In our second post of this tour along the European Mediterranean coast, we continue in Marbella because there is more to share about this city to entice the avid home swapper.

Beaches: Marbella has more than 25 different beaches along 30 Km, the most famous and most visited are in the area of Puerto Banus but since it is a city visited by the rich and famous, any beach has amenities nearby, good bathing conditions and sometimes even services right on the sand

Sports: There are many sports you can play in Marbella, not all related to the sea, but it is fair to say these are quite popular. You can golf, bowl, go trekking, rock climbing, horse riding or hiking in the near mountains (there are 4×4s available if you are not that into “actively” enjoying nature), and of course there are tennis courts and football fields as well.

For nights and rainy days: There are literally hundreds of bars, pubs and nightclubs in Marbella, so you won’t have problems finding things to do with your nights during your house swap. But also, you can attend flamenco shows or a show in a bullring (not only bullfights) which are a patrimony of Spain.

Image: bk images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The first city we are going to make port in is Marbella. In our last post we said we were going to start in Malaga, but then we decided we couldn’t leave Marbella out simply because a sunset in Marbella can be breath-taking.

Marbella (Spain) is nowadays a modern tourist city, but this development only came by the second half of the 20th century. Before that, it was a fishing port, an agricultural area, or a land rich in magnetic iron. It was also of interest to Romans and Muslims, and it preserves historic remains to show this rich past. There are even footprints left behind by prehistoric inhabitants, with Palaeolithic and Neolithic remains in the area.

The city is easily accessible with connections to main roads, airports, high-speed trains and of course, it has a strong connection to the sea and its four marinas welcome small and medium-size vessels. You won’t find trouble to get to Marbella and chances are you are going to find it during a bright sunny day!

Image: cubanjunky (Barbara Walsh) / Flickr.com

Home exchange offers in cities bathed by the Mediterranean waters come from a large number of HomeForHome users.  For example, the main four cities in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, Malaga, Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona, represent over 2,500 houses ready to receive swap offers.

There are some points that make this area a good choice for your vacations, other than the natural beauty and the tempting beaches. For example, it has a very good service network and infrastructure to receive tourists.

In the following posts we are going to introduce you to the best destinations along the northern coastline, covering the best of Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey, so you can dream about the waters of the Balearic Sea, the Tyrrhenian or the Aegean before you find your swap and pack your bags. We are going to travel together from Malaga (Spain) to Antalya (Turkey), discovering the magic of the Mediterranean.

Image: Public domain image taken from Wikimedia Commons.

People are swapping almost anything that is not perishable: clothes, books, appliances, and probably anything you can imagine. So why not swap houses too? The advantage over swapping items is that it doesn’t need to be permanent, a house swap can last from a weekend (or even less!) to several months at a time but you will return to your home sweet home.

Swapping is cheaper than buying and that is why it has become so popular these days, besides, it is said to be a green practice because things get used and reused until they become obsolete or broken, instead of just sitting hidden in a shelf or closet somewhere around the house because you don’t use it any more. The deal with house swapping is similar: it is cheaper than paying for other types of accommodation and it helps travellers reduce how their trips impact on the environment.

Seems like a good combination for a deal: cheap and green. How better can it get? We invite you to join today and start enjoying the benefits of being part of our community of house swappers.