Most cycling holidays make you choose. Either you ride the coast and stay flat, or you go to the mountains and leave the sea behind. Almerimar lets you do both in the same week.
Almerimar sits on the Poniente coast of Almería, a marina town with white apartments, palm-lined streets and a long beach. Behind it, the land rises quickly towards the Sierra de Gádor. You can leave your hotel at sea level and be on a proper climb within minutes.
Sun when the rest of Europe is cold
Almería is one of the sunniest provinces in Europe, with around 300 sunny days a year. On this coast that means you can ride in shorts and a jersey far into the winter, when many popular destinations are wet and cold. The best months for riding here run from September to June. Mid-summer is hot, and we recommend leaving it for the coast and the water.
What the landscape looks like
Be ready for something different from the postcard Mediterranean. The plain behind Almerimar is covered with greenhouses, an enormous white sea of plastic that feeds a good part of Europe. Beyond them, the first slopes of the Sierra de Gádor are dry, stony and open, with almond trees, scrub and a few pines higher up. It is not lush, and that is part of its character: wide horizons, strong light and very little traffic once you leave the main road.
The riding
This is the zone for riders who want variety without brutal days.
- Coastal roads. Flat or gently rolling, with the sea beside you. Good for easy days, recovery rides and warming up.
- Climbs from the beach. From sea level you can ride real climbs of a manageable size, from short ramps of 4 to 5 km to the 17 km of the Alto de Vícar, which reaches about 1,000 m. See the table below.
- Full days. A typical stage of around 100 km with about 1,700 m of climbing is very enjoyable, and noticeably less demanding than the equivalent day from Berja or the Filabres.
If you want to start easy, ride the coast. If you want to test your legs, climb for a few hours, then finish at the sea.
The climbs at a glance
All of them can be linked to a loop from Almerimar:
| Climb | Distance | Climbing | Gradient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alto de Vícar | 17.5 km | 915 m | 5.2% |
| Alto de El Ejido | 11.1 km | 463 m | 4.2% |
| Puerto de la Parra | 9.0 km | 580 m | 6.5% |
| Puerto del Trebolar | 7.9 km | 464 m | 5.9% |
| Puerto de Castala | 6.6 km | 419 m | 6.3% |
| Alto de Hirmes | 6.3 km | 297 m | 4.7% |
| Subida Caseta Cintas | 4.4 km | 236 m | 5.3% |
Puerto de la Parra and Puerto del Trebolar are close to both Almerimar and Berja, and they are the two climbs of our Hard 04 loop. Figures come from our own tracks and may differ a little from other sources.
A simple way to plan it
Easy and Medium have three loops each, and Hard has four. All of them start and finish in Almerimar. Open the level to see them with their elevation profiles. These are proposals: any outing can be tailored to your level.
Beyond the bike
After a few hours on the road, you will want to switch off: walk along the beach, have dinner at the marina, or visit the nearby natural areas. Almerimar is easy to enjoy even on rest days.
Getting here and getting around
The nearest airport is Almería, around an hour away by road. A car or a van is the easiest way to move with luggage and bike boxes. We can recommend where to stay in Almerimar and how to arrange bikes, so you arrive and simply ride.
