Murcia (city)

From World travel guide

Murcia is a small city (350,000 inhabitants) on the East coast of Spain. It is the capital of the region, also called Murcia.

1 Understand
2 Get in
3 Get around
4 See
- 4.1 Museums
5 Do
6 Buy
7 Eat
8 Drink
9 Sleep
10 Get out
11 External links

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Understand

The city of Murcia was founded in 831 by Abd-Al-Rahman II in the centre of the Segura river valley. The remnants of this Moorish rule can be seen in the still-visible city wall, which contrasts strongly with the city's numerous churches.

Murcia city itself is not very cosmopolitan. It is more of a peaceful place to live: lots of safe, pedestrianised streets, very kind people, and not busy at all. When walking in Murcia, sometimes you think it is a holiday and a small village!

The most famous thing about Murcia used to be its vegetables; neighbors from Cartagena call residents of Murcia "green stomach".

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Get in

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Get around

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See

The cathedral (mainly baroque)
The Salzillo Museum (sculpture)
The Palacio del Almudi
The Iglesia de San Esteban
For a good view of Murcia and the surrounding valley, the best place to go is El Valle or the La Fuensanta Sanctuary, both of them in the mountains behind the city. Directions: Go toward Cartagena, and before the mountains (only 5 or 10 km away from Murcia), head towards La Alberca and pass straight by. You will see signs for Santuario de la Fuensanta. Try going there for sunset; the view is incredible.
Another place that shouldn't be missed is the Moorish castle on top of the Monteagudo mountain that can be seen from almost anywhere in Murcia. It was converted to Christianity by placing an "open arms" image of Christ on the top. Directions: leave Murcia by the old Alicante road and it will take you 5 minutes to reach. The motorway to Alicante will also take you there. Park the car down the mountain and walk to the top. You can touch Jesus's feet and toes (bigger than footballs!) while having a look at Murcia and his huerta.
Murcia has a lot of beautiful beaches. Some of them are still virgin territory, like those between Mazarron and Aguilas, whilst others are very busy places in summer, like La Manga, a strip of land that separates the Mediterranean from a small inland "minor sea" (mar menor).

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Museums

The most famous one is dedicated to the great sculptor Salzillo, who made most of the pasos that are used in the Easter Holy Week (Semana Santa). His polychromed wood bodies of angels, biblical personalities and virgins, with faces and hands carved of wood, are simply alive! Don't miss the Belen de Salzillo, a fine reproduction of the story of the birth of Jesus made of small sculptures. Directions: C/San Andres, at the Plaza de San Agustin. Leave the motorway bypass in the Murcia Centro direction. At the traffic lights take the street at your right (San Anton), and follow it straight along. It becomes C/San Andres without notice and then you reach the Plaza de San Agustin at your left. There is the museum, on your right, clearly indicated.

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Do

If you like walking through pine forests, go to Sierraespuña. Directions: Take the motorway toward Andalucia for about 30km to Alhama de Murcia. You will find directions there to Sierraespuña.
Nearby is also one of the best places to practice wall climbing: Paredes de Leiba. It is like a big wall of stone, half a kilometer long and 60-80 meters tall, full of routes to climb: some very easy, others only for trained people. Every year people open new routes.

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