With a semi-arid weather and a dash of Mediterranean breezes, the City of Murcia situated on the south eastern region of Spain quite near the coast facing the Mediterranean waters enjoys a semi Mediterranean clime that provides year-round opportunities for the visitor to explore its many historic and cosmopolitan sights, tastes and sounds.

For so long the city is known to the rest of Europe as the Huerta de Murcia or Europe’s orchard mainly due to its long tradition as a source for the continent’s fruits, vegetables and flowers.

The city stretches to cover 340.5 square miles and is Spain’s 7^th largest city and enjoys a varied terrain ranging from the mountainous southern Cordillera regions mountain ranges.

These two regions are known as the Field of Murcia and the Orchard of Murcia separated by the steel hilly Monteagudo range.  The historic central Murcia is about 1 square mile wide comprising the urbanized downtown proper. While taxis can be hailed easily, it is still best for the visitor to get a car hire to get around the city for faster transport access and privacy.

Most of the wonderful places to visit are scattered around its 340.5 mile land area and a private car or SUV is a fast and expedient way to get from place to another.

Main Places to See

• Starting with its splendid historic architectures in landmark buildings, Murcia offers a wide variety of sights that can charm the visitor.  Its cathedral is one such landmark.  Built between 1394 and 1465, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Cartagena is a majestic example of Castilian Gothic architecture that blends Renaissance with baroque styles with Rococo and Neoclassical influences.   In the same square where the Cathedral stands (Plaza Cardenal Belluga) is another noteworthy edifice, the 18^th century Bishop’s Palace.
• From the Cathedral, you can reach the Plaza de Santo Domingo, a bustling commercial town market centered around the Plateria and Traperia streets. These two streets got their names from their commercial roots with the Plateria noted for its commerce of silver (plata) and other rare metals while the Traperia is noted for its commerce in cloth, both by the city’s Jewish communities.
• Along the banks of the Segura River that crosses the country is the Glorieta, considered the traditional city center constructed in the 19^th century and is home to the ayuntamiento, or the city hall. Other places around Murcia worth visiting In the metropolitan area are the Noria de La Ñora water wheel and the Azud de la Contraparada reservoir.  Then visit the Malecón boulevard, the La Fuensanta sanctuary and adjacent El Valle regional park, the Almudi Palace, the Monteagudo Castle and the Los Jerónimos monastery.  Noted museums include the Salzillo Museum and the San Juan de Dios church-museum.  For traditional entertainment, there’s the Romea Theater.