Region of Murcia

Ancient Cartagena and the Huerta Capital

Two cities anchor the region in very different ways. Cartagena wears its history on its sleeve, with a Roman theatre, Punic ruins and a harbour that has watched Carthaginians, Romans, Moors and Spanish kings come and go. The regional capital, Murcia city, is a lively university town built around a baroque cathedral that glitters above the Segura River. It is famous across Spain for the Holy Week processions, when the life-sized sculptures of Francisco Salzillo are carried through streets thick with candles and jasmine, and for the exuberant Burial of the Sardine festival that caps off the spring festivities.

The Garden of Europe

Murcia feeds much of Europe. The irrigated huertas stretching along the Segura River produce extraordinary quantities of tomatoes, peppers, lemons, peaches and apricots, and the region is among the continent's largest exporters of fruit and vegetables. Wine also plays a serious role, with the inland municipalities of Jumilla, Bullas and Yecla holding their own Denominaciones de Origen. On the table, this abundance translates into a cuisine that needs very little embellishment: caldero rice cooked with fish straight from the Mar Menor, salted sardines, zarangollo of courgette and egg, and pasteles de carne that have been feeding Murcians for centuries.

Mountains, Salt Lakes and Very Little Rain

Inland Murcia is a different world entirely. The driest autonomous community in Spain, it shifts from the subtropical coastal fringe to stark semi-arid landscapes and, further north, to the forested heights of the Revolcadores Massif where Los Obispos Peak tops out at over 2,000 metres. Natural parks protect much of this interior, offering walking, cycling and birdwatching well away from the coast. The region is small enough to move between sea and mountains in an afternoon, which makes it quietly satisfying for travellers who cannot quite decide whether they want a beach or a hike.