Travel to MarBella Spain

by Willy Warner
(Massachusetts)

Q: I am planning a trip next May. Arriving Madrid then train to Seville then Jerez and Cadiz. Week two we want to spend at the beach in Marbella. Can we travel by train to Marbella from Seville,Jerez or Cadiz?

A: Hi Willy, unfortunately there is not an easy or direct train from Cadiz to Marbella. The most direct way to do this trip would be to rent a car from Cadiz or Seville and drive over to Marbella. If you truly didn’t want to rent a car you could always take a bus. While busses are cheap they are slow as they make many stops and if you are like most and only have a week or two you want to make the most of your time.
If you decided to rent a car I would recommend stopping in Ronda for a day or two as it is a very beautiful town. The roads out to Ronda are very good and it is very nice drive out there through mostly wide open country.
Some other options if you didn’t want to rent a car are to visit the beach in Cadiz. I have been there many times and it is very nice…not a lot of tourist and olas (waves) if you like to body surf or whatever. Porta de Santa Maria also has a beach that you can visit and accessible by the same train you would take from Seville to Cadiz. While Jerez de la Frontera doesn’t have a beach you can visit some of the wineries like Gonzalez Bias, take a tour of winery, and sample some wines.
Also, there are many other beach communities easily accessible by bus from Seville like Matalascana and other Costal de la Luz beaches. These areas are really nice because they have not made in on the major tourist maps. You might find not everyone speaks English in these towns but that small hassle will be worth the experience of immersing in the local culture.
Hope this helps your trip!
Bien viaje!