Spain Guide
Andalucía
Mini Hollywood
The N-340a follows the Andarax riverbed northwest from Almería towards Tabernas before forking right into the badlands, an area resembling Arizona, which looks as if it should be the backdrop for a Hollywood Western. Just beyond the fork, at Mini Hollywood (aka Oasys Parque Temático; daily 10am–9pm, Nov– May until 7pm; €19, under-12s €9), you discover that someone else had the same idea first. This is a full-blown Western movie set, and a visit here is hard to resist – especially if you're travelling with kids – although it's probably better value if you time your arrival to coincide with one of the shows.
Once inside you can walk around the set of A Fistful of Dollars and various other spaghetti Westerns that were filmed here, and wander down Main Street into the Tombstone Gulch saloon for a drink. The fantasy is carried a step further with acted-out "shows" (noon & 5pm, June– Sept also 8pm), when actors in full cowboy rig blast off six-guns during a mock bank raid or re-enact the "capture, escape and final shooting of Jesse James." The complex has also added a somewhat incongruous zoo, featuring birds and reptiles, as well as rhinos, lions and other big cats prowling depressingly small cages.
Further along the road towards Tabernas, Texas Hollywood (April– Oct daily 9am–8pm; 3 shows morning and afternoon; €16.50, kids €9.50), location for the shooting of Once Upon a Time in the West, and Western Leone (similar hours and prices), are a couple of less commercialized film sets in spectacular desert scenery.