Bus services in Benalmadena Costa, consist of a frequent 15/20 minute service to Torremolinos and Malaga, and a half hourly service to Fuengirola, Benalmadena Pueblo and Mijas. Ronda, Marbella, Estepona, Algeciras, Jerez and La Linea are also served. The best bus stop to use for long distance journeys is at 24 hour square. Fares are cheaper than in the U.K. Timetables
Benalmadena and Arroyo had three urban bus routes, but two of these have recently been suspended, leaving just Line 2 which runs from the Benalmadena Estupa to Nueva Torrequebrada. The timetable is here.
Taxis are cheaper than in the U.K. The price per km. is about 95 cents. A taxi from the airport should be in the region of 20 - 25 euros. I would advise checking the fare with the driver before hiring as it has been known for a few rogue drivers to try to charge a lot more. They do not use a meter! There is an official price list outside the arrivals hall adjacent to the taxi rank. Local Benalmadena taxis 952 441 545.
Using The Local Trains (Click here for rail maps)
As this site shows, Benalmadena and Arroyo de la Miel are very fortunate to have excellent local transport links. Unlike many resorts, a hire car is not essential to see the many sights that the Costa del Sol has to offer.
Understandably in the high season, many people choose to spend their time around the pool or by the sea, however, there are many things that we would recommend for you to see and these are mentioned on this site. Whilst many visitors are content and familiar with using the taxis and buses, it is frustrating to hear of people being uncertain of what to do when using the excellent local train service on the RENFE Cercanías Málaga service.
Let’s deal with what all that’s about first. RENFE is the equivalent of the old British Railways or BR, and is the nationalised rail system for the whole of Spain. Cercanías is the name for a local suburban line and of course this is the Málaga local suburban line.
There are in fact two local lines in the Málaga province, the C1 - Málaga to Fuengirola and the C2 Málaga to Alora. Both the C1 and C2 lines meet in Málaga at a station known as Málaga RENFE. This is where the suburban lines meet the national RENFE network and where you can catch trains to anywhere in Spain. The C2 is a suburban line goes northward up into the foothills of the mountains, to the beautiful white walled village of Alora. It is well worth a visit.
So, let’s take a closer look at the C1 line, which is the one we really need to concentrate upon.
The line has been in existence for many years and connects the centre of Málaga, Málaga Centro, through Málaga RENFE and then onto Málaga Airport, the new leisure and shopping centre of Plaza Mayor, then onto Torremolinos, Benalmadena / Arroyo de la Miel and terminating in Fuengirola, with many intermediate stops on the way.
The full journey takes 50 minutes, with Málaga to Benalmadena taking 32 minutes, the airport to Benalmadena taking 19 minutes and Benalmadena to Fuengirola taking 17 minutes.
The trains are air conditioned and punctual. All the signage is in Spanish and English including live information signs on the station and the train, and the ‘next stop’ announcements are also made in both languages. They really are very easy to use.
Buying tickets is easy too, and you have two methods to choose from. All the main stations (Málaga Centro, Málaga RENFE, Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola), are fully staffed with security and ticket offices. For the local trains there are two types of tickets, ida solo (one way), or ida y vuelve, out and return. The ticket sellers all seem to speak English so you should not have any problems at all. Two adults to Málaga Centro, return please, always gets you what you want.
**A point to note here. There are two railway stations in the centre of Málaga; Málaga RENFE and Málaga Centro. Whilst both are in the centre of the city, Málaga RENFE is a little further out and Málaga Centro is an extension which takes you a few hundred yards further into the city centre. On your first visit we would advise getting off at Málaga Centro which is the end of the line, so you can’t mistake it.**
The second option at the staffed and unstaffed stations, is to use the ticket vending machines. These machines currently take Euro coins and €5 notes only. Once again, they are bi-lingual. Simply hit the idioma button and choose English and you will have all the instructions. Choose the station you are going to, single or return, the number of tickets you want and then put in the cash.
A word of warning, you will not be able to access the platforms at staffed stations without a ticket, but at the un-staffed stations you will. If you board the train at any of these stations without a ticket and there is a ticket booth or machine, you will have to pay a premium rate fare to the ticket inspector, so best to have your ticket first. The trains are regularly patrolled by armed security staff and ticket inspectors, so expect to meet them on board.
At Benalmadena / Arroyo station simply buy your ticket, put them into the barrier machines and walk through the barriers, to the left of the ticket booth to Málaga and to the right to Fuengirola. Everything is well signed. Trains leave to Málaga 20 and 50 minutes past the hour and to Fuengirola 03 and 33 minutes past the hour. Hang onto your tickets even if they are single - you will need them for inspection and to exit the barriers at your destination station.
The railway line is at the moment a single track, with passing loops at various locations, usually at the main stations. This is rapidly changing, with a multi-million euro project to make the track double along most of it's length and to significantly reduce journey times and to increase the service interval to 15 minutes. Future plans are to extend the line beyond Fuengirola to Marbella, Puerto Banus, Estepona and eventually down to the key port of Algeciras, right next door to Gibraltar, making day trips to ‘Gib’ by train relatively easy.
Train arrivals are announced in Spanish and English and as previously mentioned, once you board the train, the next station is announced in both languages. If you have any mobility problems there are elevators / lifts at all the main stations and escalators as well. The Spanish are always well mannered, and give up their seats for people with mobility problems, and there are also designated seats.
Well that’s it folks. Couldn’t be easier, could it? If you want more information, simply join our Forum and ask a question. Regular visitors, property owners and ex-pats are ready and waiting to help. Hope this helps you have a more enjoyable holiday / visit to the Costa del Sol.
Trains. There is a local railway service operated by RENFE that runs between Fuengirola and Malaga using the station in Arroyo de la Miel. Trains depart every 30 minutes in both directions, at 00 and 30 minutes past each hour in the Malaga direction including the airport, and at 23 and 53 towards Fuengirola. Trains from Malaga airport to Arroyo depart at 04 and 34 minutes past the hour, but please check the departure / arrival times here, as railway engineering work is ongoing to upgrade the service to a 15 minute interval, and timetable alterations are happening on a regular basis. Again the fares are cheap. A link to our railway map showing all the stations served is below. To travel on the line from Malaga to Alora you have to change at Malaga RENFE. On Spanish railways, it is always advisable to buy your train tickets from the ticket office or ticket machine if there is one, before boarding the train.
The RENFE website in English is here. You can find train timetables and ticket prices for journeys throughout Spain.
