Village Life at Villaricos

The village sits at the very top of El Playazo, the 7 km long great sandy beach of the Almanzora coast, to which it is connected by the Boca del Rio beach that stretches across the mouth of the Almanzora River.

Villaricos has several beaches along its seafront, all within a few minutes walk:

• La Fabrica del Duro - The closest part of El Playazo, named after the “money factory”, the mint that was situated here in the time of the silver mining boom.  Very tranquil and little frequented, with a series of small sandy bays.
• La Boca del Rio – This is the broad stretch of sand that cuts across the mouth of the summer dry Rio Almanzora, again very quiet with few tourists, but popular for beach fishing.
• Las Brisas Beach – This long curved sandy beach is more frequented being closer to the village and being served by the popular Las Brisas Beach Bar, which is great for paella, sardines and long relaxed beach lunches.  There is a children’s play area near the Castillo de Cristal at the village end.
• El Castillo de Cristal Beach – Just the other side of the Castillo and reached from the Maritime Paseo, is this small sand beach, bounded by rocks on one side and the tiny La Balsica harbour on the other, where there is a delightful “chiringuito”, serving excellent tapas. 
• Cala Verde – This is a black pebble beach, right in front of the village, with exceptionally clean bright water.  Somewhat uncomfortable under foot, it is nevertheless the beach of choice for the local villagers.  Excellent for snorkelling, the remains of the old iron “embarcadero” of the mining days are still visible on the sea bed beyond the mirador.

There are a myriad of other beaches small and large, popular and less frequented, with beach bars and without, stretching to the north and to the south of Villaricos, all within easy reach by car.