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If you are flying into Malaga Airport and dont want to hire a car you will be pleased to hear that the bus services on the Costa del Sol are pretty reliable. There is a new high speed train service currently under construction which will run from the new terminal due to open at Malaga Airport next year. It will connect the airport to Malaga City Centre and run along the Costa del Sol as far as Estepona, but 2011 is the estimated completion date, so until then buses are your only public transport option.
You can get a number 19 bus from Malaga Airport into the bus depot in the city centre. From here you can get bus connections via the CTSA Portillo bus company to Algeciras, Alhaurin de la Torre, Alhaurin el Grande, Cadiz, Cartama, Coin, Estepona, Guaro, La Linea, Marbella, Mijas, Monda, Pinos de Alhaurin, Ronda and Tolox.
The bus company Alsa operates routes from Malaga between capitals including Sevilla, Crdoba, Almeria, Jan and Granada and more than 50 of the main areas of Andalucia. It also covers almost the entire Andalusian coast, linking tourist resorts like Marbella, Torremolinos, Mlaga, Almuecar or Roquetas del Mar. A service between Jan and Granada Airport started recently.
Marbella Bus Station is located slightly north of Marbella and is about a 20 minute walk to the centre of Marbella and 30 minutes down to the sea front which you get to by crossing the road bridge next to the bus station and going straight down the road leading away from the mountains.
From Marbella bus station there are excellent transport communication links to the Costa del Sol with the bus companies CTSA Portillo and Alsa operating regular services Algeciras, Alhaurin el Grande, Alhaurin de la Torre, Benalmadena Costa, Coin, Estepona, Fuengirola, La Linea, Malaga Airport, Malaga Bus Station, Marbella (local urban services), Mijas, Ronda, San Pedro and Torremolinos. The Malaga Airport service is a non-stop high speed coach which takes about 45 minutes and costs just over 4 single fare.
Run Bus fares in southern Spain are very reasonable and the buses run very frequently over the summer months, but during the low season in the winter the services are reduced. You can find out more details of timetables and fares at www.ctsa-portillo.com and www.alsa.es
There are bus stations (estacin de autobuses), on the Costa del Sol in the following resorts: Algeciras (Av. Virgen del Carmen 15. 956/51055). Estepona (Av. de Espaa. 952/800249). Fuengirola (Av. Alfonso X111. 952/475066). Mlaga (Paseo de los Tilos. 952/350061). Marbella (Av. Trapiche. 952/764400). Torremolinos (Calle Hoyo. 952/382419). There are left luggage offices (consignas) at the central bus stations.
The writer of this article is Linda Craik who has lived in Spain for a number of years. She works for Plus Four SL who specialise in writing airport guides including the Spanish Airport Guide which includes information on all the main Spanish Airports including Malaga Airport
