Almería has a dry, bright, slightly North African feel that makes it unlike most Spanish cities, and the reason is simple: it gets less rain than almost anywhere in Europe. The city lies on a wide bay with the arid Sierra Alhamilla behind it, and the whole landscape is in shades of sand, ochre and pale grey. In summer it is hot and bright, in winter it is gentle, and the sea breeze keeps the air moving.
The great landmark is the Alcazaba, a huge Moorish fortress begun in the tenth century under Abd al-Rahman III, when Almería was one of the most important ports and silk centres of al-Andalus. Its walls climb the hill above the old town, enclosing gardens and ruined palaces, and the view across the bay is superb. The cathedral looks more like a fortress than a church, with thick walls and corner towers, because pirates raided this coast for centuries. Underneath the old town, a network of civil war air-raid shelters stretches for several kilometres and can be visited on a guided tour. If you stop for a drink, you may find a free tapa arrives with it, a local tradition that makes the city very kind to tight budgets.
For riders, Almería is the start of two quite different adventures. To the north, the Tabernas Desert is Europe's only true desert landscape, with eroded badlands and scorched canyons where spaghetti westerns were filmed in the sixties, and the roads there are fast and sweeping, with big views and little shade. To the east, the Cabo de Gata natural park offers volcanic headlands, empty beaches and white villages, with winding coastal roads. Fuel is straightforward in a city of nearly two hundred thousand, and you will want a full tank before heading into either area, since stations get sparse in the desert.
Carry plenty of water and start early, as summer heat here is relentless. The light in the morning and again late in the day turns the hills a warm gold, and that is when the place looks its absolute best.