Níjar

Nijar is a town of 30,000 people (2018) in Andalucia. It is an extremely picturesque, typically Moorish, agricultural town on the South East coastline, close to the breathtaking Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, 45,663 ha of protected coastal area.

Understand
The main sources of income are in agriculture, especially in the growing of greenhouse crops, and tourism, especially the watersports centre of San José.

Get around
The Autovía del Mediterráneo A-7 runs through the municipality in its northern part from east to west, towards Almería and Murcia. Other important roads are the AL-3111, which connects San Isidro with Campohermoso, and the AL-3108 to San José. Transporte Urbano Comarcal de Níjar provides summer bus service to Playa de los Genoveses and Playa de Mónsul from San José stands out. It has bus lines from the Consorcio de Transportes de Almería.

There is taxi service from the urban centres of Campohermoso, San Isidro, Las Negras and La Isleta del Moro.

See
In 2019 the Villa de Níjar was declared one of the "Most Beautiful Towns in Spain". Founded in the 13th century, the streets of white houses and slopes of the Atalaya neighbourhood and the Plaza del Mercado, the scene of the old bartering, stand out. In the Plaza de la Glorieta are the Town Hall and the Mudejar church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación de Nijar. Near Níjar is the Church of Huebro from 1690 with Mudejar elements.

The 16th-century church of Santa Maria is a wonderful place to see some local craftsmanship.

Do
January and September are a great time to visit, as you will stumble upon a fiesta or their agricultural and livestock fair.

On the first Sunday of October, villagers make a pilgrimage to El Huebro sanctuary, about 6 km from Nijar. Níjar is the municipality in the province of Almería with the largest number of beaches and coves along its 63 km of coastline. The best known and most visited beaches are those of San José, Playa de Monsul, Playa de los Genoveses, Playa de Las Negras, Cala de San Pedro and El Playazo de Rodalquilar. In 2010, The New York Times described the beaches of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park as the "paradise of Europe". The beaches of San José and San José have also obtained the Q for Quality Flag and the Blue Flag.

Buy
Make sure you leave space in your luggage for some of the delightful ceramics, textiles and pottery that Nijar is famed for.

Eat
There is an abundance of reasonably priced bars and restaurants serving tapas and more. You won’t be short of somewhere to watch real Spanish life pass you by.

Sleep
There is something for every budget, from a four-star hotel to a simple hostel. You will also find campsites in the area: Camping Rodalquilar and Camping Cabo de Gata.