Almeria

The airport is 12km (7.2 mi) from the port and Mojácar is 82km (49.5mi) from the airport. Not sure what the draw to Mojácar is other than the beach, as there are equally nice beaches all along that coast. Being off season some of the restaurants and shops in Mojácar and other small towns may still be closed for the season. When we visited there it was in early September and much was already shut down.

The main market in Almería is nice and on a couple levels. Its Alcazaba is large. We spent just over two hours walking around it and it was inexpensive to enter. The only other attraction in town is the English cable/port area, but it’s really just a walk by to look at.

North of Almería is the Tabernas Desert, Europe’s only natural desert. West of the city is the Acueducto de los Veinte Ojos. Ruta Carcauz. As the name says, it has 20 arches.

Thank you for your quick response. We are not interested in beaches, but rather the history of Mojacar going back to antiquity. We will have a whole day to explore so we were hoping to get time in both Mojacar and Almeria with the help of a rental car. It's just getting to the place to rent the car that is causing a concern. I don't think there are any in the port, but there might be a few in the train station; the airport is a distance for sure, but as I said in my earlier post, I can't seem to find information about where the train station is. Not speaking the language is a definite drawback!

The train station (Estación de tren Almeria) is 9 minutes and 2.4 miles from the port because of how you need to get to it. There’s a bus station there too. Paste Estación de tren Almeria into Google maps to see where it is.

Europcar Almeria Renfe has a location near the train station (Pl. de la Estación, Sn, 04006 Almería, Spain) as does Enterprise Alquiler de Coches y Furgonetas - Almeria Ciudad (Av. Ntra. Sra. de Montserrat, 137, 04006 Almería, Spain). There’s also a local company, Almericar (Av. Ntra. Sra. de Montserrat, 77, 04006 Almería, Spain). There are also a couple Avis/Budget locations but they seem to be a little further away, but not as far as the airport.

Abbreviations used in the addresses
Sn - sin número (no number)
Pl - Plaza
Av. Ntra. Sra. - Avenida Nuestra Señora (Our lady of Monserrat Avenue)

Since you plan to rent a car, ensure the driver(s) get an international driving permit (IDP) before leaving the states. You can get them at any AAA office for $20 and two passport photos. It is required in Spain although nobody will probably ask to see it.

After your history comment, I had to look it up myself. Here are links to a brief history and a few places to see.

jaimeelsabio, I can't thank you enough for this incredibly valuable information. We now feel confident that we'll be able to rent a car and go where my husband wants to go and see what he wants to see....me, too! I truly appreciate the time you've taken to answer my questions.

Finally, in Mojácar proper there is apparently free parking at Parking Mojácar, Calle el Huerto, 17, 04638 Mojácar, Almería, Spain. There is another free lot nearby, just past the Mojacar Mercadillo, Pl. Rey Alabez, 10, 04638 Mojácar, Almería, Spain.

If you don’t have free data, I suggest downloading a map of the Almería/Mojácar area on Google maps with the parking lots bookmarked. That way you can go straight to them and that will save you some time. Using your phone for navigation uses a lot of battery power. With my last two Spain rentals, one vehicle only had USB-C ports while the other had both USB-C and USB-2 ports. Ensure you have cables for each possible case. The European standard is USB-C.

Okay, I'm ready to take you along!!! That information about the parking is invaluable as we only have a certain number of hours off the ship and any time that we can save is more time to enjoy the sights. Once again, my sincere thanks for taking the time to share this very useful information.