Benalmádena: things to do, the cable car, beaches and where to stay

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The short answer

Benalmádena is a resort town of almost 80,000 people on the Costa del Sol, between Torremolinos and Fuengirola, about 20 km west of Málaga. It is really three places: the beach resort of Benalmádena Costa, the busy inland district of Arroyo de la Miel, and the white hill village of Benalmádena Pueblo.

• Who it suits: families above all, thanks to the marina, the aquarium, Selwo Marina, the cable car and long sandy beaches. Also groups and anyone who wants an easy beach holiday without a car.
• Who it doesn’t suit: travellers looking for a historic old town or a quiet, low-rise coast. For that, try Nerja.
• Time needed: a full day for the cable car, the marina and the stupa; 3–7 nights for a beach holiday with day trips.
• Getting there: about 18 minutes by the C1 train from Málaga airport.

Compared with its neighbours: Torremolinos is livelier, cheaper and better for nightlife; Fuengirola has the longest continuous beach and promenade and Bioparc zoo. Benalmádena sits in between, with the most family attractions and the marina as its centre of gravity.

The three parts of Benalmádena

Benalmádena Costa: Puerto Marina and the beaches

The coast is where most visitors stay. Its centre is Puerto Marina, a large marina with white, terraced apartment blocks built to look like a fantasy Moorish-Mediterranean village, restaurants round the quays and bars that stay open late. Boat trips, including dolphin-watching cruises in season, leave from the pontoons.

At the marina, Sea Life Benalmádena is a mid-sized aquarium with a walk-through tunnel, sharks, rays and otters: about 1–2 hours, good on a hot or windy day.

The beaches run either side of the port, mostly grey-brown sand with sunbeds and chiringuitos:

• Malapesquera and Santa Ana, next to the marina: central, busy, with calm water for children.
• Bil-Bil, in front of the red, neo-Moorish Castillo de Bil-Bil, a 1930s villa now used for exhibitions and concerts: the town’s best-known photo.
• Torrequebrada and Torremuelle, further west: quieter, with rocky stretches.

Just back from the seafront, Selwo Marina is a marine park with dolphin and sea lion presentations and an icy penguin house. It sits inside Parque de la Paloma, a large free park with a lake, ducks, rabbits and peacocks, and one of the best free things to do with small children on the coast.

Arroyo de la Miel: the cable car and Tivoli

Arroyo de la Miel, a short walk inland from the coast, is the everyday town: shops, tapas bars, the train station and, a few minutes’ walk away, the base station of the Teleférico Benalmádena, the cable car.

The cable car climbs to the top of Monte Calamorro, at about 770 metres, in roughly 15 minutes. From the top, footpaths lead to viewpoints over the whole coast, and on clear days you can see the mountains of Morocco. There is a café and, at set times, a birds-of-prey display. A return ticket costs about €18 for adults online and about €22 at the ticket office. It opens from 10:00 to 23:00 in July and August and from 11:00 to about 17:00–19:00 in other months. It does not run in strong wind and closes some days for maintenance: check the day before.

Tivoli World, the old amusement park next door, opened in 1972 and was for decades Benalmádena’s big family attraction. It closed in 2020. In 2025 the town and the owners agreed a plan to reopen it, with a shopping centre and hotels alongside, but in 2026 the project was still in planning and there is no reopening date. We wouldn’t promise it to children.

Benalmádena Pueblo: the white village

Benalmádena Pueblo, about 3 km inland and a couple of hundred metres up the hillside, is the original village: whitewashed houses, flowerpots, small squares and far fewer tourists than the coast. The fountain in Plaza de España has the bronze statue of La Niña de Benalmádena, and the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán stands on a terrace with a viewpoint over the coast. We’d come in the late afternoon for the light, then stay for dinner in one of the village restaurants.

The Buddhist Stupa, Colomares and the butterflies

Three of the town’s most photographed sights are on the hillside between Arroyo de la Miel and the Pueblo, close enough to combine in half a day.

• Stupa of Enlightenment (Estupa de la Iluminación): a 33-metre white Buddhist monument opened in 2003, often described as the largest stupa in the Western world. Inside is a meditation hall with wall paintings. Entry is free, with donations welcome, and it is closed on Mondays. Dress modestly and keep your voice down. We think the terrace outside has one of the best views of the coast.
• Monowa (Mariposario de Benalmádena): the butterfly house, renamed Monowa in 2025, in a Thai-temple-style building next to the stupa, with more than 1,500 tropical butterflies flying freely in a warm, humid garden. About 45 minutes to an hour.
• Castillo de Colomares: an eccentric castle-monument to Christopher Columbus, built between 1987 and 1994, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and Moorish styles. It also has a tiny chapel often claimed as the smallest church in the world. A quick, cheap visit; closed on Mondays.

Benalmádena attractions at a glance

Prices change every year and most attractions sell cheaper tickets online. Check the official website of each one before you go.

Getting to Benalmádena and getting around

By train

The Cercanías C1 from Málaga to Fuengirola stops twice in Benalmádena:

• Benalmádena-Arroyo de la Miel: the main station, near the cable car and about 15 minutes’ walk downhill to the beach and Parque de la Paloma.
• Torremuelle: further west, handy for hotels at that end of the coast.

Trains run roughly every 20 minutes from early morning to late evening. From Málaga airport the journey takes about 18 minutes, and from Málaga Centro-Alameda about 30 minutes, so Málaga city makes an easy day trip. Fuengirola is about 15 minutes the other way.

Local buses and taxis

The local M-103 bus links Torremuelle, Arroyo de la Miel and Benalmádena Pueblo, and continues up to the stupa. The climb to the Pueblo is steep, so we’d take the bus or a taxi rather than walk up in summer; a taxi from the coast takes about 10 minutes.

By car

You don’t need a car for Benalmádena itself: the train, buses and taxis cover it. A car helps for white villages and day trips inland. See car hire at Málaga airport or compare prices on DiscoverCars. Parking near Puerto Marina is tight in summer; we’d use the paid car parks.

Where to stay in Benalmádena

Choose the area first:

• Benalmádena Costa: best for a beach holiday and families. We’d stay near Puerto Marina for restaurants in the evening, or further west for quieter beaches.
• Arroyo de la Miel: cheaper, more local, next to the train and the cable car, but 15 minutes from the beach.
• Benalmádena Pueblo: quiet and pretty, for couples; you need taxis or buses to reach the sea.

Four hotels to start with:

• Holiday World: a large family resort with pools, water slides and children’s activities, at the western end of the Costa.
• Hotel Best Triton: a big beachfront hotel near Puerto Marina, with gardens and pools, a short walk from the port.
• Hotel Alay: an adults-recommended hotel by the marina, with a rooftop pool and sea views.
• Hotel La Fonda: a small hotel in Benalmádena Pueblo, built around patios, with a pool and views down to the coast.

If you would rather stay in the city and come here for the day, see where to stay in Málaga.

Day trips from Benalmádena

• Málaga: 30 minutes by train for the Alcazaba, the Picasso Museum and the old town. See the Málaga travel guide.
• Mijas Pueblo: the white village above Fuengirola, about 25 minutes by car. See the Mijas guide.
• Ronda: the town on the gorge, about 1 h 30 by car. See the Ronda guide or a Ronda day trip from Málaga.
• Caminito del Rey: the gorge walkway, about an hour by car. We’d book well ahead. See the Caminito del Rey guide or a Caminito del Rey tour from Málaga.
• Nerja: the caves and the Balcón de Europa, about 1 h 15 by car. See the Nerja guide.

More ideas in day trips from Málaga.

When to go

• May, June, September and early October are, in our view, the best months: warm enough to swim, with fewer people and lower prices than in high summer.
• July and August are hot and busy, with the most boat trips and the longest opening hours at the attractions. We’d book hotels early.
• Winter is mild and sunny, good for the cable car, the stupa and walks, but some attractions shorten their hours or close on some days.

For the weather month by month, see the best time to visit Andalusia, and for beaches nearer the city, Málaga beaches.

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