Places to visit

The city of Almeria deserves to be visited due to its ‘Castillo de la Alcazaba’ (Castle) and its views of the city among other things. Heading west you find the pleasure harbour of Almerimar with its Marinas, golf courses, hotels and all kind of tourism attractions. The old fishing village of Adra is a little more to the west. Despite its incredible castle and a great variety of archaeological ruins, it is usually ignored by the tourists heading to the ‘Costa Tropical ‘ (Granada).

In the west of the city of Almeria we find the arid and desolate Natural Park of Cabo de Gata – Nijar. It is a desert landscape where annual rainfall does not surpass 200 mm. The population density is very low, with only a few villages in the area. A good place for trekking, because many interesting places can only be reached on foot. For this reason, many Nature and trekking lovers visit this place. The most popular coastal village is San José.

To the west of Almeria, we find the tourism enclaves of Roquetas de Mar and Agua Dulce. They are focused on tourism and have all kind of tourism and holiday facilities. To the north of the Coast of Almeria we have the naturistic beaches of Vera, with a great real estate development. A little more to the south we find the village of Mojácar, which combines holiday tourism with the charm of the typical Andalusia.

The mirador of the amatista (amethyst mirador): located close to the road, between the islet of Moro and Rodalquidar. Its balcony over the sea offers an exceptional view of the coast and the arid volcanic landscape. It also includes an information board about the flora and the fauna of the natural park.

The mirador of sirens: close to the lighthouse of the Cape of Gata, where we reach from the village of La Almadraba by a narrow road that goes up bordering the cliffs.

The coves of yesos in Sorbas: more than 600 galleries perforated by subterranean rivers, with several kilometres of length and, in some cases, like the Cueva del Agua (Cave of the Water), they can be visited with a guide. The area, on the surface, is a protected natural landscape, crosses by the river Aguas, which has formed beautiful narrow passes.

The Mountain Chain of Cabrera: located between Mojácar and Carboneras, it is formed by an impressive uninhabited mountain crosses by the so-called route of Transcabrera. Its landscape, with springs and vegetation areas, evokes the passing of the Christian captives in the times of the Arab domination, who were embarked to slave markets in northern Africa. One of the tracks of the hills goes to the abandoned village of Teresa, where you will see the ruins of a Mudéjar temple in a lonely landscapes of cliffs.

The Genoveses’ Bay: a wonderful cove of quiet and clean waters, where you reach by a track from San José. The large expanse of sand has a nudist area and some tree zones. Near, if you go to the beach of Monsul, you will see one of the settings of the ‘Last Crusade’ of Indiana Jones.

El Playazo: a wide and lonely beach, where you can see the remains of an old fortress, where you reach by a track from Rodalquilar.

Mojácar: village of Arab foundation on a hill where you can see the coast, where the new Mojácar has been built. The old part of the town has lovely corners, paved alleys and white house, whose entrances halls are restaurants and crafts shops. The city hall is protected by beautiful trees.

San José: another tourism village of the coast, with several hotels and restaurants for all economies many information about the Natural Park and a quiet pleasure harbour, where boat cruises around the coast are organized.

Las Negras: ancient fishing village in a small bay closed by volcanic rocks and far from agglomerations. Little buildings, some small restaurants and very quiet waters in all colour stone beaches. A piece of advice for the most courageous is to make an excursion, on foot or by boat, to the lovely creek of San Pedro, protected by the remains of a castle and transformed in a improvised hippie camp.

Rodalquilar: close to the sea, in an area of beautiful beaches and isolated farms. Its main attraction is the ruins of an old mine, including the workers village. Gold was extracted from here until the seventies.

Níjar: white village with an Arab watchtower, a great church and an ancient artisan tradition, to highlight the ‘jarapas’, exposed in many shops. You can get lost in the ‘high neighbourhood’ and admire the spectacular elms located close to the market, extraordinarily saved from the epidemic that killed all these trees in Europe.

Sorbas: small village close to a 60 m rock, with some palaces, miradors on the plain of the river Aguas and a pottery neighbourhood with many ceramic shops.

Meet Almeria Capital Town...

Almeria is the regional capital and has the title of, "The City With The Most Sun", in fact an average 325 days a year. The subtropical climate allows you to enjoy Almeria all year round from the stunning scenery of the Alpujarra Mountains to the National park of Cabo De Gata-Nijar. The Moorish past of Nijar is reflected in the layout of its streets. The remains of a Moorish Castle are also a historical attraction and the town is famed for its brightly decorated pottery. With an average annual temperature of 22c the beaches are open to be enjoyed all year round, all 200 kilometres of them, especially as the winter sea temperature is warmer than the air, which is part of the cleanest atmosphere in Europe. Within a few hours drive you can be skiing in the Sierra Nevada, which is located in the Penibetic mountain range in Andalucia.