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Marbella has been Europe's playground for the wealthy since Alfonso von Hohenlohe opened the Marbella Club in 1954 and attracted the first wave of international jet-setters to this sheltered section of the Costa del Sol. The reputation for extravagance has stuck, particularly around the Puerto Banus marina where superyachts and luxury cars congregate in a spectacle of conspicuous consumption that has its own kind of fascination. But behind the resort facade is an old town of unexpected charm, where orange trees shade the Plaza de los Naranjos, a 16th-century square still operating as the social heart of the city, surrounded by whitewashed walls and a Moorish tower that predates all the glamour by seven centuries.

The old town's narrow streets between the castle walls and the church of Santa Maria de la Encarnacion have been carefully preserved and are genuinely pleasant to walk, with small restaurants and tapas bars that serve Malaguen cuisine at reasonable prices once you are away from the main tourist strip.

The Museo del Grabado Espanol Contemporaneo in the Barrio Alto houses a fine collection of prints by Miro, Picasso, and Dali in a restored 16th-century hospital. Marbella's climate, with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, has made it a year-round destination, and the Sierra Blanca mountains that rise directly behind the city are excellent for hiking and mountain biking.