Villages and cities

 

Mojácar (Pueblo)

 

Mojácar is a must-see and as a consequence very touristic, but still nice and pleasant. White is the dominant colour here - best to wear shades when the sun is out.

The village is built on a rocky hillside, well elevated above the sea and it has a history of over 4,000 years. Whilst previously populated by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks and Moors (remainders of these vastly different cultures can still be seen today) the village makes a very harmonic impression and it is very well maintained.

It is said that the current[1] prime minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, has a second home here and that Mojácar has the largest percentage of expatriates of the Almería province.

A walk through the village on the occasional narrow, de- and ascending cobbled streets is definitely worth your time.

 

[1] as of December 2020

Mojácar Playa

 

Mojácar Playa stretches along some 8 kilometres of sea shore.

Tourism galore! This is the place to see and to be seen should that appeal to you. Modern, buzzing, people from all over Spain and Europe, live music - you get the picture: pure entertainment. You’ll find an endless array of bars, shops, hotels, restaurants and chiringuitos (beach bars) and nice, sandy beaches. All kinds of services are offered and there are options for leisure, blue flag beaches, paddle surf board rentals, beach volleyball courts, showers, and so on.

Though sharing the first part of its name with Mojácar (Pueblo), the contrast between the two is remarkable. Outgoing versus somewhat introvert, modern versus historic.

Villaricos

 

The charming small town of Villarícos is located approximately ten kilometres north of La Garrucha, a lively fishing harbour in the process of development with villas, hostels and hotels, as well as some fine seafront fish restaurants. It has an interesting promenade and beaches with pebbles and sand.

Villarícos is situated in a unique position on the mouth of the Rio Almanzora and the coast. There is a strong fishing community here, as well as several unspoilt beaches. The surrounding countryside is stunning with the entire stretch of coastline sheltered by the Sierra Almagrera mountain. There are some interesting caves east of here.

San Juan de los Terreros

 

San Juan de los Terreros is a peaceful coastal village that belongs to the municipality of Pulpí. It is known for its magnificent beaches. Opposite the coast in San Juan de los Terreros there are two small volcanic islets – the Terreros Island-Black Island Natural Monument.

The most characteristic monument in the town is San Juan de los Terreros Castle, built in 1764 on a promontory that overlooks a lot of the coastline of Almería and Murcia.

In recent years, there has been a tourism and real estate boom in San Juan de los Terreros, which traditionally used to be a foremost regional tourist destination.

Cuevas del Almanzora

 

… translates into ‘the Caves of the Almanzora’. The Almanzora is the river after which the valley is named. The first part of the name refers to the many caves in the omnipresent limestone, shaped either by erosion or carved out by men. Throughout the village quite some houses basically consist of a façade whereas the rest of the living space is inside the cave. Cool in summer, warm in winter - smart.

There’s an interesting castle, a museum, some ancient churches, all kinds of shops, bars and restaurants. Number of inhabitants: 13,700.

 

The link on the right gives access to an extensive guide on Cuevas. (Refer to your downloads folder.)

Garrucha

 

Garrucha has a long history, dating back to the year 1327. A fishing port and a commercial port are found at both ends of the impressive, 1 km. long Malecón which allows for a nice stroll overlooking the sea. At the north-most end of the promenade, you’ll find a choice of fine restaurants and a nice, relaxed atmosphere.

It comes as no surprise that fish is one of the most essential ingredients of the local gastronomy of Garrucha. Among the many varieties of fish are the gamba roja (red prawn), caballa (mackerel), chirlas (baby clams), gallopedro (sole) and mero (red snapper), among others. With these, locals make exquisite seafood stews, casseroles and paellas. Other delicious dishes are gurullos con caracoles (chickpeas with snails) or cazuela de fideos (noodle stew).

The red prawn mentioned above is especially interesting because this particular species can only be found along the coast of Garrucha itself – and you can safely trust the Garruchians to know best how to prepare it!

Vera

 

Vera has an impressive history and a city centre with nice squares bordered with old buildings. The expansive prosperous outskirts of Vera, along the beach, are very touristic with many chiringuitos (beach bars and restaurants) which offer something for everyone.

Vera (Playa) has become famous because it was one of the first nudist / naturist beaches – and currently also the largest.

Golf, horse riding, swimming, paddle tennis, diving, windsurfing, wind gliding and bicycling are among the many sports on offer.

Águilas

 

Águilas (translated: ‘Eagles’) is a port city located on the Costa Cálida, part of Murcia (i.e. a different ‘autonomous region’ than Andalucía and its province Almería).

A tradition of seafaring now combines with a wide range of tourist facilities, making the most of one of its main attractions, the extensive coastline.

Águilas, an old Roman fishing port, was established in more modern times during the Enlightenment, when in 1785 it began to operate as a port of exit for the produce of the Murcia region's fertile fields. In the 19th century it became a major mining enclave, a reminder of which times is the Hornillo jetty, where iron, lead and silver from the nearby mines were loaded onto ships.

In Águilas’ town centre, with a rich seafaring flavour, it is worth visiting Plaza de España's beautiful gardens full of rubber plants, the City Hall (19th century), and the parish church of San José, where the image of the patron saint is housed. At the top of the old town, standing on a promontory, is the castle-fortress of San Juan de Águilas, built in 1579 for purposes of defence. Below it sits the port and its characteristic black-and-white striped lighthouse, in operation since the mid-19th century. The town's Food Market and the railway monument are other places of interest.

This town offers an extensive coastline stretching some 34 kilometres, a fact which, when combined with an enviable average temperature, makes it one of the main tourist destinations in the Murcia region. We can find solitary coves and beaches with crystal-clear water, such as La Higuerica, La Carolina (see under ‘Beaches’) or Calabardina, urban beaches, such as Las Delicias, and one of the best areas on the Mediterranean coast for scuba diving, thanks to some excellent rocky sea beds, above all on Fraile island and in the area around the rock of Cape Cope.

Pulpí

 

Pulpí is home to the Giant Geode of Pulpí, a beautiful volcanically formed cavern covered in transparent gypsum crystals, considered the best preserved in the world. It is therefore no surprise that is has been officially declared a Natural Place of Interest. It was discovered on the inside of an abandoned mine in El Pilar de Jaravia, one of the many populated areas of Pulpí, and is many millions of years old. The town of Pulpí itself has around 9,500 inhabitants.

Various materials from the Roman Period have been unearthed, mainly on the coast. For example, on the beach of Terreros, next to the Salinas, a red clay musical instrument was discovered, similar to that found in Pozo del Esparto.

Cartagena

 

Though not very near (approximately 1 hour by car), Cartagena is worth a visit. It is a captivating, excellently maintained, middle sized city with an old centre dating back to the Roman era (around 220 b.C.).

There’s a range of interesting museums, amongst which:

  • the Civil War Museum
  • the Punic Wall of Cartagena
  • the National Museum of Underwater
  • the Naval Museum.

And, of course, there are many old structures and buildings to be marvelled at, like the Roman Theatre, the Palacio Consistorial de Cartagena, the Castillo de la Concepcíon, the Palacio de Aguirre and the old Cathedral of Cartagena.

There is a hop-on, hop-off (double decker) bus tour, like in e.g. Barcelona, which will drive by all the alluring attractions. Refer to e.g. http://tiny.cc/bustourcartagena for availability and tickets.

If you consider a visit, please reserve a full day. At the end of the activity-packed day you’ll probably agree that it is actually too short to see even half of what the city has to offer.