The attractive Plaza de los Naranjos, with its 16th-century ayuntamiento is at the heart of the pedestrianised old town. Nearby on Plaza de la Iglesia is the Iglesia de la Encarnación, begun in the 16th century. A bit farther east, the Museo del Grabado Español Contemporáneo, on Calle Hospital Bazán, houses works by Picasso, Miró and Dalí. It is open daily except Saturday. Just to the north, along streets such as Calle Arte and Calle Portada, are remains of Marbella's old Muslim walls.

East of the old town, in Parque de la Represa is the interesting Museo Bonsai, devoted to the Japanese miniature-tree art, open daily.

Playa de la Fontanilla, west of Glorieta de la Fontanilla, and Playa de Casablanca, beyond Playa de la Fontanilla, are longer, broader, and less crowded than the central beaches.

Visitors can hop on one of the daily excursion boats that go from Marbella's Puerto Deportivo (marina) to Puerto Banús, the Costa del Sol's flashiest marina, a few miles to the west. The Banús harbor, is surrounded by varied eateries and bars (cheaper as you move east), and the Aquarium de Puerto Banús, similar to Sea Life at Benalmádena Costa, opens daily most of the year.

There are good walks in the Sierra Blanca starting from the Refugio de Juanar hotel, a 20 minute drive from Marbella.