Murcia
5
Day Itinerary •
Spain
Murcia is Spain's most overlooked region and five days allows you to explore its extraordinary full range. From one of the world's finest Roman port cities to a Baroque cathedral that rivals Salamanca, mountain national parks, wild undeveloped beaches, a unique inland saltwater lagoon, and a wine country producing some of the most intense reds in Spain. This route covers it all. Murcia's free tapas culture and hidden Baroque city, the Roman and modernist wonders of Cartagena, the mountain wilderness of Sierra Espuna and the theatrical Baroque city of Lorca, the extraordinary hidden beaches of Mazarron and Aguilas, and finally the inland wine kingdom of Jumilla where monastrell grapes produce some of the finest wines in Spain.
Best Time To Visit
March to June or September to November
Getting There
Fly into Murcia Airport (RMU) or Alicante (ALC)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 60 to 95 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
MURCIA CITY
MORNING
MURCIA CATHEDRAL, THE BAROQUE MASTERPIECE NOBODY VISITS
One of the most extraordinary Baroque buildings in Spain and almost entirely unknown to international visitors. Built over 300 years from 1394 to 1792, the bell tower can be climbed for extraordinary views. The interior contains the finest collection of sculptures by Francisco Salzillo, the greatest sculptor of 18th-century Spain. Entry approx 6 euros. Drive: 10 min walk to old town
MIDDAY
MURCIA'S FREE TAPAS CULTURE
One of the last Spanish cities where ordering a drink earns you a free tapa. The area around Plaza de las Flores and Calle de la Traperia is packed with traditional tapas bars. Order a beer or wine and a tapa arrives automatically. Local specialties include marinera, pasteles de carne and zarangollo. Drive: 10 min walk to Arab walls
AFTERNOON
THE ARAB WALLS AND CASINO DE MURCIA
Substantial remains of the 9th-century Arab city walls survive in various locations including the spectacular underground display in the Plaza Juan XXIII. The Casino de Murcia, a private members club from 1847, contains one of the most extraordinary interiors in Spain with an Arab hall, Pompeian room and Louis XVI ballroom. Ask to visit as a tourist.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Museo Salzillo contains the finest collection of polychrome religious sculpture in Spain. Eight extraordinary processional floats created for Murcia's Easter processions. Entry approx 5 euros and almost entirely unvisited by international tourists despite being world-class.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Correa, Murcia Most beloved traditional cafe in Murcia. Strong coffee and local pasteles before the cathedral opens. | Lunch: Tapas bars, Plaza de las Flores Order at three or four bars. Each drink brings a different free tapa. The most affordable lunch in Spain. | Dinner: Restaurante El Churra, Murcia Most celebrated traditional restaurant. Local rice dishes, mountain lamb and excellent Jumilla wines.
DAY 2
CARTAGENA
MORNING
CARTAGENA ROMAN THEATRE, THE CITY UNDER THE CITY
The Teatro Romano de Cartagena, one of the finest Roman theatres in the world, was buried under a medieval neighbourhood for 1,500 years and only rediscovered in 1988. The entry tunnel passes through 2,000 years of history layer by layer. The Punic barrio contains the most important Carthaginian remains in Spain. Entry approx 6 euros. Drive: 15 min walk around old town
MIDDAY
CARTAGENA'S MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE
Cartagena's late 19th-century mining boom funded extraordinary modernist buildings rivalling Barcelona. The Casa Cervantes, Gran Hotel and Casino are all extraordinary. The Ascensor Panoramico glass lift gives the finest view over the city and harbour. Drive: 20 min drive to Calblanque
AFTERNOON
CALBLANQUE, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HIDDEN COAST IN MURCIA
One of the most extraordinary and unknown coastal landscapes in Spain. Wild beaches, salt flats and rocky headlands entirely undeveloped and accessible only on foot or dirt track. The surrounding salt lakes attract thousands of flamingos in winter and spring. Free entry, no facilities, extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Punic barrio underground ruins are combined entry with the Roman theatre. One of the great forgotten archaeological sites of the western Mediterranean, showing the complete transition from Carthaginian to Roman occupation in the same site.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Cartagena old town Breakfast near the Roman theatre before it opens at 10am. | Lunch: Restaurante La Catedral, Cartagena Outstanding fish restaurant. Fresh Mediterranean catch and local wines. | Dinner: Lo Pagan, Mar Menor Drive to Lo Pagan for the finest sunset mud baths and fresh fish on the Mar Menor lagoon.
DAY 3
SIERRA ESPUNA AND LORCA
MORNING
SIERRA ESPUNA NATURAL PARK
One of the finest natural parks in southeastern Spain and almost entirely unknown to international visitors. Dense pine forests, dramatic rocky ridges and extraordinary views over the Murcian plain. The historic 17th-century ice wells built to supply ice to the coastal cities are extraordinary architectural curiosities in the mountain landscape. Drive: 45 min drive to Lorca
MIDDAY
LORCA, THE BAROQUE CITY OF EXTRAORDINARY EASTER
The old town is a spectacle of Baroque excess. The Colegiata de San Patricio, Palacio de Guevara and dozens of ornate palaces from the 17th and 18th centuries. Lorca's Semana Santa is UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, a theatrical spectacle of biblical processions unlike anything else in Spain. Drive: 30 min drive to castle
AFTERNOON
LORCA CASTLE, THE FORTRESS ABOVE THE CITY
A magnificent medieval castle that changed hands between Christians and Moors for 300 years. Extraordinary views over Lorca and the Sierra Espuna beyond. Recent excavations uncovered Moorish palaces and Christian chapels of great beauty. Entry approx 10 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Santuario de la Virgen de la Fuensanta above Murcia is perched on a cliff above the Segura river gorge with extraordinary views. A pilgrimage route of 8km from the city passes through olive groves to the sanctuary. Free entry and visited almost exclusively by local pilgrims.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Alhama de Murcia Coffee at the Sierra Espuna park entrance village before the mountain drive. | Lunch: Restaurante Los Naranjos, Lorca Traditional Murcian restaurant. Local lamb and vegetables from the fertile Guadalentin valley. | Dinner: Rincón de Paco, Murcia Return to Murcia. Beloved neighbourhood restaurant with free tapas culture.
DAY 4
MAZARRON AND AGUILAS
MORNING
MAZARRON, HIDDEN BEACHES OF THE SOUTHWEST COAST
The coastline around Puerto de Mazarron contains some of the most beautiful and unspoiled beaches on the Mediterranean. The Playa de la Reya, Playa del Rihuete and Bolnuevo are largely unknown outside the region. The Bolnuevo badlands, extraordinary eroded clay formations on the beach, look like a miniature version of the Bardenas Reales and are entirely free to explore. The town of Mazarron has a fine old quarter centred on a 15th-century castle. Drive: 35 min drive to Aguilas
MIDDAY
AGUILAS, THE FINEST HIDDEN COVES ON THE MURCIA COAST
Aguilas is the most attractive town on the Murcia coast and the gateway to some of the most extraordinary hidden coves in southeastern Spain. The Cala del Sombrero, Cala Cocedores and Cala de las Palomas are accessible only by boat or on foot and contain some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean. The Friday fish market in the harbour is one of the finest in the region. Drive: 20 min drive to coast path
AFTERNOON
THE CALBLANQUE TO AGUILAS COASTAL PATH
The stretch of coastline between Aguilas and the Mar Menor contains some of the most dramatic and least visited coastal scenery on the Mediterranean. The protected areas of the Cabo Cope and Puntas de Calnegre Natural Park have extraordinary cliffs, sea arches and hidden coves reachable only on foot. The walk from the Calnegre lighthouse along the clifftop path is one of the finest in southeastern Spain.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Isla del Fraile near Aguilas is a tiny uninhabited island visible from the town that can be reached by a short kayak or paddleboard trip from the beach. The island has extraordinary sea caves, clear water and is completely free of development. Local rental companies hire kayaks from approx 10 euros per hour.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Mazarron town Several excellent local cafes in the old quarter near the castle. Breakfast before driving to the beaches. | Lunch: Restaurante El Mosqui, Aguilas The most celebrated fish restaurant in Aguilas. Spectacular fresh catch from the morning market. | Dinner: Bodega Luzon restaurant, Jumilla Head inland for dinner at one of the finest winery restaurants in Murcia. Local lamb and monastrell wines.
DAY 5
JUMILLA WINE COUNTRY
MORNING
JUMILLA, THE CAVE BODEGAS OF THE WINE CAPITAL
Jumilla is one of the most extraordinary wine towns in Spain, almost entirely unknown internationally. The Denominacion de Origen Jumilla produces the finest monastrell wines in the world from vines grown at altitude on dry limestone soils. Many of the oldest bodegas are built into the caves beneath the town, a tradition dating back to the 15th century. Bodegas Carchelo and Bodegas Luzon both offer excellent tours and tastings from approx 10 euros. Drive: 15 min drive to castle
MIDDAY
JUMILLA CASTLE, THE FORTRESS ABOVE THE VINES
The Castillo de Jumilla sits on a dramatic rocky outcrop above the town, surrounded by an enormous sea of vines stretching to every horizon. The castle has been inhabited since the Argaric Bronze Age and contains extraordinary remains from every subsequent culture. The views from the battlements over the vine-covered plain and the surrounding mountains are extraordinary. Entry approx 2 euros. Drive: 20 min drive to Yecla
AFTERNOON
YECLA, THE OTHER WINE TOWN
Yecla is Jumilla's lesser-known neighbour and produces wines of equal quality from the same monastrell grape. The old town contains an extraordinary Baroque collegiate church that would be celebrated anywhere else in Spain but receives almost no visitors here. The wine cooperative of Bodegas Castaño is one of the finest in the Denominacion and offers tastings in a beautiful modernist building.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The road between Jumilla and Yecla runs through one of the most extraordinary vine landscapes in Spain, a seemingly endless plain of old vine monastrell stretching to the mountains on every side. Stop at the Rambla de los Almendros in almond blossom season (February) for one of the most beautiful landscapes in inland Murcia.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Jumilla town The local cafes near the covered market serve excellent breakfast. Try the local migas with chorizo. | Lunch: Restaurante Rincón del Castillo, Jumilla Outstanding traditional restaurant near the castle. Local lamb, artichokes and the finest Jumilla wines. | Dinner: Return to Murcia for dinner End the trip back in Murcia with one final round of free tapas and a glass of monastrell. Perfect ending.
Where To Stay
Murcia, Night 1 Hotel Arco de San Juan, boutique hotel in a converted 18th-century palace. Approx 70 to 120 euros per night. Cartagena, Night 2 Hotel Los Habaneros, fine hotel near the Roman theatre. Approx 65 to 100 euros per night. Aguilas or Mazarron, Nights 3 to 5 Coastal hotel or rural finca. Approx 55 to 90 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Murcia's free tapas bars serve from 1pm and 8pm. Order a drink and food arrives automatically.
2. The Casino de Murcia interior can usually be visited by asking at the door. It is not always advertised.
3. Calblanque beach has no facilities at all. Bring water, food and sun protection for the full day.
4. Lorca Easter processions take place Holy Week in March or April. Book accommodation a year ahead.
5. The Roman Theatre in Cartagena is best visited when it opens at 10am before the tour groups arrive.
6. Jumilla red wine from the hills northwest of Murcia is exceptional value and largely unknown outside Spain.
Total Budget
70 to 110 euros/day