Car Hire Almeria - Mini guide to Almeria

The Andalusian coastal town of Almeria is located at the foot of a mountain range on the southeastern peninsula of Spain, with a beautiful coastline and surrounded by quaint villages.

The city is crowned by the magnificent Alcazaba, an Arab fortress dominating the city and commanding magnificent views. From here, there is a good view of the city's famed cave quarter, 'Barrio de la Chanca'.

Almeria's hefty cathedral is at the heart of the old part of the city and was begun in 1524 to replace a predecessor wrecked by the earthquake in 1522. The architecture is a combination of Gothic and Renaissance styles. True historians will appreciate the Almeria Museum which contains numerous objects discovered by the well-known Belgian mining engineer, Louis Siret. Sala de Historia Antigua has some impressive Iberian and Roman artifacts on exhibit and Sala de Historia Antigua has Iberian and Roman collections.

With a previously ‘undiscovered’ coastline, Almerica has a number of good beaches but you may want to hire a car to get to the best of them. The best place for reasonably priced restaurants and bars is around the Puerta de Purchena end of Paseo de Almeria.

Almeria Province is famous for its ‘troglodytic’ villages, which are towns in which many or most of the homes are caves dug into the soft, sand-coloured cliffs. Some of the most interesting cave-dweller villages are Alhabia, Gudor and Benahadux. The coastal village of Mojacar is especially famous, but there is also the charming fishing village of San Jos with its sheltered cove and marina.

Almeria’s new airport is located about 8km east of the city with access by the N340 highway. The airport is located on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea with runways running parallel to the coastline.