Almería travel guide

Background

The city of Almería was established as a port by the Córdoban caliph Abd al-Rahman III in the middle of the 10th century. It was he who ordered the construction of its sturdy Alcazaba fortress when he granted the town its charter. In those days it was called Al-Mariyat, translated by some as ‘watchtower’, and by others, more poetically, as ‘by the mirrored sea’. After the fall of the caliphate, Almería became an important taifa state, thriving on shipbuilding, ceramics and the silk trade. Although conquered by the Christians in 1147, it was soon recaptured by the Almohads and was not surrendered by the Moors until the Catholic Monarchs came calling in 1490. With the Muslims expelled, a rapid decline set in, not helped by a major earthquake in 1522 which destroyed much of the town. By the 17th century, the population was under 600, a far cry from the hundreds of thousands that had called the city home in its pomp. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a revival, as Almería became a useful port for exporting the ores mined in the province’s interior. Almería was strongly Republican in the Civil War and was shelled by a German battleship and destroyers; the town fell to the Nationalists at the end of March 1939, amid scenes of panic and brutality.

In recent years, however, Almería has shaken off its bleak and poverty-stricken image and looks far smarter thanks to income from tourism and horticulture, and the boost provided by cultural, transport and economic links to the Maghreb. In 2005 it successfully hosted the Mediterranean Games and is now Andalucía’s most rapidly growing major city.

Best time to visit

Almería is Spain’s sunniest city, so even in winter it’s far from cold and you may even be able to brave a dip in the sea. In summer the province’s most attractive zone, the Cabo de Gata, as well as popular beach resorts such as Mojácar, become crowded, so you may want to consider an off-season visit.

Getting around

Apart from accessing the airport, the only time you are likely to need public transport is for day trips in the surrounding area, or to get to the beach zone, Zapillo. To reach this area, 1.5 km to the east of the centre, catch bus No 1 from the Paseo de Almería.

Ins and outs

Getting there

Almería has an international airport served by flights from Britain, Ireland, Germany and other European countries as well as from within Spain. Almería’s bus and train stations are adjacent, a short walk to the east of the centre. While there are few trains running, the buses connect the city effectively with the rest of the province and other destinations in Andalucía and Spain.

Almería

Air

Almería’s airport is 8 km east of the centre, and connected by the No 14 bus from the Rambla near the intersection with C Dr Gregorio Marañón. These run every 20 mins Mon-Fri, and every 40 mins Sat- Sun (€1). It’s €15-20 in a cab. The airport is served to and from London by both Easyjet and Ryanair. Monarch flies to and from London Luton, Birmingham and Manchester, and BMI Baby to and from East Midlands.There are other charter flights here from both Britain and Germany, while Ryanair also fly direct from Dublin. AirBerlin fly between here and many European destinations via their Mallorca hub. There are several daily connections to Madrid and Barcelona, as well as a daily flight to Zaragoza and to Melilla, a Spanish town on the Moroccan coast. For airport information, call T950-213700.

Bus

For bus information, T950-210029. Almería’s new bus station is adjacent to the train station a short walk east of the centre.

Within Almería province, there are 4 daily departures (2 on Sun) for San José in Cabo de Gata (1 hr, €3.16), one of which (Mon and Sat only) continues to Isleta del Moro. To Cabo de Gata village, there are 6 daily buses (45 mins, €2.15). To Rodalquilar and Las Negras, a daily bus (except Sun) makes the trip (2 hrs, €3.92). One also leaves direct to Agua Amarga (2 hrs, €4.34). There are 4 buses to Carboneras on weekdays but only 1 on Sat and Sun.

On Mon-Fri, a daily bus leaves to Laujar, and there’s a daily bus (2 at weekends) to Ugijar in the Granadan Alpujarras.

Mojácar is served by 2-5 daily buses (1-2 hrs, €5.50), while Tabernas gets up to 7 weekday buses but fewer at weekends (30 mins).

A couple of daily buses go to Níjar, Sorbas, Vélez Blanco and Vélez Rubio.

Within Andalucía, there are daily buses to Cádiz (€42.37), Córdoba (€24.33), Sevilla (€31.07, 3 daily) and Jaén (€16.62, 2 daily). More frequent connections include Málaga (5-7 daily, €15.86) and Granada (5-7 daily, €11.90, 2 hrs).

Outside Andalucía, there are several daily departures for Murcia, Madrid (€28.07, 6-7 hrs), and Barcelona via Alicante.

Car

Car hire

Apart from airport agencies, a good local dealer is Almericar, C Rueda López 17, T950-234966, http://www.almericar.com.

Ferry

Almería is an important ferry port that connects Spain with Morocco and Algeria. In summer, there are several daily departures to Melilla, a Spanish port on the Moroccan coast, to nearby Nador in Morocco itself, and to Ghazaouet and Oran in Algeria. In winter, ferries are less frequent. It is important to check all departures at the port itself as schedules change frequently. The information desk at the passenger port, which is opposite C Real, is very helpful.

At the time of writing, there was a daily departure from Almería to Melilla with Trasmediterránea (T902-454645, http://www.trasmediterranea.es). The same company also travels to Nador in Morocco, near Melilla, and, in summer, Ghazaouet and Oran in Algeria. Ferrimaroc (T950- 274800, http://www.ferrimaroc.com) and Berkane (T950-620303, http://www.comarit.com) also do the Nador route. The crossing takes 7-8 hrs and costs from €43 for a seat, and from €68.50 per person for a double cabin. SNCM, T950-274800, http://www.sncm.fr, also do the Oran route.

Taxi

T950-251111.

Train

For train information, T950-251135.

Almería’s beautiful art nouveau train station unfortunately doesn’t see too much action. There are 4 daily departures to Granada (2 hrs 15 mins, €14.45), and Sevilla (5 hrs, €34.60), 2 to Madrid (6 hrs 30 mins, €40.80), and 1 to Barcelona every couple of days (13 hrs, €56.90).

Internet and telephone

There are numerous places near the ferry terminal that offer both cheap phone calls and internet access; one of these is Locutorio Carlos, at the corner of Álvarez de Castro and Parque Nicolás Salmerón, a block from the tourist office.

Medical services

The central Hospital Provincial, Paseo de San Luis, T950-017600, and the Hospital Torrecárdenas, Paraje Torrecárdenas s/n, T950-016208, both have 24-hr emergency service.