Marbella by Bike

Marbella holiday home owners keen on spending their vacations in an active way soon discover that the area offers some fantastic bike tours and hiking trails. But it’s not just people already used to a regular exercise regime like jogging, cycling or swimming who make use of Marbella’s cyclist and hiking trails – temporary Costa del Sol residents are also happily exploring eco-friendly ways to get about, because cycling and walking are good for one’s general wellbeing, and even better for keeping costs down!

Hiring a car or taking taxis while on holidays at the Costa del Sol is yet another expense that comes on top of air tickets, food and other travel expenses. With Spanish taxes and utility costs going up and up, every little saving helps. So next time you come to stay at your Marbella property, why not hire a bike instead of the usual Economy car and get about under your own steam?

Marbella Biking Tour for Beginners

Marbella’s seafront offers beginners the perfect opportunity to make an easy start on the biking front. Riding leisurely along the seafront from Marbella to San Pedro allows beginners to explore the Puerto Banus marina en route. It’s an easy flat route all the way with an overall elevation gain of just 50 metres, so quite manageable by everyone in the family. The route from Marbella to San Pedro via Puerto Banus stretches for some 26 km along the seafront.

Marbella Biking Tour for intermediate Riders

For slightly more experienced riders who know they can “last the distance” the Mijas - San Anton half-day ride is ideal. It’s a fairly easy decent towards the coast on mostly single track dirt trails. At roughly 15km it’s not a long distance ride, but does include an overall elevation gain of 90 meters and an elevation loss of 440 meters, so more challenging than cycling along the seafront promenade.

Riders can take the bus from Marbella centre to Mijas where the ride starts. It takes around 2 hours to decent to San Anton and Fuengirola from where riders can take the bus back to Marbella or simply ride back along the seafront.

Most regular visitors to the Costa del Sol will probably have their own bike stacked safely on their sun terrace or in a shed in the garden of their villa, but there are plenty of places where one can hire a bike. Some bike hire companies even deliver and offer a large variety of different bike types from a fleet of ca. 200 bikes. Parents with small children will also find hire companies with Chariot carriers for their little ones. Prices for a city bike suiting adults start at around EUR 15.00 per day, while bikes for children aged 6 – 11 start at EUR 10.00 per day.

Marbella to El Chorro Lakes Tour for advanced Riders

A cycling tour to the El Chorro Lakes is definitely an adventure for more experienced riders, not matter which trail one chooses. The Camino Rel Rey trail covers a distance of 16 km and boasts an elevation gain of 300 metres and an elevation loss of 900 meters, so quite a challenge, if a rider isn’t used to slick rock single tracks and steep inclines.

The Jesus Trail also leads to the lakes and is not only shorter but also less challenging for bike and rider. Covering a distance of 7.5 km and boasting an elevation gain of just 200 meters and an elevation loss of 420 meters, the track is far less of a strain to master. Better still, after a 20 minute climb up to the famous Jesus statue riders are rewarded with amazing views and a pretty smooth single track decent to Pizarra.

The great thing about owning a Marbella property or a holiday home elsewhere at the Costa del Sol is that there’s something different to explore every day and most attractions are with an easy biking distance. Marbella and its nearest neighbours like Estepona, Fuengirola, Benehavis and Mijas have excellent bus services, so catching a bus to somewhere and hiring a bike there for a change of scenery is an easy undertaking.