The two main cities in the Costa Calida are Murcia and Cartagena. Murcia is about 30 minutes from the coast and is the capital of the region. Cartagena is a very attractive port, surrounded by hills and with a cosmopolitan promenade and marina.

Murcia

As the capital of the region, Murcia has a very wide range of shops, bars and restaurants, including Nueva Condomina, a new shopping centre, which is the largest in coastal Spain.

The centre of Murcia is very attractive, with historic buildings and architecture and traditional Spanish plazas with bars and restaurants. Murcia is also renound for it’s fiestas, when all the town, young and old, come out to celebrate. There are big processions through the city and a fantastic atmosphere.

Cartagena

Cartagena makes a fantastic day out, with its tourist boat exploring the harbour, the open-top bus tours and the many museums and sites of interest. It is also a good place to have lunch, with great views over the water. It is a walled city and has many archaeological remains, including a Roman amphitheatre which is currently being renovated.

The city is famous for its Easter ‘Semana Santa’ processions and the annual international Music Festival, ‘Mar de Musicas’, which lasts all of July. Every night there are open air concerts by the castle at one of the highest points of the city. The atmosphere is fantastic and the music is always a very high standard.

Other towns and villages in the region

There other smaller towns and lots of villages in the region, including Mazarron, the beach front town near to Condado de Alhama Resort. Mazarron is divided into Mazarron town and Puerto Mazarron. Puerto Mazarron is a typical Spanish seaside town which is popular with Spanish holidaymakers. It has a long promenade and lots of restaurants along the front. Mazarron beach is a large bay, which is very protected. Just along the coast from Mazarron there is the village of Azohia, which as well as having a beautiful beach has several scuba diving schools.

Nearer to the Terrazas de La Torre and Mar Menor resorts are the beach towns of Los Alcazares and San Javier. Both these towns have safe sandy beaches and long promenades which provide a lovely place to walk. For more information on the beaches in the area and photos have a look at the section on Costa Calida beaches.

All of the local towns have local weekly markets, where you can buy a wide range of fresh produce.