Malaga airport to Gibraltar

Edit wrote in yesterday to say; "I will arrive at Malaga airport at 16:30 pm. From Malaga airport the bus leaves every 30 minutes to go Malaga bus station. My question is, what is the bus schedule for Gibraltar?"

I wrote back to say; "Hello Edit, There are two ways to get to Gibraltar by bus. The first option I have set out is to travel from the airport to Malaga bus station, this is the service which leaves every 30 minutes and then take a bus all the way to La Linea bus station right on the frontier of Gibraltar. The second option is to take the airport bus to Marbella bus station and then another bus from there to La Linea.

Option 1: If you look at the link below you will see that the last bus of the day from Malaga bus station to La Linea on the border with Gibraltar is at 17.15. If you take a taxi from Malaga airport to Malaga bus station (€20) you might just make the last bus to La Linea but if your plane is late and you have to wait for luggage, you won't get there in time for the 17.15 bus leaving Malaga bus station for La Linea.

If you are travelling on a Sunday then there is no hurry because the last bus to La Linea leaves at 19.15 and you can catch the L19 bus from the airport to Malaga bus station. There are two buses from the airport to Malaga bus station every hour and the L19 bus leaves from just outside the arrivals area.

Option 2: The other alternative is to take the special airport bus to Marbella. Here is the schedule of buses. Note that the summer service starts from 1st July and ends at the end of September.

If you get the 17.30 bus summer schedule bus from Malaga airport to Marbella bus station, (45 minutes) you will be in time for the 18.30 service from Marbella bus station to La Linea bus station. Here is information about the Marbella bus station and you will find the timetable of all buses out of Marbella on this page. Look for MARBELLA - LA LINEA. Again there is a later service at 20.45 if you are travelling on a Sunday.

Here is the information about La Linea bus station again and you will see how close it is to the border with Gibraltar. The picture above is taken from just in front of the La Linea bus station and the border is just at the end of the row of flags. You can see a great little cafeteria to have a drink in just over the road.

Please look at the two alternatives Edit and let me know if you have any difficulties with the connections or timings. Given your arrival time at Malaga airport, I think the trip through Marbella may be the best for your needs.

Best wishes from Marbella and thanks again for your contact.

Mike"

Malaga airport to Estepona

Carol wrote in this week: "Hi Mike, is there a direct public bus service from the airport to Estepona? If not what is my best option arriving on a Sunday afternoon and how much will it cost me?

I wrote back to Carol saying: "It's easy to get to Estepona from Malaga airport. First take the special bus from Malaga airport to Marbella bus station. At the moment it costs just under €4.50 one way. Travelling in June, you will need to look at the column for winter departures from the airport. If you are travelling in July, look at the summer departures column.

Then when you get to the Marbella bus station after you get your luggage off the bus from the airport buy your ticket for Estepona from the ticket office in the Marbella bus station. There is an electronic board announcing departures in the departures hall and the board gives you the number of the bay where the bus is standing so you just look for the Estepona bus and also check on the windscreen before you get on. Here is a list of bus schedules for the route, look for the MARBELLA - ESTEPONA bus schedules. In June of 2009 this journey costs €2.58.

If you are getting off at an intermediate stop before Estepona, like Paula who has just written in, then this list of bus stops between Marbella and Estepona will be useful. Tell the ticket office clerk where you are getting off because it might be a little cheaper if your intermediate stop falls in a different zone. As you get on the bus tell the driver where you are getting off.

YOu will see that there are two buses every hour and so for less than €10 you will get all the way to Estepona from Malaga airport.

Check out all the information above and timings and compare them with your arrival time too. If anything doesn't make sense or you need some extra information, write back to me on the blog contact form below.

Best wishes from Marbella Carol and Paula and thanks again for your contact"

Mike

Hotel Cortijo Blanco bus stop

Cynthia wrote in last month about getting to Hotel Cortijo Blanco by bus from Malaga airport.

I suggested getting the very good bus service from Malaga airport to Marbella bus station (4.35 euros) and then a taxi from the Marbella bus station to the hotel which would cost around €13 by day and €16 after 10pm and at weekends.

I told Cynthia that she could actually take a bus from the Marbella bus station to just beyond the Cortijo Blanco Hotel but there were big road works going on in right in front of the hotel and the footbridge is more than 500 metres beyond the hotel and will be moved again over the next 15 months as the road works progress.

Gomarbella has a list of all the bus stops between Marbella and Estepona and the Hotel Cortijo Blanco hotel bus stop is clearly marked but bus travellers to the hotel will be getting off on the opposite side of the road and there is no clearly marked or safe pedestrian crossings to cross that stretch of road.

I advised Cynthia to take a taxi from Marbella bus station to the hotel or take the same bus above to the San Pedro de Alcantará terminal, the next stop along from the Hotel Cortijo Blanco stop and then a taxi back along the road to the hotel. It would be a minimum fare of about 7 euros during the day.

On the way back to Malaga airport however she could take a the bus all the way back because the bus stop is right in front of the hotel. Having said that, there is nothing more than an indentation in the pavement outside the hotel to show it is a bus stop, there are no bus stop signs at all!

If you look carefully at the picture above you will see the bus stop shelter on the left and then a large white lorry coming towards the camera and an ambulance going away from the camera on the other side of the road. Between the lorry and the ambulance you will see a bus parked off the road, it is just in front of the Hotel Cortijo Blanco. There is no pedestrian crossing over this busy and dangerous road without walking back into San Pedro to the San Pedro bus terminal which is 500 metres behind the camera.

My advice to Cynthia was to take a taxi from Marbella bus station to the hotel or take the bus to San Pedro where she could cross the road and walk back or take a minimum fare taxi ride back to the hotel from San Pedro. I am pleased to say everything worked out fine and it was good to meet up with Cynthia and Jim later at the hotel during their stay. On the way back they took the Estepona to Marbella bus from outside the hotel back to Marbella bus station and then the airport bus back to Malaga airport.

Hotel Tamisa Golf Mijas

Kath asked today, "We will be at Hotel Tamisa Golf Mijas as part of a wedding party, and it has come to our notice that the hotel is quite isolated. Could you please tell me if any public transport runs on a frequent basis from the Tamisa Hotel to any of the resorts?"

I phoned Hotel Tamisa Golf Mijas Costa + (34) 952 58 59 88 to find out and was very well attended by Cristian the duty receptionist.

Cristian told me that there is no public transport passing the hotel, clients use hire cars or taxis. I asked Cristian the cost of the taxi fares from Hotel Tamisa Golf Mijas Costa to the centre of Fuengirola and he told me that it is €13 during the day and €15 after 10pm which is also the taxi fare tariff for weekends and public holidays.

I wrote back to Kath to say, "There is a very good commercial centre, Centro Comercial Miramar, close to the Tamisa Golf Hotel and less than half way to the centre of Fuengirola where you could spend quite a bit of time quite happily.

If you do want to explore up and down the coast a bit then take a taxi to the Fuengirola bus station and and using a bus, you can be in Marbella or Puerto Banus an hour later. You will find the schedule of buses up and down the coast on this page and also a list of all the bus stops between Fuengirola and Marbella


The Fuengirola Train station is right next to the bus station and the train is a great way to get back to Malaga airport or visit any of the other towns like Torremolinos between Fuengirola and Malaga.

The Tamisa Golf Mijas Costa Hotel looks like a fantastic place to have a wedding, I hope you have a very happy occasion and visit to the Costa del Sol

Best wishes from Marbella Kath and thanks again for your contact."

Skol Apartments in Marbella

Penny asked me "Am staying at the Skol Apartments and want to know where the nearest bus stop is for me to get to San Pedro de Alcantará - a map would be very useful! - many thanks."

I wrote back to say " Penny, here is a map of where Skol Apartments are in Marbella.

From your Skol Apartment walk up to Avenida Ricardo Soriano which is the main street in Marbella, past the Parque de la Constitución on your right.

The bus stop you need is on the other side of the main road, just where you see the "o" at the end of the word Soriano. You can't cross the road at that point but there is a pedestrian crossing on the other side of the big intersection.

If you look at this list of bus stops between Marbella and Estepona you will see that yours is called the Old Portillo stop. This is where the old Portillo bus station was. There is no trace of the bus station now!

I hope that helps you and that you have a great visit.

Malaga Airport to Puerto Banus by bus

Kevin wrote in a couple of days ago to ask me: "Hi, can I catch a train from the airport to Puerto Banus?"

I wrote back: "Hi Kevin, the train only runs from Malaga airport train station to Fuengirola train station and then the line stops there. The easiest way to get to Puerto Banus from Malaga airport is to take the special bus from Malaga airport to Marbella bus station The cost is only €4.30, the journey takes 45 minutes and it is a fantastic service.

From Marbella bus station I would take a taxi to Puerto Banus: To give you an idea of the Marbella taxi fares for that part of the journey, from the centre of Marbella to Puerto Banus, which is about the same distance as from Marbella bus station to Puerto Banus, a taxi costs €9.40 during the day and after 10pm and over the weekends and holidays it costs €11.70.

Just out of interest from Malaga airport to Puerto Banus a taxi costs €64 during the day and €76 after 10pm and over weekends and holidays.

Hope that helps you Kevin, have a good trip and let me know if I can help you further.

Best wishes from Marbella and thanks for your contact.

Mike Drury

My bus driver didn't smile at me

I landed at Malaga airport in Spain in the evening of 12 April 1979. It was Easter Thursday and there were no buses running so I took a taxi into the city and eventually found a place to spend the night. I wasn't to know that my hostel was right at the centre of the colourful and noisy processions that criss cross Malaga city every night during Easter.

I was on my way from Rhodesia to Swans School in Marbella to take up a teaching post and the next morning I staggered with my heavy suitcase to Malaga bus station. The ticket office was closed. A bus was parked outside with the engine running and a sign indicating "Marbella". I tried to pay the uniformed driver behind the wheel but he waved me, rather crossly I thought, to take a seat.

Perhaps he would take my fare at the end of the journey. When we got to Marbella and I tried to pay him again he waved me brusquely off the bus. I decided that maybe in Spain at Easter you could travel free on the buses.

I found out later that the Spanish bus drivers were on strike and the government had drafted in the police to drive the buses. No wonder my driver had seemed a little irritated.

Perhaps for this reason I am sympathetic towards visitors to Spain and thirty years on to the day I landed, I still find myself helping other travellers on the Costa del Sol.

Faro Train Station

I was driving when we visited Faro train station from where we were staying in the foothills near Sao Brás de Alportel but it was easy to find parking in the back streets near the station.

I needed to check out the Faro bus station as well so it was very convenient to find that the train station was only about 200 metres along the Avenida de La Republica from the Faro bus station. I love old buildings like this one which must have seen so many travellers coming and going over the years. The picture was taken on a tranquil Sunday at the beginning of March this year, it was lovely and warm in the sun on the platform sheltered from the wind sweeping in from the sea just to the right of the photo.

The line from Faro train station runs just behind the bus station and then hugs the coast all the way to Vila Real de San Antonio on the edge of the very wide Guadiana River marking the frontier with Spain. Vila Real de San Antonio is worth a visit and as part of a day's visit, from there you could take a ferry across the Guadiana River and eat Atlantic fish and drink Barbadillo white wine in Ayamonte on the Spanish side of the river. OK the taste of the fish might only vary in the flavouring but at least you would have had a quick visit to Spain from Portugal and done a train journey and a ferry crossing all in the same day.

From Faro to Lagos in the other direction, the train line runs quite far inland and you only really near the beaches in the last few kilometres as you approach Lagos: the journey takes about an hour and a half. You can always do the return trip to Faro by bus from Lagos bus station if you are still feeling adventurous!

Torreblanca Train Stop

This is the Torreblanca train stop on the line from Malaga to Fuengirola. It's the third last stop before Fuengirola train station after travelling from Malaga or the Malaga airport train stop. The next stop after Torreblanca and before Fuengirola is the Los Boliches train stop.

Travelling from the Torreblanca train stop towards Fuengirola, the train leaves at 4 minutes and 34 minutes past the hour. The first train leaves the Torreblanca at 6.04 in the morning and the last train towards Fuengirola leaves at 23.34. The journey to Fuengirola train station takes 5 minutes.

If you are travelling to the Malaga airport train stop or Malaga city, the trains leave Torreblanca at 21 minutes and 51 minutes past the hour. The first train out of Torreblanca leaves at 6.21 and the last one at night leaves at 23.51. The journey to Malaga airport takes 28 minutes and 42 minutes to the Maria Zambrano train station in Malaga.

The Torreblanca hotel is right next to the train stop, just to the left of the picture. A flight of steps leads down from the bridge over the train line and if you time it right, you can walk out of the hotel and be in Fuengirola 10 minutes later.

Faro Bus Station

Sher wrote to me to say that was travelling from Albufeira on the Algarve in Portugal to Marbella on the Costa del Sol in Spain, staying for 2 weeks and then travelling back to Faro to leave for Canada. How could she do it by bus?

I phoned the Alsa bus company office in Spain: 902422242 and found out that there weren't any buses from Albufeira to Malaga but there was a bus that went from Faro to Malaga every day from Monday to Sunday at 1:45 a.m.

The way to check the schedule of buses from the Algarve to the Costa del Sol is as follows:

Go to the Alsa bus company site: www.alsa.es

Choose a return journey and enter details of your trip in reverse order like this:

1) Spain 2) Malaga for your departure
3) Portugal 4) Faro for your arrival

Put in any travel dates so that you can go through to the next page to get the schedule for the bus service.

I don't know yet if the bus comes through Marbella on its way to Malaga. I haven't been able to find out, at least not from the local Marbella bus station. The Portillo bus company hardly keeps or gives out any information about other bus companies, even those using the Marbella bus station. Let me know if you need that bit of information.

On the way to Spain it will travel through the Estacion de Autobuses Plaza de Armas in Seville.

The Faro bus station in the picture is right next to the Faro train station and in the same building as the Eva Hotel which is very convenient for midnight arrivals or departures. Just along the Algarve coast, the Lagos bus station is right next to the Hotel Marina

For any other travel information use the search box on the blog, just put in your keywords. If you can't find what you are looking for use the contact box below or write to me on the gomarbella contact page.

Fuengirola to Seville by car or bus?

Finlay found me over on gomarbella and wrote in to ask: "Hi Mike, we are staying in Fuengirola and would like to visit Seville. We'll have one of your hire cars from Malaga airport and would it be simpler to drive to Seville and park there or would it be best to go by bus?"

I wrote back: "Hi Finlay, I love the drive to Seville, my wife and I do the trip at least twice a year, either going to the city or on our way from Marbella to Lagos on the Algarve.

By car you have three routes to get there, through Malaga, through Ronda or down past Gibraltar and then turning inland past Los Barrios. All are easy are very drives and take about the same time.

In your hire car you will be free to stop along the way which is what I really enjoy doing. Of course the driver has to concentrate so doesn't get to see quite as much of the really beautiful Andalusian countryside as the passengers.

Regarding signposting on the outskirts of Seville, You only get one sign and one chance and you have to act on it. If you dither, that's it, you've missed the turning. Inside Seville driving is quite easy, you will need to have a street map and have an idea of where you want to go of course.

Parking in the city is not difficult and you can easily spend a whole day in the old town on foot without needing to get back into the car. An open bus tour, a trip on the Guadalquivier river, a visit to the cathedral and exploration of the shopping areas in the old town and that's a very enjoyable day away. Allow about the same time as the bus, four hours there and four hours back which includes stops.

You might prefer to take the bus from the Fuengirola bus station all the way to Sevilla. You'll get a twenty minute coffee and loo stop at Ronda bus station and you'll get off at the Prado de San Sebastian bus station which is within easy walking distance of the old town in Seville. Here is a link for the Costa del Sol bus schedules from Fuengirola to Sevilla.

Have a think about both options Finlay and let me know if I can help you with any questions. Let me know what you decide! Best wishes from Marbella you will enjoy your trip either way! Mike"

Malaga airport to Malaga train station

This morning I was pleased to help Marilyn who wanted to know how far Malaga train station was from Malaga airport because she wanted to travel to Granada by train.

I replied; "Hi Marilyn, thank you very much for checking in to www.gomarbella.com Basically you can get from the airport to the train station in Malaga by bus or by train.

1) The L19 bus to the main Malaga bus station leaves every thirty minutes from just outside the airport arrivals area, and Malaga train station is only about 200 metres from the main bus station.

2) You can take the train from the Malaga airport stop into the main Malaga train station, here is some information about the Malaga airport train stop

If you look at the picture you will see how close it is from the Malaga bus station exit to the side entrance of the Malaga Maria Zambrano rail station.

To buy your rail ticket in advance you can check in to www.renfe.es or you may prefer just to use the site to check train times and buy your ticket on the platform. Down on the left hand side of the page you will see "Cambiar idiomas" Click on there and select "Ingles" but of course if you are on your way to study Spanish in Granada, keep it on the Spanish page!

Have a great trip to Granada Marilyn and best wishes from Marbella, Mike"

Car Hire Return Malaga Airport

A gomarbella visitor wrote in to ask about returning a car to Marbesol Car Hire at Malaga airport and the cost of refilling the tank.

On Sunday evening I was at Malaga airport collecting my wife from the airport and so I popped into the Marbesol office and asked them about their fuel return policy.

Basically the car renter must return the car with as least as much fuel as was in the tank at the time of collection. So when a car is returned with a half full tank, that's how it will be passed to the next client. The fuel gauge is checked when the car is collected and again on return.

If there is more fuel in the tank on return, there is no refund and if it is short, then there is a charge for topping it up to the original level. It seems a fair system to me. I always wonder how much fuel gets "lost" up the fuel tank neck when I have to return a hire car with the tank full. There is a filling station 100m from the Marbesol offices at Malaga airport which makes it very easy to top up when returning a car.

I checked fuel prices last night 1/9/09 at the BP station next door to Marbesol:

Diesel Plus 0.838 € litre
Ultimate diesel 0.898 € litre
Euro Super petrol 9.887 € litre
Ultimate petrol 1.00 € litre

The upside of the slowdown here in Spain is that fuel prices have nearly all dropped below the €1 for 1 litre mark. I went to the Algarve the weekend before and filling the tank with fuel was a lot cheaper than in the summer of 2008.

With the filling station and lots of self service fuel pumps right next door to Marbelsol it makes it very easy to do a quick top up, check the fuel gauge and put a drop more in if necessary.

Regarding the question as to whether it is always Marbesol that is selected, the www.gomarbella.com car hire engine selects the company that offers the most competitive price based on the client's selection of car, length of hire and point of pickup and return. Very often it is Marbesol. When I asked the staff why this was they said "Because we are the best!"

Let me know if I can do anything more for you regarding destinations, parking or driving experiences.

La Colina Train Stop

Laura asked if the La Colina train stop just along the line from Malaga airport was the best one to get off at when travelling to the Hotel Sol Don Pablo down on the Paseo Maritimo in Torremolinos.

I had never been there before so I checked it out. It was an overcast day when I took the photo but if you look carefully you will see the 19.12 train from Malaga to Fuengirola train station rounding the bend. You can set your time by the this train line. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see the station clock reads exactly 5.12pm.

Watch the video of the Malaga to Fuengirola train pulling into and out of La Colina train station.

The trains travelling from Malaga airport train station to Fuengirola arrive at La Colina at 12 minutes and at 42 minutes past the hour. The first train of the day into La Colina arrives at 05.52 and the last one at 23.12.

In the other direction from Fuengirola to Malaga airport and then Malaga, the trains run at 10 minutes and at 40 minutes past the hour. The first train from Fuengirola to Malaga in the morning pulls in at 06.40 and the last one out at night in the same direction is at 00.10.

From La Colina to Malaga airport the journey time is 9 minutes.

Laura asked if there were any taxis at this stop. There is nothing but a big car park and a public telephone at the end of the car park. If you need a taxi from La Colina you can phone Radio Taxis Torremolinos on 952 38 06 00. Given its isolated position, you would probably not want to arrive late at night on your own at La Colina. It would be a good place to leave your car at if you didn't want to drive into Malaga, another 32 minutes down the line.

Hotel Sol Don Pablo in Torremolinos

Laura contacted me on the Los Boliches Train Stop blog to say that she had booked accommodation in the Hotel Sol Don Pablo in Torremolinos and was going to take the train from the airport. She asked if the best train stop was the La Colina stop which is the fourth stop from Malaga airport train station. Would she find a taxi outside?

I hadn't ever been to the La Colina train stop so on my way to Malaga airport to pick up my wife last Sunday afternoon, I set off a little early with my TomTom and camera to check it all out.

There is nothing at La Colina stop except a big car park, empty on a Sunday afternoon and definitely no taxis in sight. This would be a good place to leave the car during the day and commute into Malaga from. At one end of the car park there is a public telephone. One wouldn't want to get off the train here late at night alone.

Still sitting in the car outside the train stop I pointed my TomTom at the Hotel Sol Don Pablo in Torremolinos. It showed it as 3.8kms away and 8.4 minutes driving time just off the Torremolinos Paseo Marítimo. Calle Rio Guadazaón which leads off the Paseo Marítimo is a little one way street and gives car access to the Hotel Son Don Marco and the adjoining Hotel Sol Don Pedro as well as foot access to the Hotel Sol Don Pablo situated behind.

I chatted to a taxi driver parked outside the Hotel Sol Don Marco at the end of Calle Rio Guadazaón and he told me that there are no taxis permanently stationed outside La Colina train stop and anyone arriving there and needing a taxi would need to phone the Radio Taxis Torremolinos company on 952 38 06 00 and they would send the nearest taxi.

Although I could see the signposted gate to the footpath leading into the Hotel Sol Don Pablo I needed road access so I went into the reception of the Don Pablo Hotel and a smartly suited waiter gathering up coffee cups stopped what he was doing to attend to me. I liked that. Remember I teach in a hotel training school so I am always on the lookout for attitudes on the part of hotel staff and I like to test out their English at the same time! He told me how to get to the Hotel Sol Don Pablo and I drove around the block into Calle Bajondillo to get there.

There is very spacious underground parking right underneath the hotel which was very convenient so leaving the car there I made for the Don Pablo reception. I was well looked after by Juan the receptionist who advised me that clients arriving from the airport should get off at the train stop in the centre of Torremolinos. From there, it is a minimum taxi fare of around seven euros. Most importantly for Laura who asked the question in the first place, there would be taxis outside the Torromolinos train stop at all hours.

As I was searching for coins for the parking meter, the security guard materialized from nowhere to see that everything was in order and watched me as I drove out. I was impressed by the treatment I was given by the employees I had come into contact with and the three complexes making up the Torremolinos Don Hotels look like a really great place to holiday.

Let me add on some information that might be useful:

Sol Don Marco 952 05 53 00

Sol Don Pablo 952 38 38 88

Sol Don Pedro 952 38 68 44

The address of the three hotels, Don Marco, Don Pablo and Don Pedro is:

Paseo Maritimo s/n, Playa del Bajondillo, 29620 Torremolinos, Malaga.