Parque de la Alameda — Attraction in Marbella

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A typically Spanish garden.

Unique along the Costa del Sol (the other towns were too poverty-stricken until recently to own one, and once they became richer, this style of garden was out of fashion), the Alameda Gardens in Marbella are a MUST.

The Alameda is situated off the main street - the Calle Ricardo Soriano - and next to the Avenida del Mar piazza, which is itself just off the seafront promenade. So it is five minutes from the beach.

A traditional Spanish town garden, it was started in the 18th century; one of the oldest gardens in the province of Málaga or in the whole of Andalusia, apart from the Moorish gardens in Cordoba and Sevilla, which are 500 years older. There are no lawns here, of course - that's not the tradition on Southern Spain with its searing hot summers. Trees and shrubs and flowering plants lining walkways. You feel as though you are walking through a cave or a tunnel at some points. It is a marvellous place, full of greenery. Palm trees, bananas, loads of exotic plants. There are even some Ficus - rubber plants you'll know them as, you may even have one in your living room. These wouldn't fit in, however, as in the warmth of Marbella they have grown to 50 feet high. Look out for them - you'll recognise them easily. Their leaves are the same size as in your home, it's the rest of the tree that is enormous.

There are benches, ceramic benches. Yes, you are sitting (almost) on a china chair! They are tiled and patterned - check out my photo - and are extremely attractive. Although a little hard to sit on. :-)

The pièce de résistance, however, is the fountain. A decorated fountain. Walk around it and read the inscriptions on the ceramic plaques. You'll see that it has a name - the Fuente de la Virgen del Rocio, named in honour of one of Andalusia's most beloved Virgins. There are regular pilgrimages to her shrine, and you can see the names of the various towns where they have Brotherhoods (Hermandades) in her honour.

On summer evenings there are sometimes concerts or other cultural events here in the park. When there is music, they often make the fountains play up and down in time to the music.

A lovely cool shady spot to rest your feet and cool down after a walk around...

Der Parque de la Alameda ist ein charmanter öffentlicher Park im Herzen von Marbella, Andalusien. Er liegt zwischen der Altstadt und der Avenida del Mar und bietet eine grüne Oase der Ruhe inmitten des städtischen Trubels. 

Geschichte und Gestaltung: Der Park wurde im 18. Jahrhundert angelegt und hat im Laufe der Zeit mehrere Renovierungen erfahren, wobei er seinen historischen Charakter bewahrt hat. Die zentrale Allee ist von üppiger Vegetation gesäumt, darunter hohe Palmen und exotische Pflanzen, die an heißen Sommertagen willkommenen Schatten spenden. Ein markantes Merkmal des Parks sind die kunstvoll gestalteten Bänke mit traditionellen andalusischen Kacheln, die zum Verweilen einladen. 

Sehenswürdigkeiten: Im Zentrum des Parks befindet sich ein beeindruckender Brunnen, der der Virgen del Rocío gewidmet ist. Dieser Brunnen ist mit blauen Kacheln verziert und bietet besonders bei Nacht mit seiner Beleuchtung einen reizvollen Anblick. 

Aktivitäten und Umgebung: Der Parque de la Alameda ist ein beliebter Treffpunkt für Einheimische und Besucher gleichermaßen. Er eignet sich ideal für entspannte Spaziergänge, zum Lesen oder einfach zum Genießen der natürlichen Umgebung. In unmittelbarer Nähe befinden sich zahlreiche Cafés, Restaurants und Geschäfte, die den Besuch abrunden. Zudem führt die angrenzende Avenida del Mar mit ihren beeindruckenden Skulpturen direkt zum Strand und zur Promenade von Marbella. 

Der Parque de la Alameda ist somit ein unverzichtbarer Ort für alle, die die kulturelle und natürliche Schönheit Marbellas...

Market stalls selling cheap trinkets and clothes. The place is not managed very well. It's dirty with plenty of litter thrown around. There are kids / young teenagers driving on electric scooters at speed between the people walking there. Very dangerous. An accident waiting to happen. We had a woman in her 30's with a girl around 16 try to pickpocket my wife. They made a quick escape when I spotted a hand in my wife's handbag. I won't...