# Caravaca de la Cruz

A Baroque basilica inside a Templar castle, the Caballos del Vino festival and the Fuentes del Marqués, an hour from Murcia by motorway.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/region-of-murcia/caravaca-de-la-cruz · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Caravaca de la Cruz is the capital of the Murcian Northwest, a large inland town with a castle on a hill and, inside the castle, a Baroque basilica. The Cross of Caravaca is kept there, drawing pilgrims who arrive on foot along the Camino de la Cruz (GR-252). For anyone travelling from Murcia it is a comfortable Sunday outing: a motorway to the door, an old town that you walk around, two small museums and a spring-fed spot on the outskirts.

## How to get there from Murcia

By car, on the Northwest motorway (RM-15), which leaves Murcia towards Mula and Bullas and ends at Caravaca: allow about 55 minutes by our estimate. From Alicante, a little over an hour and a half on the A-7 and the RM-15; from Albacete, around an hour and three quarters via Hellín and Calasparra; from Almería, about two hours. Without a car, Caravaca has a bus station, but the town council website does not publish the lines: call 699 91 75 18 before counting on them.

## Where to park

Outside the old town. The Gran Vía, the main avenue, and the area around calle Pabellón, where the coach car parks and the motorhome area are, are five or ten minutes' walk from the centre. The old town has narrow streets and the hill to the castle is climbed on foot. For motorhomes, the municipal area has 20 spaces, water and emptying, for a maximum of 72 hours.

## How long do you need?

A full day: the morning for the basilica, the Museo de la Vera Cruz and the walk from the Templete to the plaza del Arco; lunch; and the afternoon for the Fuentes del Marqués or the Museo de los Caballos del Vino. If you arrive on a Sunday, bear in mind that the museums open only in the morning, from 10:30 to 14:00, while the basilica also opens in the afternoon. With a night you can add a stretch of the Vía Verde del Noroeste or visit Cehegín, the neighbouring town.

## What to do

The must-see is the castle and the Basílica de la Vera Cruz: a walled enclosure with 14 towers, of Islamic origin, which belonged to the Templars and to the Order of Santiago, and a basilica begun in 1617 with a façade of red and black marble. The church is free; the museum, €3. On the way down, the walk from the Templete to the plaza del Arco takes in the settings of the festivals, and the Museo de los Caballos del Vino explains the festival of 2 May, Intangible Heritage of Humanity. A little over 2 km away, the Fuentes del Marqués are a spot of springs and woodland with the Torreón de los Templarios. The Vía Verde del Noroeste, the old Murcia railway, starts here for anyone who wants to walk or cycle.

## When to go

From 1 to 5 May, if you want to see Caravaca at its peak: the festivals of the Cross and the Caballos del Vino, with the horse race up the castle hill on 2 May from 14:00 and the Bathing of the Cross on the night of the 3rd. On those days the town fills up and accommodation is booked months ahead. To see it quietly, April, May outside the festivals, October and November. In July and August midday is very hot: go up to the castle early. In winter it is inland-cold, but the town stays open.

## Where to eat and sleep

The tourist office publishes a long list of restaurants with their speciality and phone number, but very few have a website with opening hours: call before going, especially on Sundays. On the way back from the springs, the Restaurante Fuentes del Marqués serves traditional cooking, game and rice dishes; for something simple, Castillo de la Cruz has a pilgrim's menu; for a special meal, El Molino del Río, in Benablón, serves organic, zero-mile cooking. To sleep in the centre, the boutique hotel Círculo Artístico 1911, opposite El Salvador, or the Neo Hotel, on the Gran Vía; in the countryside, El Molino del Río Argos.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Ricote Valley and the Archena Spa (a 45.7 km), Riópar and the Source of the Río Mundo (a 65.4 km), Cartagena and Calblanque (a 94.8 km), Sierra de Cazorla (a 102.4 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Vera Cruz Castle and Basilica** (1 h 30 · For everyone · Basilica free · Museum €3): What it is
The castle crowns the hill on which Caravaca stands. Its walls are of Islamic origin; the enclosure belonged to the Templars and then to the Order of Santiago, keeps 14 towers, the oldest being the Torre Chacona, and has been a Site of Cultural Interest since 1944. Inside, from 1617, the Basilica-Sanctuary of the Vera Cruz was built, opened in 1703 and finished in the 18th century with its façade of red and black marbles, one of the pieces of international Baroque in the region. It is the church that holds the Cross of Caravaca, the reason for the pilgrimages.
The museum
In the former Chaplain's House, within the enclosure, the Vera Cruz Museum has three rooms: the history of the relic, liturgical vestments and the sanctuary's archaeology. Highlights are six 16th-century oil paintings on panel by Hernando de los Llanos, the monstrance of the Cross from the early 16th century, the Chirinos Chasuble (a Muslim tiraz turned into a liturgical vestment) and part of the layout of the old castle, with a medieval dungeon.
Hours and price
The basilica opens Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00; there is Mass on Sunday at 12:00 and 18:00. The museum opens Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 19:30, Saturdays from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 19:30, and Sunday only from 10:30 to 14:00. It costs €3, €1.50 for ages 6 to 14 and €2 for over-65s; under-6s do not pay. Tickets are bought online or on the museums' booking phone, 968 70 56 20.
How to get up
On foot from the centre by the Cuesta del Castillo, the same one the Wine Horses gallop up every 2 May. From the esplanade you see the whole town.
- **Wine Horses Museum** (45 min · Families · €3 · €1.50 for ages 6 to 14): The house of the Muso Melgarejos
The museum occupies an 18th-century Baroque manor house at calle Gregorio Javier 21, which belonged to the Muso Muñoz Melgarejo family and has been entirely restored. It is in the old town, a step from the plaza de los Caballos del Vino and a few minutes' walk from the plaza del Arco, so it fits into the same walk as the Templete and calle Mayor or as a stop on the way down from the basilica.
What you see inside
The whole museum tells a single festival: that of 2 May, when some sixty caparisoned horses tour the town and race up the castle hill, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Several rooms trace its history from its origin to today, with the three contests that make it up: the bareback horse, the trappings and the race.
The most striking things are the mantles. The exhibition shows how the trappings changed during the 20th century, from the bedspreads and household pieces thrown over the horse to the embroideries of today, which each peña unveils for the contest. There are Baroque still lifes recreating scenes from the festival and audiovisuals of its main moments, with the final race up the hill, and a section devoted to the festival's future: the ponies and the youngest riders.
Allow about three quarters of an hour. The tourist office does not publish whether there are guided visits of its own or whether the building is wheelchair accessible: ask on 868 18 50 96 before going.
Hours and tickets
Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 19:30; Saturdays, 10:30 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 19:30; Sundays, only 10:30 to 14:00. General admission costs €3. Children aged 6 to 14, people with disabilities and schoolchildren pay €1.50; over-65s and groups of more than 25 people, €2. Under-6s enter free. Groups book on 968 70 56 20 or at reservas@caravacadelacruz.es.
If you come for the May festivals, call in at the museum first: you will see up close the mantles that go up the hill on the 2nd. Ask about the hours on those days, which the office does not publish separately.
- **Fuentes del Marqués site** (2 h · 4.5 km · Families · Independent · free): What it is
A place of water and shade at the foot of the Gavilán and El Buitre ranges, just over 2 km from the town centre. It is fed by the Sartenes, a large spring and a small one at the back of the site, with an average flow of about 320 litres per second. In the Templars' Tower, from the 16th century, is the nature interpretation centre.
The tourist office presents it as the place with the most important springs in the Region of Murcia, surrounded by varied woodland. The name comes from its former owners, the Marqueses de San Mamés, and from its springs. The regional Tourism Institute highlights the cleanness of its springs and the environmental quality of the surroundings.
The Templars' Tower
The fortified tower is the most recognisable feature of the site. Its origin is unclear: it is thought to stand on the foundations of an earlier tower, and the first written record of buildings on the site is by the Arab geographer Al-Himyari, between the 13th and 14th centuries. Today it houses the nature interpretation centre, which explains the history and traditions of Caravaca, the local fauna and flora and the site itself. Neither the tourist office nor the site's website publishes its hours: if you want to go in, call the office beforehand. The site also has a municipal hostel.
Getting there
On foot, along the Camino del Huerto; by car, along avenida de los Andenes and the Camino de Mayrena. The two meet at El Molinico and from there the access to the Fuentes starts. A round trip on foot from the centre is about 4.5 km, flat.
At weekends and on public holidays traffic to the site is restricted, and there is a park-and-walk car park nearby. The site's website had a ticket booking system for visitors from outside Caravaca, but now says that temporarily no ticket is needed. Before going, check whether that has changed.
Rules
Dogs on a lead. You may not swim in the springs, light fires, smoke or throw cigarette butts, wash utensils in the water, camp, or enter with motor vehicles; nor hunt or fish. Walk on the marked paths and leave rubbish in the bins.
With children
It is a flat, short walk, comfortable with small children; keep an eye on them near the springs and irrigation channels. The site's website has a botanical itinerary prepared with students from the San Juan de la Cruz secondary school. From the tourist office, at calle de las Monjas 19 (968 70 24 24), they give you the map; the return to the centre can be combined with a stroll round the old town or the climb to the basilica.
- **From the Templete to the plaza del Arco through the old town** (1 h 15 · For everyone · Independent · free): The route
It starts at the Templete, the pavilion where the Bathing of the Cross and the blessing of the waters are held every 3 May, and climbs through the old town towards the church of El Salvador, from which the Cross processions set out. It continues along calle Mayor, where there are several noble houses and the Círculo Artístico hotel, to the plaza del Arco, with the Town Hall, and from there the Cuesta del Castillo leads to the basilica. These are the settings of the May festivals: doing it on foot, you understand where the Cross, the Moors and Christians and the horses pass.
The Templete
It is an 18th-century work by José López and has a circular plan. It rests on a podium from which the pillars project and is crowned with a dome on a drum and a six-bay lantern. It is also called "el Bañadero" for the ritual blessing of the waters held there every 3 May, which gave rise to the patron-saint festivities.
What you come across
The parish church of El Salvador is, according to the tourist office, the jewel of the Murcian Renaissance: a hall church with Ionic columns that carry rib vaults at great height, with an imposing tower and a large high altarpiece. Since 2015 it has held a relic of Saint John Paul II. On the way you also come across the former church of the Society of Jesus, today a cultural centre, the convents of Santa Clara and del Carmen and the parish of the Purísima Concepción, with a Mudéjar coffered ceiling.
If you want to visit a museum, the old town has several: the Museum of the Festival, in the Uribe palace, which explains the origin and rituals of the festivals; the Carrilero Museum, in the former mansion of the Marqueses de San Mamés, with work by the Caravaca artist José Carrilero; the La Soledad Archaeological Museum, in the former church of that name, and the Wine Horses House-Museum. Up above, within the walled enclosure of fourteen towers, is the basilica, with its Baroque façade of local marbles, and the Vera Cruz Museum.
Practical information
The tourist office is at calle de las Monjas 19, right in the centre (968 70 24 24), and is also open on Sunday morning, from 10:30 to 14:00. There they give you the map with all the monuments numbered and tell you which museums are open that day. The office itself asks you to park the car and tour the town on foot or by bike: leave the vehicle outside the old town, whose streets are narrow and sloping.
The walk fits well in the morning, before climbing to the basilica, and in the afternoon you can walk to the Fuentes del Marqués along the Camino del Huerto. If you go during the festivals on 1 to 5 May, check the programme first, because these streets are the setting for the parades.
- **Festivals of the Cross and the Wine Horses** (For everyone; with children, away from the hill during the race · Free): 2 May, hour by hour
The big day starts in the small hours. At 4:00 the dressing of the horses begins in more than sixty stables and houses scattered round the town, and at 7:00 the bells and the salvos from the castle ring out together. At 9:30 there is the Mass of the Apparition at the Templete. At 11:00 the horses parade through the Hoyo quarter, which the tourist office calls the cradle of the festival, and the plaza del Arco, and continue towards the Glorieta and the Bañadero, now with Moors and Christians in the parade. At 12:00 they gather at the Glorieta and climb calle Mayor; the head of the brotherhood hands the mayor the tray of flowers, which goes up to the sanctuary.
At 14:00, on the castle esplanade, the bathing of the wine and flowers takes place: the chaplain blesses the wine and the flowers and dips the Cross three times in the wine. Right afterwards the race begins: about sixty horses climb the castle hill one at a time, with three to five minutes between each, and every peña seeks the best time. Around 16:00 the prize for the horse trappings is awarded, the contest of the embroidered mantles, which each year runs later because each year there are more horses. At 20:30 the Cross comes down from the castle to the plaza del Arco in procession, escorted by Moors and Christians, and the day ends at the church of El Salvador.
The other four days
1 May opens with the offering of flowers on the castle esplanade, a tradition dating from 1976. In the afternoon the bareback horses arrive through the Hoyo quarter and trot round in its square, the bands parade along the Gran Vía to the plaza del Arco to sing the town's anthem, and the embroidered mantles are displayed on the Gran Vía and surrounding streets. It is the best afternoon to see the embroideries up close.
On 3 May, the day of the Cross and the oldest of the festivals, there is Mass at 11:00 at El Salvador and a children's parade along the Gran Vía at 12:30. At 20:30, in the plaza del Bañadero, Moors and Christians stage the parley and the fight, about half an hour of staged combat, and at 21:15 comes the Bathing of the Cross: it is dipped in the water through each of the five arches of the Templete and the waters are blessed. On the 4th, the Cross visits in the morning the sick who cannot leave home and at 20:00 the Grand Parade of Moors and Christians marches along the Gran Vía. On the 5th the Cross returns to the castle in procession with thousands of candles and, at 21:15, blesses the town and fields towards the four cardinal points from the sanctuary esplanade; fireworks close the festivities.
Why it is a World Heritage tradition
UNESCO declared the Wine Horses an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 16 December 2020. Behind it are three contests, bareback horse, horse trappings and race, and a very old rite: the blessing of the wine and flowers by the Vera Cruz. If you cannot come in May, the Wine Horses Museum shows the mantles and the race on video all year.
- **Northwest Greenway from Caravaca** (Families, on foot or by bike · Independent · free): What it is
The nature path that follows the route of the former railway between Murcia and Caravaca de la Cruz: 78 km through nine municipalities, Murcia, Molina de Segura, Alguazas, Campos del Río, Albudeite, Mula, Bullas, Cehegín and Caravaca. It can be done on foot, by bike or on horseback, and links with the Camino de la Cruz (GR-252), the pilgrimage route to the basilica.
According to the Spanish Railways Foundation, which coordinates the greenways programme, the surface is compacted earth and the route crosses six tunnels, nine viaducts and a metal bridge. The official page describes the final stretch, from Bullas, as a gentle, continuous gradient, with no obstacles to Caravaca. Many of the former stations have been turned into hostels.
From Caravaca: the stretch towards Cehegín
The greenway ends at the former Caravaca station, at kilometre 76.8, now converted into a hostel with a small canteen. The most comfortable stretch for a morning is the one from here to Cehegín, the neighbouring town, whose station is at kilometre 70.4: it is about 6.4 km each way, almost 13 km out and back. On foot, allow about three hours in all; by bike, about an hour at an easy pace.
On the way you cross the viaduct over the Argos river, at kilometre 73.4, and the line's last tunnel, at 72.9. The Cehegín station has a hostel and restaurant, and from it you can walk up to the town's old quarter, a good place for a drink before returning. If you want to go further, a little before Cehegín the line passes over the Quípar river viaduct.
To enter or leave Caravaca, the greenway reaches the station along an avenue of trees. There is also a waymarked variant, the Anillo Verde, with walkways and the mural of the Apparition of the Cross, and if you continue through the historic centre you reach near the Casa del Peregrino, at the foot of the hill that climbs to the Vera Cruz basilica.
Tips
The official websites do not indicate water sources on this stretch: bring your own, especially from May to September, when it is best to set out first thing. Dogs may go on a lead. Cyclists share the path with walkers and pilgrims: slow down at the entrance to villages and in tunnels.
Caravaca's tourist office, at calle de las Monjas 19 (968 70 24 24), gives information on the path and on the Camino de la Cruz. If you have the afternoon free, combine the walk with the Fuentes del Marqués site or with the climb to the castle and basilica.

## Dónde comer
- **El Molino del Río Restaurant** (Restaurant, Benablón, Caravaca de la Cruz, €€€). Qué pedir: the seasonal tasting menu and a house craft beer
- **Fuentes del Marqués Restaurant** (Restaurant, Caravaca de la Cruz, €€). Qué pedir: a rice dish or a game dish, after the walk round the site
- **Castillo de la Cruz** (Restaurant, Caravaca de la Cruz, €). Qué pedir: the pilgrim's menu

## By car: By car, along the Northwest motorway
Caravaca is at the end of the RM-15 motorway from Murcia. The car stays outside the old town: the centre is toured on foot and the castle hill is climbed on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Círculo Artístico 1911** (Small hotel): Balconies over El Salvador
The Círculo Artístico 1911 occupies an early 19th-century building at calle Mayor 5, right in the old town and directly opposite the church of El Salvador, the meeting and departure point of the pilgrimages to the Vera Cruz basilica. The tourist office registers it as a boutique hotel, with 42 places. From the door you walk up to the basilica along the Cuesta del Castillo, and the plaza del Arco is about fifty metres away.
That location matters more than anything during the May festivals: on 2 May at midday the horses climb calle Mayor, and El Salvador is where the Cross spends the night between processions. If you want to sleep here on those days, book well ahead and expect noise and crowds in the street.
Five ways to sleep in the same house
Each room has its own name. The Church Suite has three balconies with wooden shutters more than two hundred years old overlooking El Salvador. The Terrace Suite has a private terrace with views, reached by a wide staircase. The Patio Suite has a private patio painted indigo blue. The Attic Suite, on the third floor, has 30 m², a double bed, a walk-in shower with rain head and views of the monuments. The standard doubles look onto El Salvador or the quieter inner patios.
According to the website, the rooms exceed 25 m², with 180 x 200 beds, individual air conditioning, safe, television with international channels and free fast wifi. Water and herbal teas are free in all of them; coffee, only in the suites. Bathrobe and slippers, minibar, iron, extra bed and cot are requested separately. There is room service and luggage storage.
Breakfast, in the street
The hotel has no café of its own: the website sends you to neighbouring establishments for breakfast, the El Horno Justo café next door (calle Mayor 7), the Café de Andrea in the plaza del Arco, and the Progreso café on the other side of the church. For lunch or dinner it suggests places nearby; for a countryside meal, the Molino del Río is in Benablón, a quarter of an hour by car.
Car and arrival
The streets of the old town are narrow and the website does not say where to park or what time you can check in: ask when you book on 968 70 24 22. Nor does it publish whether it admits dogs.
- **Neo Hotel** (Hotel): A practical hotel in the centre
Neo Hotel is on the Gran Vía, Caravaca's main avenue, along which the Moors and Christians parade at the May festivals. It presents itself as the only three-star in the town and the tourist office gives it 53 places. From the door you walk up to the old town and the basilica, and have shops and services at hand. It describes itself as a hotel also designed for groups, with capacity to host them and discounts for cultural, sports or corporate trips.
The rooms
The rooms are renovated, spread over two floors, and take from one to four people. All have a full bathroom, a 40-inch television and free wifi, and the main ones include 24-hour room service and an extra-quality mattress.
There are exterior singles, overlooking the Gran Vía, and interior ones, with a 105 cm bed and a bathroom with bath. The exterior double overlooks the hotel terrace and can be requested with two beds or one 180 cm bed. The superior double overlooks the Gran Vía, with the best views according to the hotel, a 180 cm bed and a welcome gift. There are also interior doubles, an exterior double facing the church of the Society of Jesus and a double with a sofa bed for three people and a child, the option for families.
The terrace and services
The terrace, renovated as a chill-out space, is where breakfasts are served and, throughout the day, tapas of local produce and drinks, with soft music. The hotel also has an events space, designed for meetings, presentations, training or private celebrations. For guests it offers a tourist adviser service with recommendations on the Vera Cruz Sanctuary, nature routes and gastronomy, and a video library on its YouTube channel to prepare visits.
Booking
On its website, with a best-price guarantee and discounts for stays of six nights or more, or by WhatsApp on 601 906 096; the landline is 968 969 700. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times, parking or pet policy: ask when you book.
What is nearby
On foot you climb to the Vera Cruz Castle and Basilica and come down through the old town, from the Templete to the plaza del Arco. The Wine Horses Museum is in the centre, and the Fuentes del Marqués site is just over 2 km on foot. From 1 to 5 May, with the Festivals of the Cross and the Wine Horses, the Gran Vía is part of the route: book well ahead. For dinner outside the town, the El Molino del Río Restaurant is fifteen minutes by car.
- **El Molino del Río Argos** (Country house): Sleeping in the Argos river canyon
El Molino del Río Argos is in Benablón, a hamlet of Caravaca, on the old Archivel road, tucked into the canyon the Argos river has cut in the rock. The house explains that in its walls you can read a geological evolution of 135 million years. It is secluded: from the centre of Caravaca it is about fifteen minutes by car and, on foot, about 10 km along the paths that leave from the mill itself, the distance the house gives for those who want to walk to the basilica.
The building is a former farmhouse with a mill whose documented origin is the early 16th century, although the house believes it may be earlier. It became a rural guesthouse in 1998 and keeps the structure and decoration of the farmhouses of the time, with today's comforts. The tourist office registers it as a hotel with 30 places.
What there is without leaving the mill
The gardens beside the river are the centre of the house and where celebrations are held. The restaurant works with zero-mile gastronomy: it buys from producers less than 20 km away, preferably organic, and has a seasonal menu and tasting menu. The house brews its own craft beer.
There are introductory yoga workshops, mindfulness sessions and relaxation courses on a regular basis; the website advertises them with posters, without dates or prices in text, so ask what is scheduled for your days. It also organises unconventional weddings, private events and corporate days: a spring or summer weekend may coincide with a wedding in the garden.
What to ask before you go
The website does not detail the room types or how many there are, whether breakfast is included, check-in and check-out times, or whether it admits dogs or has a pool. Ask on 968 433 381, on 692 654 804 or at info@molinodelrio.com before booking.
Getting around from here
You need a car: without one, the mill is only good if you come to walk. With one, the centre of Caravaca and the Vera Cruz Castle and Basilica are a quarter of an hour away, and the Northwest Greenway, which crosses the Argos river on a viaduct between Caravaca and Cehegín, is good for a morning on foot or by bike. The Fuentes del Marqués, on the other side of the town, round off a day of water and shade.
### Servicios
- **Caravaca campervan area**: 20 places on calle Pabellón, 500 m from the centre: water, emptying, bins and lighting. Maximum 72 hours and 8 m.

## As a family: Horses, walls and a site with water

Caravaca is seen on foot and in short bursts: the basilica, a museum and a walk to the springs. Children aged 6 to 14 pay half price in the museums and under-6s do not pay.

### What works best
The Wine Horses Museum, with the embroidered mantles and videos of the race

The walls and the castle esplanade

The flat walk to the Fuentes del Marqués

A short stretch of the Northwest Greenway by bike

### Sleep
Neo Hotel, on the Gran Vía, for getting around on foot

El Molino del Río Argos, with gardens beside the river

### Eat
Castillo de la Cruz, simple menu

Fuentes del Marqués, at the end of the walk

### Worth knowing
On 2 May, keep children away from the hill during the race

You cannot swim in the springs

The centre has slopes: a backpack carrier is better than a pushchair

### Qué hacer as a family
- Vera Cruz Castle and Basilica
- Wine Horses Museum
- Fuentes del Marqués site
- From the Templete to the plaza del Arco through the old town
- Northwest Greenway from Caravaca

## Consejos

### Go to the museums in the morning if it is Sunday
They close at 14:00; the basilica, however, reopens from 16:00 to 19:00.

### Walk up
The castle hill is short and is the one the horse race climbs.

### Call the restaurant
Few publish opening hours: confirm they are open before going.

### In May, book months ahead
From 1 to 5 May the town fills up.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does it cost to enter the Basílica de la Vera Cruz?
The church is free. The Museo de la Vera Cruz costs €3, €1.50 for ages 6 to 14 and €2 for over-65s.

### When are the Caballos del Vino?
On 2 May, within the festivals of 1 to 5 May. The race up the castle hill starts around 14:00.

### What are the museums' hours on Sunday?
From 10:30 to 14:00. In the afternoon, only the basilica is open.

### How long does it take from Murcia?
About 55 minutes on the RM-15 motorway, by our estimate.

### Can you go with a dog?
In the streets and to the Fuentes del Marqués, on a lead. In the museums and church, we have not found published rules: ask.

### Where can you park a motorhome?
At the municipal area on calle Pabellón: 20 spaces, with water and emptying and a maximum of 72 hours. The town council website does not give a price.