How to get from Malaga to Marbella, Spain

Getting from Malaga to Marbella Travel Guide

Located in southern Spain in the region of Andalusia and set against the backdrop of the beautiful Sierra Blanca mountains you’ll find the glamorous resort town of Marbella.

Known to be a millionaires playground and attracting the rich and famous from all corners of the globe, Marbella has long since been a popular holiday spot on the Costa Del Sol coastline.

From its beaches, luxury resorts, old town, the marina and much more, Marbella has a ton on offer for any would be traveller to Spain, not to even mention the incredible Andalusian foods and cuisine!

If you’re headed to Marbella for your next holiday then it would probably make sense that you’d fly into the Malaga – Costa Del Sol Airport which is set about an hour’s journey time from Marbella. As such, you may well be wondering how exactly to get from Malaga to Marbella.

In this guide we will outline all the different modes of transport available to you to make this journey to Marbella from Malaga.

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Malaga to Marbella by Train

Journey Duration: No service

First and foremost, I’d like to save you some time on searching for a Malaga to Marbella train service.

Unfortunately, there is no such train from Malaga to Marbella. The closest railway station is in fact in Malaga, but that connects onwards to other parts of Spain but does not pass by Marbella.

Malaga to Marbella by Bus

Marbella Puerto Banus Marina /// © (By JLHidalgo from Getty Images) via Canva.com

How to get from Malaga to Marbella — Marbella, Spain /// © (By Artur Bogacki from Getty Images) via Canva.com

Journey Duration: Between 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Thankfully when it comes to public transport there is an alternative. That being, making use of the Malaga to Marbella bus service operated by Avanza.

You’ll be happy to know that this bus service has many departure times throughout the day to choose from. The first departs at 05:00 am in the morning whilst the last bus leaves at 23:00 pm at night, with over 40 different departure times in between.

Do take note that the journey times range anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on which bus, route and time that you decide to book.

The cost of the 45 minutes Malaga Marbella bus service is just shy of €9 one-way and the 1 hour 30 minutes service will cost around €6.50 for a one-way ticket.

Malaga Bus Station – When departing from Malaga the bus will set off from the Estación de Autobuses de Malaga (right next door to the Maria Zambrano train station and El Perchel metro stations in Malaga).

Marbella Bus Station – It will then arrive at the Estación de Autobuses de Marbella located in Av. Trapiche in Marbella. From the Marbella bus station to the old town is around 1.9 kilometres and can take between 15 – 20 mins walking, but you may also opt to take a taxi into town too.

Malaga Airport to Marbella

Marbella Old Town, Spain /// Photo: © (By Fernando Cortes) via Canva.com

Are you arriving into Malaga Airport and planning a direct onward journey to Marbella? Then consider the following options.

Bus from Malaga Airport to Marbella

From Malaga’s Costa Del Sol Airport you can catch the Avanza intercity service that connects directly to Marbella. When inputting your search criteria on the Avanza site, simply set your departure point as “Aeropuerto Ma.” and destination as Marbella and you will then see the available departures that all leave directly from the Airport itself.

The journey time is around 40 – 45 minutes and cost between €6.15 to €8.50 one-way with several scheduled departures taking place daily.

Taxi from Malaga Airport to Marbella

Travelling directly from the airport, you may also consider taking a taxi from Malaga to Marbella as another option. According to the tariffs listed on Taxi-Union you could expect to pay between €69 – €82 one-way for this journey, although the average rate listed elsewhere is more in the region of €60.

You may also want to consult Unitaxi to compare their rates too.

Whilst you can get an Uber from Malaga to Marbella it’s always a good idea to shop around. The fare on Uber costs somewhere in the region of €69 or more. So, be sure to compare the various operators based on your departure date and time to ensure you are getting the best deal.

Taxis will be located outside Terminal T3 at Malaga Airport. Be sure to visit the Malaga Aiport site here for more info related to the Malaga to Marbella taxi services.

Important – Take careful note of the advice on the airport site stating that you should always claim a receipt from any taxi operator, especially in case you need to lodge a complaint or claim the journey. Also make sure that the driver has started the meter at the beginning of journey.

Private Transfer from Malaga Airport to Marbella

Prefer to book a private transfer ahead of time, then check out Welcome Pickups to plan and book your Malaga to Marbella transfer. The cost currently works to around €65 one-way and can be booked online directly on their site.

To view rates & book your Malaga to Marbella transfer visit Welcome Pickups here.

Malaga to Marbella by Car

Journey Duration: Around 1 hour

If you intend taking an Andalucia road trip and want to explore other towns and cities throughout the region then hiring a car for the duration of your stay would make complete sense. The road infrastructure in Spain is of a very good quality and many of the main towns or cities that you are likely to visit will be connected by motorway.

Driving should be fairly quick as the distance from Malaga to Marbella is only around 65 kilometres and should take just under an hour on either the A-357 / A-355 or alternatively on the AP7 highway.

Need to still book car hire? Click here for rates & availability through Rentalcars.com. We’ve used Rentalcars.com before and find it to be a fairly easy to use comparative site that show rates & availability for several different car rental companies, based on your search results. No need to shop around individually. And you can book directly through the site too.

Spanish Motorways

It is worth mentioning that motorways in Spain are classed into both free and tolled highways. It’s normally easy to distinguish, with the free highways usually named as an A followed by a number, e.g. the A4 motorway. Whereas the tolled highways are named as an AP and a number, e.g. the AP7 the same road that also happens connects Marbella to Malaga.

The following link shows the various tolled roads and may be quite useful for you to plan out your routing ahead of time – Spain toll fees map.

Where to stay in Marbella

Malaga to Marbella, Spain — Marbella, Spain /// © (By JLHidalgo from Getty Images) via Canva.com

Marbella to Malaga — Marbella, Spain /// © (By JLHidalgo from Getty Images) via Canva.com

Just because Marbella has garnered somewhat of a reputation as being the premier luxury destination on the Costa del Sol, it is by no means an unaffordable destination. In fact, you can get some fantastic deals on hotels and apartments in all price ranges and star gradings.

Be sure though to book well in advance, especially if you are planning a trip around the peak summer months. Or, alternatively consider book on the slightly cheaper shoulder season to bag a great price on your accommodation in Marbella. Check rates & availability on Booking.com here for Marbella

Tours & Activities in Marbella

If you are looking to compliment your stay in Marbella by adding on additional tours, activities or excursions, then click here to view a range of available options you may find interesting: Check tours & activities in Marbella There’s a wide variety of activities you may want to consider booking, ranging from day trips to Gibraltar or Ronda, to a tour of the old town with wine tasting & tapas, as well as walking or bike tours and many more.