Spain

Medieval streets, architectural eclecticism, museums of art and archeology

Day 1. Murcia

The capital of Murcia is a cheerful student city, with masterpieces of architecture, the Cathedral and the Royal Casino, Arab palaces and vibrant religious holidays. Take a tour of the center of Murcia, where the main attractions are located, and find out why the city was a tidbit for the Moors and Spaniards.

The Perro Limón team combines incompatible: Asian, European and Moroccan dishes. Tired of tapas and paella, switch to Indian-style mackerel, Italian cannelloni, lobster roll or duck nigiri with fennel and hoisin sauce. Michelin guide appreciated the culinary fusion, awarding the restaurant with the Bib Gourmand sign, which symbolizes excellent cuisine at an affordable price.

Perro Limón

Barrigaverde cuisine has a bright regional character. For example, they serve traditional pisto, a dish of tomatoes, onions, eggplants, peppers and olive oil, and marinera with chicken and bacon. On the wine list, you will see brands from Murcia and the neighboring municipalities of Bullas and Jumilla. Winemakers prefer the Monastrell variety, aka Murvedro. It produces a dark, full-bodied wine with a bright fruity taste.

Barrigaverde

Experiments and gastronomic features of the peoples of the world await guests of the AlmaMater restaurant. The team, led by AlmaMater founder and chef Juan Guillamon, transforms classic Spanish dishes into extraordinary delicacies, including the traditional fideua with noodles and octopus, into which pumpkin and garlic (fideuá de pulpo) are added; Cajun Angus beef ribs, cassava permantier casserole and corn confit (confit de angus estilo cajún) and red shrimp curry, seasonal vegetables, wild rice and cashews (curry de gamba roja).

AlmaMater

The Keki de Sergio Martínez restaurant is famous for its Mediterranean menu with Asian influences. Murcia is the hometown for the restaurant chef's, Sergio Martinez, so even cosmopolitan Keki offers a la murciana dishes. If you want to try something original, ask your waiter to bring marinera, a traditional tapas made from breadsticks and marinated anchovies.

Keki de Sergio Martínez

For more than 40 years, La Pequeña Taberna follows the gastronomic tradition of the region and presents classic Murcian dishes. Order an unusual salad of ensalada murciana, in addition to onions, tomatoes and olives, eggs and tuna are added; and zarangollo, scrambled eggs with zucchini and onions.

La Pequeña Taberna

Murcia is Spain's greenhouse, with a quarter of the country's agricultural exports coming from this small province. Vegetables and fruits are a common ingredient in a la Murcia dishes. When exploring the menu of Miller's Pura Cepa tapas bar, choose pisto murciano, Arabic ratatouille and artichokes a la Murcia (alcachofas a la murciana). The bar offers wine tastings with a sommelier.

Pura Cepa

Alborada is a family restaurant with a well-thought-out menu. The Alborada team will delight the meat eaters with lamb chops, sirloin steak with truffle sauce (solomillo con salsa de trufa), stewed chickpeas with chorizo (guiso de garbanzos con chorizo) and pork in red wine (carrillera al vino tinto). Fish and seafood fans will find an impressive list of delicacies: thick marmitaco soup with tuna (guiso de marmitako de atún), expertly cooked sea bass, dorado, hake and shellfish. Vegetarians will also find something to eat, such as spinach stew (guiso de potaje de espinacas), stewed rice and beans (guiso de arroz con habichuelas) or poached egg with truffle sauce (huevo escalfado con salsa de trufa). We advise you to book a table in advance.

Alborada

Murcia

Start your Murcia stroll from the elegant Santo Domingo Square. It bears the name of the church of the same name, to the right of which stands the Almodovar Palace, the former seat of the government of Murcia.

Santo Domingo Square

The palace of Emir Ibn Khud passed to the nuns of the Order of St. Clara in the 14th century. For a long time, the monastery was closed from strangers, and only in 2005 several rooms were opened for tourists. The museum mixes Islamic and Christian cultures: decorative elements, paintings, frescoes, as well as a collection of archaeological artifacts from all over Murcia. Pay attention to the pool, this is the oldest Arabian reservoir in Spain.

Museum of Santa Clara

This is one of the finest archaeological collections in Spain, where the history of the region spreads before the eyes. Hundreds of exhibits from the Paleolithic to the late Middle Ages are collected here.

Archaeological Museum of Murcia

The museum is dedicated to Francisco Salzillo, a legendary Spanish Baroque sculpture. Salzillo was born in Murcia and hardly ever left the city. His detailed sculptures are devoted to biblical subjects, the most famous of which is the Nativity of Christ. Several images of the saints created by the master are brought out during the Easter parade, called Semana Santa (The Holly Week). Locals have already unofficially nicknamed the procession, the Salzillo Procession.

Salzillo Museum

This place became a park relatively recently. Since the 1980s, the garden was restored after the civil war. In the 15th century, what is called the Esplanade of El Malecon was part of the wall that protected the area from flooding. Later, there was a botanical garden with greenhouses, where students of agronomics practiced. Local authorities are still restoring the rare flora of Malecon.

Malecon Gardens

The most popular place in Murcia is the old covered market of Veroniсas. Here you will find the aromatic muchamiel tomato, a cherimoya fruit that looks like a green cone, and a "pear with spikes" that is actually a cactus. Also, be sure to try the typical Murcia fruit ginjoles, which is used to make the homemade pacharán liqueur, and the famous ercolina pear, which grows only in the neighboring town of Jumilla.

Veronicas Food Market

Until 1630, this noisy urban space could hardly be called the “Square of Flowers”. Meat merchants used to work here, and only then florists flooded the square, displacing butchers.

Square of Flowers

One of the city's main squares is named after Cardinal Beluga, a political and religious figure of the 18th century. For the province, he became a real godfather. As Viceroy of Murcia and Valencia, Beluga drained swamps, cultivated new lands, opened hospitals and seminaries, built new roads and cities, in a word, developed autonomy and its capital.

Cardenal Belluga Square

The construction of the cathedral took five centuries. The result is an ode to eclecticism. The height of the dome of the temple with a weather is 95 meters! It is the second tallest cathedral in Spain, only the Giralda Tower of Seville is taller. We recommend exploring the temple from the inside, the chapels contain the tombs of the bishops and noble citizens who financed the construction, and the heart of King Alfonso X is kept on the main altar.

Murcia Cathedral

To the left of the Cathedral is the pompous residence of the Diocese of Cartagena. His customer, Bishop Mateo, wanted to see the newly completed cathedral right from the windows of the palace. The building of the 18th century resembles palaces in Rome, because it was built in the style of late Italian Mannerism, the same as Roman Baroque.

Episcopal Palace

The main artery of the city appeared on the site of the 13th century wall. It was ordered to be built by King James I in order to divide the population: Christians lived in the east, and Muslims in the west. The wall was demolished, but the street remained and connected the Cathedral with Santo Domingo Square.

Traperia Street

If you think that this is a house with slot machines, then you are mistaken. In Spain, the word Casino is more likely to mean private clubs for the upper society. The club in Murcia has been operating since 1847. Although only the first floor is open to tourists, this does not prevent the Royal Casino from remaining the most visited civic building in the entire province.

Royal Casino of Murcia

If you want to understand Murcia through the “beauty”, head to the Museum of Fine Arts. Only Spanish and Murcian painters, sculptors and craftsmen are exhibited here. Paintings by foreign artists are included in the collection only if their master lived in the region.

Murcia Museum of Fine Arts

For family tourists and those who cannot stand the noise, we recommend paying attention to the country villa. The house is decorated simply, but home-styled, in the best traditions of colorful Spanish fincas, rural houses typical for the south of the country.

Casa La Toscana

If you want to be in the center of the bustling Murcian life, visit as many museums as possible and join all the parties, The Cathedral Hostel is what you need. The hostel is located in the heart of the city near Santo Domingo Square, Romea Theatre and the Royal Casino.

The Cathedral Hostel

Fishing village, wild coves and Blue Flag beaches

Day 2. Costa Calida

Costa Calida is protected from the cold current from the Atlantic, and the water is on average 5 degrees warmer than other Mediterranean coasts. Therefore, you can relax here all year round!

Fresh breezes and sea views accompany delicious tapas and rich flavour of Spanish dishes from the El Faro de Puntas bar. Guests especially praise the lobster rice and fried octopus (asado de pulpo), which is served with potato slices.

Bar Restaurante El Faro de Puntas

Stop for lunch at the Restaurante Calnegre bar. Here fresh catch is turned into fragrant grilled dishes: shrimps, lobsters, fish and octopuses. We especially recommend this place to fans of live music, because Restaurante Calnegre regularly surprises guests with evening concerts.

Bar Restaurante Calnegre

Morabu Restaurant stands apart, and the reed walls and roof make it look like a tropical hut on a wild beach. Vacationers enjoy authentic Spanish cuisine: tapas, paella, grilled clams and cold drinks, without being distracted from a beach holiday.

Restaurante Morabu

Bar Asador Restaurante El Cruce is far from the coast, but still recommended for a visit. Friendly atmosphere and homemade food are the reasons why guests return to Asador Restaurante El Cruce again and again. Pop in for lunch or late dinner for juicy steak, grilled fish, grilled octopus, and seafood and vegetable tapas.

Asador Restaurante El Cruce

Costa Calida

Calnegre is the first beach in the province to receive a blue flag. This means that the place is safe for swimming, and all environmental requirements are observed on the territory. There are changing cabins, toilets, secure parking, lifeguards are on duty on the beach during the swimming season, bars and restaurants are open.

Calnegre Beach

A secluded and quiet beach in a stroll along the coastline.

Parazuelos Beach

The beach cannot boast of infrastructure like Calnegre beach, but there are much fewer tourists here. Behind a small cliff next to the beach there is the tiny but very picturesque bay of Cala de la Princesa de los labios de fresa.

Palomarico Beach

Another Blue Flag beach, which can be reached from the Calnegre Beach in 10 minutes by car along the RM-21 road. Go around the boulders along a narrow path and find yourself in a small Las Minas Bay.

Percheles Beach

The western beach has a rocky bottom. The place is not suitable for swimming, but ideal for walking.

Ballenato Beach

Casas de Pescadores Mazarrón is a small guest house on the coast. On the one hand, a miniature garden adjoins the house, where you can hide from the sun, and on the other, the shore of the Mediterranean Sea opens up. The rooms are furnished in a traditional Southern Spanish style with tiled floors, dark wood furniture and beamed ceilings. Guests who travel by car can leave it in the parking lot near the house.

Casas de Pescadores Mazarrón

Antique monuments, Cartagena castle, Spanish bourgeois palaces and military monument

Day 3. Cartagena

The oldest city in the province, Cartagena, is already 2 thousand years old. The city outlived the Carthaginians, Romans and Arabs, withstood dozens of battles and went through the heat of the Civil War. Today&#39;s Cartagena is a museum city, where millennial ruins and castles of medieval feudal lords coexist with baroque hotels.

Chef of El Barrio de San Roque, Jose Antonio Nieto adheres to the concept of “zero kilometer” and buys products only from local farmers. The restaurant team pays special attention to quality and authenticity. How about baked snapper (pargo al horno), tuna taquitos de atun, tempura cod tenderloin (lomo de bacalao en tempura) or juicy lamb with apple puree (cordero segureno deshuesado) con pure de manzana) and duck confit in orange sauce (confit de pato a la naranja)?

El Barrio de San Roque

The owners of the star restaurant Magoga, Maria Gomez and Adrian de Marco, have successfully combined the culinary traditions of the region, grandmother's favorite recipes and professional know-how. The balanced menu includes Cartagena shrimp (quisquilla de Cartagena), classic Spanish salad with potatoes and smoked mullet (clásica ensaladilla con mújol ahumado) and fish Kokotxas delicacy of bluefin tuna with sweet potato and physalis (Kokotxa de atún rojo). Kokotxas is prepared from the muscle, which is located in the fish under the lower jaw. The dish is considered a healthy delicacy because it contains a lot of collagen.

Magoga

Cartagena

Previously, it was part of the defensive wall of the city. It was built by the Carthaginians in the 3rd century BC during the Second Punic War with Rome. In addition to the wall and the exhibition of artifacts, you will descend into the dark crypt of the old Church of San Jose, which was here from the 16th to the 19th century.

Interpretation Center of the Punic Wall

This is one of the largest indoor archaeological parks right in the city! The earliest find, the ruins of a temple dedicated to the Eastern gods, dates back to the 1st-2nd centuries BC. In addition, the ruins of Roman baths, a forum, sections of roads and salt mills have been preserved here.

Cerro del Molinete Archaeological Park

Bright Casa Llagostera cannot be confused with anything. Its facade is decorated with images of the god Mercury and the goddess Minerva, symbols of commerce and wisdom. On each side of them there are the shields of Mercia, Barcelona, Manlleu and Cartagena, the places of work and origin of the Llagoster merchants, the owners of the mansion.

House of Llagostera

The casino was built in the 18th century as the residence of the Marquis de Casa Tilly. It was reconstructed several times, and today it is open to the public.

Cartagena Casino

The building, like many of the city's Art Nouveau mansions, was built by Victor Beltri. Now it houses a bank.

House of Cervantes

Through Ayuntamiento Square you will enter the spacious Heroes de Cavite Square. The bronze monument commemorates the heroes who fought in the battles in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War of 1898.

Monument to the Heroes of Cavite and Santiago de Cuba

Another bronze monument in Heroes Square is dedicated to young people who came to Cartagena for naval military service.

Monument to sailors

One of the most beautiful houses in the city is located in the cozy Auyuntamiento Square. The building houses the city administration and the council of Cartagena.

Cartagena Town Hall

After the park, take a walk along Cartagena's seafront, Mirador Muralla del Mar.

Muralla del Mar

At the other end of the embankment there is the Museum of Underwater Archeology. It was opened in the second half of the last century together with the center for underwater archaeological research. All artifacts, which are household items, glass and ivory products, and even fragments of Phoenician ships of the 7th century BC, were found in the waters of Murcia.

National Museum of Underwater Archeology

If you get tired of sightseeing, walk along the park's winding paths and admire the bay from the highest hill in the city.

Torres Park

The museum-bomb shelter contains original exhibits: furniture, posters, photographs of the city and memories of local residents.

Civil War Museum

Walking through Torres Park, you will find yourself at the foot of the Castle of the Concepcion. It was built at the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries on the ruins of a Roman temple and an Arab alcazar. Inside there is the Museum of the History of Cartagena, and the roof is equipped with an observation deck with panoramic views.

Castle of Concepcion

It is the second largest Roman theater in the Iberian Peninsula. It was discovered by accident during archaeological excavations of the old cathedral in the 1980s. Today, the ancient theater has been turned into a museum.

Roman Theatre

According to legend, the church was erected by the Apostle Santiago, the patron saint of the Spaniards in the fight against the Saracens. But archaeologists believe that the church was nevertheless built in the 13th century. Six centuries later, the restoration of the church was led by the very same Victor Beltri, so even in the Romanesque style of the temple, the features of Art Nouveau appear. The northern part of the temple was destroyed during the civil war, after which the church was never restored.

Cathedral of Santa Maria la Mayor

Crossing the threshold of Casa Poeta Pelayo, you find yourself in a Spanish finca. A duo of wood and stone, vaulted beams, wicker lampshades and wooden doors are the companions of southern Spanish homes. Despite the obvious rural references, the apartments are well equipped and suitable for small children.

Casa Poeta Pelayo

In addition to its convenient location, the apartment boasts an outdoor roof terrace. Therefore, morning coffee is accompanied by a beautiful view of sunny Cartagena.

Historic Suites 21

The apartments will appeal to fans of vintage aesthetics and antique markets. The rooms are decorated with stylish retro things: movie posters, posters, Persian rugs and art deco lamps, and one of the bedrooms is decorated with a real typewriter from the 1960s.

La Casa del Cañón

Authentic appearance and discreet design do not deprive the apartments of convenience - equipped kitchen, household appliances, WI-FI, etc. The owners of the apartment are happy to have fluffy, feathered and scaly guests, so feel free to take your pets with you!

Piso modernista en casco histórico

Murcia has 330 days of sunshine a year, precipitation rarely falls, and the mountain ranges do not allow cold air to pass through. For this, the region is called &quot;The Frying Pan of Spain&quot;. Visit the capital of the same name, cross the Sierra Sierra Espuña Park, and visit the warmest coast in the country.

Murcia in 3 Days