Superyacht Season in Puerto Banús: Where the Biggest Yachts Berth and How to See Them

Every summer the front row of Puerto Banús fills with motor yachts of up to 50 metres, the largest the marina berths, and walking past them costs nothing. Clients who book companions in Marbella for those weeks ask us when to come, where to look and what the rules are on the quay. One thing to clear up first: Banús is a motor-yacht marina with very few regattas, which our regatta season guide covers. Come in late July or August, walk the Muelle de Ribera at dusk, book a front-row table a week ahead, and see the outer berths from the water on a sunset trip; the pontoons themselves are private.

When Is Superyacht Season in Puerto Banús?

From July to the end of August, with the largest yachts often arriving late in the season. The marina's high-season tariff runs from June to September, and its own news page reported berths almost 100% full in the last days of August 2019, as superyachts chose Banús to end their summer.

The Late-August Arrivals

The marina's report of 2 September 2019 described its crew preparing berths in the last days of August for Solandge, Illusion, Jaan, Mia Rama and Azteca, and put some of the yachts visiting over 80 metres long, with weekly charters around €80,000, 12 to 16 guests and crews of nine to eleven. The same report listed gyms, pools, saunas, water-ski gear and even helipads among their fittings. The names change every year; the pattern does not.

June and September

The tariff calls June to September high season and May and October mid-season, and in our experience the quay follows roughly the same curve. In June and September you see fewer giants but walk the quay without weaving, find a front-row table at a day's notice and pay less for almost everything else. The sea is about 20.9°C in June and 21.8°C in September, against a peak near 23.4°C in August, so the shoulder months are still swimming weather.

Where Do the Biggest Yachts Berth?

Puerto Banús has 915 berths in 15 hectares of sheltered water, for boats up to 50 metres, with a maximum draught of 6 metres and anchorage outside for larger yachts. The front row, stern-to along the Muelle de Ribera opposite the boutiques, is where the marina's own photographs show the big motor yachts.

The Quays and Pontoons

The port's regulations name its quays: the Muelle de Ribera along the shops and restaurants, the Muelle de Benabolá, the Levante breakwater and the fuel quay. Its own description gives the 915 berths and the 50-metre limit. Berths on what the marina calls the Muelle de Honor, its honour quay, have fuel delivered to the berth and rubbish collected; deliveries of 3,000 litres or more need 48 hours' notice. Vehicles reach pontoons 1 and 2 and the Levante breakwater only with the marina's authorisation.

Yachts Over 50 Metres

A yacht longer than the marina's largest standard berth anchors off or, where one is free, takes a berth in the tariff's ‘eslora superior’ category, with any excess length or beam quoted by customer service. Anchored yachts bring their guests ashore by tender. Every vessel calls the port on VHF channel 9 when five miles out, keeps to 3 knots in the channel and basin, and must leave its berth by noon on departure day or pay for another night.

What a Top Berth Costs in 2026

The 2026 tariff charges €2,498 a day in high season for a 50-metre berth with 9 metres of beam and €5,271 for anything above the 50-metre categories, VAT included but before the port tax known as tasa 0. In low season the same berths cost €711 and €1,530. A booking becomes effective once 50% is paid.

The Largest Categories, 2026

Figures from the marina's 2026 tariff sheet; high season is June to September, low season November to April. Smaller berths are listed in our regatta guide.

Putting the Price in Context

In 2019 the marina cited an Engels & Völkers yachting report that ranked Banús the most exclusive marina in Europe by the cost of a berth for yachts over 55 metres in high season, at more than €4,200 a day. For yachts of 14 metres or more, high-season changes need seven days' written notice or the 50% deposit is lost. With those terms, August berths are booked and paid for well ahead.

How to See the Yachts: Quay, Terrace or Water

On foot, along the Muelle de Ribera at dusk, when the decks light up and the heat has gone; it costs nothing. Seated, at a front-row table on the quay, booked a week ahead in August. From the water, on a two-hour sunset trip that returns past the harbour mouth as the lights come on.

On Foot

Walk the length of the Muelle de Ribera past the moorings; the cars parked along the front are part of the show. The pontoons are private: berth holders and visiting crews get access cards from the control tower, so stay on the quay. Mornings are different: visiting yachts must vacate their berths by noon on departure day, and new arrivals call the tower on channel 9 from five miles out. Getting there without a car is covered in our bus guide.

From a Terrace or From the Sea

A front-row table at nine is the best seat in Banús, and in August it needs booking a week ahead; our seafood guide covers which kitchens justify the view. From the water, the outer berths and the anchored yachts are seen side-on, which no table can match: a private two-hour sunset trip from Marbella costs from €349, as our sunset sails guide explains. Guided jet ski routes leave from the Levante quay too, but riders must keep 50 metres from other craft and clear of anchored yachts, as our jet ski guide sets out.

Quay Etiquette and the Port's Rules

The quay is public; the boats and pontoons are not. The port's rules allow alcohol only aboard private boats or in licensed premises, ban fireworks, barbecues, swimming and fishing inside the port, and forbid behaviour that disturbs other users' peace or privacy. Anyone who appears drunk can be asked to leave.

What Not to Do

Do not step onto a gangway uninvited, however open the stern looks, and do not photograph guests at close range; crews guard their guests' privacy, and the port's rules protect it too. Drinks bought in a bar stay in the bar. Children under 12 must be supervised, and the marina recommends lifejackets for them. Swimming off the quay is banned; when a crew needs a diver, the marina's office supplies one. Commercial advertising and ‘for sale’ signs are banned on boats without the marina's permission.

The Cars on the Quay

The supercars along the front are there by permission. Vehicle access needs a daily, monthly, quarterly or annual authorisation, paid in advance and covering up to three registered cars used one at a time, and vehicles carrying advertising are refused unless the marina allows them. Suppliers may only enter between 07:00 and 13:00, and not on Sundays or holidays. If you are driving, park outside and walk in; renting the cars themselves is covered in our supercar hire guide.

Booking Around the Peak Weeks

Everything tightens at once in August: tables, hotel rooms, charters and companions. Our price stays the same, but the diary does not, so book the restaurant first, then a companion five to seven days ahead, and a week more if you want someone specific.

Where to Stay in August

The port is loud late into the night in peak weeks. Many clients stay a little away and take a taxi in: Marbella's 2026 tariff is €3.79 plus €1.12 a kilometre by day and €4.64 plus €1.41 at night and at weekends. In the port itself, ME Marbella, the former Meliá Marbella Banús, reopened in July 2025. The Gran Meliá Don Pepe, still recommended in older guides, has been closed for refurbishment since 15 October 2025. Our hotels guide covers which receptions handle a visitor discreetly.

An August Evening That Works

Walk the quay at nine as the decks light up; in mid-August the sun sets at about 21:11, so the last light catches the hulls. Dine on the front at ten, and be somewhere quieter by one, because the port in the small hours of an August Saturday is a queue rather than an experience. As written, that is a four-hour dinner date or the start of an overnight; our nightclub guide covers the late option if you want it.

A Superyacht-Season Evening With a Companion

A dinner date, a minimum of three hours, starts at €900 and an overnight is €3,000–€4,000, the same in July and August as in any other month. Changes are free until 24 hours before a dinner date and 48 hours before an overnight. If you are invited aboard, her name goes on the yacht's guest list like everyone else's.

If You Are Invited Aboard

Invitations to drinks on a yacht are common in these weeks and come with the crew's rules: shoes off at the gangway, the captain's word on numbers, and every guest's name on the list before boarding. Tell us early and we brief her accordingly. For a day at sea rather than an evening at the stern, our yacht companions and the 72-hour window for yacht days in our cancellation guide apply.

How to Book It

Send us the date, the restaurant and the time, where you are staying and whether the night continues. For who is in the port this week, see our Puerto Banús escorts; for the wider town, our escorts in Marbella. You pay her directly before the booking starts, by cash, bank transfer (to her or to the agency) or crypto, and a booking made in advance carries a 25% deposit by transfer or crypto, with the balance paid to her at the start. An overnight is usually cleaner than extending an evening in August, when companions are committed elsewhere, and the client pays her taxi to the quay.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is superyacht season in Puerto Banús?

July and August, with the quay fullest in the second half of August. The marina's high-season tariff runs from June to September, and in the last days of August 2019 it reported berths almost 100% full as superyachts arrived to end their summer season in Banús.

How big are the yachts in Puerto Banús?

The marina's 915 berths take boats up to 50 metres, with a maximum draught of 6 metres, and larger yachts anchor outside or take berths priced case by case. In 2019 the marina described visiting superyachts of more than 80 metres, with crews of nine to eleven.

Can you walk along the pontoons in Puerto Banús?

No. The promenade along the Muelle de Ribera is public, but the pontoons are private: berth holders and visiting crews receive access cards from the control tower. Stay on the quay, do not step onto gangways uninvited, and keep drinks inside licensed premises, as the port's rules require.

How much does it cost to berth a superyacht in Puerto Banús?

In 2026, a 50-metre berth with 9 metres of beam costs €2,498 a day in high season and €711 in low season, and the category above it €5,271 and €1,530, VAT included before the port tax. A reservation becomes effective once 50% is paid.

Are there regattas in Puerto Banús during superyacht season?

Very few. Puerto Banús is a motor-yacht marina, and its summer is about the yachts on the quay rather than racing. Marbella's sailing races are run from the town marina, and the bigger regattas nearby are in Sotogrande and Málaga.