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The City of Almeria

The city of Almeria is Andalucia's most eastern capital. Years ago, it was not as well known by tourists as other capitals like Malaga, Sevillle, or Granada. However, that has changed drastically in the last while with its growth as a major holiday area.

Almeria holds a great deal of charm and is steeped in history. It is located at the foot of a mountain range which is crowned by the magnificent Alcazaba, an Arab fortress built by the Caliph of Cordoba, Abd-erRahman with three huge walled enclosures (in the second of which are remains of a mosque, converted to a chapel by the Catholic kings).

RESTAURANTS AND CUISINE

Almeria is also well-known for its restaurants and local cuisine. The best place for reasonably priced restaurants and bars is around the Puerta de Purchena at the end of Paseo de Almeria. In the old town you can find many good bars and cafes near to the town hall.

Gastronomic specialities include "Gurullos" (stew with pasta), "Trigo" (stew with grains of wheat, pork, beans and herbs), "Gachas" (hot and spicy clam stew) and "Escabeche e Sardines" (fresh sardines in hot sauce). As well as cultivating tourism over the past decade, Almeria has also cultivated innumerable plastic-covered greenhouses and now produces the bulk of the province's fruit and vegetables, much of it for export.

Almeria begs to be explored. Spend some time enjoying its winding streets, visiting its fine museums, and dining out on the local cuisine. You will want to return time and time again.

SIGHTSEEING

The hilltop Alcazaba's hefty walls and towers dominate the city and command magnificent views.

It was founded during the first half of the 10th century by the Cordoba caliph Abd ar-Rahman. At the heart is the Segundo Recinto while at the east end is the Ermita de San Juan chapel which was converted from a mosque by the Catholic Monarchs.

The Tercer Recinto at the north-west end of the Alcazaba is a fortress which was added by the Catholic Monarchs. Its thick stone walls and sturdy round towers are in much better condition than the rest of the Alcazaba.

VILLAGES OF CAVE DWELLERS

Like neighbouring Granada, Almeria province is famous for its troglodytic village, where many homes are dug out of soft sand-coloured cliffs. These "casas-cuevas" (cave-houses) provide excellent insulation from the dry, desert-like fierce heat typical of this province. They often have a conventional façade with windows and tiled roofs, while above are chimneys that jut up from the earth behind. Chimney-like skylights are dug for interior lighting of the cave.

As well as the casas cuevas in the Barrio de Chanca area in Almeria city, the most interesting cave-dweller settlements are Alhabia, Gádor and Benahadux, in the region around Santa Fé de Mondújar and near the recently excavated site of Los Millares, the largest Bronze Age settlement in Europe with a prehistoric fortress built 2,000 years before Christ. There are also caves in the Almeria section of the Alpujarras, at Fondón and at Láujar de Andarax.

SPAGHETTI WESTERNS AND SOLAR ENERGY IN THE SPANISH DESERT

In the 1960s Italian movie directors like Sergio Leone filmed their own version of the North American Wild West among the mesetas and cactus trees of the Desierto de Tabernas Natural Area and the ramshackle film sets have been turned into a tourist attraction, Mini Hollywood, complete with trading posts and double-door saloons. The nearby village of Tabernas makes a good base for exploring the desert and has a charming church built in the Mudejar style.

On the edge of the arid Sierra de Gádor is the spa town of Alhama de Almeria, renowned for its thermal waters with a modern hotel on the site of the original baths.

Láujar de Andarax is the largest village in the Sierra Nevada National Park in Almeria province. Above Láujar are some superb views across the valley below and there are many good walks in the surrounding hills. Just outside the town is a great picnic spot on the shady banks of the Andarax river, close to its source.

COASTAL VILLAGES

Mojácar is the largest resort on the Costa Almeria, popular with foreign residents, many of them British; around half of its population of 5,000 come from the EU. Mojácar is divided between a stunning hilltop old part of the town, Mojácar Pueblo, and the newer seafront Mojácar Playa, built alongside a superb sandy beach. A more low-key resort is San José, the centre of the extraordinary Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, with some of Andalucia´s most magnificent beaches such as the Playa de los Genoveses and the Playa de Monsul.

North of Mojácar is the small resort of Villaricos with a pebble beach. Roquetas de Mar is a popular resort 25km west of Almeria with a broad, sandy beach and many watersport activities and golf courses.