Almería To Do List: Sights, Seasons and Getting There

Almería is a coastal city first and a resort second, which is exactly its appeal. The historic core is compact: the Iglesia Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, the Museo de Almería, the Museo de Arte de Almería and the Centro Andaluz de la Fotografía are all within about a mile of one another, so you can walk between them in a morning.

The headline sight is the Alcazaba, the fortress that crowns the hill above the city, with the Murallas del Cerro de San Cristóbal running along the neighbouring ridge. Closer to street level you will find the bullring, the Palacio Episcopal, the Casino Cultural and the Convento de la Purísima Concepción. A couple of miles out, the Castillo de San Telmo watches over the coast as a lighthouse. For a city with this much to see, the best places to visit in Almería are pleasingly close together.

Almería city itself is the obvious base, with the sights on your doorstep, the port barely half a mile away and the sea along its edge. It suits travellers who want restaurants, museums and evening strolls rather than a purpose-built resort.

Aguadulce, a coastal town of around 14,000 people roughly six miles west, is the place to look if you want to be by the shore and still within easy reach of the city; it is about 16 minutes from the airport. Rioja, a small inland village of some 1,300 residents about seven miles away, is quieter still and around 12 minutes from the airport, useful if you plan to explore with a hire car.

The most comfortable months are April, May, June, September and October. Highs run from 21°C in April to 29°C in June and September, and rain is light: May and September each see around three wet days.

July and August are hot and almost completely dry, with highs of 32°C and night-time lows of 24°C, so sightseeing is best done early before heading for the coast. Winter is mild by British standards, with highs of 17°C to 20°C from November to February. March is the wettest month, with about 49mm of rain across seven days, so pack a layer if you go then.

Almería airport (LEI) has direct flights from the UK and is unusually close to town: around 7 minutes' drive to the city centre, 12 minutes to Rioja and 16 minutes to Aguadulce. Transfers are short, which makes even a long weekend worthwhile.

If you plan to explore beyond the city, picking up a car at the airport is straightforward, and you can compare car hire options on this page. Almería also has a ferry port right by the centre, with Motril about 53 miles along the coast.

Most British travellers book Almería as a package, bundling the flight, hotel and transfer into one booking. With the airport so close to the city and Aguadulce, transfers are brief, and you can usually choose your board basis, from room only to half board. Prices tend to rise during the UK school holidays, so travelling in term time or the shoulder months often gives more choice.

On this page you can compare package deals from Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach, check hotel prices, browse tours and tickets for the city's sights and compare car hire, all side by side.