48 hours in Almería
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Two days can be just about enough to get to know this delightful city and experience glimpses of the spectrum of delights it has to offer. This provincial capital with whitewashed houses, bordered by the sea and mountains is a wonderful place to take a stroll and explore all of its little nooks. From San Cristobal hill, the Alcazaba fortress watches the city’s visitors, as it has done for centuries, and invites you to learn a little more about Spain’s romantic past.
Itinerary day 1
09:30-11:30
The Monumental Alcazaba Fortress of Almería
From the 10th century fortress – the most elevated part of the city – the Great Caliph Abderraman III controlled the entire region. This was the largest walled city of all Al-Andalus and it was considered an icon of Moorish good taste at the time. Its gardens, water cisterns, watermills, canals and irrigation systems are all depicted today in the excellent museum to the Moorish era. For the views it offers alone, not to mention the fascinating stories it has to tell, the fortress is the best place to begin your trip.
11:45-12:30
Cathedral of Almería
The first thing you realise when you look at this building is that it looks more like a fortress than a cathedral and, in fact, you would be right. Built during the 16th century, this temple of worship was originally designed to protect the citizens of Almería from the constant attacks from Berber pirates. Inside, the original rib vaults still dominate the ceiling and there is a stunning altarpiece and sepulchre made out of alabaster and commissioned by Bishop Fernández de Villalán.
12:45-14:00
Andalusian Centre of Photography
Many photographers with National Prizes under their belts exhibit their works here and its shop specializes in beautiful books that feature some of the best photography from Spain and abroad. There is also a library and workshops on offer, too. Ultimately, the purpose of this space is to safeguard the memory of Andalusian photography by offering its visitors the chance to experience the artistry of photography through its exhibitions.
14:15-15:30
Marhaba Restaurant
A great way to learn about Almería’s Moorish past is through its food. The Marhaba Restaurant offers a blend of Moroccan, Middle Eastern and Spanish dishes, as well as a range of vegan, vegetarian and halal dishes too. If you’re still hankering for tapas you won’t be disappointed here, with their homemade croquettes, calamari and grilled octopus Marhaba is a crowd favourite in Almería.
15:45-16:30
Almería Central Market
Here is another example of the architecture of the ‘Age of Steel and Glass’. Completed in 1897, this was the first food market in the city and even today you can find the best fresh local produce there as well as some places to have a drink and some tapas. It is even said that Marie Curie made a trip here in 1931.
17:30-19:00
Museum of Almería
The Archaeological Museum of Almería is invaluable to anybody interested in the history of Almerían culture. In the 19th century, coal deposits in the area made Almería rich but also unearthed countless amounts of archaeology, especially ceramics and other cultural objects and sites, such as the Chalcolithic site Los Millares or the Bronze Age site El Argar.
19:15-20:00
Almería Port
During the Caliphate of Cordoba (939-1031) Almería became one of the Caliph’s most important ports and, later on, it became a powerful region known as a ‘Taifa’. Its location was perfect and today, amidst the transatlantic ships and yachts, tourists can still find ferries from its port to Algeria and Morocco. Despite its bustling maritime commerce, the port is still a great place to relax and have a drink or a tapa beside the sea.
20:15-21:00
The English Pier
Also known as the Alquife Pier because of the minerals it received from the Alquife mines in Granada, the English Pier is an almost unique structure. Following the direction of the school of the famous Gustave Eiffel, this structure allowed trains to take the minerals to the ships docked in the port via a platform that reached into the sea itself. A feat of engineering ingenuity, the pier is exemplary in the world of the ‘architecture of iron and glass’.
21:15-23.00
Club de Mar Restaurant
Not far from the marina (and the sea, of course) you can find one of the best restaurants specialising in Mediterranean cuisine. Club de Mar blends the old with the new, preserving traditional recipes but also innovating with them on dishes such as ‘Wreckfish and gulas with Greek cheese’ and ‘Grouper pie with a caviar sauce’. The wine and dessert lists are definitely worth a peek, too!
Itinerary day 2
10:00-13:30
El Zapillo Beach
This is one of Almería’s most famous beaches. Originally a fishing neighbourhood, El Zapillo experienced huge growth in the second half of the 20th century thanks to the tourists who flocked here in droves to see its beautiful buildings and beach. Since then, the neighbourhood has become an area that offers all of the amenities you would expect from a larger beach, as well as restaurants and bars that are, just like the beach, easily accessible for people with reduced mobility.
14:00-15:00
Casco Antiguo Restaurant
This restaurant has garnered an excellent reputation for modernising traditional dishes, such as red prawns, dried octopus and the famous gurullos, a type of ‘pasta’ made from wheat flour, water and saffron. Among Casco Antiguo’s more modern creations are ‘foie gras with a sweet wine gelatine’ and ‘eggs slow-cooked at 65 degrees on a bed of potatoes stuffed with truffles and green pepper foam’. Casco Antigo has an excellent atmosphere and the prices are very good too.
15:30-17:00
Refuges of the Civil War
Six months into the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) Almería organised the construction of refuges large enough to protect 40,000 people, at a depth of 16 metres below street level, from the constant aerial bombardment of the Francoist air force and their allies. At the time, the majority of the 56,000 strong population had a place in the 4 km of tunnels and galleries that were eventually built in the refuges. After the war, the Francoist dictatorship took control of the country and the refuges were sealed indefinitely. In 2001, thanks to the many access points the refuges had in people’s houses, churches and markets, they were rediscovered with many original fittings and personal effects still in situ.
17:15-18:30
The Antonio de Torres Museum of the Guitar
This museum is dedicated to the memory of Antonio de Torres, an Almerían luthier who designed what has become the traditional Spanish guitar. In order to better educate its visitors, this museum offers audio-visual and interactive exhibitions as well as rooms in which you can actually play the guitars discussed, including, of course, the famous Flamenco Guitar.
18:45-19:45
The House of Cinema
Almería has a special relationship with Hollywood since many of the great Spaghetti Westerns of the 60s and 70s, not to mention Conan the Barbarian and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, were all filmed there. In the House of Cinema, you can see some of the props and wardrobe used by such illustrious Hollywood stars as Sergio Leone, Steven Spielberg and Raquel Welch. It was once home to many of these stars during filming and the conservators preserved the room in which John Lennon stayed exactly as he would have seen it when he was composing Strawberry Fields Forever here.
20:00-20:30
Almería Train Station
The old brick train station, with its vaulted windows and its façade of iron and glass, strikes an imposing figure in the centre of this beautiful city. Modernity mixes with the traditional, both inside and out of this building, in which you can get something to eat or drink, or simply wander around and admire its architecture.
20:45-21:15
The seaside promenade
What better way to say goodbye to Almería than a walk along this 3-kilometre long (and growing) seaside promenade, replete with bicycle lanes, market stalls, shops, bars and even restaurants right on the sea front. The small gardens and palm trees decorate provide shade to this walkway, frequented by tourists and locals alike during the summer, and they also offer the perfect place to watch the sun go down over the Mediterranean.
21:30-23.00
Jovellanos 16 Restaurant
This is one of the best places in Almería to enjoy traditional food with a modern touch at an exceptional price. Here, you can choose to either tapear – meaning to try various tapas – or book a table in advance to have an à la carte experience. With its full wine list and array of beers you’re sure to leave with a smile.