Attractions
ROMAN THEATRE OF CARTAGENA
Dirección: Palacio Pascual del Riquelme, Pl. Ayuntamiento, 9, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain.
A visit to the Roman Theatre Museum will take you into one of the most surprising discoveries in the city in recent decades. Thanks to the brilliant design of the architect Rafael Moneo, you will begin your visit at the Palacio de Riquelme, the museum's first building, continue along the corridor of history located under the street and then move on to the new space which houses the most emblematic pieces of all those found in the excavations. Going up modern stairs you will reach the second tunnel, this time under the medieval church of Santa María, a construction superimposed on the old theatre, which increases its uniqueness and attractiveness. After this second corridor, you will come to the most important piece of the entire museum, the Roman Theatre, one of the largest in Roman Hispania with a capacity for 7,000 people.
PALACIO CONSISTORIAL
Dirección: Pl. Ayuntamiento, 1, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
The City Hall is, without any doubt, one of the most beautiful buildings in Cartagena. Eclectic, somewhat French style, was built between 1900-1907 by Tomás Rico with the collaboration of Francisco de Paula Oliver, on the same site where the old building of the consistory of the 18th century was located.
The triangular building has three different facades with abundant decorative elements: split pediments, elliptical windows, classic moldings, female heads, shields ... The construction materials used were Macael marble (Almeria) and Villalba granite, iron and zinc.
The main façade, in the Town Hall square, is marked with a porch to which the Sessions Hall opens, topped by the main dome. Through this portico we access the interior where its hall and the imperial staircase are illuminated by lunettes, decorated with allegorical motifs related to the city, and a large stained-glass window where the shield of Cartagena stands out. This staircase serves as an axis to the building in which the main dependencies in modernist style, such as the Plenary Hall, the Hall of Councilors and the Mayor's Office.
PALACIODE AGUIRRE – MURAM
Dirección: Pl. de la Merced, 16, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
This building, a trace of modernism in the region, is located between Plaza de la Merced and San Diego Street. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century, exactly in 1901, by Víctor Beltrí for Camilo Aguirre, an important industrialist of the time. Víctor Beltrí took advantage of the location of the building to put into practice all its visual possibilities.
It is made up of two facades that join in a chamfered corner on which we find a wide viewpoint at the height of the first body, and topped by a dome, covered with zinc plates. Both the two facades and the corner are decorated, in the upper part, with Rococo style ceramic panels where floral and zoomorphic motifs made of artificial stone can be seen. Inside, few structures originating from this period are preserved, among which the imperial staircase stands out, with three sections and flanked by two marble columns, an office decorated in carved wood, a chapel with French stained-glass windows made in Bordeaux and, finally, a rococo-style room on whose ceiling we can see the fresco paintings made by Cecilio Pía.
PORT OF CARTAGENA
Dirección: P.º del Muelle, 48, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Yacht Port Cartagena is a quiet and cozy marina, located a few minutes walk from the historic center and commercial center of a historic city of great tourist and cultural interest.
The 310 mooring points are prepared for all types of boats, sailboats, motor boats and catamarans, with fingers for greater comfort and safety when docking, as well as special moorings for megayachts up to 140 meters in length.
The natural shelter that The hills that surround the city and the La Curra and Navidad docks offer, making Yacht Port Cartagena one of the safest ports in the Mediterranean, equidistant from Palma and Gibraltar.
FUERTE DE NAVIDAD
Dirección: Fuerte de Navidad, Pasaje Faro Navidad, 30394 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Visiting the Fort of Navidad you will get to know in detail the defensive system of Cartagena throughout history. Enroll like a cabin boy in our Tourist Boat and you will access the only coastal battery adapted to show the military and daily life in a 19th century fortress. Nestled on the right bank of the bay and next to the lighthouse of the same name, the Fort of Navidad bears witness to the political, social and military events of the last few centuries.
Walk around its barracks, learn how to handle a cannon and discover what the artillerymen's diet and rest were like. Finish your visit by enjoying the magnificent views from the terrace and relaxing on the return trip on the Tourist Boat.
PARQUE TORRES. CASTILLO DE LA CONCEPCIÓN
Dirección: Parque Torres, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
The Torres Park - popularly known as Castillo de los Patos (Castle of the Ducks) by the inhabitants of the pond that adorns its course - is situated on the hill of La Concepción, the highest in the city. This privileged place originally had a sacred function and later a defensive function from the Muslim period, when the Alcazaba was located here, passing through the medieval fortification, to a bastion from the 18th century onwards.
Having lost its strategic value, it was recovered as a public space for the city as a park in 1924, designed by the architect Víctor Beltrí, as a classicist ensemble very much to the taste of the time. During the Civil War, one of the batteries to repel bombing raids and the siren that warned the population of the arrival of the enemy aircraft attack was located on the top of the hill. Since the 1960s, various works have been carried out, with botanical renovations, improvement of accesses and recovery of archaeological remains and their enhancement as a tourist resource.
The top of the hill is crowned by the Castillo de la Concepción. Archaeological studies show that the keep of the fortification was part of a single construction plan dating from the end of the 13th century, which included the fortresses of Lorca, Aledo, Moratalla and Cartagena. Materials of Roman origin were reused in its construction, including a white marble slab dedicated to Lucio Emilio Recto and a replica of the same, which now stands as the lintel of the entrance door to the tower.
CALA CORTINA
Dirección: Cala Cortina, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Four kilometers away from Cartagena, Cala Cortina offers the peace and quiet of its tranquil waters. A footpath leads directly to the beach, and makes a pleasant stroll with views of the natural harbour and the cliffs surrounding it. It is very popular, a favourite for many thanks to its calm, clear waters.