The small Region of Murcia is not on most tourist itineraries, but they have a few hidden gems for those willing to give them a chance. From Roman theatres and forums in Cartagena to the immaculate cathedral in Murcia, it is worth a visit to this part of Spain.
Murcia and Cartagena are located in the small District of Murcia, east of Andalucía. Murcia is also the name of its capital.
Cartagena
Instead of the usual Moorish fortresses and whitewashed homes that are seen across southern Spain, Cartagena offers something different. Having been an important Roman port as early as the 3rd century BCE, its historic centre has wonderful displays of Roman ruins.
Its defensive port made the site very attractive from as far back as the Carthaginians. Its name came from these first inhabitants Qart Hadasht (“New City”). The Romans called it Carthago Nova. Eventually, the name was transformed into Cartagena. There is a connection to Cartagena in Colombia. Many of the crew aboard ships that invaded Colombia were from this Spanish city. Today, the historic port has a different look. It is filled with cruise ships and sailboats.
Roman Theatre
The most famous site in the city is the Roman Theatre of Cartagena (Teatro Romano de Cartagena). The entrance to the ancient site is not obvious from the outside because a row of pretty heritage buildings blocks the view. A small sign in front of one let us know we were in the right place. An on-site museum has a few exhibits of artifacts found in the Roman Theatre, Forum and other ruins scattered throughout the city.
From the museum, old tunnels take you under Santa Maria la Vieja Church. The tunnels open up to a partially restored, 1st century BCE open-air theatre. It was built to hold 6,000 people and must have been a magnificent site. The recent rain left streaks on the red stone, giving it an interesting look.
A few columns remain on the stage, but the old site is in quite rough shape. It is located close to the harbour, in a part of the city that has been inhabited for more than two thousand years. During that time, the theatre was covered by new buildings that were then remodelled many times. Because of this, the theatre lay hidden below the city. It was only discovered in 1988 and until recently, didn’t look like a theatre at all.
Parts of the old cathedral (Iglesia Santa Maria la Viejo) loom above. The 13th century church was partially built over the theatre. You can’t enter the old church, but from its side we looked over City Hall toward the mountains behind.
Molinete Roman Forum Museum
Another Roman site is located at the foot of Molinete Hill in the city centre. The museum has a few artifacts from the Roman Forum on display, but the best part is in the back.
Under a protective tarp are the old, paved streets and corridors of the Roman city. The most impressive are the baths and their ingenious heated floors. Water was heated in large cauldrons. The heated air travelled through underground channels made of glazed bricks. Above these channels were raised floors belonging to hot rooms and saunas.
At the other end of this complex are the remains of what would have been elaborate banquet halls and meeting rooms. Partial walls are decorated with paintings of masks, garlands and plants. In some, you can see pieces of mosaic flooring. You can imagine that these rooms were once very grand. This area was likely a public meeting space with banquet halls for the city’s elite.
Arte Nouveau
Cartagena is well known in Spain for its collection of Arte Nouveau buildings from the city’s resurgence in the late 19th century. The new wealth came from the mining industry which stimulated growth in other markets. Calle Mayor is a popular spot where you can see many examples of these buildings. It’s also a great spot to grab a coffee or meal. Apart from this street, there are other lovely Arte Nouveau buildings but they are between newer buildings, many of which haven’t been maintained and are falling into ruin themselves.
Calle Mayor ends at Plaza Ayuntamiento where your main focus will be on City Hall. Built in Arte Nouveau style, the elaborate building is also called Palacio Consistorial.
Overall, Cartagena as a good city for a day trip. Don’t expect too much and you’ll leave happy, but the city still needs a lot of restoration before it is a tourist hub.
Murcia
Murcia isn’t on the usual tourist route, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth exploring. From a grand cathedral to the tight streets in its historic district, Murcia is a nice city to spend the day.
Set along the bank of the Segura River, City Hall is likely the first building you’ll see and what a great welcome it is. Also called Casa Consistorial, it is a very grand, peach-coloured building. It was built in1848 on top of Casa del Principe, a Muslim Palace. At its side is Bishop’s Palace, also called Episcopal Palace. The pinkish 18th century Rococo building needs a little restoration, but you can still see some of its grand old features.
In front of City Hall is Paseo del Malécon. The sidewalk travels beside Segura River and is crossed by the picturesque Old Bridge (Puente Viejo).
Cathedral of Murcia
Just behind City Hall is Plaza del Cardenal Belluga. It’s not a typical square though, it’s more like a large sidewalk. The Cathedral of Murcia is the main occupant of the square and has become the symbol of Murcia. Built from the 14th to 18th centuries on top of an old Mosque, it is said to be a classic example of Spain’s Baroque period. Unfortunately, its main entrance was covered in scaffolding when we were there. We could only see a small portion of the recently restored elegant façade above the scaffolding. This baroque front was designed to look like an altar, facing the public square.
As we walked around its perimeter we saw a few of its elaborate features. The 90m tall bell tower is the second tallest in Spain after La Giralda in Seville. With so many details in this large building you can see why it took 400 hundred years to build.
As we stepped inside, the organ welcomed us with its melodic notes. It was nice to finally hear music from one of these old organs. Hearing it play, we immediately went to see the impressive organ situated above the choir room.
We had seen large wooden stands in the centre of many choir rooms in other churches, but didn’t know their purpose. In this church, it held hymn lyrics written in large print. They were used by the monks who sang while seated in their elaborately carved wooden chairs.
Entrance to the church is free, but there is a charge to climb the tower. In October 2024, the tower was being restored, so was closed to visitors.
Royal Casino of Murcia
The 19th century men’s club is in an eccentric building in the city’s old quarter. Built in many styles including neo-Baroque and neo-Mudéjar, Real Casino de Murcia is a feast for your eyes. The ornate designs begin at the entrance where horseshoe shaped arches lead to a long baroque hallway. At the end, is a state of Icarus.
Not all of the club is open to visitors, but we were allowed to explore most of the rooms on the ground floor. This included the library, meeting rooms and banquet halls. Each was decorated in outlandish styles and no two rooms were the alike.
The casino is located on the pedestrian-only Trapería Street. After exploring the casino, plan to spend some time wandering on it and the narrower streets that branch off.
These narrow streets lead to open squares with larger, more elegant buildings. There used to be a 13th century alcázar n the city, but its bricks and stones were used to build Santa Clara Convent
Murcia seemed to be an easy-going city for a capital. It doesn’t wow you with its sites, but it is a nice city to visit if you’re nearby.
Getting to Murcia and Cartagena
Murcia has an international airport that receives flights from all over Spain and many cities in Europe. You can reach Murcia from other Spanish cities by train. It is also only an hour drive from Alicante. Cartagena is a 45 minute drive away.
Where to eat and stay in Murcia and Cartagena
There are quite a lot of hotels to chose from in Murcia’s historic centre and a few in Cartagena’s downtown. Even though it isn’t very touristy, we were surprised at the prices at restaurants in Murcia’s historic centre. Prices seemed more reasonable in Cartagena.
Murcia and Cartagena can be found on the far right of the map below.
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