Day trips around Marbella
 

Hello,
I will be in Spain for 2.5 weeks for my honeymoon at the end of September. My future husband and I were given the use of a timeshare in Marbella for 1 week as a wedding gift. We will be renting a car and would like to make several day trips to surrounding areas. We were thinking of visiting Gibraltar and Granada any other suggestions on where to visit? I think the farthest we would want to venture would be a 2 hours from Marbella.
Thanks!

Malaga is a wonderful city that has gussied itself all up - not sure if these are two hours from Marbella but Ronda, Seville and Cadiz would be nice places - someof the nicest cities in Spain.

I'd day go stay for a day or two in say Seville and see Cordoba and its wonderful old mosque now a Christian cathedral en route back to Marbella.

Marbella is nice but it is also a thriving holiday resort especially popular with Brits it seems. Nothing much Spanish IME after staying in a similar resort - Torremolinos - could practically be in any country in Europe.

In addition to PalenQ's suggestions, you might visit some of the "White Towns" up in the hills. They are very picturesque. Casares is one that is easy to get to from Marbella. Try not to go right at siesta time, however.

Wonderful 3000 year old Málaga city has been mentioned. Right in the city center you'll find a Roman theater, the Moorish Alcazaba/fortress, the 16th century one-armed cathedral, Picasso's birth-place and the Picasso museum (+ many other museums), great cafes, tapas bars, restaurants, theaters and excellent nightlife. The malagueños are perhaps the most easy-going people in all of Andalucia. The new harbour/marina Muelle Uno is also well worth checking out. http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...-breaks-travel

You are close to Antequera, the so-called heart of Andalucia/crossroads of Andalucia. Almost right in the middle of the Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada, Málaga rectangle. Here you'll find dolmens (some 5000 years old burial chambers), Roman baths, a Moorish Castle, Gothic churches, Renaissance fountains and Baroque bell towers. Antequera was the first of the Granada emirate towns to fall to the Christians in 1410.
http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry....era-spain.html

Small and charming seaside Nerja with the famous caves is little more than one hour drive away: http://www.cuevadenerja.es/index.php?lenguaje=en

And the world's greatest and most prestigious flamenco festival goes on in Sevilla from Sept 12 to Oct 5. The best flamenco artists on the planet in Sevilla theaters all around town every night. Seeing Rocío Molina in the Maestranza theater on Sept 29. might easily be the highlight of the entire trip. http://misterdante.com/wp-content/up...rdora.EN_3.pdf

The festival: http://www.labienal.com/en/

Rocío Molina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2paA8Cg-f5k

"one of the finest soloists in the world today", New York Times 2009

"Molina has genius: irresistible, all-consuming, all-powerful", Financial Times 2011

"as if she were sharing the stage with the ghosts of all the dancers whose art she has absorbed – and reinvented", The Telegraph 2013

Strongly suggest you avoid Gibraltar.

There is not a lot to see/do, the "apes" are monkeys that are really nasty and have a habit of stealing things from tourists (and do bite) and depending on the current situation with the Spanish authorities it can take forever to get in and out.

<i>Depending on the current situation with the Spanish authorities, it can take forever to get in and out.</i>

Only if you insist on taking your car into Gibraltar. Just leave it at La Linea (plenty of car parks near the border) and walk in. Don't forget your passport and use pound sterling if you have any. Euro is taken but at a lower rate. Or credit card is widely accepted.

Agree Gibraltar is nothing special.

I'd rather spend a few hours admiring the fancy cars and yachts in Puerto Banus and roaming the streets of San Pedro de Alcantara.

Both towns within 10 km of Marbella.

Happy Honeymoon!

Agree Puerto Banus is a hoot. We stayed there at a hotel with casino and beach as well as pool.

But the best was the shops near the harbor as well as the yachts. When we were there one was a gigantic something owned by some Sheik and we thought that was huge until we saw the Malcom Forbes yacht - with helipad on deck and cigarette boats as launches. Don;t know who owns that boat now - but it's incredible.