Marbella and Tarifa, Two Historic Centres to Fall in Love With

The route starts from the city of Malaga and it is good to start driving at 8:00 am.

The first stop is in Marbella. If you can't find a place to leave your car in the streets of Marbella on the way to the historic centre, you will have to leave it in a car park. This parking is close to the historic centre.
Ready to walk? Take a few minutes to lose yourself in the narrow and colourful streets of Marbella's old town. It is one of the most beautiful and well-keep historic centres on the Costa del Sol, full of restaurants, cafes, bars and craft and design shops.

The first stop on the way can be to walk along the pedestrian street to the Ermita del Santo Cristo. On the way, look carefully at the details such as the art in the rubbish cans.

On your walk through the old town you will see part of a wall from the 10th century, which was part of the Alcazaba and inside it was a Muslim medina (today's historic centre of Marbella).

Also, on the way through the old town you will see several churches, such as the church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación. You can look at them from the outside or take a look inside.
Open Hours Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación: Monday - Saturday: 8:00 - 13:00, 18:00 - 20:00 Sunday: 9:00 - 13:30, 18:00 - 20:00

The Plaza de los Naranjos is the centre of the area, where the Town Hall is located. Around the square there are many cafes and restaurants. If you want, you can choose one of them to have a quick coffee and keep walking.
Near the square you will also find several shops with souvenirs, handicrafts, clothes and other local products.

Follow the route to the Alameda Park, an urban park with more than 20,000 square meters, vegetation, benches with Andalusian patterns and a fountain. After the Alameda Park, continue along Avenida del Mar to the beach. The Avenida del Mar is a pedestrian street with benches and sculptures of Dalí. If you like them, you can stop and take pictures in all of them.

The road will take you to the beach, the seafront and the marina of Marbella. The marina (puerto deportivo) is one of the four ports of the city of Marbella. It has an area with terraces where the bars and restaurants are located and another area with agencies to book nautical excursions. Take a leisurely stroll while enjoying the seascape.

As you walk along the seafront, you can choose a beach restaurant (chiringuito) for lunch. One of this is La Red Restaurant, on the beach.
There you can order fish, seafood and a variety of rice dishes. Try the desserts, which are very tasty!
Open Hours: Monday - Sunday: 12:00 - 17:00
After the lunch, head for the car to continue the journey to the second destination of the day: Tarifa.

Welcome to Tarifa, one of the most beautiful and windy cities on the Spanish coast and the beginning of the so-called Costa de la Luz.
You can look for a place to park on Avenida Andalucía or Avenida de la Constitución. Also, you can park in a parking like San Sebastian. For fares and timetables, see the official website
After leaving the car, you can take your luggage to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the day lighter. The hotel suggested in this itinerary is located in the historic centre of Tarifa, in one of the most beautiful areas.

On the way to the hotel, you can already see some main attractions. You can walk along the Paseo de la Alameda to the monument of Sancho IV and take the street named after him to the hotel.
Tarifa's tourist office is located in the Alameda Park. You can go there for a map or to ask any questions you may have.
The Calle Sancho IV el Bravo, where the hotel is located, is full of bars, restaurants, ice-cream shop and cafés.

Before walking along Calle Sancho IV el Bravo, you will see the Castle of Guzman el Bueno.
The castle is so called because in 1294 the Muslims surrounded the castle and threatened to kill the son of Don Alonso Pérez de Guzmán (mayor of the town) if he did not surrender the site. But Don Alonso Pérez de Guzmán preferred to sacrifice his son rather than surrender the town.
If you want to visit it, you can do so on the second day of the trip, as it closes early.
Open Hours: Wednesday - Sunday: 10:00 - 15:15. Monday - Tuesday closed. For more information you can write an email castilloguzmanelbueno@aytotarifa.com, ask at the tourist office or check the official website

Once you have checked in, you can enjoy a coffee and exquisite pastries in the hotel's own bakery.
After the break, you can continue with the walking route through the old town and the different parts of the city walls.

You can reach the Puerta de Jerez, one of Tarifa's characteristic monuments, built in the 13th century. This gate is the only one that remains of the old wall gates.
The Jeréz Gate (Puerta de Jeréz) has two large crenellated towers, typical of medieval military architecture. Above its great central arch there is a plaque with a legend commemorating the capture of the city by Sancho IV el Bravo in 1292.

Continue the walk through the charming narrow streets of the historic centre of Tarifa until you reach the viewpoint of Africa.
From there, you will be able to appreciate the port of Tarifa and the infinity of the sea. If the sky is clear, and it is not night fell yet, you will be able to see Africa.

You can walk a few more metres to the Torre de los Maderos and return to enter the old town again.

It's time for dinner! You can choose one of the many places in the historic centre near the hotel or go to Calle Alcalde Juan Nuñez, in front of the waterfront, and choose one of the restaurants on that street.
One of them could be Mic Moc, where you can order salads, burgers, rice dishes, woks and more.
Open Hours: Fridat- Sunday: 13:30 - 17:00, 19:00 - 23:30 Tuesday - Thursday: 19:00 - 23:30 Monday closed.

Choose a central location so that you can enjoy the atmosphere of the old town at night.