It’s not that surprising that you’re wondering whether Almería is worth visiting. I’m guessing you’re just starting to hear interesting things about this mysterious Spanish region and you’re considering checking it out for yourself.
Almería is absolutely worth visiting and in this article I’ll tell you exactly why. If, by the time you’ve read all the way to the end and you’re not convinced, I’ll… um… yeah, nothing, just be surprised, I guess.
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The stats & the comparisons
📈 According to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Almería city received 89,000 international tourists in 2023. In Granada city nearly 900,000 international visitors showed up while Málaga city saw over 900,000 international visitors, and Sevilla, over 1.6 million in the same time period.
The four cities I mentioned are all provincial capitals within Andalucía yet only three of them are particularly well known to international visitors as you can easily see from those numbers.
To me, this makes very little sense since Almería easily holds its own in terms of interesting places to visit, history, culture and nature. Here are 2 very quick examples of this, historical buildings and beaches:
🏰 Big name historical buildings
Each of these 4 cities has a ‘big name’ Moorish building to visit. Sevilla has the Alcazar, Granada has the Alhambra. Málaga has its Alcazaba and so does Almería.
While the Alcazar and the Alhambra are truly spectacular, if you’ve already visited them, or don’t like crowds, Almería’s Alcazaba is a great alternative – it’s a huge and very impressive 10th century site.
🏝 Beaches
Of the 4 cities we’re considering, only Málaga and Almería are actually on the coast although both Granada and Sevilla do have good beach day trip options. Both Málaga and Almería have pretty typical urban beaches – there are cafes, ice cream stores, souvenir stores and decent enough beaches. My truth is that I prefer Almería’s city beaches to Málaga’s.
All 4 cities are within easy day trip access to phenomenal coastlines.
🏝 Almería – Costa Almería (much of it within the Cabo de Gata natural park) | 🏝 Granada – Costa Tropical | 🏝 Málaga – Costa del Sol | 🏝 Sevilla – Costa de la Luz (Estrecho National Park) of Cádiz and Huelva
⭐️ If you enjoy visiting places with few visitors, exploring gorgeous beaches, seeing historical buildings and generally having a magnificent time, then yes, Almería more than holds its own and is absolutely worth visiting. Read on to learn more about Almería ⬇️
Wait, tell me exactly where Almería is…
🧭 Almería is a province within the Autonomous Community of Andalucía.
🧭 The province of Almería is located the south-east of Spain on the Mediterranean coast.
🧭 Almería is also the name of the capital city of Almería province.
And is the weather good?
🍸 Well, the Cabo de Gata gets so little rain that it’s considered the driest place in all of Europe, not just Spain!
🔆 In the summer months, Almería is hot and dry. In the winter months it’s generally calm and mild. December is the wettest month of the year but that’s not saying too much.
Are there good hotels in Almería?
There are some exceptional options for accommodation in Almería. Whether you want a luxury villa, a decent city hotel, a glamping option, a hotel with full board or a simple apartment, you’ll be able to find it in Almería.
And if you have a car and quite fancy staying just outside of the city, this is hands-down my top recommendation. I wish we’d stayed here. It has 5 bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, pool, jacuzzi, sea views and as a bonus, pets are welcome too.
Just outside Las Negras, this glamping site has it all. We chose to stay in a super posh tent (with AC, beds, bathroom and kitchen) but there are also apartments and cabins on site. There is a kids’ club, a restaurant, 2 swimming pools and a kids’ playground. We absolutely loved our experience here and will absolutely return to stay again.
Located by the Cabo de Gata beach, this country house is particularly rated highly by people who were looking for a tranquil get away. People admire the mountain views, the pool and the well appointed house.
Perfectly located between San José and Playa de los Genoveses, these apartments are a great option for anyone mainly interested in a beach vacation. With sea views, a pool, a family-friendly restaurant on site (as well as well appointed kitchens in the apartments), these are an ideal pick.
Wherever you choose to base yourself, I highly recommend taking day trips to explore the region. You can:
👣 Take tours – use Viator and GetYourGuide to figure out which tours you like (or take my recommendations 😉)
🚌 Use public transport – check Busbud and Omio for bus timetables
What are the highlights of Almería?
Natural highlights
Cabo de Gata Natural Park
This is undoubtedly the biggest draw of Almería. It’s a spectacular 460km2 of protected park lands including 120km2 of protected marine space. Think rugged hills, beautiful beaches on the Mediterranean sea, and vast empty spaces. It’s impossible to not drive around this area without exclaiming on repeat at the beautiful scenery.
Disclaimer: yes, it’s true that some parts of Almería are covered in plastic sheeting, which isn’t super pretty, but it’s also an important farming region, in fact, it’s sometimes known as the Greenhouse of Europe. These areas are not in the Cabo de Gata.
What to see / do in the Cabo de Gata
Well, apart from the incredible beaches, really it’s about marvelling at the nature and taking part in outdoor activities. You can hike, take horse riding tours, snorkel, kayak and just weep at the beauty of the panoramic views you’re lucky enough to experience.
🚗 The best way to explore Cabo de Gata is with your own car because a car brings freedom to move at your own pace, & to change your mind about your itinerary.
🤿 Of course, if you’re here for the beaches then you may also wish to snorkel, kayak, paddleboard, or take boat trips. We wanted to do it all but only ended up snorkelling. I wish we’d had time for more. You can rent equipment or you can take tours.
🌅 Sunset cruises are another fabulous way to experience the Cabo de Gata natural park.
🏖 If you like your beach amenities and want chiringuitos (beach cafes), bathrooms and other amenities, they are possible to find in the fishing villages and coastal towns of Almería – in Almería city, Roquetas del Mar, around Mojácar, Agua Amarga, San José, Las Negras.
Which beaches do you recommend?
Well, ALL of them really!
Pristine beaches
🏝 Playa de los Muertos – this is my absolute favourite spot in the Cabo de Gata. It’s not an easy beach to reach because it requires hike down a steep path but it’s absolutely worth it.
🏝 Playa de Cabo de Gata – I really love the length and wild feel to this beach. If you value your solitude, despite being right next to a small road, it’s easy to ignore everyone and everything here.
🏝 Playa de los Genoveses – close enough to the village of San José that you can walk to, this beach is regularly mentioned as people’s favourite beach in the region.
Beaches with some facilities
These are small village beaches that have minimal services available. If you’re hoping for more, I recommend checking out Mojácar or Roquetas del Mar.
🏖 Playa de la Calilla – This gorgeous sandy beach in San José has a lifeguard station, showers and because it’s in a village, there are food options. We went snorkelling from here and saw so much marine life so close to shore that we were absolutely gobsmacked.
🏖 Las Negras – this beach is a small, pebble beach beach in the village of Las Negras. You can find restaurants, ice cream and a small stores here. I preferred La Cala de Cuervo around the corner from here, which has access to the WeCAMP restaurant.
🧜🏽♀️ Don’t forget to also visit the mirador de Arrecife de las Sirenas and the Cabo de Gata lighthouse – the views up here are spectacular. It’s possible to arrange a snorkel tour around the arrecife (reef).
The only true desert in Europe is found in this corner of southern Spain. I was particularly wowed by the badlands region (like around Guadix in Granada) of the desert and the turbidic area that looks like flysch formations in the Basque Country.
Spaghetti Westerns
Yes, weirdly it’s true that Spaghetti western films were filmed in the Tabernas Desert. If you want to feel you’re in the wild west in Spain, then heading to either Fort Bravo or Mini Hollywood /Oasys theme parks for a day of fun is a great option. You can catch a cowboy show, explore old film sets and at Mini Hollywood, enjoy the surprisingly large zoo and pool they also have on site.
🎬 Films and tv shows filmed in the Tabernas Desert include
Game of Thrones (6th season) – Dothraki Sea scenes
Doctor Who (7th season) – A Town Called Mercy
Black Mirror (4th season) – Black Museum
and, of course, Lawrence of Arabia, Conan the Barbarian, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, & The Good the Bad and the Ugly
If you’re visiting Almería with kids then this is an absolute must of a day trip. We did see plenty of child-free people here but personally I probably wouldn’t have gone without my kids.
I highly recommend taking a tour into the desert. It’s not permitted to drive into the desert without a guide but even if you did it wouldn’t be the same as you’d miss out on so much fascinating information. We took a 4×4 tour but it’s also possible to take horse riding tour into the desert.
On the tour we learned about the film industry in the region, the history of Almería and the Tabernas desert and were had the various rock formations explained to us. We took a dusk tour, which meant we got some great sunset shots. 100% recommended.
More than 1000 caves (50km worth) are located under the small town of Sorbas. They can be visited on tours of varying levels of difficulty. Over millions of years, million of gypsum crystals have formed on the walls of the caves, sparkling whenever a light is shined on them.
After a tour through the caves learning about the various minerals and geodes found there, you then get to see the world’s biggest geode. I cannot even begin to explain to you how it feels to see even the tiniest bit of this enormous crystal (because that’s the reality, it isn’t possible to see the whole thing) and it is as absolutely amazing as you think it should be.
→ Book tickets (and by the way, these tickets MUST be booked quite a long time in advance. Do NOT show up expecting to get a ticket on the door).
So far is Almería worth visiting?
As you can see, I firmly believe that the natural highlights of Almería are truly outstanding. The views will leave you speechless and probably plotting to figure out how to get yourself more time in this magical, mostly undisturbed part of of Spain.
What about Almería City?
Oh yes, I’m a huge fan of this small town with a gorgeous old city centre and a fabulous modern marina. While in Almería city you must check out:
⚔️ Alcazaba de Almería
This is a fabulous fortress sitting atop a hill in Almería. It was built during the 10th & 11th centuries by the region’s Moorish leaders and was eventually taken by the Catholic Monarchs when they conquered the area.
🏴☠️ Almería cathedral
The cathedral was actually built both as a religious building and as a defence against Barbary pirates.
💥 Refugios de la Guerra Civil
Explore the fascinating tunnels under Almería and learn why they were built during the Spanish Civil War and what life was like down there for residents of the city.
📍 Explore the city
Enjoy exploring the small, winding streets of Almería’s old town, especially Calle de las Tiendas where you’ll find souvenir stores. Don’t miss La Rambla & Paseo de Almería either.
📚 Good museums
There are more museums in Almería than you might expect for such a small place. I particularly loved the Museo de Almería (archaeology & ancient history) and the Mesón Gitano (Yacimiento Arqueológico Barrio Andalusí). And if you have time and access to a car, Los Millares archaeological site outside of Almería is a great place to explore, too.
🏖 City beaches
The city beaches are a delight whether you visit for supper and a stroll after a day of exploring or whether you decide to spend the day chilling here. There are 3 city beaches: Playa del Zapillo, Playa San Miguel & Playa Ciudad Luminosa.
⭐️ In 2019, Almería was the gastronomic capital of Spain. It’s true that there are lots of great places to eat in the city of Almería, to the point where we did notice that the good options seemed a lot for such a small town.
I wholeheartedly say yes. Almería is a really cool little city with plenty going on to entertain you, educate you, relax you (oh yeah, visit the Arab baths too if you have time) and feed you well.
Beautiful villages
There is so much beauty to behold in Almería that your eyes are going to go into sensory overload but in case you’re wondering if there are any pueblos blancos to visit in Almería, there are. Níjar, Mojácar, Las Negras and Agua Amarga are all white villages. Rodalquilar (the headquarters for the natural park) and San José are also gorgeous small villages worth your time to visit.
None of these villages are busy places full of activities. Instead, they’re places to enjoy at leisure, perhaps stop in for lunch or an ice-cream and a stroll around, enjoying the views & the ambiance.
And now, is Almería worth visiting?
Cute, sleepy little villages villages for the win! Of course it’s worth visiting!!
I hope that I’ve convinced you that Almería is an incredible place to visit – let’s see what you think of these other Spanish destinations too…
Cassie is a British-born travel writer who lives in southern Spain. Prior to moving to Spain, Cassie and her family lived in Yucatán, Mexico for many years.
Something of a self-confessed-all-round travel-nerd, Cassie has a deep love of adventure, and of learning as much as possible about every place visited. This blog is testament to that.
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