Almería · Andalucía
Almería
An underrated Moorish port city — 'mirror of the sea' under its Nasrid rulers — refreshingly untouristed next to Andalucía's bigger cities.
What Almería is like
Portrait drawn from Lonely Planet & The Rough Guide.
At the foot of a stark grey mountain in the heart of Almería province.
On the table. A sophisticated dining scene, including a plethora of fantastic tapas bars.
Worth the trip
- The Alcazaba, probably the best-surviving example of Moorish military fortification in Spain, once holding gardens, palaces and some 20,000 people
- The fortress-like Catedral
- The Barrio de la Chanca cave quarter
- The Desierto de Tabernas ('Wild West' film sets) and Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar nearby
A little history
Founded by the Phoenicians; as Al-Mariyat ('Mirror of the Sea') under the Nasrids it was a flourishing, modern metropolis, later declining after the Reconquista and bombed as the last Republican stronghold in the Civil War.
Who it suits: History and architecture travellers · Those wanting an authentic Andalucian city without the crowds
The numbers
The decision data — each figure against the Spanish average. Regional overlays and estimates are labelled, and where there's no local reading we say so plainly.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 14.1°C 6.3°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 30.9°C 0.7°C above the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 25 days 64% less than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- 8.5 h/day 17% more than the Spanish average (7.2 h/day)
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 30 26 below the Spanish average (56)
Cost & economy
- Home price
- €1,675/m² 24% less than the Spanish average (€2,208/m²)
- Net income per person
- €13,372 8% less than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 27.3%
Schools
- Schools in town
- 195
- Nearest international school
- 9 km
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 457 24 below the Spanish average (481)
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 0 min
- Nearest health centre
- 7.2 km
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 173 days 60% more than the Spanish average (108 days)
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 10 min
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 99% 20% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 100% 17% above the Spanish average (83%)
Who lives here
- Population
- 204,772
- Born in Spain
- 84.4% 4.4% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 2.3% 1.5% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 0.79 per 1,000
Numbers: SettleSpain town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma, Ministerio del Interior and the Catastro. National average = the unweighted mean across all 8,132 Spanish municipalities with data. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.
How does Almería fit you?
These are the town's numbers. Whether it's your town depends on what you're optimising for — winter sun or mild summers, a city or a village, short medical waits, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores Almería against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 36 min from Roquetas de Mar, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Almería for you →Nearby towns
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