San Pedro Boulevard is a park built over the main coastal highway through this town |
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San PEDRO - Boulevard
by Marianne Hill
San Pedro Boulevard is a park built over the main A-7(was N-340) coastal highway which was relocated into a long unerpass. Since the Boulevard was opened in December 2014, the park has become a popular feature of the San Pedro town.
One of the more distinctive aspects of the boulevard is its eye-catching footbridge that passes over the central roundabout and connects the two areas on either side of it. The bridge is 300m long and was designed to reflect the sea. The local architect, Juan Antonio Fernández, named it 'Un Mar de Sensaciones' (A sea of sensations) and as its name suggests it undulates, in some places quite steeply, like the waves of the sea that can be seen in the distance behind it.
Construction work started on the underpass for the A-7 coast road in 2006 and took five years to complete. The finished 2km underpass transformed the coast road and removed two notorious sets of traffic lights which always caused long queues, especially in the summer. These traffic lights were renowned (before the toll motorway AP-7 provided a by-pass) as the first set of traffic lights would encounter when travelling on the E-15 from Northern Europe to Algeciras. The boulevard was created above the underpass over the following 16 months. It served to transform not only the appearance of the town, but it also united the two distinct sides of San Pedro - the beach side and the town side.
For young children the boulevard is a haven of play areas and places to explore. Over the total area of 55,000 m2 there are a total of six playgrounds, all totally different, the largest of which is an impressive 650 m2. The playgrounds are very well-maintained and are equipped with a wide variety of play equipment suitable for children all of all ages. At weekends and evenings the boulevard is very popular with families.
Within the boulevard there is an outdoor amphitheatre which occasionally hosts performances and concerts, especially during festivals. A cycle lane travels the length of the boulevard, and just under the bridge you can find a shop with bikes and scooters to hire by the hour and day.
The boulevard is very popular not only with walkers, but also those on rollerblades, scooters and bikes, and at the far end there is a large paved rink that is usually alive with children, and adults, whizzing about on either two or four-wheeled skates.
Along the boulevard you will find several few bars/restaurants with both covered and open-air seating, which are fantastic for sitting with a drink or something to eat while watching the world go by. Attached to each of these are public toilets which are clean and well-maintained.
The boulevard is a great place to visit when you're in San Pedro. With its spacious walkways, beautiful gardens, eye-catching water features, recreational facilities and restaurants you can find an abundance of things to do and see. The boulevard is maintained to a high standard by a team of workers who can be seen early every morning tending to the gardens and cleaning the boulevard in preparation for the day's visitors and who are also a presence throughout the day ensuring that the boulevard is kept safe and clean.
PARKING
You will find ample parking all along the boulevard on both sides. Some are free (white lines) and some are pay at the machine (blue lines) so finding a parking spot is usually ok if you are lucky. If not, you can use the pay underground car park under Avenida Marques de Duero or there are always spaces in the roads down towards the sea.
EVENTS
The boulevard has its own Facebook page (Bulevar San Pedro Alcántara) where upcoming events are advertised, and photos, videos and information are posted. You can also follow the boulevard on Twitter (@BulevarSPA) to be updated on both future and past events.
Skate Park
The San Pedro Skate park is located just at the eastern (Marbella) end of the skatepark.
Big Wheel
In July 2020, the mayor had announced that a 50-metre big wheel would be installed at the western end of the boulevard. A private company had offered to install a Ferris wheel, to be operational within a year, and had applied for a licence. Marbella Town Hall prepared formal tender documents which were issued in November 2021 for a ten-year concession with an annual payment of €28,000 to the Town Hall, but in March 2022 the Town Hall announced that no proposals had been received.
Boulevard or Boulevar?
While the original poster for the inauguration on 12 December 2014 referred to the park as 'Boulevard de San Pedro' in common Spanish, the more recently created official website, X and Facebook pages have changed the name to 'Boulevar de San Pedro'.
