San Pedro de Alcantara

San Pedro de Alcantara Guide

San Pedro de Alcantara (more commonly just referred to as San Pedro) was once a small Spanish village surrounded by countryside, laying a few minutes from Puerto Banus and a short drive from the centre of Marbella. Nowadays it is a busy town with a main pedestrianised shopping area in the town centre and a seperate beach section with a long promendade lined with many restaurants.

The development around San Pedro de Alcantara has been immense and there are now many new developments opposite the popular beach area and stretching up to the main N340 / A7 coast road. More is plannned in terms of providing additional facilities for the ever increasing population of San Pedro.

Late 2005 saw the long awaited opening of the huge underground car park and a new commercial centre is planned. Although there has been a lot of development, San Pedro de Alcantara still remains a very Spanish town and the main focal point of the town is the Church in the main square.

The fair (feria) at San Pedro is also a huge event and people form nearby towns make the short trip to join the local residents with their celebrations.

San Pedro de Alcantara is the last town under the Marbella postal code before it becomes Estepona. It is a very busy section of the main road as it is the interchange for the Ronda road, the access point for the way up to the toll road and the main route along the coast. In the summer it can get very congested either side of San Pedro with traffic often tailing back a few kilometers. There are plans for an underpass to be built which will take the weight off of the main road and, although this appears to have been agreed by the council, it is going to be some time before it is built. If you are coming from the Estepona direction there is a slip road that avoids the main traffic lights on the main road, but many tourists do not know about this route. (Take the Guadalmina exit and then take the slip road alongside the main road. Now just follow it until you come out past the last set of San Pedro traffic lights heading in the direction of Marbella).

There are many bars, restaurants, tapas bars and shops scattered all around San Pedro both in the town and on the bach front. Just outside of the main town heading in the Estepona direction is a commercial centre called La Colonial which is home to the popular radio station REM FM. Also within this centre is a McDonalds restaurant, Casa home furnishings shops and more restaurants and bars.

On the beachfront at San Pedro is the beach restaurant Bora Bora made famous by clients such as the late Princess Diana and last summer Bruce Willis was apparently spotted having a spot of lunch. recommended that you have a stroll around the town (remembering that siesta time is 13.30/14.00 until 16.00/17.00. Also note that shops close around 13.30 on a Saturday and do not open again.

UPDATE 2010: Please note that at long last work on the underpass through San Pedro is well underway. While this project is being undertaken there are changes in access to part of the town and the main road is totally closed to traffic. All traffic is diverted via a 'service' road and at peak times traffic can build up substantially. If you intend to travel beyond San Pedro de Alcantara in either direction then you might be better to use the AP7 toll road. Access points will be off of the Ronda road (or Marbella if further east) and Estepona from the west.