Almeria, Spain - Welcome To Almeria

Almería, Spain: A Taste Of Caribbean Weather In Spain

Kerwin McKenzie Destination Information

Destination Information – Almería, Spain

I visited Almería in Spain as a guest of the Andalucia and Almería Tourism Boards in June 2022. I’ve been to southern Spain before, Jerez de la Frontera, Malaga, La Linea and Gibraltar U.K., but not to this particular town, so I was excited to explore.

Ferris Wheel in Almeria, Spain

Ferris Wheel in Almeria, Spain

Why is Almería, Spain famous?

Almería is famous for its beaches and also its national park called Cabo de Gata Natural Park, where some of the beaches can be found. Plus, the Alcabeza Fort.

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park coastline

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park coastline

 

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

 

Conjunto Monumental de la Alcazaba de Almería

Conjunto Monumental de la Alcazaba de Almería

 

Where Is Almería?

Almería is located on the southern coast of Spain in the Andalusia region. It is just south of Murcia, and north of Gibraltar, Malaga and Jerez de la Frontera.

 

 

 

How To Get To Almería

There are many ways to get to Almería, Spain.

By Air

Air service is provided by the following airlines:

BlueMax (RK), EasyJet Airlines (U2), Iberia Airlines (IB), Jet2.com (LS), Jetairfly (TB), Luxair (LG), Neos Air (NO), Ryanair (FR), Smart Wings (QS), Transavia (HV) and Vueling (VY).

Almeria Airport, Spain (LEI)

Almería Airport, Spain (LEI)

By Bus

The Visit Andalusia website has a number of bus options at https://www.andalucia.com/travel/bus/almeria.htm

Almeria buses

Almería buses

By Ferry

Ferry service is available from the Spanish territories of Cueta and Melilla in Northern Africa to Almería. You can find more details at https://www.andalucia.com/travel/ferry/home.htm.

Ferries in the port of Almeria, Spain

Ferries in the port of Almería, Spain

By Train

You can take Spanish railway, Renfe to get to/from the area. More details at https://www.andalucia.com/travel/trains/home.htm.

 

Airport Tip

Air Nostrum, Iberia Express at Almeria Airport (LEI)

Air Nostrum, Iberia Express at Almería Airport (LEI)

Wear comfortable shoes as you may have to walk to your plane a little distance and don’t take too much stuff in your hands.

Check your schedules on passrider.com.

 

Almería Airport Lounges

There are no airport lounges at this airport.

Almeria Airport

Almería Airport

Almería Airport To The City 

Take the alsa bus or a taxi into the city.
 

Bus to/from Almeria City from the Almeria Airport

Bus to/from Almería City from the Almería Airport

 

Bus to/from Almeria City from the Almeria Airport located just outside the terminal

Bus to/from Almería City from the Almería Airport located just outside the terminal

 

Currency of Almería

The local currency is the Euro. Credit cards are not accepted everywhere and when they are accepted, it’s either MasterCard or Visa only. There are ATMs everywhere, but not all will take your bank card.

 

Almeria, Spain ferris wheel

Almería, Spain ferris wheel

 

Almería Language

The native language is Spanish. English is not widely spoken in the region, but you can still get around.

People of Almeria, Spain

People of Almería, Spain

 

People of Almeria, Spain

People of Almería, Spain

 

Visa and Health Requirements For Spain

If you are a U.S. citizen, a visa is not required at the time of this writing. However, one may be required for citizens from select other countries. Use this link to check visa requirements for other citizenship.

Here is some additional information from the U.S. State Department, including visa and health requirements.

In addition, check https://www.spth.gob.es/  for the most current travel restrictions and health requirements for Spain before you start your travel plans.

Local Park in Almeria, Spain

Local Park in Almeria, Spain

Airport Wifi

Wifi is complimentary throughout the airport.

Almeria Airport

Almeria Airport

Accommodations (Where To Stay In Almería)

There are many places to stay in Almería. You can find a list from the Almería Tourism website at following links:

 Also, you can go to https://www.passrider.com/hotelscombined to book your hotel or use the box below.

 

 
 

I stayed at two hotels in Almeria. The Hotel Elba and the AC Marriott Hotel in the center of the city. I enjoyed the location of the AC Marriott hotel and it was also reasonably priced, plus I earned Marriott Bonvoy points.

Hotel Elba Almeria

Hotel Elba Almeria

 

Hotel AC Almeria

Hotel Elba Almeria

 

Hotel NuevoTorrezluz

Hotel NuevoTorrezluz

 

Where To Eat in Almería

Tapas, tapas and more tapas. Of course that’s not all you can eat as there are plenty of other foods too and complete meals. I ate at two restaurants in Almeria which had great service and good food as well. Plus one other in San Jose, a nearby town, called 4 Nudos.

Tony Garcia

Av. del Mediterráneo, 281, bajo, 04009 Almería, Spain

Tony Garcia in Almeria Spain

Tony Garcia in Almeria Spain

 

Tony Garcia in Almeria Spain

Tony Garcia in Almeria Spain

 

Tony Garcia Menu in Almeria Spain

Tony Garcia Menu in Almería Spain

Restaurante Cuatro Hojas (by Juanjo Carabajal)

Plaza de la Constitución, 3, 04001 Almería, Spain

 

Restaurante Cuatro Hojas (by Juanjo Carabajal)

Restaurante Cuatro Hojas (by Juanjo Carabajal)

 

Restaurante Cuatro Hojas (by Juanjo Carabajal)

Restaurante Cuatro Hojas (by Juanjo Carabajal)

 

4 Nudos

Club Naútico San Jose, C. del Puerto, s/n, 04118 San José, Almería, Spain

 

4 nudos restaurant in San Jose, Spain

4 nudos restaurant in San Jose, Spain

 

4 Nudos in San Jose, Spain

4 nudos menu in San Jose, Spain

 

4 nudos restaurant in San Jose, Spain paella

4 nudos restaurant in San Jose, Spain paella

 

Amalia, place to have late night coffee in Almeria, Spain

Amalia, place to have late night coffee in Almería, Spain

 

Things To Do In Almería

So what does one do in Almería?

The main attraction is its beaches and the Cabo de Gata Natural Park. The city has a rich history which is partly due to its proximity to the northern African continent. Let’s take a look at what it has to offer:

Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Reserve

Do you like to hike? Do you like bike riding? Do you like the beach? Then this area is just for you. We actually toured the area with 4×4 jeeps from Rolling Almería. This is a really great way to do it as they know the area and area actually quite friendly too.

You can find more information at https://www.andalucia.com/environment/protect/cabodegata.htm.

Cabo de Gata-Níjar

Driving through Cabo de Gata-Níjar

 

The beaches of Cabo de Gata-Níjar

The beaches of Cabo de Gata-Níjar

Tabernas Desert

The Tabernas Desert is located just outside of Almería. When you think of deserts, Europe does not come to mind at all. The Tabernas is the only desert in all of Europe. You can go dune buggy driving like we did with Desert Buggy. A few movies have been filmed in the desert as well and you can visit remnants of the movie sets too.

You can find more details at https://www.andalucia.org/en/natural-spaces-desierto-de-tabernas.

 

Driving dune buggies in the Tabernas Desert

Driving dune buggies in the Tabernas Desert

 

Driving dune buggies in the Tabernas Desert

Driving dune buggies in the Tabernas Desert

 

Set of Exodous film at Tabernas Desert

Set of Exodous film at Tabernas Desert

 

Mini Hollywood (Oasys)

This is an area that is setup like the Wild West for filming Western (cowboy) movies. I’m a big fan of these types of movies and grew up with them, so this made the visit very special.

Spain actually had a number of movies that were filmed on these sets, such as the Good The Bad and The Ugly with Clint Eastwood. I love this movie so it was really neat to walk the set. I found this on the Visit Andalucia Website:

In the 1960s and 1970s more than 100 films were partially shot at these two film sets in the bleak Almería desert landscape of Tabernas, including Westerns such as A Fistful of DollarsThe Magnificent Seven, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; also Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. An episode of Dr Who (A Town Called Mercy starring Matt Green; Series 7, episode 3) was shot here .

For some reason though, this place has a confederate flag, not sure why.

You can find more details at https://www.andalucia.com/entertainment/themeparks/minihollywood.htm.

 

Oasys Mini Hollywood

Oasys Mini Hollywood

 

The film set at Oasys Mini Hollywood

The film set at Oasys Mini Hollywood

 

The entrance to the Zoo here

The entrance to the Zoo here

 

Mini Hollywood from above

Mini Hollywood from above

 

Some of the actors who perform during the Show at Oasys Mini Hollywood

Some of the actors who perform during the Show at Oasys Mini Hollywood

 

Visit the town of San José

San Jose is a small town about 45 minutes out of Almería. I add it in here as it is worth the time and effort to head out here. It has beautiful beaches and is a seaside town with great restaurants and is very picturesque.

One the beaches at San Jose

One the beaches at San Jose

 

The town of San Jose

The town of San Jose

 

You can find more information about San Jose at https://www.andalucia.com/province/almeria/sanjose/home.htm.

 

The Town of Almería Itself

We had a local Guide who walked us through the town and I also did my own walk as it’s an easy walking town. It was quite hot, so I advise bringing lots of water, wearing a comfortable shoes and dress appropriately.

The main attraction is the Alcazaba de Almería; this is a fort overlooking the port of Almería. The views are wonderful from here as well as the history, so I highly recommend it.

You can find more information about the Alcazaba Fort at https://www.turismodealmeria.org/en/rutas/the-alcazaba-fortress/.

 

Our Guides at the Alcabeza Fort

Our Guides at the Alcazaba Fort

 

Guitar Museum

Guitar Museum

 

La Rambla, also known as Avenida Federico Garica Lorca

La Rambla, also known as Avenida Federico Garica Lorca

 

Views from the Fort

Views from the Fort

 

Alcazaba Fort

Alcazaba Fort views

 

Walking along the coastline in the city of Almeria

Walking along the coastline in the city of Almería, Spain

There’s even a statue of john Lennon located just outside the AC Hotel Marriott in the city center.

John Lennon in Almeria, Spain

John Lennon in Almería, Spain

 

John Lennon in Almeria, Spain

John Lennon in Almería, Spain

Additional Information

Tourism Board

Please leave a comment below about your own experiences and tips.

 

I love almeria, Spain

I love Almería, Spain