Deputy Editor Charlie O’Keeffe shares her experience of Almería, a lesser known Spanish city perfect for a short trip
I recently visited Almería, a coastal city in southern Spain. To be honest, I did not really head there for sightseeing. I was visiting my girlfriend who is studying there for a year abroad. This was perhaps for the best because it is certainly not a tourist town. However, there is still a good amount to see. Something I noticed in particular was the number of sculptures. They were dotted along the coastline, and added points of interest to the already beautiful beach views.
I found that very few people spoke English, which is definitely worth bearing in mind if you’re planning to visit. This can make getting around fairly tricky since there is no Uber, so you do have to rely on local taxi services. However, because the city is so small, it is very walkable so this did not pose much of an issue. I only really needed driving to and from the airport.
Walking was what I spent most of my time doing. On the first day I walked along the beach towards the mountains. I saw lots of beachfront restaurants but I ended up going to a smaller kebab shop, as I found the menu with lots of pictures easier to navigate as a non-Spanish speaker. This place sold falafel wraps. Sourcing vegetarian food was quite difficult, so finding this place was exciting for me. Taking food away and eating it by the sea was lovely, though I will admit I didn’t really end up trying any of the authentic Spanish cuisine that I’m sure was on offer. My walk culminated at some narrow gardens along the road by the coast. They were nicely shaded, and had a number of fountains: this was a lovely place to be, particularly in the hot weather. I would recommend a visit if you’re ever in the city.
This was a lovely place to be, particularly in the hot weather
The next day I walked the other way along the beach. I found that walking the coast line made for the most enjoyable afternoons, so apologies if this seems slightly repetitive. I made it to the Andarax river which was an interesting sight. There is currently an EU project trying to regenerate the natural environment around the river. It was cool to see nature that seemed fairly untampered with, and it was an interesting contrast with the manicured gardens at the other end of the beach. My favourite part of this day was seeing a little stray cat shelter that someone had built by the seafront, complete with kennels and bowls of food.
It was cool to see nature that seemed fairly untampered with
On my final day in Almería, I went into the centre of town where I saw an outdoor display from the Spanish National Gallery. They had put up a series of poster boards with images of their most famous pieces. This was really interesting and even had information sheets in English. Seeing this made me feel like I had actually managed to get some cultural development from the trip. This display is not permanent so don’t necessarily expect to see this if you visit Almería yourself. There are apparently regular markets at the weekend in the centre of town, so there will still be things to do.
My favourite place was undoubtedly the Cable Ingles. This was once a railway pier used as a loading bay for goods from the mines in Granada. However, now it is the place to go for stunning sea views. I am told it is at its best at sunset, but I went mid-afternoon and it was still a sight to see.
Overall, I would recommend Almería as a destination. There is a wide expanse of beach, so if you love sitting by the sea or swimming, it’s perfect for you. There is plenty to see and it’s all very walkable. I would say that the small size of the city means that it’s probably best not to stay for a particularly long time, but it is certainly still a perfect destination for a short trip.
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