional and Cristamar on Avda. Naciones Unidas both open 24 hours, Avenida Julio Iglesias with underground and roadside spaces open 24 hours, El Corte Inglés beneath the store from 10:00 to 22:00, and Centro Plaza across the A-7. For an evening visit choose one of the 24-hour car parks, as the others close while you may still be at dinner.
Is Puerto Banús family-friendly?
To visit, yes — more than its reputation suggests. The marina front is flat, pedestrianised and safe to walk, there are ice cream counters and casual cafés alongside the designer shops, and the yachts hold children’s attention. As a place to stay it is a different question: parts of Puerto Banús are nightlife-focused and better suited to teenagers than to small children.
What is Puerto Banús known for?
Luxury yachts, designer boutiques including Louis Vuitton, Dior and Gucci, and waterfront restaurants and cocktail bars. The contrast is the real character of the place — designer windows and souvenir stalls with €2 ice creams sit a few metres apart, so you can enjoy the marina without spending heavily.
When is the best time to visit Puerto Banús?
The evening. The marina comes alive at sunset, when the light reflects off the water and the restaurants and cafés along the front fill up. Arrive about an hour before you want to eat and walk the quay while the light is going. Avoid the middle of a summer afternoon — the front is unshaded and uncomfortably hot.
Is Puerto Banús expensive to visit?
Only if you want it to be. Walking the marina and looking at the yachts costs nothing beyond parking, and there are ice cream counters and casual cafés along the front. Waterfront restaurant tables are priced for the view; eating a street or two back from the water gives you the same marina at a noticeably lower bill.
How do you get from Marbella to Puerto Banús?
Puerto Banús sits just west of Marbella and is part of the same municipality, so it is a short local journey by bus or taxi. From further afield there is no rail connection at all — the nearest train line ends at Fuengirola — so arriving from the airport means the Avanza coach, a taxi or a private transfer of around €82.
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