5 Best Sights in Almeria, Costa del Sol and Costa de Almeria

This important archaeological site is about 2½ km (1½ miles) southwest from the village of Santa Fe de Mondújar and 19 km (12 miles) from Almería. These ruins, scattered on a windswept hilltop, were the birthplace of civilization in Spain nearly 5,000 years ago. The large, dome-shape tombs are evidence of a fairly advanced society, and the formidable defense walls show that it had something to protect. A series of concentric fortifications shows that the settlement increased in size, eventually holding some 2,000 people. The town was inhabited from 2700 to 1800 BC. Free guided tours are available: email to book. 

Almería, the last bastion of the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War, was hit by 754 bombs launched via air and sea by Nationalist forces. To protect civilians, 4½ km (2¾ miles) of tunnels were built under the city to provide shelter for more than 34,000 people. About 1 km (½ mile) can now be visited on a guided tour that covers the food stores, sleeping quarters, and an operating theater for the wounded, with its original medical equipment.

Dominating the city is this fortress, built by Caliph Abd ar-Rahman I and given a bell tower by Carlos III. From here you have sweeping views of the port and city. Among the ruins of the fortress, which was damaged by earthquakes in 1522 and 1560, are landscaped gardens of rock flowers and cacti.

Below the alcazaba (citadel) is the local cathedral, with buttressed towers that give it the appearance of a castle. It's in Gothic style but with some classical touches around the doors. Guided tours are available, and admission includes a visit to the ecclesiastical museum.