No matter what you like doing when travelling, you’ll find what you’re after in Almería. From its spectacular 10th-century Moorish fort to the breathtaking beaches of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, there’s something here to suit every taste. Read on for the 20 must-visit attractions in Almería.
Along with Málaga, Almería was the last Republican stronghold in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. To escape the onslaught of Franco’s bombs, local engineers built a 4.5km (2.7 miles) network of underground tunnels, now open as an attraction called the Refugios de la Guerra Civil.
Almería’s stunning Gothic-Renaissance cathedral is unique in Europe for being built as a defensive fortress as well as a place for Christian worship. Constructed in the mid-16th century, it sits on the tranquil, palm tree-lined Plaza de Catedral, where the WWII classic Patton was filmed in 1970.
Wild West film sets
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Almería’s Tabernas desert was the setting for some classic Hollywood films, chief amongst them the Siergo Leone westerns starring Clint Eastwood. Today, you can visit three of the Wild West sets built for these classics: Mini Hollywood, Fort Bravo and Western Leone.
Almería’s 460 square kilometre (177 square miles) Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park is southern Spain’s biggest protected coastal area. It is home to 1,100 species of fauna, including many different types of birds, who use the park as a pitstop on their annual migrations. There is some wonderful trekking and biking to be enjoyed here.
This wonderfully old-school bar is located just next to the city’s bustling central market, and serves some of the best tapas in town. Join the old men at the bar, as they sip their red wines and graze on albondigas (meatballs) and boquerones(anchovies), or take one of the few tables if you’re after a proper meal.
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The modern decor at Bar de Tapas Taberna uestra Tierra is in complete contrast to that of El Quinto Toro, yet it too is said to be one of the best tapas spots in Almería. Clients rave about the fried cod with spicy mayonnaise (bacalao frito con mahonesa de pil pil), and the friendly service also wins consistent priase.
La Chanca neighbourhood
Don’t leave Almería without visiting the old gypsy and flamenco neighbourhood of La Chanca. Exuding a scruffy charm, its cheerful, multi-coloured houses extend downhill in between the Alcazaba and the port. Other dwellings here take the form of caves carved into the hillside.
For some interactive and education fun, head to the Museo de la Guitarra, which offers an acoustic and electric guitar for visitors to try their skills on. The museum focuses on the 19th-century guitarist and guitar-maker Antonio de Torres Jurado, and displays a number of interesting models.
Almería’s principal museum – also somtimes called the Museo Arqueologico – takes a detailed look at the city’s rich archeaological past. It is home to a number of important pieces from the Copper and Bronze ages, which are displayed in spacious, light-filled rooms over four levels.
Port
Take in Almería’s busy port by strolling along the Nicolás Salméron park, where you’ll end up if you walk down from the Alcazaba through La Chanca. From this leafy haven, you can watch the cruise ships as they depart for and arrive from Morocco and Algeria.
The long stretch of gardens that offer fantastic views of Almería’s port take their name from Nicolás Salmerón, a local politician who in 1873 was president of Spain’s First Republic. At its centre is the visually-arresting Fuente de los Peces, or Fountain of the Fish.
