Almeria (province)

Introduction

Almeria is one of eight provinces in Andalusia, a southern region of Spain. Its capital is the city of Almeria. With the highest number of hours sunshine and lowest rainfall in Europe, Almeria is often regarded as one of the most desirable destinations to live. Summer days are long, warm and plentiful and even in January you might still be wearing a t-shirt if the sun comes up bright enough. The area is known as one of high unemployment but with its hot climate, new wealth is arriving in the form of agriculture; fruit, vegetables and flowers. Due to the climate much of the landscape is dry and desert-like, but lunar landscapes and fabulous rock formations are abundant and this amazing terrain made Almeria home to some of the greatest spaghetti westerns ever made.

Sights and Activities

Alcazaba of Almeria

The Alcazaba is the second largest of the Muslim fortresses in Andalusia, after the Alhambra in Granada. It was built on top of a 70 metre high hill and is divided into three fortified sections. The third enclosure is at the very top of the hill, housing the palace which once was thought to rival the Alhambra. After the reconquista it was enlarged to its present size. The original mosque was consecrated to the Archangel St. Michael by the catholic monarchs. The Alcazaba is closed on mondays.

Tabernas Desert & Western Towns

The driest in Europe

© omnicogni

The Tabernas Desert is probably the best example of a real desert in Europe. It is located in the southeast of Spain, in the province of Almeria (province). The Tabernas Desert is situated between the Sierra de los Filabres to the north and the Sierra de Alhamilla to the south and southeast. It is a protected wilderness area with fantastic desert landscapes and as a desert is receives just less of the maximum of 250 mm a year in an area known as Levante. It is isolated from the humid winds of the Mediterranean Sea. On top of that, evaporation is much higher than that, especially during the long and hot summers when months without a single drop of rain and 12 hours of sunshine a day occur. This is when temperatures can exceed 45 °C in the shade (if you can find any!). Because of its splended desert wilderness, it was the location of many Spaghetti westerns and an Indian Jones movie as well. Some of the sets are now in use as theme parks, with names as Oasys, Fort Bravo and Western Leone.

The Natural Park of Cabo de Gata Níjar

The Natural Park of Cabo de Gata Níjar, located in the province of Almeria, is a volcanic landscape and brags about have the best and most unspoilt beaches of this Mediterranean coastline. The interior of the park is scattered with wild plants and cactuses.

Archaeological Site 'Los Millares'

Los Millares

© theo1006

As far as is known, here was the first fortified city of the Copper Age in Europe. During thousand years, 3200 to 2200 BC, its population reached 1,500 people. On two sides the city was protected by deep river ravines, the rivers carried much more water at the time. So the people of Los Millares could practise agriculture and animal husbandry. But the main source of their wealth was mastery of copper metallurgy, copper being found in the nearby Sierra de Gador. Visitors of the site will first be shown an explanatory video. Then one may walk one kilometre, crossing the necropolis, to reach the former city. And turning left from the visitor's centre, at half a kilometre some replicas of dwellings show how the people lived. Best time to visit is the cool season. If you come in summer, be sure to bring drinking water and a broad hat: it is close to the Tabernas Desert after all. Address: Santa Fé de Mondújar, on road ALP-602, 25 kilometres north of Almeria town. Open: Wednesday through Sunday 10am – 2pm; Monday and Tuesday closed. Admission: free.

Weather

The weather in and around Almeria is arid. Even in the wettest months, on average there are no more than 3 days with precipitation. The average maximum temperature in the winter lies around 17 °C and in the summer, daytime averages are around 35 °C. Maximum temperatures can reach above 40 °C in July and August in Almeria. This makes Almeria the warmest area in Spain and Europe. There is no precipitation during the summer months. Daytime lows at dawn are between 8 °C in January and 24 °C in August.

Getting There

By Plane

Almeria has an international airport (IATA: LEI, ICAO: LEAM) which is located 9 km east of the city. From the airport bus line 20 goes to the city centre.

By Train

For more information and timetables, check the website of Renfe.

By Car

You can reach Almería by the A-7 Mediterranean Highway, which connects the Mediterranean area (from the border of France) and Spanish A-92 that unites it with the rest of Andalusia.

By Boat

By boat there are connections to and from Melilla, Algeria and Morocco.

Eat

In Almeria near to a town called TIjola, you will find a traditional, quiet and charming village named El Higueral. Here on the main road through you will find an inconspicuous bar/restaurant called Bar Azahara; and here they serve steak that will probably be better than any you have had in years. The food is delicious, reasonably priced and your meat is cooked in a fire that dominates the rustic décor. It really is worth a detour.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet is widely available within Spain. Most airports have wifi-zones and in most towns there are internet cafés or shops where you can use internet for a fixed price. Wi-Fi points in bars and cafeterias are available after ordering, and most hotels offer Wi-Fi connection in common areas for their guests.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international access code for Spain is +34. The emergency number for police, ambulance and the fire brigade is 112.

In cities you can find plenty of public phones, and 'locutorios'. The latter are small shops where you can use the phone and use internet. Most of them also sell prepaid cards for mobile telephones. These shops are used a lot by foreigners to call to their mother country.

The main mobile network operators in Spain are Yoigo, Vodafone, Movistar and Orange, as in most of Europe voice and data coverage is generally good in urban areas however it can be patchy in rural locations. Cheap mobile phones (less than €50) with some pre-paid minutes are sold at FNAC or any phone operator's shop (Vodafone, Movistar, Orange). Topping-up is then done by buying scratch cards from the small stores, supermarkets, vending points (often found in tobacco shops) or kiosks.

Post

If you want to post a card, you can head to the post office (Correos). The Spanish post is not yet as efficient as colleagues in other countries so receiving a card can take a bit longer than the number of days that it should take. On the website of Correos, you can find the locations of nearby post offices.
Post offices are generally open from 8:30am to 2:00pm, although times will vary according to the size of the city/town and the main post offices might be open until the early evening. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12 noon. When posting a letter, look for a yellow box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why tobacco shops sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages. Standard letters/postcards of up to 20 grams sent within Spain are €0.34. However, non-standard letters/postcards of up to 20g are €0.39. Letters/postcards of 20 to 50 grams are €0.45. In the case of international shipping, the price is €0.64 to most countries within Europe for standard envelopes (letters/postcards) up to 20g, for a few European countries and outside Europe it is €0.78. If you want to send a package you are probably better off with a private courier company like TNT, DHL or UPS, as they offer quick and reliable services against competitive prices.

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