Almería Province

Almeria province clockwise: Almeria, Albox, Mojacar, San Jose and Viator © Michelle Chaplow
Almeria province clockwise: Almeria, Albox, Mojacar, San Jose and Viator

Almería Province

In the far south-eastern corner of the Iberian peninsula is this sun-baked province, with the highest hours of sunshine and lowest rainfall in Europe. Given Almería's climate, it´s no surprise that much of the province is comprised of semi-arid desert-like landscape. Due to the dry weather, much of this area is a sparsely populated wilderness.

Almeréa´s skies are also some of the clearest in Europe, Europe´s most powerful telescope has been installed here, near Gergal in the Sierra Alhamilla mountain range with an annual average of 3,000 hours of sunshine, it is also home to one of Europe´s largest solar energy plants, the Solar Platform of Almeria.

This hot climate and the natural protective barrier of the Sierra de Gádor also means that Almeria coast is one of the most productive agricultural zones in Europe for fruit, vegetables and flowers. This intensive agriculture means that a good chunk of the coastal territory is under wraps, swathed in field after field of ugly plastic greenhouses.   Fortunately, an equally sizeable area of the Costa Almería has protected status as one Andalucia´s most outstanding wildlife areas and its largest coastal reserve, the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.

ALMERIA CITY

The provincial capital and port of Almería city is overlooked by a vast, sprawling Moorish citadel, the Alcazaba. Also well worth exploring is Almeria´s old town, peppered with interesting monuments, including a cathedral with an impressive Gothic interior, a 300-year-old hospital and great tapas bars.

Areas to explore in Almeria Province

Almería Province Map
Map of Almeria

Sandwiched between the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, Gador, Filabres and Alhamilla is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Spain, the desolate Desierto de Tabernas. The only semi-desert in… More →

This Costa is made up of the coastline of Almería province. The coastline is home to thousands of plastic greenhouses however there are also beautiful wildlife reserves lining the coast and of… More →

Almanzora area is in Almeria province and is made up of 27 municipalities. It is located in the northeast of the province between the areas of Los Vélez and the Sierra de los Fibrales. One of its… More →

This Almeria part of the Alpujarras is less well known than the Granada Alpujarras to the west. Both parts share the same characteristics and historical origins. They are the sheltered southern… More →

The city of Almería 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… More →

There are five municipal districts in the Rio Nacimiento Valley and one has the same name as the river. The highway form Almeria to Guadix climbs this valley. One municipality is unusual in that… More →

Tucked away in the little-visited northern corner of the province is the Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park, a surprisingly extensive wooded area, given the otherwise arid aspect of Almeria´s… More →

The River Andarax flows into the Mediterranean sea at the city of Almeria. Inland from Almeria city there are a number of villages that occupy land on the flatter and fertile soil that is not… More →

Much of the interior of Almeria province is semi-arid steppe. It is a parched, lunar landscape of low, mostly barren mountains and dried-up river beds, like a scene from the North American Wild… More →

Book Hotels in Almeria Province

 

Book Holiday Rentals in Almeria Province

Apartamento Buenavista

Set in Roquetas de Mar, 1.1 km from La Romanilla Beach, Apartamento Buenavista offers a living room with a flat-screen TV. The property has sea and city views. The apartment has 2 bedrooms, a kitchen with microwave and fridge, and 1 bathroom with a bidet, bathrobes and a washing machine.

Highlights to see and do in Almeria Province

Andalusia is not alone in its quest for the convenience of large out-of-town shopping centres or commercial centres ( centros comerciales, more commonly abbreviated to C.C). Over the past five… More →

The Club de Mar de Almería is a nautical club located in Almería, Andalusia. It is one of the most important clubs in Spain, along with the rest of the members of the Spanish Association of… More →

Almeria province has many natural parks such as Cabo de Gata-Níjar, Sierra María-Los Vélez, Desierto de Tabernas, and more.

The golf courses in Almeria are Aguilón Golf, Alborán, Golf Almerimar, Cortijo Grande Golf Resort, Desert Springs Golf Club, Country Club La Envía Golf, Marina Golf Mojácar, Playa Macenas Golf… More →

Large park with kamikaze, body ski, twisting slides, adventure river and black hole, as well as wave pool and lake, plus children's area with pool and slides, and also mini-golf.

Mario Park is situated in Roquetas del Mar, near Salinas beach, on the southern coast of Almeria province. The aquatic park consists of seven rides (Turbuelnce, Kamikaces, Multipista, Black Hole,… More →

In the 1960s and 1970s more than 100 films were partially shot at these two film sets in the bleak Almeria desert landscape of Tabernas, including Westerns such as A Fistful of Dollars, The… More →

Perhaps the most diverse of all the Costas. Everything from popular resorts to rocky coves which include some of the least visited beaches in Southern Spain.

Travel in Almeria Province

The train station is located within the same building as the bus station, in the Estación Intermodal. ( Intermodal station; meaning bus and train combined station). the building opened in 2005 as… More →

The bus station is located within the same building as the train station, in the Estación Intermodal. ( Intermodal station; meaning bus and train combined station). the building opened in 2005 as… More →

There are regular national flights to Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla, Melilla. There are also regular International flights to London Gatwick, Stanstead, Munich, and Dusseldorf. See… More →

Natural Parks and Natural Monuments in Almeria Province

Cabo de Gata; one of the main Capes or Peninsular demarking the Spanish Mediterranean coastline. As all shipping has to navigate around this point it has been important since Phoenician tines… More →

Legend has it that sailors mistook the sound of monk seals for mermaids on this headland so they called it the Arrecife de las Sirenas (the Reef of the Mermaids). From the hills… More →

For such an arid area, Cabo de Gata has a surprising array of plants, with some 1,000 species recorded here. Xerophytic plants, some of them endemic, characterise much of this semi-desert area.… More →

Starting from the village of San Miguel, look out on the left for the salt pans Salinas de Acosta, a vast 4km-long wetland created by a lagoon with blindingly white mounds of salt heaped up. Here… More →

Only 15km northeast of Almeria city is this largely barren and rugged 8,500ha mountain range, designated a protected natural area in 1989. Riven by deep gullies, particularly on its southern… More →

Sandwiched between the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, Gador, Filabres and Alhamilla is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Spain, the desolate Desierto de Tabernas. The only semi-desert in… More →

Designated a natural park in 1987, the Sierra María-Los Vélez occupies the eastern end of the Cordillera Subbética in the north of Almeria province. It covers 22,670ha, a landscape of impressive… More →

Covering 45,663ha in the southeastern corner of Spain, Cabo de Gata-Níjar is Andalucia's largest coastal protected area, a wild and isolated landscape with some of Europe's most original… More →

Near Chirivel in the Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park is an example of a species of juniper, juniper thunifera, or sabina albar in Spanish. It has an impressive age, estimated to be between… More →

A limestone escarpment rising to 1,722m at its highest point of the Lúcar peak, the Piedra Lobera is exceptional for its unique microclimate that has ensured the survival of several rare plant… More →

Declared a natural monument in 2003, the San Andrés island is 70,307m² and is made of volcanic rock. It is home to many seabirds and has a rich marine life around its shores. The island also has… More →

Named after a barrier reef (arrecife barrera) of coral because of a similar appearance, this site is colonised by the phanerogam posidonia oceanica, a marine plant endemic in the Mediterranean.… More →

Ten kilometres east of the industrial port of Adra is this small wetland reserve of 217ha on the Mediterranean coast, a wildlife oasis in an area of intensive agriculture. It is comprised of… More →

The Isla de Alborán is situated in the Mediterranean sea 48km from the port of Adra on the Almeria coast and 39km from the Spanish enclave of Melilla on the African coast. The protected area… More →

Southwest of the coastal resort Roquetas del Mar is a 15km-long strip of protected coastline, the Punta Entinas-Sabinar Natural Area and Reserve. Like Albufera de Adra Natural Reserve along the… More →

Like the nearby Desierto de Tabernas Natural Area, this is a dramatically eroded lunar landscape of semi-arid desert covering 2,375ha, designated a protected area in 1989. It is also Spain's most… More →

These two volcanic islets close to the Almeria coastline are an important breeding site for the European storm petrel and Cory's shearwater. Measuring 11,150m², the steep-sided Isla de Terreros is… More →

Destinations