- Avanza's urban Line 1 links Avenida Ricardo Soriano in central Marbella with the Cristamar stop in Puerto Banús, 52 times each way on weekdays in the winter timetable
- The ride takes about 25 minutes out and 19 back, and a single ticket costs €1.18
- The last weekday bus back leaves Puerto Banús at 23:24 (22:59 on Saturdays, 22:25 on Sundays), so the bus suits days, not nights
- A taxi on the 2026 meter costs about €12 by day and €15 at night for the 7.6 km; for an evening in the port, and when meeting a companion, take the taxi
At 20:08 on a weekday the Line 1 bus leaves the Ricardo Soriano stop in central Marbella, and at 20:30 it reaches the Cristamar terminus, six minutes' walk from the boats. That costs €1.18. The catch is the other end of the evening: on the 2025–26 winter timetable the last weekday bus back leaves Puerto Banús at 23:24, which by Banús standards is somewhere around the main course. The bus from Marbella to Puerto Banús is worth it by day, running every 15–20 minutes, taking about 25 minutes and costing €1.18; after dinner it is not, and a taxi at roughly €15 on the night tariff is the sensible way home.
Puerto Banús is where our agency sends companions most often, so the gap between the timetable and the night is something we plan around every week. This guide gives any visitor the lines, times and fares; the final section covers meeting escorts in Puerto Banús.
Which Buses Run From Marbella to Puerto Banús?
Avanza's urban network, branded Urbanos de Marbella, does the job. Line 1, C.C. La Cañada to Puerto Banús, is the direct route from the town centre to the marina. Line 13 also passes Marbella centre and Puerto Banús on its way from the Hospital Costa del Sol to San Pedro, and night Line 8 covers the small hours. Line 1 is the one worth learning.
Line 1: The Two Stops That Matter
Line 1 starts at the La Cañada shopping centre, comes into town via the El Moreno and Puya stops or Avenida Europa, and runs along Avenida Ricardo Soriano, where the stop is signed Ricardo Soriano (Casco Antiguo). It then calls at Patronato de la Recaudación and terminates at Cristamar, the shopping centre at the top of Puerto Banús. The return run leaves Cristamar and stops at the Alameda, Huerta de los Cristales and Calle Vázquez Clavel before La Cañada. For a visitor that means one stop to remember each way: Ricardo Soriano going out, the Alameda coming back.
Line 13, Night Line 8 and the Interurban Coaches
Line 13 links the Hospital Costa del Sol, east of town, with San Pedro, stopping in Marbella centre, at Puente Romano and in Puerto Banús; it runs less often than Line 1, so treat it as a bonus if one appears first. Night Line 8, C.C. La Cañada to San Pedro, follows Ricardo Soriano past Puente Romano to the Jardines del Puerto stop in Puerto Banús, with a handful of departures through the night and the latest runs on Fridays and Saturdays. The interurban Avanza coaches from Marbella bus station on Avenida del Trapiche are built for Estepona, Málaga and beyond; for a seven-kilometre hop the urban lines are simpler.
Line 1 Timetable: First Bus, Last Bus and How Often
On the 2025–26 winter timetable, Line 1 runs 52 times each way on weekdays, roughly every 15–20 minutes, and 47 times on Saturdays and on Sundays. The first weekday bus leaves Ricardo Soriano at 06:36; the last bus back from Puerto Banús leaves at 23:24 on weekdays, 22:59 on Saturdays and 22:25 on Sundays. Seasons and fiestas move it slightly.
First and Last Departures, Day by Day
Weekdays: out from Ricardo Soriano between 06:36 and 23:00, the last arriving at Cristamar at 23:20; back from Cristamar between 07:01 and 23:24, which reaches the Alameda at 23:37. Saturdays: out between 06:51 and 22:28, back between 07:13 and 22:59. Sundays and holidays: out between 07:06 and 22:01, back between 07:28 and 22:25. Weekday gaps run from 15 to 31 minutes with a median of 19, so you rarely wait long, and the outbound trip is timetabled at 19 to 28 minutes depending on the time of day.
Summer Timetable From Mid-June, and Fiesta Diversions
Avanza runs two timetables a year: winter from 16 September and summer from mid-June, 15 June in recent years, so check the sheet at the stop in July and August rather than trusting a screenshot from March. For the Starlite festival, the organisers run their own shuttle from Puerto Banús and the town centre. Holy Week processions, the Three Kings parade in January and Christmas also bring diversions and special timetables, which Avanza posts on its notices page.
Fares and Tickets: €1.18, the Tarjebus and Free Rides for Residents
A single ticket on Marbella's urban buses costs €1.18. The rechargeable Tarjebus card brings a trip below a euro, the Bonomes gives 30 days of unlimited travel, and residents registered in Marbella ride free with the municipal mobility card. For a visitor making a handful of trips, the single ticket is fine. The cards only pay off on a longer stay.
Paying on Board
The single ticket is valid for one journey and is bought on board, so have coins or small notes ready; a €50 note at 07:30 helps nobody. The fare is the same whether you ride two stops or the whole line, and there is no saving on a return. Two people going to Puerto Banús for the afternoon spend €4.72 on four tickets, against about €25 for a daytime taxi there and back, and the bus drops them six minutes from the quay either way.
The Tarjebus Card and the 30-Day Bonomes
The Tarjebus is a contactless card that costs €1.22 and is topped up with €5 to €50; each trip then costs €0.83 at the full fare, and in 2025 a 50% public-transport discount brought that to €0.42. Buy it at the bus station ticket offices on Avenida del Trapiche, the San Pedro ticket office or licensed tobacconists such as the one at Avenida Ricardo Soriano 28, and top it up on board. The Bonomes is a personal 30-day pass, €36.67 before discounts, issued at the bus station with a name and photo. Residents registered in Marbella ride the urban lines free with the Tarjeta Municipal de Movilidad.
Where to Get Off for the Marina: Cristamar, Then Six Minutes on Foot
Stay on Line 1 to the end of the line at Cristamar, the shopping centre at the top of Puerto Banús. From there it is about 460 metres, six minutes on foot, down to Plaza Antonio Banderas and the port entrance. The return bus starts from the same terminus, so you board where you got off.
From Cristamar to the Quay
Walk down from Cristamar towards El Corte Inglés and Plaza Antonio Banderas, and the quay begins just beyond. Puerto Banús opened in May 1970 and, according to its Wikipedia entry, has 915 berths and draws around five million visitors a year. The whole port takes about fifteen minutes to cross on foot, so nobody needs transport once inside it. Drivers end up in the 1,066-space car park under the same plaza, €4.75 an hour when checked in July 2026; our post on renting a car in Marbella weighs that against a taxi, and our Puerto Banús guide covers what is there.
Coming Back: Know Your Last Bus
The return run starts at Cristamar, so be at the stop a few minutes before the timetabled departure. The last weekday bus, 23:24, reaches the Alameda at 23:37. At weekends the margin is tighter: 22:59 on Saturdays and 22:25 on Sundays, both before most dinners in the port have reached dessert, since a table at nine or ten is normal here. Night Line 8 picks up at Jardines del Puerto for the old town, but its departures are spaced more than an hour apart, so check the sheet before relying on it.
Bus, Taxi or Walk to Puerto Banús? Times, Costs and Last Departures
By day the bus wins on price, €1.18 against roughly €12 by taxi, and loses only ten minutes. After 22:00 on weekdays and all weekend the taxi meter moves to its higher tariff, about €15 for the trip, and the bus stops running before an evening in Puerto Banús has properly started.
The Options Side by Side
| Option | Journey time | Cost (2026) | Last departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 bus | 19–28 min out, 13–21 back | €1.18 | 23:24 back on weekdays, 22:59 Sat, 22:25 Sun |
| Night Line 8 | About 15–20 min | €1.18 | Small hours, latest on Fri and Sat |
| Taxi, weekday daytime | 10–20 min | About €12 | Any time |
| Taxi, nights, weekends, holidays | 10–20 min | About €15 | Any time |
| Walking the promenade | About 85 min | Free | Best before dark |
| Own bicycle | About 30 min | Free | Restricted on summer weekends, 10:00–23:00 |
What the Taxi Meter Should Read
Marbella's 2026 taxi tariffs, approved on 5 February 2026, are €3.79 flag fall plus €1.12 a kilometre on weekdays from 06:00 to 22:00, and €4.64 plus €1.41 a kilometre on weekday nights and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The 7.6 km from the Alameda to Plaza Antonio Banderas therefore comes to about €12.30 or €15.40 before any time sitting in traffic, which the meter charges at €22.95 or €28.68 an hour. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve nights use a third tariff, €5.81 plus €1.76 a kilometre. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are compared in our post on getting around Marbella without a car.
Walking or Cycling the Coastal Path From Marbella to Puerto Banús
It is about 6.9 km on foot from Avenida del Mar to Puerto Banús, roughly 85 minutes at an easy pace, most of it along the seafront promenade past the Golden Mile hotels. Cycling takes around half an hour, but the council's 2025 rules close parts of the promenade to bikes and restrict others on summer weekends. One is a pleasure, the other a puzzle.
The Walk: Old Town to Marina in 85 Minutes
Start at the bottom of Avenida del Mar, turn west along the promenade past the lighthouse on Avenida Duque de Ahumada, and keep the sea on your left. The path runs past the Golden Mile beaches, including the half-kilometre between the Marbella Club and Puente Romano, crosses Río Verde and finishes along the Paseo Vidiella Tudores into Puerto Banús. It is flat all the way. Do it in the morning or in the last two hours before sunset, when the light is best and the heat least, have lunch or a drink at the end, and take the bus back.
Cycling: The 2025 Rules on the Promenade
A June 2025 council edict sets the rules: bikes and e-scooters must give way to pedestrians and stay under 10 km/h on the promenade, and riders must wear a helmet. Heading west from the centre, the stretch on Avenida Duque de Ahumada is open to bikes eastbound only, and the next section along Avenida Marqués de Salamanca is closed to them, with the Calle Camilo José Cela bike lane as the detour. From Calle Rafael Cea to Río Verde, and along the Paseo Vidiella Tudores, bikes are allowed except on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 23:00 between 1 July and 30 September. Ride early, or ride in October.
Meeting a Companion in Puerto Banús: Take a Taxi, She Arrives on Her Own
Use the bus for a daytime look at the port, not for a booking. Companions arrive independently at the restaurant or your hotel, so there is no timetable to coordinate, and after dinner a taxi is the only option that matches the hours Puerto Banús keeps. Book your own ride home before the night gets busy.
Dinner First, Then the Marina
The usual shape is dinner at nine or ten, a walk along the quay, then a terrace or a club after midnight; our nightclub guide covers which and when. An hour is €300 and a dinner date, a minimum of three hours, starts at €900, the same in Puerto Banús as anywhere in Marbella, and for the club end of the night our party companions are the natural fit. Your companion makes her own way to the table by taxi, which the client pays as on every outcall, and she usually arrives 25 to 30 minutes after we confirm. The only transport you need to think about is your own taxi back, which on a Saturday in August is worth booking before dessert.
Staying in San Pedro or Further West
San Pedro Alcántara is 4.3 km beyond Puerto Banús, about seven minutes by taxi, and it is the base we suggest to clients who want the port's restaurants without its noise. Lines 13 and 8 both run there, but for an evening the taxi is again the answer, and at four in the morning the rank at the port has a queue. Our San Pedro escorts page covers bookings there, with the same arrangement: your companion arrives under her own steam, and you only plan your side of the journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a bus from Marbella to Puerto Banús?
Yes. Avanza's urban Line 1 runs from the La Cañada shopping centre through central Marbella, stopping on Avenida Ricardo Soriano, to the Cristamar stop at Puerto Banús. On the winter timetable it runs 52 times each way on weekdays and 47 at weekends, and the trip takes about 25 minutes.
How much is the bus from Marbella to Puerto Banús?
A single ticket costs €1.18. Frequent riders can buy a rechargeable Tarjebus card for €1.22, which cuts each trip to €0.83 at the full fare, and Marbella residents travel free with the municipal mobility card. A taxi for the same 7.6 km costs about €12 by day and €15 at night.
What time is the last bus from Puerto Banús to Marbella?
On the 2025–26 winter timetable the last Line 1 bus leaves Cristamar at 23:24 from Monday to Friday, 22:59 on Saturdays and 22:25 on Sundays and holidays. Night Line 8 runs a few later services towards the old town, but after dinner most visitors simply take a taxi.
Can you walk from Marbella to Puerto Banús?
Yes. It is about 6.9 km along the seafront promenade from Avenida del Mar, roughly 85 minutes at an easy pace, passing the Golden Mile beaches and crossing Río Verde before the marina. It is flat and pleasant in the morning or towards sunset; take the bus or a taxi back.
Meeting a Companion in Puerto Banús?
Tell us the restaurant, the time and where the evening should end: in the port, on the Golden Mile or back in Marbella. We will confirm your companion, who usually arrives 25 to 30 minutes after confirmation and tells us when she has, and we will tell you when to book your own taxi home.
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