Information about Vera, Almeria
Vera and Vera Playa
Vera is a small village with around 15528 habitants and sitting roughly 95 meters above sea level. The village was originally at the top of a hill however back in 1518 an earthquake struck the hill killing more than 150 people. In 1520, 3 people who survived the earthquake reconstructed Vera where it is now. The hill is named “Cerro del Espiritu Santo” and has a large statue of Jesus as one of its landmarks. Many people walk to the top of the hill to see the statue and the views out to the mountains and sea are spectacula
The town itself affords lots of culture. In the Plaza Mayor (main square) you will find the church (Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación) which is beautiful inside and worth a visit, you will also find the town hall and a small museum with information on how Vera used to be in the olden days.
Walking down the small side street you will find the old cinema (Cine Regio) that every so often has films on and plays performed by the local schools. You also have Plaza de los Cuatro Caños (four cane square) here you have four spouts with water flowing from the local mountains, perfect to top your water bottles up on a warm sunny day!
You also have another small church (Hermita de San Ramon) at the rear of one of the high schools, perched on a lovely little square. This church brings a lot of peace and tranquility to the village and is one of the oldest buildings. In Vera you will find the bullring, which you can visit and have a guided tour and look at the culture bullfighting. Not for everyone! However as an expat or tourist we have to accept the Spanish traditions. We also have El Palmeral gardens which is where the big local fiesta is held in September with many stalls, open restaurants, bars and most of all fun fair rides for the little ones and us not so little ones as well.
While talking about fiesta! They usually start the fiesta on a Wednesday and it will run until the Sunday. It is always celebrated in honor of the patron saint. Each town has different traditions and in Vera all the ladies dress up in their flamenco dresses and the men ride high on their horses and try and get the sash for their lady. Then the party carries on until the early hours. They will always choose a young king and queen and a teen king and queen. They must represent the town throughout that year in Easter parades and any other festivity within the year. You also have Vera Playa with 7km of beautiful golden sandy beaches. Vera Playa is very free living with both naturist and textile beaches. From Puerto Rey you can walk all the way along the promenade to Garrucha with various bars to stop and have a drink along the way. A big attraction to Vera Playa is the water park, which during the summer months is a massive hit with the little ones. On the main road just past Garrucha, you also have the go karting track, which is great fun for all ages! Vera also has three public primary schools and two public high schools. There is also a private school from nursery through to college.
Favorite places to visit while in Vera would be:
Town hall square with the main church: Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'49.8"N 1°52'06.6"W Google coordinates: 37.247164, -1.868500
Hermita de San Ramon: Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'42.0"N 1°51'58.4"W Google coordintes: 37.244995, -1.866208
Fuente de los Cuatro Caños: Sat Nav Coordinates: 37°14'58.8"N 1°52'06.6"W Google coordinates: 37.249658, -1.868490
Plaza de Toros: Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'35.2"N 1°51'29.0"W Google coordinates: 37.243096, -1.858046
El Palmeral: Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'48.5"N 1°51'37.6"W Google coordinates: 37.246804, -1.860443
Water park: Sat Nav coordinates: 37°13'09.7"N 1°48'40.7"W Google coordinates: 37.219367, -1.811291
Go Karting: Sat Nav coordinates: 37°10'20.3"N 1°50'01.1"W Google coordinates: 37.172299, -1.833645
Places to eat in Vera town:
Terraza Carmona (great place for Tapas): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'55.9"N 1°52'10.8"W Google coordinates: 37.248858, -1.869679
Juan Moreno (fine dining): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'24.6"N 1°51'27.5"W Google coordinates: 37.240164, -1.857624
Eclipse (Best pizzas around and chips with cheese and bacon): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'23.7"N 1°51'37.2"W Google coordinates: 37.239925, -1.860320
El Rincon del Nino (Brilliant for tapas): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°14'36.1"N 1°51'34.6"W Google coordinates: 37.243346, -1.859612
Places to eat in Vera Playa:
The Bistro (very nice food): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°11'53.4"N 1°48'50.5"W Google coordinates: 37.198179, -1.814038
Keoke (perfect for coffee after shopping in Mercadona): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°12'51.5"N 1°49'51.8"W Google coordinates: 37.214295, -1.831064
El Cenachero (amazing tapas only open in high season): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°11'35.5"N 1°48'57.2"W Google coordinates: 37.193181, -1.815882
Marau (fine dining, evening drinks and club): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°12'35.8"N 1°48'36.6"W Google coordinates: 37.209931, -1.810153
Lua Puerto Rey (fine dining and evening drinks): Sat Nav coordinates: 37°13'17.3"N 1°48'36.5"W Google coordinates: 37.221466, -1.810143
In Vera Playa you also have many hotels:
Hotel Zimbali Playa: https://www.playasenator.com/en/hotels/zimbali-playa-spa-hotel/
Aparthotel Reina: https://www.aparthotelreina.es/en/
Aparthotel Marina Rey: https://www.marinarey.com/
Hotel Adaria: https://www.hoteladariavera.com/
Aparthotel Mexico: https://www.hotelmexicovera.com/