Identity
The hot-water village
Our name says it all: Alhama comes from the Arabic al-ḥamma, "the bath, the hot thermal spring". Here the water rises at around 46 °C from the San Nicolás spring, and it has done so for as long as anyone can remember: the first baths were built in Roman times at the foot of Cerro Milano, and it was the Arabs who moved them some 300 metres to their present site.
That thread of hot water runs through our whole history. In 1874 the Baños de San Nicolás company was founded and the spa building erected, opening in 1877; it remains the thermal heart of the village today — a working spa hotel a short stroll from the square.
Alhama is now a municipality of close to 4,000 inhabitants, perched at 518 metres above sea level on the slope that drops from the Sierra de Gádor towards the river Andarax. From here you overlook the valley — vine trellises, orange trees and ochre earth — with the Tabernas desert on the horizon. It is a village to walk slowly: white streets, lively squares, the murmur of water at Las Canales and viewpoints leaning out over the valley.
~4,000
inhabitants (2025 register)
518 m
above sea level
26.22 km²
of municipal territory
Our most illustrious neighbour
Nicolás Salmerón, the president
who refused to sign
In 1837, in the village then known as Alhama la Seca, Nicolás Salmerón y Alonso was born: philosopher, university professor and third President of the Executive Power of the First Spanish Republic, from 18 July to 7 September 1873.
His presidency lasted barely fifty days, yet it was enough to leave one of the most memorable gestures in our political history: he resigned rather than sign death sentences. His epitaph sums it up: "he gave up power rather than sign a death sentence". He died in 1908 in Pau, in the south of France.
The village never forgot him. In September 1931, with the Second Republic newly proclaimed, he was honoured with the installation of his bust in the park that bears his name — a tribute joined by figures such as Miguel de Unamuno and the Almería-born writer Carmen de Burgos — and from 1932 to 1941 the municipality was officially called "Alhama de Salmerón". In the Huerta Rosalía stands the Casa de Nicolás Salmerón, the family property where he lived. His full story awaits you on our history page.
Plan your visit
All of Alhama, pillar by pillar
This page is the front door. Each pillar explores one facet of the village and its valley in depth.
History
From the Roman baths of Cerro Milano to the Republic: the long memory of a village built on water.
Walk through history →Local products
The terroir of the Andarax valley: grapes, olive oil, esparto and the flavours that define us.
Taste the terroir →Festivals & traditions
San Nicolás and the Purísima in December, the San Antón bonfires in January: the calendar that sets the pace of the year.
See the calendar →Where to sleep
From the historic spa hotel to apartments and a campsite: sleep in the village or with the valley at your feet.
Choose your stay →Getting here
About 25 minutes from Almería city via the A-92 and A-348. Routes, access and tips for a straightforward trip.
Plan the journey →Gastronomy
Square-side bars, valley cooking and Almería's tapas custom: here you eat slowly and talk plenty.
Sit down to eat →Namesakes
The other Alhamas of Spain
We are not the only one: wherever the Arabs found hot water, they left behind an al-ḥamma. Three sister villages share our name, and we have dedicated a page to each.
Alhama de Murcia
Its Roman baths — reused in the Islamic era — have been a National Monument since 1983 and can be visited today at the Los Baños Archaeological Museum.
Get to know it →Alhama de Granada
Perched over the Tajos, the gorge of the river Alhama, its capture in 1482 sparked the War of Granada and inspired the ballad "¡Ay de mi Alhama!".
Get to know it →Alhama de Aragón
A spa town with baths documented since 1122, famous for the lake at Termas Pallarés, one of the few natural thermal lakes in Europe where you can swim.
Get to know it →Practical information
Before you come
Square photograph: Carlosjvives · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0