The Cartagena - Vera Autopista
The opening of the Cartagena - Vera Autopista (AP-7) on 30th March 2007 has reduced the journey time from Murcia (San Javier) airport to San Juan de los Terreros (the first town in Almería proviince) to around 50 minutes. It is not shown on the map above but the new road facilitates visits to Cartagena and further up the coast which were more difficult drives before.
This new road is (unfortunately) a toll road - the only toll road in Almería province - and the charge for a car is 11.50 euros for the full length (100 km approx).
From its border with Murcia to its border with Granada the A-7 E-15 'Autovia del Mediteraneo' (which runs from the French border almost down to Málaga) has a length of about 130km. Unlike in its course further to the north the autovia is entirely toll free in this province. Traffic is very light also, which means that getting about by road is quick, easy and stress free.
The city of Almería is well to the south of the province, as is the main tourist resort of Roquetas de Mar and the only airport in the province. The second main tourist resort is Mojácar which is about an hours drive north of the city.
The area to the immediate north east of Almería city is the desert of Tabernas - the only desert in Europe. This area closely resembles the terrain in the west of the USA, and, because of this, many 'spaghetti western' films were made here.
The main products of the region are salad crops, oranges, lemons, almonds and olives. The Almanzora valley which runs from Huércal Overa towards Baza is, arguably, the largest producer of marble in the world.
The climate is generally very warm by the coast with mild winters, although the winters can have quite cold spells in the higher inland areas. The area is also quite dry with very few periods of rain.