The Phoenicians' first Spanish port of call

As you enter the town of Adra, located in the westernmost part of Almeria province, you feel a sense of relief. Even in the peak season, this spot on the Mediterranean coast offers a refuge from mass tourism. And it’s just half an hour’s drive from the busy Costa del Sol's Nerja.

Even in summer, Adra remains a working fishing and farming town, rather than a tourist resort. You should not come here expecting sophisticated architecture or pretentious refinement. There is no conventional beauty here; instead, there is antiquity. Yet, in the 8th century BC, the Phoenicians landed here and founded a settlement called Abdera. Many historians and archaeologists have been coming to Adra over the years and still arrive in search of archaeological ‘roots’.

In Adra, you come across monuments and sites that serve as reminders of the town’s rich past. For more detailed information, it is worth visiting the Adra Museum (Museo de Adra), which houses exhibits relating to the Phoenician and Roman periods. Incidentally, the museum also has an exhibition dedicated to the historical avant-garde, featuring original graphic works by Pablo Picasso.

The Port of Adra is, it would appear, the place where the Phoenicians first set foot on land. It ranks among the region’s most historically significant and active commercial fishing ports. Puerto de Adra has a dedicated fishing quay covering an area of 5,680 square metres, designed to separate the busy commercial vessels from pleasure craft. Its fishing fleet consists of over 60 vessels specialising in trawling, purse seine fishing and shallow-water longline fishing. The commercial fleet lands huge quantities of Mediterranean fish species.

Recreational anglers have made the outer breakwaters their favourite spot for catching gilt-head bream (dorada) and sargo. Incidentally, visitors can get up early to watch the traditional morning fish auctions at the Lonja de Adra fish market. It is worth noting that local restaurants offer a wide variety of fish and seafood dishes, such as stewed squid with potatoes.

Even in the town centre, most of Adra’s architecture is characterised by its practicality and modernity, rather than the classic whitewashed Andalusian streets. The long seafront promenade offers peaceful, uncrowded spots. San Nicolás beach flows seamlessly into El Senso beach, complete with a cycle path.

In addition, Adra is surrounded by low mountains, hills and ravines, which are the perfect place to get close to nature. There are routes such as the ‘Bolaños–Calar’ trail or the ‘Guaínos’ trail. The nearby ‘Las Albuferas de Adra’ nature reserve is an excellent spot for birdwatching.

This is an important reserve for the migratory flyway between the European and African continents, as well as for the conservation of endangered species such as diving ducks and the Spanish toothcarp. All this makes Adra the ideal destination for birdwatchers and conservationists.

Adra is a sort of ‘bay’ within Almería’s famous ‘plastic sea’ - a dense cluster of greenhouses in the Poniente Almeriense region. It is worth mentioning that sugar production once flourished in this area.

Thanks to the ideal climate, sugar cane cultivation was the main driving force behind the local economy. Today, the sugar factory operates as a museum, bearing witness to the history of sugar and spirits production, while Adra is a major centre for intensive greenhouse vegetable cultivation. The main crops grown here are cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and courgettes, which are exported to European markets. Melons and other fruits are also widely cultivated.