Garrucha travel information and video

Garrucha

Garrucha offers a little light relief from the typical tourist attractions of the Costa Almeria, allowing the visitor to experience traditional Spanish life.

Situated in the Province of Almeria, Garrucha is a traditional Spanish fishing town, nestled between the beaches of Mojácar and Vera. A beautiful and lively town, it still retains much of its original charm. The area, as all of the Costa Almeria, enjoys an ideal climate throughout the year.

Fishing Heritage

Over the last few years it has become a popular tourist destination, its slogan proclaims ‘Garrucha – sun, sea and seafood’. The town is famous for the quality of its large red prawns, only fished in the local waters; Garrucha claims to be the ‘Seafood capital of the Costa Almeria’. Fishing is the area’s main industry and main source of income, the town’s extended port is used for both commercial and leisure pursuits and visitors can watch the fisherman offload their catch after a day at sea, before it is auctioned off at the quayside.

With its seafood heritage Garrucha boasts an excellent selection of seafood restaurants and bars, most of which can be found along the seafront serving the fresh catch of the day. The art of ‘tapeo’ (go for tapas) is also an experience not to be missed in Garrucha, the area is well known for its delicious tapas.

Beaches

Garrucha is also well known for its magnificent, golden sandy beaches, stretching as far as the eye can see. The wide beach and fine sands offer a perfect place to sunbathe, play sports or just stroll along and enjoy the scenery and local life passing by. The beach opposite the town centre is a blue flag beach, the only town beach in Europe to be awarded the prestigious blue flag.

Other beaches nearby include La Bolaga, Puerto del Ray, Palomares, Villaricos, Cal Cristal, Cala de las Cohces and Cala Verde. There are snorkelling and scuba diving schools nearby, as well as tennis courts at Puerto del Ray.

Architecture & Sightseeing

Two buildings of architectural interest in Garrucha are the Parish Church de San Joaquin and the Hermitage de la Virgen del Carmen, the Patron saint of Garrucha. Every year on the 16th of July the fishermen pass the chapel on their way to the sea in a spiritual procession.

One of the pleasures of a stay in Garrucha is taking an evening stroll around the bay, a palm tree lined promenade framed by white marble balustrades spans the length of the town, almost 2 Km. There are landscaped zones where you can sit and relax while watching the sunset over the Mediterranean sea and there are some great play areas for children. The route takes in the three successive ports of Garrucha - the recreational port, fishing port and commercial port.

A combination of exquisite seafood dining, beautiful golden sand beaches and the daily life of a fishing and seaport town make Garrucha a charming place to visit.


Places of interest near Garrucha:

- The Vera Aquatico park is 5 minutes drive from Garrucha

- Turre is a typical Spanish market village situated inland from Garrucha about 5 Km. It has a friendly local atmosphere with various village shops and very good Spanish restaurants. The market on a Friday is well worth a visit.

Climate

Garrucha enjoys an exceptional all-year round sub-tropical climate, as does the whole of the Costa Almeria. The area is protected by the Sierra Cabrera mountains, however it still peaks temperatures of around 40ºC in the summer months, dropping around mid-September to a milder, but still warm and enjoyable 23ºC-27ºC degrees. The winters are mild and mostly dry, although the winter evenings can get chilly.