By CostaMap · Published 28 July 2026 · last reviewed 30 September 2026
Researched and written by an AI editorial system. Where sources are listed at the end of the page, the text is based on them.

Marbella Lighthouse (Faro de Marbella) is a working lighthouse in the centre of Marbella, on Avenida Duque de Ahumada beside the Puerto Deportivo Virgen del Carmen marina and the seafront promenade. Plaza de los Naranjos in the old town is about 550 m away in a straight line, so most people simply walk there. The white 29 m tower is seen from outside only, but the grounds around it have been reopened as a public space with the town’s El Faro tourist office.

Quick facts

What it is: an operating lighthouse. Puertos de Andalucía lists it as built in 1864, with the present tower from 1974.
Where: Avenida Duque de Ahumada, in the centre of Marbella, next to the marina and the Paseo Marítimo.
Coordinates: 36.50728, -4.88999 (the lighthouse in OpenStreetMap).
The tower: a cylindrical concrete tower 29 m high; the light has a range of 22 nautical miles and is remotely controlled.
Visits: exterior only. The regional ports agency says the lighthouse is visible from the seafront promenade.
Next to it: the El Faro tourist office, open Monday to Friday 08:30–19:30 and 10:00–16:00 at weekends and on holidays (checked Sept 2026).
Walking distance: about 550 m to Plaza de los Naranjos and 80 m to Playa del Faro, in a straight line (OpenStreetMap).

Access and parking

On foot from the old town: Plaza de los Naranjos is about 550 m north-east of the lighthouse in a straight line. Head down towards the sea past the Parque de la Alameda and the pedestrian Avenida del Mar, where OpenStreetMap marks a row of bronze Dalí sculptures about 340 m from the lighthouse, and turn west along the seafront. The town’s tourist office describes the lighthouse site as lying beside the promenade, on the way to the marina (Turismo Marbella, El Faro office).

By bus: Marbella has no train station; the nearest is the Cercanías station in Fuengirola, 27 km away, according to the town’s tourism site. Málaga airport is about 40 minutes away by car (Turismo Marbella, getting here). In town, OpenStreetMap places the Urbanos de Marbella stops Marbella Centro and Alameda (operator Avanza) about 350–380 m north of the lighthouse. Check routes and times with the operator before you travel.

Parking: the town says street parking in the centre is limited and regulated, with blue and green pay zones (Zona Azul y Verde). Its car park list includes an outdoor public car park at the Puerto Virgen del Carmen marina, and the indoor car parks Arias Maldonado and Avenida del Mar (Turismo Marbella, parking). OpenStreetMap puts the Arias Maldonado car park about 290 m west and the Avenida del Mar car park about 360 m east of the lighthouse, both underground and paid.

What to expect

This is a short stop on a seafront walk, not a museum. You see the tower from the promenade and from the open grounds around it; the tower itself is not open. What the official sources say:

The first lighthouse: built to a design by Antonio Molina and lit in 1864, it stood on an 11 m masonry tower and burned olive oil, with a range of 12 nautical miles. It was put there to light the anchorage from which iron ore was shipped to the port of Málaga (Puertos de Andalucía, Faro de Marbella).
Fuel: paraffin from 1882, later petroleum, and electricity from 1944.
1974: the present tower was built on a new site because of the building boom around the old one.
At night: OpenStreetMap’s nautical tags record the light as two white flashes every 14.5 seconds, at a height of 35 m.
The grounds today: in March 2026 the town reopened the lighthouse grounds as a public space: more than 2,000 m² of open space facing the promenade, a 275 m² building for the tourist office and a 100 m² “Aula del Mar” for talks and courses. The lighthouse keeps working with its own separate entrance (Ayuntamiento de Marbella).

Skip it if you want to climb a lighthouse or look out from the top: that is not possible here. Come for the walk, the marina and the beach next to it.

Practical details

Tourist office: Oficina de Turismo El Faro, Avenida Antonio Belón 21, in the lighthouse grounds. Open Monday to Friday 08:30–19:30, and 10:00–16:00 at weekends and on holidays (checked Sept 2026). The town has a second office on Plaza de los Naranjos.
Entry: there is no ticket; the tower is seen from outside, and the grounds are open public space.
The beach below: El Faro beach, next to the marina, flies the Blue Flag according to the town’s beach page. OpenStreetMap marks Playa del Faro as a sand beach about 80 m from the lighthouse, and Playa de Venus about 420 m to the east.

Accessibility and safety

Accessibility: the town describes the renovated lighthouse grounds and tourist office as modern and accessible. El Faro beach is listed as an accessible beach, with parking reserved for people with reduced mobility, walkways down to the water’s edge, adapted toilets and showers, and an assisted bathing service with amphibious chairs, which you need to book in advance (Turismo Marbella, El Faro beach). We found no official information on the gradient of the walk from the old town, so if slopes are a problem, ask the tourist office.

Safety: the tower is a working aid to navigation with its own entrance, and visits are exterior only, so do not try to go in. For swimming, the Blue Flag beach next to the lighthouse is the nearest option.

Best time to visit

No official source names a best time for the lighthouse, but a few things can guide you. The tourist office in the grounds is open daily, with longer hours on weekdays (08:30–19:30) than at weekends (10:00–16:00). The light itself works at night, so after dark you can see its two white flashes. If you plan to use the assisted bathing service at El Faro beach, it runs 11:00–20:00 in July and August and 11:00–19:00 in June and September, by booking.

Nearby alternatives

In walking distance: Plaza de los Naranjos and the old town (about 550 m), the Dalí sculptures on Avenida del Mar (about 340 m) and Playa de Venus (about 420 m), all in a straight line (OpenStreetMap).
Puerto Banús, 6 km away: the marina west of Marbella town.
Sierra Blanca, 6.7 km away: the mountain range behind Marbella, with La Concha.
Basílica de Vega del Mar, 9.8 km away: a historic site further west along the coast.
Calaburras Lighthouse, 22 km away: the next lighthouse east, on the Calaburras headland near Mijas.
For beaches, hotels and where to eat, see our Marbella guide, the Estepona guide and the Costa del Sol guide.
Camping Marbella Playa, about 11 km away: the nearest campsite you can book through Campcation (affiliate link).

Distances are in a straight line from the lighthouse.

FAQ

How do you get to Marbella Lighthouse?

Walk. It stands on Avenida Duque de Ahumada, beside the marina and the seafront promenade in the centre of Marbella, about 550 m in a straight line from Plaza de los Naranjos.

Can you go inside Marbella Lighthouse?

No. Puertos de Andalucía lists visits as exterior only. The grounds around the tower are open public space, with the El Faro tourist office.

Is there parking near Marbella Lighthouse?

Street parking in the centre is limited and regulated. The town lists an outdoor public car park at the Puerto Virgen del Carmen marina and the indoor car parks Arias Maldonado and Avenida del Mar, which OpenStreetMap puts about 290 m and 360 m away.

Is Marbella Lighthouse accessible?

The town describes the renovated grounds and tourist office as accessible, and El Faro beach next to it has reserved parking, walkways to the water and assisted bathing that must be booked. The tower itself is not open.

How tall is Marbella Lighthouse?

The present tower, from 1974, is a 29 m concrete cylinder, and the light has a range of 22 nautical miles.

Sources and freshness

Checked 30 September 2026. Official: Puertos de Andalucía, Faro de Marbella (dates, tower, range, history, exterior-only visits); Ayuntamiento de Marbella news on the lighthouse grounds; Turismo Marbella pages for the El Faro office (hours), tourist offices, El Faro beach (Blue Flag, accessibility), getting here and parking. Location, distances, car parks, bus stops, beaches and the light’s nautical tags: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos: Wikimedia Commons, licences as credited.

Marbella Lighthouse