Look out for Guided Tours in Marbella
Although it's fun to explore Marbella under your own steam when you're staying at your holiday home, joining a guided tour can be quite beneficial. Local guides know all the best bars and restaurants, the best attractions and cheapest cafes. They can also supply tour participants with a wealth of knowledge about local customs, culture and heritage.
Whether you join a walking tour through Marbella Old Town or participate in a chauffeur-driven excursion to explore Andalusia's great historic cities, a tour guide will tell you so much more than a guide book ever could.
Some tours only last for a couple of hours and make for a welcome change from beach life or a pleasant distraction before dinner. Other tours last six to eight hours and can involve fishing boats and yachts, trains or coaches. Marbella offers an abundance of tours, some of them are activity based, others focus on heritage and culture.
Here are five hot tips of what to do in Marbella this summer:
1. Andalusia's Great Cities
Several operators offer full-day guided private tours to cities like Ronda, Seville, Granada, Cordova and Cádiz. Some tour operators will also include Gibraltar in their programme. You'll set off with a multi-lingual guide early in the morning, typically from a pre-arranged pick-up point like a hotel. All you have to bring is an open mind, comfortable shoes and clothing and a bottle of water. Some tour operators offer culture tours, which will take visitors to very specific landmarks.
2. Lake Fishing Tours to Istán
The village of Istán is located just a few miles from Marbella and boasts a large man-made lake. Lake Istán is home to Black Bass and carp among other delicious fresh water fish. The tour operators provide a relaxing fishing adventure in a safe environment. A packed lunch and fishing gear is typically provided, too. The tours take between 2.5 and 3.00 hours. Participants should wear sports shoes and comfortable shoes and bring sun lotion with at least factor 25 to protect them from the rays of the sun.
3. Canyoning Tours
Thrill-seekers have plenty to choose from in Marbella, Granada and Ronda. All three locations offer canyoning tours. These tours are suitable for every level of experience, although there is a minimum age limit and families should enquire with individual operators, how old children should be in order to participate. The tours include a breath-taking canyon descent through a waterfall, tackling natural waterslides and there's plenty of swimming and some wading involved, too. Life vests, helmets and ropes are provided, but it may be a good idea to wear a wetsuit for this adventure, if you're visiting the Costa del Sol in spring or autumn, when the water temperature is colder. These tours take 3 to 4 hours.
4. Marbella Old Town by Night
Several tour operators offer walking tours into Marbella's historic quarter by day, but it is at night when this part of the town truly comes to life, so joining a night tour is far more rewarding. The tour typically includes a three-course dinner at a cosy restaurant in the Old Town and ends with a tablao flamenco bar where participants can get a feel for Andalusia's cultural heritage and let their hair down at the same time.
5. Horse-back Tours
The outskirts of Marbella are home to a number of riding clubs and stables. Arrocha Equitacion Riding Club is located just ten minutes outside of town, offering a wide range of horse-related activities, from riding lessons for beginners in their Pony Club to advanced dressage lessons for those who would like to explore the countryside on horseback.
It's a great place for families, since the Horse Riding Camp for children takes youngsters from age 4 upwards, offering theoretical activities, breakfast and games, small excursions and horse riding lessons. This riding club also has rental stables for those with their own riding equipment and horse.
These five suggestions are just a fraction of what's on offer in Marbella. There's something for everybody, no matter what your taste, budget or experience.