The Andalucian city of Almeria has a fantastic fortress, a lively tapas scene and an unexpectedly impressive movie heritage.
What is Almeria all about?
For the Europeans who provide the bulk of Almeria’s visitors, the climate is the main draw. It is reputedly the hottest city in continental Europe, in its driest region. The continent’s only desert is on the doorstep, and the coast provides plenty of opportunity to cool off.
But the city – dowdier and less obviously romantic than its Andalucian counterparts in Granada, Cordoba and Seville – can’t rely on sunshine alone. And that’s where a series of interesting quirks and unusual attractions come in. Almeria’s beginning to spruce itself up, and while it’ll never be anyone’s first choice to visit in Spain, it could well be the pleasant surprise for anyone travelling around the south.
A walk through Almeria’s highlights
Do the history thing first at the snazzily-presented Centro De Interpretacíon Patrimonial, which kicks off with the city’s Islamic heritage. Caliphs and kings ruled from 955 to 1489, building the second largest fortress – the Alcazaba – in southern Spain in the process. There are great views of this from the rooftop terrace, while other floors show how the region recovered from drought and pirate attacks through agriculture and acting as a filming location for Hollywood Westerns.
From there, head towards the weird-looking cathedral – it has ramparts as it was part-designed to be a defensive stronghold – and the Museo de la Guitarra. This celebrates the history of the guitar – and the Almería man, Antonio de Torres, who created the design of the classical guitar that still holds sway today.
But the Alcazaba is the real star. It’s a huffing, puffing hike to get up there, but once inside it’s a mammoth castle complex, with fortified walls plunging down into the valley and back up again. Courtyards and gardens appear around random turns, and the views from the towers over the stark hillside are fab.
The Museo de Almeria has tried to liven up its presentation with a recent makeover, but it’s still filled with largely dull archaeological finds.
Almeria’s best beaches
Almeria may be on the Mediterranean coast, but it is a port city rather than a beach city. If you want great beaches, do as the locals do at weekends and head to the rather stunning Cabo de Gata promontory to the south-east of the city. There are clifftop hikes, old gold mines and several kayaking tour outfits out here, but Playa de Mónsul and Playa del Playazo are amongst the easier to reach beaches for those who just want to chill out on the sand.
Almeria’s best day out
One of Almeria’s oddities is its unlikely heritage as a movie location. This kicked off in earnest with Sergio Leone’s ‘spaghetti Westerns’ such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, which substituted the Tabernas desert for the American West. But others shot in and around the city include Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Many of the Westerns were shot at Oasys Mini Hollywood, which now acts as a Wild West theme park when the cameras aren’t in town. Expect plenty of cheesy staged shoot-outs.
More Almeria tours and experiences
Almeria tour options include kayaking at Cabo de Gata, wine-tasting and sunrise safaris.
Food and drink in Almeria
Almeria becomes much more energetic at night, and the tapas culture is strong. There are dozens of joints between the cathedral and Paseo de Almeria which work on the same policy – buy a drink, and they’ll bring out some free food. Unusually even by Spanish standards, you get to choose what the free tapa is. There are several in a row down Calle Padre Alfonso Torres, and the beef cheeks with honey at Entrefinos is definitely worth plumping for.
Meanwhile, with one of the city’s more attractive terraces, La Encina (restaurantelaencina.net) does degustation menus or mains such as duck confit with red fruits salsa and creamed rice.
Shopping in Almeria
To come to Almería for the shopping would be, frankly, bizarre. Main shopping street Paseo de Almería has a series on mid-range chain shops such as Calzedonia, H&M and Pull and Bear – but there’s nothing to get thrilled about. The nearby Central Market – which got a modern refurb in 2012 – is worth poking around in though. The Almería province is one of Europe’s agricultural powerhouses, so there are great veggies, fruits, cheeses and meats on offer for would-be picnickers – as well as jams and honeys that may be easier to take home.
Almeria hotel recommendations
The plushest option in town is the Aire, which has a rooftop pool and an ancient baths complex below ground for those who want a bit of Me Time. Wooden-floored rooms come with novel mattress made from rubber and coconut fibres rather than springs, plus massive photo-covered feature walls.
The Hotel Catedral is in a 19th century building, but has 11th century coffered ceilings. It also has one of the better café-restaurants in town and a handy rooftop pool. Rooms, alas, are less exciting than they probably should be.
Not planning on spending much time in the hotel room and just want solid, central and cheap? Then the Hotel Costasol does the three star with little to complain about thing admirably.
