What you can see on the Marbella webcam
The camera is set high on an apartment block above La Fontanilla, the beach just west of the town centre, and looks straight out to sea. At its foot are the palm-lined promenade, a beach club with its sunbeds and parasols, and the line of the shore; above them the Mediterranean fills the frame to the horizon. It plays as a time-lapse of the last 24 hours.
Marbella beach webcam: La Fontanilla and the promenade
From high up on an apartment block on the seafront of central Marbella, this camera looks straight out to sea over the beach of La Fontanilla. At the foot of the picture runs the Paseo Marítimo, the promenade of red and ochre paving that follows the shore through the town, shaded by palm trees; just below it are a beach club's sunbeds and parasols and a strip of sand with the waves breaking along its edge. Most of the frame is the Mediterranean itself, which makes the camera a good gauge of the sea: flat and deep blue on a calm day, flecked with white when the wind picks up. On very clear days the mountains of Morocco show on the horizon. The picture is upright rather than wide and plays here as a 24-hour time-lapse.
Orange trees, promenade and marina
Behind the beach, Marbella's old town is a maze of white lanes and flower pots around the Plaza de los Naranjos, the square of orange trees laid out after the town passed to the Crown of Castile in 1485. The Paseo Marítimo, the seafront promenade, runs for miles along the shore past beach bars and hotels, and is busy with walkers, runners and cyclists from early morning. About 5 miles (8 km) to the west lies Puerto Banús, the marina famous for its superyachts and designer shops.
When to watch Marbella
Marbella is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. Sheltered by the mountains behind it, the town has mild, sunny winters, and the sea stays warm enough for a swim well into October. The camera faces south, so the light is strongest at midday; in the early morning the sea is often at its calmest.
Around Marbella
The white villages of Ojén and Istán sit in the hills just inland, and Ronda, on its gorge, is about 36 miles (58 km) away over the mountain road. Estepona lies along the coast to the west, and Málaga to the east.
Getting to Marbella
Málaga airport, with flights from all over the UK and Ireland, is about 35 miles (56 km) away by road. Buses run along the coast, and the beaches are lined with lifeguard posts and beach clubs in season.
