If you come to Almeria, you could do a lot worse than spend the day in the City of Almeria. I wouldn’t particularly recommend it in August but any other month it can be a great day out. However, you do need to know where you are going to fully enjoy the experience (like most cities) and someone who can read a street map and do a little research before heading off, otherwise you are in danger of parking the car and wandering about aimlessly! The old town is full of great little bars and restaurants (some of which I will feature later) and there is a good main shopping street leading down towards the port (where you can get a ferry to Morocco, another thing on our ‘to do’ list!), plus the bus and train station, from where you can travel all over Spain.
The Alcazaba entrance
If you do visit, then a trip to the Alcazaba is must. It is an Arab fortress which dominates the city and was constructed in 955 and is one of the best preserved in Spain. It is the second largest Muslim building in Spain (after the Alhambra in Grenada). In its heyday, 20,000 people lived within its walls. In 1489 the town was captured by the Christians and opened up a new era of economic development. However it came to an abrupt halt when in 1522 an earthquake devastated the city. The 16th and 17th centuries were a period of slow but steady expansion but the Alcazaba has more recently undergone extensive renovation and is well worth the effort of a visit. There is a good deal of walking as you would expect and also a lot of steps so it is not great for wheelchairs unfortunately, but if you are up to it, it makes an interesting contrast to a day at the beach followed by a fabulous long lunch somewhere in the old town.
Tha Alcazaba interior
Yummy Almeria 
How gorgeous. We must go next time we come to visit.