Cartagena

Cartagena, a Murcia Region municipality running along the Mediterranean Sea, is a city with a long history. Traces reveal the city was founded in the year 225 BC with the name QartHadasht, given by the Carthaginian military leader Asdrubal the Fair. The city lived its heyday during the Roman Empire, when it was known as Carthago Nova. After the 16^th century and due to the strategic location of its natural harbor, Cartagena gained a strong military significance  that continues to this day as it is home to one of the main naval bases in Spain and the Western Mediterranean Region. In recent times, the city has also emerged as a tourist destination offering visitors the rich historical-artistic heritage of its streets and squares. The highlight of any walk is certainly Cartagena's Roman Theater, surrounded by multiple historical traces from the Carthaginian, Roman and Bizantine times. Tourists walking around Cartagena will love to see how the city's millennial past blends perfectly with its modern, contemporary present. And since we are talking about tourists, we have to mention the weather: a yearly average of 20ºC, with the coldest and hottest average temperatures being 12ºC (January) and 28ºC (August).

Modern Cartagena does not have beaches in the city itself, but within the municipality there are numerous beaches and coves perfect for relaxation, either in the serene Mediterranean Sea or in Mar Menor (one of the largest salt water lakes in Europe). We specially recommend checking out the cove Cala Cortina and the nudist beach El Portús. And if you are after exceptional cuisine, Cartagena will serve you its old-favorite Caldero, delicious dishes combining sea and orchard products, salted fish, michirones and rabbit with ajo cabañil (crushed garlic), as well as typical area desserts such as arrope and asiático coffee.

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