Cartagena is a city situated in the southeastern corner of Spain, in the province of Murcia. It is a natural port city open to the Mediterranean Sea, with an entrance guarded by castles and coastal batteries dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.
It is bounded by five small hills—Monte de la Concepción, Cerro del Molinete, Monte de San José, Monte Sacro, and Cerro de Despeaperros. The port of Cartagena currently has two wharves, with the nearest of our beaches in between them: Cala Cortina. Cartagena also has one of the most fascinating histories in all of Spain, having been inhabited by a number of great civilizations and cultures, from the Carthaginians to the Romans, who introduced Christianity to the city; the Vandals; the Visigoths; the Byzantines; the Muslim Moors; and the Christians, who reclaimed control in the 13th century.
Cartagena is relatively small, but it is home to 12 museums, 10 buildings of interest, 4 churches, and many monuments. Cartagena has two natural reserves: the beaches of Cabo Tiñoso and El Portús at the west, and the regional parks of Calblanque and Cala Reona in the east.
After all those museums, you’ll be ready for some relaxation. The town of Cartagena has only one beach, Cala Cortina, 3 or 4 kilometers away from the town center. Enjoy Cartagena's gastronomy. In the surroundings, we find the Campo de Cartagena, the region that extends from the ranges of Mazarrón and Carrasco to the coast of the famous La Manga del Mar Menor and the Mediterranean Sea. La Manga starts from Cabo de Palos, where the lighthouse, built in 1864, still stands out.
La Manga del Mar Menor is a sandy formation with a length of 22 km and a width of between 90 and 900 m, with five islands that have been declared protected landscapes. Due to its annual average temperature of 18 oC of water and its tranquillity, it is an exceptional place to practice all kinds of water sports.
It has become one of the preferred destinations for scuba diving in Spain. Highlighting places such as the marine reserves of Cabo de Palos and Hormigas Islands, the fishing marine reserve of Cabo Tiñoso, the large Posidonia meadows and the coral colonies, Roman wrecks and ships sunken during the Spanish Civil War.
