Christmas is a holiday dedicated to the family. We decided this year to spend the holiday season traveling through our new home-country, Spain. It didn’t take long to decide that Murcia city was the place to be for this season, the city of light. Spain is very a popular tourist resort. When People tell me they are traveling to Spain they commonly go to the islands of Tenerife and Canaries, Barcelona, Benidorm, Ibiza or the infamous Costa Blanca but I rarely hear people mention Murcia city. Since I moved to Southern Spain myself I hear locals talk about how much they enjoyed Murcia, and if there is something I've learned on my travels; "Go where the locals go"... so we did. We have 2 daughters, 7 and 4 year old, so the trip had to include alternatives and activities for the whole family. During our 3 days we made this travel video, where we show you what we did during our trip, go through the cost and what to avoid and what to do better.
Murcia is a single-province region located in Southeast Spain, between the regions of Andalusia and Valencia. Closest airports are Región de Murcia International Airport in distance of 20 min, Murcia-San Javier Airport in distance of 35 min and Alicante airport, L´Altet in distance of 55 min. The Region of Murcia has a population of over one million people, and the city of Murcia is the seventh largest city in Spain with about 450.000 inhabitants. The official tourist site for Murcia can be found here.
The region and the city are rich of history and proud of it´s arab roots and its rich Baroque legacy. Murcia city is a gem for the eye with a great mix of historic buildings and modern city approach.
In 825 AD the Moors settled in this former Roman colony and renamed it Mursiya. Moors were Moroccans, members of the Muslim population of what is now Spain and Portugal. Of mixed Arab, Spanish and Berber origins, the Moors created the Arab Andalusian civilisation and even though the town was reconquered in 1243 by Alfonso X, the mark the Moors had on Murcia still shows very well in it's architecture, which creates a beautiful fusion between Moore, Baroque and classical Spanish Architecture which makes Murcia one of the most elegant and beautiful cities I've seen.
In regards to economics, Murcia is one of the main producing regions of fruits, vegetables and flowers in Europe. Wine production is also significant, both in terms of quantity and quality. It is home to a solid agrofood industry exporting up to 70% of its production to other EU countries.
The Region's tourism, leisure and business sector is known for high standards, offering a variety of services. Beautiful cultural city with good nightlife for those who are looking for parties, great food & wine, beautiful beaches, trekking, snorkelling and other kind of outdoor activity. Murcia is definitely interesting for everybody.
Above you´ll see photos I took in Mercado de Veronicas, a local indoor food market. Although we were not there to cook or shop for fresh food this stop was very essential to our discovery of the local feel of the city. In here we found singing butchers, local people chatting and having fun, people bargaining. Indoor markets like these are a Murcian tradition and locals shop in these kinds of markets fresh produce rather than in the super market. Here people are very well aware of freshness, quality and origin of their food.
You can´t talk about a destination without mentioning the food and the culture around it. Spain is famous for it´s Tapas. But what is Tapas, it is invariably a small dish of something edible. It may be a smaller version (normally a quarter version) of something else on the menu or it may be sold exclusively as tapas. Anything can be tapas: paella, meatballs, sausages, omelette, cured ham, croquettes, ham and cheese on toast… you see it can be anything. As long as it is small and served with your drink it is tapas.
We had high hopes with enjoying the tapas in Murcia, but that´s the thing about traveling with kids all of a sudden they are hungry and you have to act fast. In Murcia you have to book a table and we weren´t organized enough to do so.
What is also good to have in mind when visiting Spain is the opening hours. Lunch usually starts after 1 pm, you´ll find restaurants that open at 12 but it´s normal that they open at 1 pm or even 1:30. They close at 4/5 pm (or at least the kitchen closes and they only serve drinks, until re-opening in the evening at 8/8:30 pm and stay open until late usually until midnight. These are opening hours in many Spanish restaurants, only in towns more populated with tourists than locals have we found restaurants that open earlier in the evening. So with kids be sure to feed them before 4 pm unless you want to visit the fast food hamburger chains because even some of the bakeries take a siesta (lunch brake) and close between 2-5 pm.
We made this mistake upon arrival, checked in at the hotel at 2 pm, walked downtown and enjoyed the scenes and played on a playground, suddenly it was 4:30 pm and everybody screaming of hunger and we were lucky to find the burger joint that served real juicy burgers, quite the quality meal that kept us going into the evening adventures.
Another thing you should try in Murcia: Pastel de Carne or the Murcia Meat Pie. This super traditional dish has been made across whole of Spain since medieval times. They say that the tradition is slowly disappearing but Murcia kept the recipe alive, and that now it is the only place where you can try the traditional pastel de carne. You´ll find it in the bakeries (panedería) and at street vendors. I recommend that you try it, it´s a treat. We enjoyed many great meals, from a meal at a good known restaurant highly recommended by the hotel and a pizza at the Plaza de Belluga, pastries from the bakaries and you name it. Everything tasted great.
The most valuable asset of Murcia is it's hospitality, people are warm and helpful, which is a quality you might not always find everywhere Spain especially not in places that are over-runned by tourists. Even though there is a thriving tourist industry in Murcia, it's not crazy like many of the tourists spots in Spain. Murcia still has class and sophistication and is a perfect weekend getaway for couples.
Murcia Tourist Card
We bought the Murcia tourist Card upon arrival as we had plans to visit the museums and best known attractions and Murcia is a city known for its museums, architectural styles and of course the shops.
It was our belief that purchasing the card would help us make the most of our time there and save some bucks. The places to see with your free entrance are : Salzillo Museum, the Royal Casino, Museum of Science and Water, Cathedral Museum, University of Murcia Aquarium, Museo Molinos del rio, Museos Municipales, . The places to visit with a discount are the Teatro Circus, the Teatro Romea, Terra Natura and Auditorio y Centro de Congresos Victor Villegas. The card also offers discounts of 5-10% at nearly 150 shops, restaurants, museums and other business. We were also told that cardholders could enjoy free wine and tapas in Café inside El Corte Inglés but it doesn´t appeal to us.
Murcia is very fair in prices. We booked a family room at a hotel, with breakfast and parking close to the city center (15 min walking to Plaza Circular). It is 4 stars and highly recommended online. We booked it on the hotels official website which proved to be approx. 10% cheaper than booking on the international hotel-booking websites. Compared to renting an apartment this deal was very fair, almost same price actually, and the room service and breakfast service is much appreciated when traveling with kids.
Accommodation + breakfast + parking + 48 hrs Tourist pass, total cost €270 (2 nights)
Lunch meal was approx. €10-15 pr. person with drinks included
Dinner was approx. € 15-25 pr. person, drinks included and we often only bought 3 meals as recommended by the waiter that the kids shared one meal, which proved more than enough. Extra activities, balloons, snacks, cafés € 50 pr. day
Taxi ride € 6, dragging the kids around town was sufficient walks for them so we used taxis to go to and from the hotel. Spending in total approx. € 35 on taxis during the visit.
We are not budget travelers but we try to spend wisely, so I recommend a waterbottle or juice carton, packet of some snacks f.x. nuts or biscuits, apples. It´s always a part of the adventure for our kids when traveling to look inside mom´s lunch box and find something to snack on after a robust play on the playground. It saves you a lot of hassle and keeps the happy spirit for longer periods of time.
We could choose different time length: valid 24 hrs or 48 hrs. The price is kids/adults € 4/12 for 24 hours, € 6/18 for 48 hours. We took the 48 hrs card as it suited our plans best. You can purchase the Tourist card online, with a discount of 5 %, or like we did in the lobby at our hotel.
We visited Murcia during the holidays, to be more precise between Christmas and New Years. We heard Murcia was really festive that time of year and we were not disappointed. Downtown Murcia was beautifully decorated, small events everywhere, street performers, happy people enjoying the festivities, over all great atmosphere and very important for us very safe. Even at night it was no problem to walk around with our 4 and 7 year old girls. Of course one has to keep in mind in all cities that pick pockets and opportunists are everywhere so keeping an eye on your stuff and being careful with your belongings is crucial.
Murcia is a walking town, most attraction are relatively close to each other, so if you have a car, leave it at the hotel and take a taxi, bus or tram downtown if your hotel is not within a walking distance from the City Center. Parking in downtown Murcia is, like in most big and old cities, a nightmare so don't even try it.
The weather was nice, approx. 15-17°C during the day but quite cold in the shadows. After sunset the temperature dropped dramatically to 8-10°C and during the night I understand it was around 5°C. Dress accordingly, bring jackets, gloves and even headbands or caps, no need to be uncomfortable.
As for things you can do year round you have of course some of the many museums in Murcia, I'm not going to recommend as we don´t all have the same preference in cultural activities. The ones we visited were all great, both for kids and adults. My girls loved to visit the Casino much to my surprise, but they imagined all these princesses dancing and dining in the great halls of the building. The Playmobil exhibition on the top floor definitely put an icing on the cake for them where the parents how ever were a bit disappointed. Further down you’ll find links to the main museums so you can choose something that appeals to you and a very thorough event calendar with links to all the main annual fiestas in Murcia. With kids loads of interesting stuff as well as visiting museums, go to the Terra Natura Murcia which is a Zoo, the city has a playground every 5 minutes for them to let off steam, really there is a lot to do actually it really takes an effort to be bored in Murcia.
We had a plan B for the last day as we wanted to leave the girls with a great memory, the plan was to spend the afternoon before heading home in the Murcia Zoo, Terra Natura Murcia. Price for entrance is € 11 (kids) and € 15 (adults). The museum tourist pass offered a discount of the entrance too. How ever the Acuario de la Universidad de Murcia turned out to be such fun for them to visit, they found Dora and got to see real live sharks swimming around. The dark surroundings in the aquarium gave it a sense of real adventure and made there minds wander off to adventures of there own. Again the parents were a bit disappointed with it, small and only a few aquariums, but when experiencing with kids it´s absolutely amazing. It confirmed the old saying: size doesn’t matter and quality above quantity.
End result, do we recommend buying the Murcia Tourist Card? Yes, it proved to be an easy way to visit the sites, at a good price.
The event Calendar
When you pick a city to visit on your vacation, make sure you check if there are any events going on in or around the area you are visiting. It adds so much to the experience when there are local gatherings and festivities. Give it a bit of time and do your homework, look for interesting stuff... there are a lot of interesting events in Spain and they are fairly easy to find. For our Murcia city visit I found this event calendar that you might be interested in too, it shows daily schedule in details.
The city of Murcia celebrates a variety of festivals, some for a month. The main attractions in Murcia city would be:
January 5: Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, the parade of the three kings. The three kings bear gifts and presents and the parades are very colorful and joyful. January 6: Navidad en Murcia. The last day of Christmas, the main Christmas festival in Spain. At 18:00 there might be festives at la Plaza del Cardenal Belluga but otherwise everything is closed and people ar
La Fiesta de las Cuadrillas is celebrated In the last week of January (last Sunday in January). A folklore music festival that boasts about the Spanish culture and the culture of Murcia. Prepare to travel 30-50 min by car.
CARNAVAL DE ÁGUILAS February: Towards the end of February Murcia celebrates the carnival season with great pomp and show and has been declared „International Tourist Interest“. This years dates: Feb 15-29 2020
March in Valencia (2,5 hour drive from Murcia City): Las Fallas de San José is one of the biggest festivals of Spain celebrated from March 15 -19. This festival comprises of firework displays, bullfights, dance finale, music performances and a lot more. Many people wear traditional Valencian clothing and display their clothing during parades. This years dates: March 15-19, 2020
March 19, annually: Saint Joseph's Day, Fallas de San José, honors St Joseph the spouse of Virgin Mary. This date is also known as Father's Day (Día del Padre) in many areas in Spain. San Jose is a public holiday in 5 communities: Basque Country, Galicia, Murcia, Navarre, & Valencia. It is a day off in the communities for the general population, schools and most businesses are closed.
Fallas (or falles) are constructed (scenes made of papier-mâché and cardboard), displayed and ceremonially burnt in many towns and villages in the autonomous community of Valencia, including the city of Valencia.
April: The month of April celebrates nature's produce in the city. During this festival the locals are seen flaunting their colourful traditional wear while the streets fill with stalls that sell traditional food of Spain. These dishes include rabbit, hare, Quail, Partridge, etc.
April 14, 2020: Bando de la Huerta the festival emerged some 150 years ago to entertain the well-off classes, now those celebrations are followed by thousands of people of all classes. This party begins on the first Tuesday after Easter and is the precursor for the Spring Festivities. Bando de la Huerta begins with a traditional floral offering to the Virgin in the Cathedral of Murcia. Dozens of Murcians come with their best Huertana galas to pay their honors and accompany the offering during a parade through the streets of the city. Different floats participate in the parade that are responsible for offering spectators to try the delicacies of the Murcian orchard. Declared „International Tourist Interest“.
May: This month celebrates a three culture festival celebrated in Murcia, Murcia Tres Culturas which came in to existence to ward off xenophobia and racism, it is called the grate festival of tolerance. You can expect the streets and squares of Murcia to fill with music and color displayed by artists from all over the world, all performing in the name of tolerance, equality and elimination of differences. Concerts, exhibitions, theater, conferences, dance, films and any imaginable form of art to celebrate mankind and it´s diversities. You´ll find it everywhere around the city including Plaza de los Apóstoles, the Cathedral, the Romea Theater, Plaza Belluga and many more. Dates this year: May 10-25 2020.
June: During the month of June Murcia celebrates the San Javier International Jazz Festival. In the end of June beginning of July is this fantastic music festival which brings the public the most significant figures of the jazz world, as well as artists from other musical genres such as blues, soul, bossa nova and funk. Declared „International Tourist Interest“.
July: Festival del Cante Flamenco de Lo Ferro the festival of the Flamenco singing tradition, is celebrated where tourists and locals enjoy some traditional dance performances and are spectators to the display of beautiful fireworks. During this festival, boats are decorated and painters come together to display their artistic work. This is celebrated in the town Lo Ferro en Torre Pacheco, 30 min drive from Murcia city.
August: This month celebrates a festival that would interest international tourists. August holds a trophy contest for flamenco dancers and singers. Festival International Del Cante De Las Minas celebrated in end of July/early August for 10 days approx. In the town of La Union, 40 min drive from Murcia. La Unión, in Murcia, is the setting for the world's most important annual flamenco festival: the "Cante de las Minas" Festival. Song, dance and guitar playing are the three disciplines in an event packed with authentic flamenco, which backs upcoming young artists, and which also features consolidated stars of the genre.
September: Pop concerts and bullfighting is part of the September month celebration all over Murcia through the SEPTEMBER FERIA This fair is held in the first fortnight of September, granted by King Alfonso X the Wise, and takes in a wide range of celebrations. These include the fun fair, the bullfighting fair, the cattle fair, the Moors and Christians fiesta and the Pilgrimage to La Fuensanta.
October: Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos is celebrated from 1st to 15th October which comprises of flamenco dance performances and belly dancing. The city enjoys open air parties during this month as well and a great theatrical performance where the actors are archetypal Murcia locals themselves. The streets are used as stages to celebrate the patron saint of the town and to commemorate the times of the Reconquest. Although the festival runs over several days, the main events take place on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the town's Patron Saint Pilgrimage to the Virgin of Fuensanta.
November: The festival of San Clemente festivities is celebrated during this month with parades and music and a medieval market. The theme of the festival is the middle ages so it makes for a very picturesque scene. Location: Lorca, some 50 min drive from Murcia. Dates this year: Nov 15 – 24, 2020.
December: The month of December celebrates a religious festival that ends in a night of wine and migas.e celebrating with relatives. When traveling during the holiday season be sure to check out the official Belén. Un belén is a nativity scene that locals set up very neatly in every town with small figurines, the bigger the town often the bigger Belén scene, most towns have more than one Belén scenes. In Spanish the name for Bethlehem is Belén with a capital "B" and Bethlehem is said to be the birthplace of Jesus. Whether you are religious or not this tradition is very interesting to see and the kids absolutely love to see the story come to life. Visit Palacio Episcopal in Plaza Belluga, in the Salzillo Museum or in the Town Hall. You can find a list of Beléns in Murcia here.