Dolphins, tigers, a land of butterflies, a fairy-tale castle, catamaran trips – it’s impossible to be bored on the Costa del Sol! Once you have rented or found a house for sale in Marbella you often wonder: where should you go with your children? Here’s a list of tried and tested places – your kids will love their holidays in Spain!
Land of butterflies
Just 20 minutes from Malaga, you can see the land of butterflies – the Mariposario de Benalmádena. Our eyes will be delighted by the sight of more than 1,500 species of butterflies from all over the world, flying in a beautiful setting. In an interior modelled on a Thai temple – full of tropical plants, blooming flowers and waterfalls – you can admire these extraordinary insects. Butterflies feed on the nectar of specific plants, hence so many tropical, colourful, beautiful flowers! On site, we also have the opportunity to observe the stages of butterfly development and learn more about the whole process. The farm is also home to other animals such as beetles (which help fight pests), tropical birds, turtles, fish and a kangaroo.
This is not the only attraction in Benalmádena, below we also recommend oceanariums, a cable car journey or an unusual castle that looks like a fairy tale.
Animals of the world
Animal lovers will appreciate the Bioparc in Fuengirola, a small and well-kept zoo. In the enclosures, which reproduce natural conditions, you will see a gorilla, an orangutan, Bengal tigers or a Komodo warrior up close. The interactive lemur and bird shows are also worth a visit. Even the youngest children can visit the zoo. There is a café and a playground on site.
At the Ojén ecological reserve you can see deer, mouflons and mountain chamois in their natural habitat. The reserve is located in the forest, just 10 minutes from Marbella. Car tours of the reserve or animal encounters are on offer.
For those craving excitement, we recommend Selwo Aventura near Estepona, where you can feel like you’re on an African safari. The VIP Obama Tour is a one-to-one guided tour where you can feed the animals! Selwo Aventura is more of an attraction for older children. The grounds are very large and it is worth reserving almost a full day for the tour. There is a restaurant on site and you can also book accommodation in cabins, built on the model of African villages.
Oceanaria
If you want to show your children the animals that inhabit the deep sea, head to Selwo Marina in Benalmádena. Here you can watch dolphins and penguins, among other species that inhabit the seas. It’s worth checking the schedule of attractions to hit the penguin, dolphin and sea lion feeding shows. Some shows in high season start at 10pm.
The port of Benalmádena is home to the extraordinarySea Life oceanarium . This is one of the favourite attractions for children in Andalusia. You can see sharks, turtles, fish, jellyfish and other inhabitants of the deep sea up close. A visit to the oceanarium can be combined with a visit to the Bioparc Zoo and a two-hour catamaran excursion – to admire dolphins in the wild.
A castle like a fairy tale
There are many amazing attractions in Benalmádena for children and for those looking for the best views to take photos on Instargram! One of them is the castle-monument, El Castillo Monumento Colomares, with a design like that of a fairy tale or a dream. It is a building that fancifully combines many elements and styles: slender turrets with lace-like stone decorations, fancy towers, stained glass in the windows. Hidden inside is the world’s smallest church (with an area of less than 2m2!). Into all this are “blended” the three sculpture-ship on which Christopher Columbus set out to discover America: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María. Interestingly, almost the entire crew accompanying Columbus (96 people) were Andalusians.
The castle-monument was built by just three people: Dr Esteban Martín and two masons between 1987 and 1994. El Castillo Monumento Colomares hosts concerts, theatre performances, dance events, fairs, book presentations and conferences.
Swimming pools and rope parks
We recommend the water park in Torremolinos – 30 minutes from Marbella – where you will find attractions for the whole family: pools for the little ones, a large jacuzzi, twister, waves over 1 metre high in a 1440m2 pool and slides, including the highest in Europe (22 metres)!
In the summer, take the whole family to Parque Aguatico in Mijas, where you can enjoy a range of activities, a wave pool, river, slides, children’s pool or jacuzzi. You can get there from Marbella in 25 minutes.
For those thirsty for excitement, we also recommend a trip to the Aventura Amazonia rope park, which is just 10 minutes from Marbella, 500 m from the beach. The park offers many activities for children and adults: six adventure tracks, MiniKids, Kids, Explorador, Jungla, Aventura y Deportivo and the Monkey Jump, a spectacular jump from a height of 12 metres!
Cable car
For lovers of cable cars and beautiful views, we recommend the Teleferico Benalmadena ride. The carriages go to the Calamorro mountain, 796 metres above sea level. The trip takes about 15 minutes. At the top, when the visibility is good, the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada are discernible, as well as Gibraltar or Morocco. The tradition of falconry is still alive on Calamorro. During shows, you can watch falcons gliding through the sky and sitting on the hands of falconers. Birds of prey and their offspring are also worth seeing here.
Playrooms
While shopping in the shopping centres, toddlers can play in the numerous playrooms. It is also possible to book a segway tour. In all of these places it is possible to organise a birthday party for the child.
We recommend the Kids Kingdom amusement arcade in Cancelada, the entrance fee for the whole day is €5 depending on the age of the child or €10 above the age of 3.
Combined tickets
If you want to see several attractions, you can opt to buy a pass, such as SelwoPack. With one ticket, you can see Selwo Aventura, Selwo Marina and ride the Benalmádena Railway (costs from €38.90 per person, 40% discount on tickets for the three parks). A combined ticket to Sea Life and Bioparc, valid for 15 days after purchase, costs from €25.00.
Marbella is the quintessence of what is most beautiful in Spain: sandy beaches, beautiful marinas, historic streets of the old town and modern estates. It is an area full of activities for the whole family. This is another argument in favour if you are considering renting or buying a house in this part of Spain. In our offer you will find many proposals for houses in Spain on the Costa del Sol: modern properties close to the beach, flats in the city centre or villas in a quiet neighbourhood.
