The region Murcia (Costa Calida) is located in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, between the regions of Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha and Valencia. The region of Murcia occupies an area of 11,317 km2 and with a coastline of 274 kilometres in total. Bordering the province of Albacete in the North, Alicante in the east, the provinces of Granada, Albacete and Almería in the west, and the Mediterranean.

The Costa Calida is also known as Europes Kitchen Yard due to the agriculture that are to be found all over the region.
In the northeast of the region you will find the popular and famous Mar Menor, which is the  biggest lagoon in Spain with a size of 170 km2 and wit a coastline of 70 kilometres. Separating the Mar Menor from the Mediterranean Sea is “La Manga del Mar Menor” (the sleeve). Costa Calida is also know for a large number of great golf courses on the many resorts built the since the beginning of 2000.

The region of Murcia offers some excellent hiking areas. Between Cabo de Palos and Cartagena you will find the lovely Calblanque nature park with mountains and virgin beaches. Inland you will find the beautiful Mountain Park Sierra Espuña with an average height of 800 meters going up to 1.583 meters.

The biggest cities along the Costa Calida are the Murcia City itself, Cartagena, Lorca and Molina de Segura.

When driving from the Costa Blanca along the coast the first town you will see in the Costa Calida is San Pedro del Pinatar. Around 25.000 people lives San Pedro del Pinatar, while during the summer months this number increases a lot. San Pedro offers lovely promenades towards the Mar Menor Lagoon as well as an area with basins for mud baths – for free.

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South of San Pedro del Pinatar you will find San Javier. A town with a population around 32.000 inhabitants. A special thing about San Javier is that the town hall also covers the northern part of La Manga. San Javier offers lovely promenades, restaurants – and also an airport which is used by the Military and for commercial flights.

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South of San Javier you will find the lovely town of Los Alcázares. Despite a population of only 15.000, Los Alcázares is well known by everyone in the area for its charm, squares, restaurants and promenades in front of the beaches. Worth a visit is the old spa hotel La Encarnacion. Walking in the doors of La Encarnacion is like traveling 60 years back in time.

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On the very south east of Costa Calida – and the beginning of La Manga you will find the fishing village Cabo de Palos. In the centre you will a lovely marina of fishing boats surrounded by apartments and townhouses in different colours. If you’re looking to try proper seafood restaurants you have come to the right place. Around Cabo de Palos you will find several beaches surrounded by mountains and cliffs.

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La Manga del Mar Menor is one of natures funny inventions. Made from volcanos this 21 kilometre long sleeve, which separates the Mediterranean Sea and the Mar Menor is only 100 meters wide in average. More or less in the middle of La Manga you will find the Tomas Maestre Marina with a commercial area with restaurants and shops. La Manga offers lots of hotels with spa facilities.

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Surrounded by San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier, Los Alcázares, La Manga and many more you will find Spains biggest Salt water lagoon, Mar Menor (small sea). With more than 170 km2 Mar Menor is not that small. The concentration of salt in the water is much higher than in the Mediterranean Sea as well as the temperature is always higher as well. Due to the mountains in the area there are often some afternoon winds, which makes Mar Menor ideal for watersports.

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Inland in the Murcia region you will find Murcia city – capital of the region. Murcia city is located in a valley which makes the city especially warm in the summertime. With more than 440.000 inhabitants Murcia City is the 7th biggest city in Spain. When entering the city you will easily see the cathedral, which is located in the centre, which is definitely worth a visit.

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Following the motor south of Los Alcázares you will get to the second largest city in the Murcia Region, Cartagena with its 210.000 inhabitants. Cartagena has a great history of war, and was the last city to “fall” before Franco in the ciwil war. You can still visit old ruins in the mountains surrounding the city as well as an amphitheatre in the centre of Cartagena.

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In the northern part, inland and in between mountains you will actually not only find the famous wine area of Jumilla (25.000 inhabitants), but also another one – Yecla (34.000 inhabitants). If you enjoy a glass of wine – or just feeling curious about the wines, you can easily visit the many “bodegas” where you taste the wine and hear about history and production.

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