Almeria is a city in Andalucia .

Understand

The word Almeria is an Arabic word which means mirror of the sea. Like many Andalusian cities, Almeria kept its Arabic name after it had been recaptured by the Spanish. It is a relatively small town by the sea, which includes in its region the Natural Resort (Parque Natural) area of Cabo de Gata.

Getting there

By plane

Carriers serving Almeria include Monarch from London Luton, Birmingham and Manchester, Ryanair from London Stansted, Air Nostrum from Barcelona, BMIBaby from East Midlands, Easyjet from London Gatwick & Jet2.com from Leeds/Bradford.

Also efficient are flights to Madrid or Malaga, followed by bus trips to Almeria. While requiring more time, they are often cheaper than direct flights to Almeria.

By train

Almeria's train station is located on the Plaza de la Estación in the centre of the city and has services to destinations across Spain.

By bus

The bus and train station are combined. Buses arrive from Jaén, Málaga, Granada and a variety of other cities all day. More options are available if routing through Granada, which is quick and simple. The station is located southeast of the center, and is a 15-25 minute walk from the center of town.

By boat

Ferries connect Almería to Mellia and several cities on the nearby African coast.

See

• Casa de los Marqueses de Torrealta
• Cathedral of Santa María de la Encarnación
• John Lennon Monument
• La Alcazaba
• Las Claras Convent
• Museo del Aceite de Oliva
• Palace of the Marquees of Cabra
• Palace of the Viscounts of the Castillo de Almansa

Things to do

• Visit the great beaches of Las Salinas and La Almadrava de Monteleva.
• Natural Park of Cabo de Gata Nijar (Cabo-de-Gata-Spain), Almeria (Province), Just outside Almeria one will find an important natural reserve. The Natural Park of Cabo de Gata Nijar. It is a volcano area with virgin beaches and isolated coves. The traveller should not miss to visit this park.

Eat

There are numerous tapas bars located around the town, offering a choice of meat, fish and seafood as well as some typical tortillas and potato dishes. Tapa bars are typically visited by the locals before the night fiesta.

Budget

• Paseo Maritimo zone, The pedestrian street by the sea offers a great number of bars de tapa, where breakfast, coffee, juices beers and tapas can be enjoyed with the view of the sea and the beautiful sunsets.

• Calle Mayor (center), Calle Mayor is a tapas-bar located between the Rambla and the paseo de Almeria near the center. If has a variety of tapas, often different than the most common choices found in most of the tapas bars in the city, some of the choices being vegetarian. The price for a caña of beer (a smaller glass than the tubo's)and a tapa is only one euro in the evenings.

• 46 (center (quatro calles)), For a different selection of tapas, 46 is an Italian tapas bar, with a variety of lasagna and pastas as an additional choice to the common tapas. Price of a tubo of beer and tapa is 2 euro.

Drink

Most of the bars are located in the area known by the locals as cuatro calles (the four streets) in the very centre of the city and just under the Cathedral plaza. Depending on the day, a litre of beer could cost down to 2 euros in some bars.

Sleep

Mid-range

• NH Ciudad de Almeria, Jardín de Medina, +34.95.0182500 . Recently built, located at the Jardín de Medina street, in the very heart of the city. A privileged location opposite the train and bus stations near the Marina and perfectly linked to the airport.

Buy

• Círculo Mercantil
• Mercado Central - the central market.

Safety

Almeria is generally a peaceful town. Robberies or crime is highly unlikely although the locals might advise to keep away from the gypsy neighbourhoods at night.