Car Hire Almería Airport: Do You Need a Car in the City?

If you are staying in the city itself, probably not for every day. Almost all of Almería's main sights sit within about half a mile of one another: the Alcazaba y Murallas del Cerro de San Cristóbal, the Iglesia Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación, the Centro Andaluz de la Fotografía, the Plaza de toros and the Museo de Arte de Almería are all walkable from the centre. The Castillo de San Telmo lighthouse is the outlier at around two miles.

A car becomes useful when you want to move beyond the city. Aguadulce, a coastal town of around 14,000 people, is about six miles away, and the small inland village of Rioja is roughly seven miles out. With such short distances, many travellers book car rental in Almería for just part of the holiday rather than the full fortnight.

If you only need to get from the plane to your hotel, airport transfers in Almería are short and simple; a hire car makes more sense if you plan day trips or want the freedom to come and go.

The obvious pick-up point is the airport. Car rental at Almería airport means you collect on arrival and drive straight off: around seven minutes to the city, about 12 minutes to Rioja and roughly 16 minutes to Aguadulce. Returning the car before your flight home is equally quick, which takes some of the stress out of the last morning.

If you arrive by sea instead, Almería's ferry port is barely half a mile from the centre, so collecting in the city is a practical alternative. The comparison on this page lets you check car hire in Almería at the airport and see what suits your dates.

Distances are short. The city, the airport, Aguadulce and Rioja all sit within a few miles of each other, so most journeys are measured in minutes rather than hours. The longest drive suggested by the map here is to Motril's ferry port, around 53 miles to the west.

The historic centre is best explored on foot; once you have parked, the fortress, cathedral and museums are a short walk apart. In July and August daytime highs reach around 32°C, so park in the shade where you can and keep water in the car. Rain is scarce, but March is the wettest month, with around seven rainy days, so allow a little extra care on wet roads then.

Choose a full-to-full fuel policy: you collect with a full tank and return it full, paying only for what you use. Check the excess carefully, since the standard figure can be high, and decide before you travel whether to take cover from the hire desk or arrange your own excess insurance at home.

If you are travelling with children, reserve child seats at the time of booking rather than hoping they are available at the desk. Demand rises during UK school holidays and in the most popular months, April to June and September to October, so booking early gives you more choice.

Anyone hunting for cheap car hire at Almería airport should compare several suppliers side by side; the live comparison on this page shows current car hire options at Almería airport in Spain, alongside hotel prices and tours and tickets for the city.