Marbella's beaches

15 of the 16 stretches below rate excellent on the official bathing-water register, so the water will not pick your beach for you. What stands behind the sand will. 4 honest picks from our own census:

• The family default: Playa de San Pedro de Alcántara. Excellent water, a paseo marítimo behind the sand, and the deepest chiringuito bench in the census: 7 of the 43.
• The eastern lunch run: Playa de Elviria. Excellent water and 6 census chiringuitos along one beachfront.
• No car, no plan: Playa de la Fontanilla, the town beach west of the port. Excellent water and 4 census chiringuitos on the sand.
• Pines instead of paseo: Playa de Cabopino & Artola on the Mijas border, backed by the marina and pine woods. Excellent water.

The one asterisk: Playa de Los Monteros has no bathing-water zone of its own in the Junta's register, so no rating is claimed for it here.

Marbella's western edge, where the coast road meets San Pedro's paseo marítimo before the border with Estepona.

As of August 2026, the only chiringuito in San Pedro de Alcántara & Guadalmina that prints an espeto de sardinas price on its menu, Playa Nini Beach Restaurant, charges €14.50 (Marbella Wire).

Restaurants in this area: guadalmina · san pedro de alcantara

The marina and the beach either side of it. Puerto Banús's own rating covers the water at the harbour mouth; Nueva Andalucía covers the sand to its east, sometimes marketed as Levante.

Restaurants in this area: puerto banus · nueva andalucia

Milla de Oro: the stretch between Puerto Banús and Marbella centro, backed by five-star hotels and beach clubs. The Junta's register rates only two zones on this stretch, Nueva Andalucía and Nagüeles; the beaches between them share whichever neighbour's water actually reaches them, with no zone of their own.

As of August 2026, an espeto de sardinas at a chiringuito in The Golden Mile costs between €14 and €28, across the 4 beach bars there that print the price on their menu (Marbella Wire).

Restaurants in this area: golden mile

The town beach, either side of the old fishing harbour: La Fontanilla to the west of the port, El Faro and La Bajadilla to the east of it.

As of August 2026, an espeto de sardinas at a chiringuito in Marbella Centro costs between €4 and €14, across the 6 beach bars there that print the price on their menu (Marbella Wire).

Restaurants in this area: marbella centro

East of the marina and the bullring, where Marbella centro gives way to Río Real and the golf-course coast beyond it.

The Costa Bella and Elviria beachfront, east of Los Monteros and the Río Real golf coast. There is no separate Elviria or El Rosario zone in the Junta's register; this whole run of coast is rated as part of the wider Las Chapas zone.

Restaurants in this area: el rosario · elviria

Marbella's eastern tip, at the marina and pine woods bordering Mijas.

Restaurants in this area: cabopino