The popular resort of Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol, together with the neighbouring towns of Torremolinos and Fuengirola, forms one large holiday zone, offering endless urban beaches, as well as trips to romantic villages in the mountains, sightseeing and other attractions.

Compared to the other resorts on the Costa del Sol, Benalmádena offers a greater variety of off-beach activities, making it the perfect place for a more active holiday.

Beaches and swimming

Benalmádena's beaches are covered in fine, light sand and are ideal for relaxing, swimming and water activities. The main strip of beaches stretches 4 km southwards from the yacht marina in the centre of Benalmadena. Thanks to the artificial extensions of the beach towards the sea, it is up to 70 metres wide in some places, so that everyone can find a place here even in the peak summer season.

To the north of the marina you can relax on Playa de Carihuela, which is over 3 km long, less rugged than the main beach to the south and flows freely into the resort of Torremolinos.

A beautiful pedestrian promenade winds along the entire Benalmádena coastline, full of stalls, restaurants and bars open late into the night. You can walk along several beaches during the day and have a nice stroll between them in the shade of the palm trees.

The seabed drops away from the shore quite briskly, making the sea ideal for swimming and various water sports, which you'll find everywhere.

City and sights

Benalmadena is a fairly large city of 60,000 people, offering everything from large supermarkets and department stores to dozens of restaurants. A strip along the sea is occupied by hotels of all categories, while the rest of the city is mostly quiet residential areas. Benalmádena itself doesn't have an immediate historic centre, but in the Arroyo de La Miel you'll find narrow streets full of shops, bars and restaurants.

The historic district, with its small, typically white Andalusian houses, is located about 4 km from the centre of Benalmádena and can be found under the name Rancho Domingo.

A popular attraction in Benalmádena is the Castillo de Colomares, built in the 1990s as a monument to the memory of the sailor Christopher Columbus.

Rancho Domingo

Benalmadena Colomares

In Benalmádena you can also visit the popular Selwo Marina marine zoo with dolphin shows, or the SEA LIFE Center aquarium.

The Benalmadena cable car

A great attraction for a half-day trip is the Teleférico de Benalmádena cable car, which takes you 5,565 metres up the Sierra de Mijas after climbing 769 metres, offering breathtaking views of the coastline, Benalmádena and, on clear days, the African continent in the background.

Always buy your cable car tickets online at the cable car website telefericobenalmadena.com, with quite substantial discounts of up to 30% when you buy online. A return ticket costs from 12,90 eur.

Benalmadena cable car

View of Benalmadena from Calmaorro

Buddhist Enlightenment Stupa

On the outskirts of Benalmádena, near the village of Rancho Domingo, you can visit an interesting Buddhist monument - the Stupa of Enlightenment. With a height of 33 metres, it is the highest stupa of enlightenment in Europe and is quite unique in the world. You can go right inside, where there is a small meditation room, which is very unusual for similar stupas of enlightenment. Among other things, the meditation room serves to showcase the culture of Tibetan Buddhism.

You can get directly to the stupa by bus from Benalmádena (about once every 3-10 minutes), but also from Torremolinos, Mijas or Fuengirola.

Buddhist Stupa Benalmadena

Accommodation Benalmádena

Benalmádena boasts a wide range of different accommodation facilities. The cheapest deals in the summer season in well accessible locations start with prices from 88 eur per night in a 2-bed room. We'd recommend, for example, the JSM Apartamentos studio apartments by the marina or the Hotel Mediterraneo Carihuela right on the beach.

The cheapest accommodation in the wider area is in the historic Rancho Domingo area, but you'll need to take a bus to the sea. For example, the Boutique Hotel Pueblo or Hotel Casa Rosa offer accommodation from 62 eur per night.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for resorts right on the beach, then expect prices from 128 eur for 2 people per night upwards. Top rated hotels in Benalmádena include the Best Siroco Hotel by the central marina or the Happy Puerto Marina luxury apartments right in the marina.

Transportation

What is the best way to get to Benalmádena by public transport or by car?

By train

Benalmádena is directly connected to Málaga and the local airport by a suburban railway, which continues to the resort of Fuengirola. Trains on this route run every 20 minutes and stop at Benalmádena-Arroyo de La Miel station, which is located about 2 km from the sea. The C1 line provides quick and easy access to destinations such as

Málaga: the journey takes 46 minutes and costs 2,70 eur
Málaga Airport: the journey takes 32 minutes and costs 2,05 eur
Fuengirola: a 16-minute ride and cost 1,80 eur
Information on renfe.com

By bus

Benalmádena is served by a large number of bus routes operated by local carrier Avanza, which provide easy access to the surrounding resorts and Málaga. As buses also go directly to the sea, they can be preferable to the train, although the total journey time to rail destinations will always be longer.

Tickets for local services can be bought from the driver or from the Avanza stand at the Puerto Marina bus stop, and a full listing of routes and timetables can be found on the avanza.com website. Long-distance tickets are also available on the Avanza website.

Málaga. 2 eur
Torremolinos: approx. every 5-10 minutes, the ride takes 15 minutes and costs approx. 1,50 eur
Marbella: 3-4 times a day, the ride takes an hour and costs approx. 5 eur
La Línea de la Concepción: 1x per day, the ride takes 2 and a quarter hours and costs approx. 12 eur

You can also get around Benalmádena itself by bus, where there is a very busy route Marina - Station - Rancho Domingo (Colomares), which is used by buses of different lines about once every 5 minutes. Tickets for local lines can also be bought via a mobile app.

By car

If you rent a car at Málaga airport, it takes 14 km and about 20 minutes to get to Benalmádena via the AP-7 motorway. However, navigating the narrow and busy streets can be quite stressful, as can finding a place to park. There are several public garages around town with prices around 10 eur to 15 eur per day for parking.

On the streets in the wider downtown area, only locals can park in the blue zones. There is, however, free parking near the beach on Pje. del Águila Street.