Cycling to and from Istan
Cycling in Spain is superb, for numerous reasons, great climate, great scenery, loads of space, great uncrowded 
roads and miles and miles of scenic on and off road routes.
Here in Marbella, the Istan Road is a superb spot for road cycling. The road from Marbella to Istan is hugely popular with road cyclists, who climb around 400m on the 14km route from Marbella up to the small whitewashed village of Istan, before heading back down.
Apart from two fairly severe climbs, unfortunately one immediately after the other, about 3km into the ride as the road goes under the A7 Toll Road, the rest of the road is a long and gentle winding climb with the odd gentle down hill thrown in. The last 1km is downhill into the village.
The pretty village of Istan itself has a few bars and restaurants to enjoy a pit stop once there!
But the highlight of the ride has to be the stunning views over the La Conception reservoir, the Mediterranean, Gibralter and the north coast of Africa as you make your way up the road, and the superb tight turns for the speed freaks as you make your way down the hill at speed!
But a note of caution, in humid conditions the road can get wet even if there has been no rain 
for days, close to the mountain side. But you see this on the way up at a slower pace!
How do I get to the Istan Road?
Istan is signposted from the main road through Marbella (Buliva del Principe Alfonso von Hohenloe), weswt of the centre in between Marbella and Puerto Banus, just west of the Puente Romano Hotel. The Lat Long is - 35 30 07 N 4 55 52 W.
From here you simply follow the Istan signposts. Green KM marker signs at the sides of the road let you know your progress. The village of Istan is just after the 14KM mark!
Where can I hire a bike in Marbella?
Try any of these operators who offer cycling in Marbella.
28km is a bit short!
If you ride through the top of the village, taking a steep road up past the sports ground, you can ride further north on a quiet and very scenic road up the back of Istan. This road is surfaced for about 3.5km before the road becomes 'off road'. If you are on a mountain bike and have legs of steel you can carry on a further 90km or more to Monda, Tollox and as far as Ronda!
What else is there to do in Istan?
There are loads of great things to do in Istan, including lots of fun activities on the reservoir and amazing mountain biking and hiking.