Once capital of the Moorish Empire that stretched from the Algarve to Tunisia, Almeria is steeped in history and soaked in sun. Alongside such sights as the fortified cathedral and 10th century castle, the city is home to lively nightlife and unspoilt, sandy beaches, and the surrounding province (of the same name) is packed with more of the same.
Things to see and do:
- The Alcazaba – This Arab castle has much in common with Granada’s Alhambra and Seville’s Alcazar – awe-inspiring in its synthesis of grand scale and intricate design – but is significantly less visited than the aforementioned tourist-magnets, providing the chance to get a better sense of the relative tranquillity in which its original occupants lived.
- Cathedral – Almeria’s cathedral is fortified against pirates (no doubt they had the ones from the Isla de Tabarca near Alicante in mind), and its gothic towers were once home to six cannons (not canons).
- Eating out – make sure you sample the local cuisine at a tapas bar or restaurant: as Almeria is a port, specialities naturally draw heavily on fresh fish and seafood.
- Day trips – Mojacar, to the east of Almeria manages at once to be both an ancient Moorish town and a highly developed package destination, while at the other end of the scale and in the other direction (ie west), Roquetas de Mar has luxurious beaches to match its luxuriously rich and famous visitors.
Getting there:
Almeria airport lies five miles east of the city. The ‘linea 14’ buses run every half hour between 7am and 11pm from the airport to the city centre, plus there are the usual taxis and car hire available at the airport. Trains run four times daily from Almeria to Granada, while there are regular bus connections to Murcia, Granada and Malaga.
Location and weather:
Almeria is perched between the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean, just over 150km south-east of Granada and 600km due south of Madrid. The Almeria region is one of the warmest and sunniest in Europe – there’s little or no rain in the summer.
Top tip:
Don’t miss the Almeria region’s troglodyte villages – settlements in which the residents’ homes are caves carved out of the cliffs. |
