SAN JOSE
Cabo de Gata
San Jose is a small coastal town set among a series of narrow beaches and rocky bluffs on the Costa de Almeria. The town functions as the main hub in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park and has a variety of restaurants/tapas bars, nightlife and a marina. In addition, San Jose is very close to some of the most beautiful beaches in the park, such as the Playa de los Genoveses & Playa de Monsul.
San Jose is home to 850 inhabitants from a diverse background (45% Spanish, 28% Italians, 14% British). Traditionally it was a fishing village but today tourism is the main economic activity. While there are some foreigners, it’s mainly a popular destination for Spanish holiday makers and still mostly unknown outside of the country.
The paved road ends in San Jose. From there on, it is just dirt and dust! To the south of the town is an access road that takes you to some of the most famous beaches such as Genoveses and Monsul. That dirt road is closed just past the parking for Monsul Beach. From there on, it is only accessible on foot or bike. To the north of San Jose there is another dirt road that goes to Cala Higuera and a row of tiny coves.
San Jose’s largest festival is the Fiesta del Turista (Tourist Festival) which takes place on the 2nd weekend of August. There’s live music, entertainment & more.
San Jose is just a 35 min drive from Almeria’s airport.
During high season (mid June til mid September), there are buses running between San Jose and the main beaches to the south, that is: Playa de los Genoveses, Playa de Barronal, Playa de Monsul and Cala Carbon. There is one bus every 30 minutes from 9am til 9pm and one ticket costs around 1.5€. The bus makes 3 stops in San Jose: Calle Entrada (next to the parking), Calle de Correos (in front of the supermarket) and Calle Ronda (at the beginning of the dirt road to the beaches). It then stops at each of the four beaches mentioned above.
Has España Guide helped plan your trip?
If so, please consider booking your hotel through the links to booking.com found on our website or use the following link: https://www.booking.com/index.html?aid=1802409
That way, you get the best rates on your hotels and at the same time, it helps us to continue contributing to this site. Everyone wins!