Almunecar tourist information

Crowned by the remains of its Moorish castle, the old town of Almuñécar huddles tightly to the flanks of what was historically an irregular promontory jutting out between the Rio Verde and Rio Seco estuaries but which, with the silting up of the river mouths over the centuries, now stands separating two alluvial flood plains whose shorefronts now comprise the citys principal beaches of Playa Puerta del Mar (Rio Verde) and, to the west of the town centre, the Playa San Cristóbal (Rio Seco).

The two beaches are broken by abrupt cliffs supporting the Arab citadel and three large rocks, or peñones, leading out to sea. The first is the biggest and called El Peñón del Santo or, simply, El Santo. Now a popular mirador for enjoying the views, it was once occupied by an ancient shrine, probably Roman, that was accessed by a bridge from the castle. Visitors will find a large cross on top now, illuminated at night. The other two rocks, out to sea, are the Peñón de Enmedio and, furthest from the Santo, the Peñón de Afuera, both now homes to hundreds of seagulls.

Steep winding streets, still following the patterns of the Middle Ages, lead from Almuñécars central square, the Plaza de la Constitución where the Town Hall stands, towards the castle and the highest old quarter called Barrio San Miguel. This part of the pueblo has little vehicle access and is still mostly residential. Geranium-studded balconies and small sunlit plazas decorate the maze of narrow passageways where youll also find the towns archaeological museum.

To the other side of the Plaza de la Constitución, beside the Town Hall, a short rise leads up to the Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnación, the towns main church. Not far away stands the Casa de Cultura, principal cultural centre and auditorium for the area.

Circling the northern flanks of the old town, runs the Carrera de la Concepción, once part of the main coast road and now an attractive but busy avenue. From here, beside the fountain, starts the old valley road that heads towards Granada and, a few metres away, lie the recently excavated remains of part of the aqueduct and an important Roman baths.

On the seafront, shadowed by the old town walls, lies the Playa Puerta del Mar, Almuñécars principal beach, and the Paseo del Altillo, a short palm-lined avenue where most of the banks are located, close to the post office and a short walk to most important offices in town. Which explains why parking can be impossible in summer and unpredictable throughout the rest of the year.

The Paseo del Altillo forms the middle link in a longer coastal paseo, or promenade, which stretches unbroken in either direction along the shore as far as the districts of Velilla and Taramay, to the east, and the urbanisation of Cotobro, to the west.. This palm-lined (but not yet shaded) walkway is about the only really long, flat place to go for a stroll so its really popular on weekends, ideally conditioned for wheelchairs and the elderly.

The N340 road cuts across the valley approximatrely 500 m from the coast, effectively separating the town developments from the extensive orchards and cultivations that stretch along the Tropical Valley. All land between the road and the beach is zoned for development and within a few years Almuñécar will have a large new urban district completed to the east of the town centre, known imaginatively as P4. This will be residential blocks, commercial premises, an open-air sports stadium, hospital, school and even a bullring.

There are three principal entrances into town from the N340 coastal highway. The most important lies in front of the gasoline station beside the fairground (marked by an arched monument) which gives access to the eastern side of the town centre and the Paseo del Altillo. A couple of hundred metres to the east is a second entrance beside the Rio Verde which heads into the new part of town (P4), finally arriving at the eastern end of the Playa Puerta del Mar. The third entrance lies about 400 metres to the west of the gasoline station, in front of the Guardia Civil offices, and is the best way to access the market area, Majuelo Park, tourist office and beach of San Cristóbal.

Opposite P4 on the eastern side of the Rio Verde, new urbanisations climb the hill overlooking Almuñécar, known as Cerro de Velilla but which is sometimes called Los Pinos after the urbanisation that has stood there for 30 years or more. Below the cliffs of this pineclad hilltop, on the beach, lies the towns aquapark which marks the end of the Puerta del Mar beach and the beginning of Velilla and the eastern districts.