Murcia
Murcia is a university city in South-Eastern Spain and the capital of a region also named Murcia. Plaza Cardenal Belluga is the city’s architectural showpiece, where the ornate cathedral, with its mash-up of styles from Gothic to baroque, and the colourful 18th-century Palacio Episcopal stand in striking contrast to the modern 1990s Ayuntamiento (city hall) annex by architect Rafael Moneo.
Two medieval guild streets, Trapería and Platería, are the main thoroughfares in the pedestrianized old quarter of Murcia. The 19th-century Real Casino de Murcia, on Trapería, is a former gentlemen’s club with a lavish interior. Along the Segura River, which crosses Murcia from east to west, the Paseo del Malecón offers shaded walking paths and gardens. In El Valle y Carrascoy Regional Park, south of the city, there are verdant hiking areas and sweeping views from the Fuensanta Sanctuary, a baroque church built in the 17th century.
Cartegna
Cartagena is a port city and naval base in the Murcia region of southeast Spain. Founded by the Carthaginians around 220 B.C., the city boomed during the Roman period. Among its many Roman ruins are a 1st-century B.C. theatre and Casa de la Fortuna, a villa with murals and mosaics. The Muralla Púnica (Punic Wall) interpretation centre houses the remains of a 3rd-century B.C. defensive wall.
The ruins of 13th-century Santa María Cathedral, destroyed in 1939, stand as a reminder of Spain’s Civil War. The early 1900s Palacio Aguirre houses a modern art museum, while the sleek, contemporary ARQUA museum presents exhibits related to underwater archaeological excavations. The modern Panoramic Lift leads to the medieval castle atop Concepción Hill, the city’s highest point. Shops, tapas bars and elegant art nouveau buildings line Calle Mayor, the main pedestrian street. Nearby are the sandy beaches along Costa Cálida, the Mediterranean coastline, and around Mar Menor, a vast saltwater lagoon.
La Manga
La Manga, or La Manga del Mar Menor is a seaside spit of Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The strip is 21 km long and 100 metres wide, separating the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor lagoon, from Cabo de Palos to the Punta del Mojón. Historically, it was known by the Romans as Palus and later by the Moors as Al Buhayrat Al Qsarand. In the 17th century its name changed to Mar Chico, meaning “small sea” and later as El Mar Menor.
Originally, it was a bay opening into the Mediterranean; at either end, volcanic reefs gradually held back the sand and sediment that was dragged along by the sea currents to form a sandy column of dunes and rock vegetation and long beaches in contact with two seas.
La Manga sandbar is cut off by natural channels that keep the two seas in contact with each other; the so-called golas allow water from the Mediterranean into the lake. As such, the space was untouched until the 1960s, when La Manga was discovered as a tourist resort and underwent a transformation which included the urbanisation of the area and the construction of tourist infrastructures. In 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, the Battle of Cape Palos took place near the cape.
Caravaca De La Cruz
Caravaca de la Cruz is a city in Murcia province, southeast Spain. A major pilgrimage site, it’s home to the Basilica Shrine of Vera Cruz, with its distinctive Caravaca Cross and Baroque facade.
Nearby, the Museo Arqueológico Municipal de la Soledad is housed inside an old church and shows Neolithic, Roman and medieval finds. On the town’s outskirts, Fuentes Del Marqués park has natural springs and a nature centre
Mazarron
Mazarrón is set in a wide bay which opens up into the Mediterranean Sea. Its coast used to be visited by Phoenician traders, fishermen of every era and by former miners, who used it to unwind after their hard day’s work. It’s one of the best places to holiday for sun and beach lovers!
At the top of a small hill smack bang in the middle of the town centre, surrounded by some of the most important buildings of the area, you’ll find the impressive ruins of the Castillo de los Vélez (Los Fajardo Castle). Built in the 15th Century by the Marquis of Los Vélez as a military fortress, its height makes it the perfect spot to catch a breath-taking view of the old town of Mazarrón.
Mazarrón is set in a wide bay that opens up into the Mediterranean and has a coastline of 35 km. It has two important urban centres: the port and the town capital, five kilometres from the coast. Since its origin, the name of Mazarrón has been linked to the mining wealth of its mountain ranges, which are rich in lead, zinc, silver, iron, alum and red ochre. In Phoenician, Punic and Roman times, great work was carried out in the mines, leaving behind an abundance of archaeological remains. The Arabs also settled in the area, attracted by its mineral wealth. After the Christian Reconquest, the place known as Casas de los Alumbres de Almazarrón was formed as a consequence of the mines that were opened in the 15th century. Its strategic position turned it into a bastion of defence of the neighbouring lands of Lorca and Cartagena, proof of which may be seen in the numerous defence towers that were built to stop the Saracen advance from Africa.
Mazarrón became very important at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, during which time iron and galenite were mined. Once the wealth of the mines had been exhausted, Mazarrón developed an important tourist industry and agriculture, and at the same time, promoted its seafaring and fishing tradition. This activity can be seen in the port, with its fish market and shallow-water fishing boats.
As the result of its rich history, the streets of Mazarrón contain interesting monuments. Of special interest are its Town Hall and the Former Cultural Centre, which are of Modernist style and stand as indications of the splendour of the beginning of the century. Behind the Town Hall is the church of San Andrés (16th century), with a beautiful Mudejar coffered ceiling and nearby, the Convent of La Purisima (the patron saint of the town). It is also possible to visit the ruins of the Castle of the Vélez family. Out of the town, there are other towers, such as the Torre de Vieja de la Cumbre (17th century) in the port, the Tower of Los Caballos and the Tower of Santa Isabel in Bolnuevo and, on the hill of El Molinete, a watchtower with a circular layout.
Bulnuevo
CREATIONS Like what you’d expect to see in a science fiction movie, the Bolnuevo Erosions are spectacular. These eroded rock formations, that have been carved and sculpted by wind and water, are really worth a visit. It’s the perfect place to enjoy the sea and nature and it’s sure to impress you.
Cabo De Palos
Cabo de Palos is the most southerly place on the Mar Menor. It is a large village with a quaint marina which has moorings for about 100 small boats, and some excellent restaurants which are renowned for serving a great selection of fresh fish. The rocky coastline is ideal for exploring, and a walk out to the light house is a must! There is also a sandy beach, which joins into the beaches of the La Manga Strip to enjoy.
The Sunday morning market is a busy one with over 100 stalls selling fruit, vegetables, clothes, shoes, bags and home wares as well as several cafes which serve both breakfasts and lunches.
Places of interest & ideas of things to do in Cabo de Palos
Marina: suitable for small boats only, great selection of fish restaurants.
Rocky Coastline: excellent for exploring.
Lighthouse: on rocky cliffs, good for walking around.
Beach: small and sandy.
Market: large Sunday morning.
San Pedro del Pinatar
The villages of San Pedro del Pinatar and Lo Pagan are situated on the north shore of the Mar Menor and have gradually merged together to become one big town. It is easy to spend an action-packed day out here.
San Pedro has a really informative visitors centre where you can learn all about the regional park that is made up of the sand dunes and salt marshes. A stop at the marina is a must before visiting the mud baths at nearby Lo Pagan.
The mud baths are free to use, which is great news if you have a large family to keep occupied. Everyone can try the mud baths, but only the truly hardy indulge during the winter months. Simply walk down the steps, cover yourself with the therapeutic mud, said to be good for all types of skin complaints, aches and pain, dry off in the sun, then re-enter the water to wash it all off!
The salt marshes and mud baths form a fantastic circular 12-kilometre cycling or walking route. Start at the visitors centre and walk to the mud baths, then follow the path out into the Mar Menor towards the buildings on the La Manga Strip. Keep to the raised path or the beach as it curves around to the marina at San Pedro and finally past the salt lakes back to the visitor’s centre.
Mula
Overlooking the town is the castle of Fajardo. There are two interesting churches to visit in Mula, the Iglesia de San Miguel and the Iglesia de Santo Domingo built during the sixteenth century and is notable for its fine design. The Museo del Cigarralejo exhibits a huge collection of Iberian art which have been excavated nearby. At Easter the Mula Tambores is a popular procession. Starting outside the town hall square the procession passes through the town with people playing tambores and drums. The Banos de Mula can be found just outside Mula and have been in existence since Roman times and are famous for their healing and medicinal qualities. The Cierva Reservoir is worth a visit, it was formed by the Mula river.
La Zenia
La Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre Orihuela Costa. First of all, La Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre is the new shopping mall at the Orihuela Costa. Then, it is the biggest shopping centre of the province of Alicante. Follow it on Facebook Follow on La Zenia boulevard On Facebook.
Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre.
Indeed, La Zenia Boulevard occupies 161.000 square meters and has about 150 shops.
It offers 5000 free parking spots to customers.
Mediterranean Mall.
It looks a lot like an American shopping mall but with a Mediterranean accent.
The Shopping centre has activities almost every weekend. This activity draws many people from Orihuela Costa, Torrevieja, Benidorm and even further away.
Most of the shops are located on the first floor, the second floor has many restaurants.
The Shopping centre is wheelchair friendly. There are 3 elevators: two in the central plaza and one near the Alcampo.
Kids paradise
Also for the Kids there are lots of activities which are open the whole year.
On the top , a third of the Second floor is a real kids paradise with all sort of attractions.
Near the “Alcampo”, there are little small funny cars shaped in the form of animals.
Children can ride sitting on the animal, while the parents are shopping.
La Zenia Boulevard shopping centre is the ideal place to go shopping with the all family.
Indeed, there a many shops but also the many possibilities to have something to eat or just to have fun with the kids .
Sierra Espuña
Murcia is well known for the beaches of its Costa Cálida coast and for the beneficial properties of the waters of the Mar Menor. Nevertheless, beyond the coastal areas, in inland Murcia you will find an area of countryside and contrasts: Sierra Espuña Regional Reserve.
In south-east Spain, washed by the Mediterranean Sea, you will find Murcia, a great destination for lovers of the beach and also for those who prefer to be surrounded by forests and mountains. For this last group, the Sierra Espuña Mountains await in the inland part of the region. These are the region’s “green lungs”, where you can enjoy countryside, history and sports in the open air. Located less than 40 kilometres from the city of Murcia, the wide range of landscapes to be found here is just the first reason for visiting.
Natural mosaic
Exploring the Sierra Espuña Mountains will reveal a wide range of environments: from high-mountain areas, luxuriant forests and steppe, to rivers and reservoirs, dry crop and irrigated farmland. Nevertheless, it is the rugged, mountainous scenery that stands out most, offering stunning, unusual views. This is the case, for example, of the Paredes de Leyva, an impressive area of limestone walls; the Barrancos de Gebas canyons, a unique “lunar” landscape; the deep Barranco de la Hoz canyon, or the Barranco de Malvariche canyon.
The Snow Wells
In Sierra Espuña there is an especially unusual place to see: the Pozos de Nieve (snow wells). These are 26 circular structures, dug out of the ground, which once served as refrigerators. They date back to the 16th century and are located between 1,100 and 1,400 metres above sea level. Every winter, local workers would head up to the mountains to store and compress the snow they had previously collected. With the arrival of spring, they would go up again to remove the blocks of ice, that they then supplied to nearby cities such as Murcia and Cartagena.
Sport and activities
The Paredes de Leyva are considered one of the best climbing areas in Spain on account of their profile and quality of rock. The area is 3 kilometres across with a vertical drop of 150 metres and attracts climbers from all over Europe. You can also do other sports in the area, such as kayaking on the Barranco de Gebas Reservoir, or paragliding in the Sierra de la Muela Mountains, close to Alhama de Murcia. For those who prefer to explore the region more peacefully, there are well-signed hiking and mountain biking routes. The “Ricardo Codorníu” Visitor Centre, the Las Alquerías teaching room and the office in El Berro are good places to get information on the reserve’s characteristics, as well as the activities and routes available.
Between castles
In the Sierra Espuña region there are also interesting monuments to discover, with castles and fortresses dating from the Hispano-Moorish period, such as Los Fajardo Castle in Mula, Las Paleras Castle in Pliego, the Keep at Aledo, and the castle in Alhama de Murcia. The tourist offices in each town/village will also give you information on other cultural attractions in the region. There are the Roman baths in Alhama de Murcia, with more than 2,000 years of history; the 16th century Santiago Church in Totana; “Los Villaricos” archaeological site in Mula and the museum of Iberian art in Cigarralejo. These are just some of the visits not to be missed