Puerto Banús by Day: History, Quays, Yachts and Parking

Puerto Banús is a port most visitors first see at night, when it is at its loudest. By day it is easier to read: a 915-berth marina opened in 1970 and built to look like an Andalusian village, a front line of restaurants and boutiques, a second line of flagship stores behind it, and a Dock of Honour where the largest yachts tie up. We are the Marbella Escorts Agency, and clients ask us the daytime questions as often as the night-time ones: where to park, what is where, how long to give it. Give Puerto Banús an hour for the quays, half a day with lunch and a beach, and leave the car outside: the quay is closed to vehicles without a port pass, and a one-day pass costs €255 in high season.

Our Marbella escorts guide covers the wider coast; this page is the port by daylight.

How Did Puerto Banús Begin?

Puerto Banús was built by the developer José Banús and opened in May 1970. The architect Noldi Schreck, who had worked on Beverly Hills, persuaded him to drop tower blocks in favour of a low, white Andalusian village around a marina, drawn with the young architect Marcos Sainz.

The Village Plan

José Banús (1906–1984) was already building Nueva Andalucía, the estate behind the port, when Schreck arrived. Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe had brought Schreck to Marbella in 1966 to work on the Marbella Club; Schreck then convinced Banús that the port should look like a pueblo, not a row of towers, and Wikipedia's history of the port calls it the first port designed entirely by a single architectural team. That is why it is white walls and terracotta roofs rather than glass, and why it has aged better than most marinas of its decade.

The Opening Night in 1970

The opening in May 1970 is the port's founding legend. The marina's own history counts more than 1,500 guests, with Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco as guests of honour and members of the Spanish royal family among them; other accounts add the Aga Khan, Roman Polanski, Hugh Hefner and Christiaan Barnard. A young Julio Iglesias sang, reportedly for 125,000 pesetas, and the avenue on the landward side of the port now carries his name.

Half a Century Later

The port won Spain's Medalla de Oro al Mérito Turístico in 1975, and the town hall puts its visitors at nearly five million a year. The Gulf connection came early: on their first visit in the 1970s the future King Salman and his brother Fahd booked 32 rooms at the Incosol hotel, and the family later bought berths on the Dock of Honour. The marina is run by Puerto José Banús S.A. under a Junta de Andalucía concession, from offices in its control tower, and in July 2026 the nautical platform Velvua ranked it Spain's second-best marina, behind the Real Club Náutico de Palma.

The Layout: Front Line, Second Line and the Ends

The port wraps around one basin. Muelle de Ribera, the front line, runs along the water with restaurants and boutiques; Calle Ribera, the second line, holds most flagship stores; Levante and Poniente close it to the east and west, and the Dock of Honour sits by the harbour mouth.

Muelle de Ribera and Calle Ribera

The marina's directory lists more than 100 brands, and the address tells you the line. Gucci and Bvlgari face the boats on Muelle de Ribera, alongside the restaurants and bars; Hermès and Saint Laurent are one block back on Calle Ribera, where the pavement is quieter; Dior and Loewe run through from one to the other. Our Puerto Banús shopping guide maps the rest, store by store, with hours.

Levante, Poniente, Benabola and the Dock of Honour

Levante, the eastern side, has Louis Vuitton and Valentino and La Habana de Hemingway in the Edificio Muelle Levante; Poniente, the western side, ends in a navigation light on the breakwater. By the harbour mouth the Muelle de Honor, the Dock of Honour, is where the largest yachts lie, with a public viewpoint and a statue of Don Juan de Borbón; Dolce & Gabbana and Armani have shops on the same quay. The white Benabola block, with its hotel and apartments, closes the south-west corner, and a statue of José Banús stands near it.

Where Things Are, From Plaza Antonio Banderas

Plaza Antonio Banderas, on the landward side, is the easiest reference point: taxis set down beside it and the front line starts in front of it. Distances are straight-line measurements from the square.

The Yachts: Berths, Sizes and What a Day Costs

The marina has 915 berths on 15 hectares of sheltered water for boats from 8 to 50 metres, with depths of 3 to 6 metres inside and 7.5 at the entrance; larger yachts anchor off. In 2026 a 50-metre berth costs €2,498 a day in high season and an 8-metre one €50.

The 2026 Berth Tariff

The marina's 2026 tariff prices a berth by size and season, per day with VAT and before the port tax. High season runs June to September, mid-season is May and October, and low season November to April.

What You Are Looking At

The largest yachts lie along the Dock of Honour, where the marina supplies fuel at the berth; the inner quays hold everything down to 8-metre day boats. The boatyard runs a 50-tonne travelift, the marina offices sit in the control tower, and security staff and CCTV cover the port around the clock. July and August bring the biggest visitors, and our superyacht season guide covers who arrives and when.

Getting Aboard for a Day

The marina lists brokers on site for charter and yacht sales, and its concierge catalogue sells sailing days, yacht days, boat rental and dolphin-watching trips from the port; the boat, crew and fuel are always a contract between you and the charter company. Our charter booking guide explains contracts, licences and the ID the skipper will ask for.

Can You Drive Into Puerto Banús?

Only with a port pass. A 1998 Junta de Andalucía resolution lets the marina control vehicle access with barriers, and from June 2026 to May 2027 a one-day pass costs €255 in high season and €185 from October. Everyone else parks in the covered car parks behind the port and walks in.

The Access Card Rules for 2026–27

The marina's access card terms set out the rules. An annual card for the general public costs €2,090, with lower rates for berth holders and businesses, and from October monthly passes run €294 to €376. A card covers up to three registered plates, never at the same time; no vehicle may stay more than 24 hours; cars carrying advertising or offers for sale or rent are barred; and access can be refused once the parking is more than 90% full. A lost card costs €100 to replace.

Where to Leave the Car

Marbella's municipal parking list names the covered car parks around the port: Saba Puerto Banús, Marina Banús, Tembo, Cristamar, Benabola B51 and Mathilda, most of them privately run. El Corte Inglés has its own car park for customers, and La Habana Lounge gives diners two hours free at Mathilda. Rates are posted at each entrance, and in July and August we find the morning the easiest time to get a space.

Without a Car: Taxi, Bus or Transfer

Taxi ranks sit beside Hipercor at El Corte Inglés and by the Hard Rock Hotel, and on the 2026 day tariff (€3.79 plus €1.12 a kilometre) the 7.4 km from Marbella old town costs about €12. Buses run along the coast road, and our Marbella to Puerto Banús bus guide has the lines and fares. Málaga airport is about 60 km east, around 50 minutes by road outside rush hour.

How Long Should You Spend in Puerto Banús?

An hour covers the front line out to the Dock of Honour and back along Calle Ribera, about 1.5 km. Half a day adds lunch and an hour on a beach on either side of the port; a full day needs a boat, or a long lunch and the shops at an easy pace.

One Hour: Front Line and Back

Start at Plaza Antonio Banderas, walk the front line to the Muelle de Honor viewpoint, and come back by Calle Ribera. Most boutiques open at 10 or 11am, so a 10.30 start finds the shops opening and the quay still quiet; by 1pm the restaurant terraces are filling. Allow an extra twenty minutes for the statues and the view of the harbour mouth from the viewpoint, where the bigger boats come and go.

Half a Day: Lunch and a Beach

Lunch service starts at 1pm, and our seafood guide covers the fish restaurants on the quay. There is a beach on each side of the port, with boat hire in season: Playa de Levante to the east, about 900 metres from the square, and Playas del Duque to the west, about a kilometre. The sea is warmest in August, at about 23.4°C, and still near 22°C in September. Our beach clubs guide covers the clubs within reach.

Summer or Winter

The marina's own calendar has three seasons: high from June to September, mid in May and October, low from November to April. In summer many front-line shops stay open until midnight, Gucci and Dior among them; in winter Hermès closes at 8pm and Louis Vuitton at 9pm. The tourist office opens 9.30am to 3.30pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends, with a virtual assistant that answers in up to 95 languages.

Art on the Quays: Dalí's Rhinoceros and the Statues

Puerto Banús is an open-air gallery almost by accident. Dalí's three-tonne Rinoceronte vestido con puntillas, designed in 1956, has stood on a roundabout at the port entrance since 2004; statues of Don Juan de Borbón and José Banús stand on the quays, and the marina stages temporary sculpture shows.

Dalí's Rhinoceros

The rhinoceros is the port's best-known landmark, about 400 metres north of Plaza Antonio Banderas on a roundabout of the main road. Dalí designed it in 1956, after shooting La aventura prodigiosa de la encajera y el rinoceronte, a surrealist film, and the three-tonne statue was placed here in 2004. See it on foot from the pavement; drivers circling the roundabout see a rhinoceros in lace and very little else.

Sculpture Shows Along the Quays

The marina's culture programme puts large sculptures on the quays for months at a time. Recent shows have included Jorge Jiménez Deredia's Life's Journey, which closed on 19 February 2024, Cristóbal Gabarrón's Las Torres de la Alhambra, Leiko Ikemura's Aquí estamos and Arne Quinze's My Secret Garden. The pieces sit in the open, free to see at any hour, and they are the reason a morning walk here takes longer than planned.

A Day in the Port With a Companion

A daytime booking in the port usually runs from a late lunch into the evening: the shops, a table on the quay, then a beach or a boat. Puerto Banús outcalls are €300 an hour in 2026, and a yacht day is priced on the same hourly rate, with the boat and the food paid separately.

Which Booking Suits a Day

For a lunch and a walk, an hourly booking of three or four hours is enough, at €300 an hour; for a boat, the companion is €300 an hour as on land, so a four-hour half day is €1,200, while the boat and the food are paid separately, and changes are free until 72 hours before a yacht day. The price is the same on weekends. Our girlfriend-experience companions suit a relaxed day better than a formal one, and current availability is on our companions in Puerto Banús page.

From Day Into Evening

Most day bookings end at dinner, and the port changes character after 9pm: the shops stay open, the terraces fill and the late bars start their music. If the day is likely to roll on, tell us at the start: extra hours are €300 each, paid on the spot in cash or by transfer, and a night that runs on into the early hours is an overnight. Our guide to an evening in Puerto Banús covers dinner, the bars, taxis and discretion after dark.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Puerto Banús open?

In May 1970. The developer José Banús built it as an Andalusian village around a marina, to designs by Noldi Schreck and Marcos Sainz, and the opening party drew more than 1,500 guests, with Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco as guests of honour and a young Julio Iglesias singing.

Can you drive into Puerto Banús?

Only with a port access card or a one-day pass, which for 2026–27 costs €255 in high season and €185 in low season, and no vehicle may stay more than 24 hours. Visitors park in the covered car parks behind the port, such as Saba, Marina Banús or Mathilda, and walk in.

How many boats does Puerto Banús hold?

It has 915 berths on 15 hectares of sheltered water, for boats from 8 to 50 metres, with depths of 3 to 6 metres inside the basin; larger yachts anchor outside. A 50-metre berth costs €2,498 a day in the 2026 high season, June to September, according to the marina's tariff.

How long do you need in Puerto Banús?

An hour to walk the front line to the Dock of Honour and back along Calle Ribera, about 1.5 km. Half a day if you add lunch, which starts at 1pm, and a beach on either side of the port; a full day if you take a boat out.

Where is the tourist office in Puerto Banús?

On Avenida de las Naciones Unidas, a few minutes inland from Plaza Antonio Banderas. It opens 9.30am to 3.30pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends and on public holidays, and its virtual assistant answers questions in up to 95 languages.