Murcia Guide

Murcia Attractions

• Plaza Mayor / Main Square
• Catedral de Santa María / Cathedral of Santa María
• Casino
• Museo de la Ciudad / City Museum
• Museo Salzillo / Salzillo Museum
• Palacio Episcopal / Bishop's Palace
• Paseo del Malecón / Malecón Esplanade
• Monasterio de los Jerónimos / Monastery of the Hieronymites
• Palacio Almudí / Almudí Palace
• Castillo de Monteagudo / Monteagudo Castle
• Iglesia de la Merced / La Merced Church
• Iglesia y Convento de Santa Ana / Santa Ana Chuch and Convent
• Iglesia de Santo Domingo / Santo Domingo Church
• Iglesia de San Nicolás / San Nicolás Church
• Iglesia de San Miguel / San Miguel Church

Top Festivals

Semana Santa / Holy Week
Religious processions, famous for the elaborate images crafted famous 18th century Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo

Fiestas De Primavera / Spring Festival
Held during the week following Easter Sunday, the Fiestas de Primavera include all sorts of concerts, parades, local gastronomy and the famous "Entierro de la Sardina" (Burial of the Sardine).

feria De Septiembre / September Festival
The Feria de Septiembre, also known as the Feria de Murcia, was conceived in the 13th century by King Alfonso X and is held during the first half of September. Festivities include traditional music, carnival rides, bullfighting, plenty of local gastronomy and the Virgen de la Fuensanta religious pilgrimage.

Food & Drink

Thanks to the fertile fields surrounding Murcia and to its proximity to the sea, Murcia has both excellent seafood and excellent fruit, vegetables and garden proeducts.

• Caldero: Casserole made with rice, peppers, garlic, tomatoes and fish (gilt-head bream and mullet).
• Dorada a la sal: Baked salted gilt-head bream.
• Guisos con bacalao: Stews with cod.
• Arroz con conejo y caracoles: Rice with rabbit and snails.
• Pata de cabrito al horno: Roasted baby goat leg.
• Olla gitana: Dish with chickpeas, vegetables, seasonings, potatoes & pears.
• Zarangollo: Scrambled eggs with zucchini, onion and potato.
• Paparajotes: Dessert made from lemon tree leaves, which are coated in a flour-and-egg mixture, fried and dusted with sugar and cinnamon.
• Gazpacho jumillano: Stew made with game meat (rabbit, hare or partridge), snails and vegetables.
• Morcón: A type of chorizo.
• Morcilla: Black pudding / blood sausage.

Weather

Murcia's proximity to the Mediterranean provides it with a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters. Rainfall is scarce - though when it rains it rains hard - and the city enjoys over 300 days of sunshine per year. Summer temperatures range from 20ºC at night to 30º during the day, while winter temperatures range from 4ºC at night to 16º during the day.

Getting There

By plane
Murcia's airport, the Aeropuerto San Javier, is actually located around 45 kilometers away beside the Mar Menor. While not the busiest of Spanish airports, it does have flights run by a handful of Spanish and European airlines. In many cases a more convenient choice may be El Altet airport, located 70 kilometers away in Alicante, due to the larger choice of airlines and flights to domestic and European destinations.

By train
The train station in Murcia (address: Plaza de la Industria) is located south of the Segura River and has several daily trains to / from Madrid, Lorca and Alicante, amongst others.

By bus
Murcia's train station (address: Calle Bolos) located near the Museo Salzillo on the western side of town. There are several daily buses to a variety of destinations throughout the region and country, including: Madrid, Cartagena, Valencia, Granada and others.

Getting Around

While Murcia is a delightful city for strolls, there is an urban bus system, run by Latbus, and an electric tramway, run by Tranvimur, that can come in handy when going from point A to point B.

Fast Facts

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