La Marquesita
What to order: the caldero with mullet, and to start the croquettes or the Russian salad maripuri
geocalia
Day itinerary · 37.61° N · 0.99° W
Cartagena: Roman theatre, castle and port.
The Roman theatre first thing, the castle by lift and the air-raid shelter, caldero in the centre and the port by boat in the afternoon. 40 minutes from Murcia, also by bus or train.
Leaving from
Part of Cartagena and Calblanque
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car45 min each way
WalkingAbout 4 km through the old town
DifficultyEasy
Cost€45–65 pp
Best timeSeptember – June
With childrenYes
Without a carYes, from Murcia
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Murcia 45 min by car
from Murcia by the motorway, about 40 min; park in a car park in the centre
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1
Cartagena Roman Theatre Museum
Opens at 10:00 and on Sundays closes at 14:00 · €7
+34 968 50 00 93
- 3 min on foot
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2
Castillo de la Concepción and the Panoramic Lift
Panoramic lift €2 · castle €5
+34 968 50 00 93
- 2 min on foot
- 3
- 15 min on foot
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4
La Marquesita
Caldero with mullet · open on Sunday 13:00 to 18:00 · booking
Plaza Alcolea, 6, 30201 Cartagena · +34 968 50 77 47
Restaurant €€€Book - 15 min on foot
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5
Tourist Boat Around the Harbour and Fuerte de Navidad
Last Sunday departure in November · €8 with the Fuerte de Navidad
+34 968 50 00 93
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Back home
In Murcia around 18:15
Approximate cost
About €60–85 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Cartagena Roman Theatre Museum
A Sunday to understand Cartagena from the bottom up and from the water. In the morning you go down through tunnels to a Roman theatre that was buried for two thousand years, take the lift up to the castle to see the whole natural harbour and enter the shelter where the city withstood the bombing. You eat caldero in a pedestrian square and end the afternoon on a boat, among castles and batteries, as far as Fuerte de Navidad. From Murcia it is 40 minutes, and it can be done without a car.
The day, hour by hour
9:15 · Set off. From Murcia, take the motorway to Cartagena, about 40 minutes. Leave the car in a public car park in the centre: the old town has pedestrian streets. Without a car, the Interbus bus arrives at the Estación Central, on Avenida Trovero Marín, a few minutes' walk away; there is also a Renfe train.
10:00 · Roman Theatre Museum. On Sundays it opens from 10:00 to 14:00, so it comes first. You enter through the Riquelme palace, cross under the street to the room of finds, go up to the second tunnel under the church of Santa María and come out onto the seating of a theatre for about 7,000 people. €7, €6 reduced.
11:45 · Castillo de la Concepción. The panoramic lift goes up from calle Gisbert, for €2. At the top, the castle sums up three thousand years of history, from Hasdrubal to the 18th-century arsenal, and the view takes in the theatre, the city and the port. €5.
12:45 · Civil War Museum-Shelter. At the foot of the lift. Galleries dug into the rock, testimonies and an audiovisual on the bombings. €4, about 45 minutes.
14:00 · Lunch at La Marquesita. On Plaza de Alcolea, with a terrace. On Sundays it opens from 13:00 to 18:00. Order the caldero with grey mullet to share, and first some croquettes or a maripuri of Russian salad. Book on 968 50 77 47.
16:00 · Tourist boat. In November, the 16:00 is the last Sunday departure. You sail slowly round the dock and disembark at Fuerte de Navidad, included in the €8 ticket. Buy the ticket at the ticket office or on the Puerto de Culturas website.
17:30 · Head home. In Murcia around a quarter past six.
If it rains
Swap the boat for the ARQVA, the national underwater archaeology museum, opposite the port: free on Sundays, from 10:00 to 15:00. If you are going to use it, do it before lunch.
Time1 h 30
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
El Mosqui Restaurant
What to order: the Cabo de Palos caldero with its alioli; in the evening it is the only rice dish they make
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Cartagena and Calblanque
All year except January and February, when the tourist boat does not run. On Sundays the Roman theatre closes at 14:00: start with it. In summer the museums open longer hours and the boat sails until mid-afternoon.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Start with the theatre
On Sundays it closes at 14:00.
- 2Go on a Tuesday if you can
On Tuesday afternoons the theatre, the castle and the Punic wall are free for some hours.
- 3Ask about the family rate
Two adults and two children under 12 pay the reduced rate at the Puerto de Culturas sites.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Murcia to Cartagena?
About 40 minutes by car, and a little more by bus or train.
Are Cartagena's museums open on Sundays?
Yes: the Roman theatre from 10:00 to 14:00 and the castle and shelter until 17:30, in November. They are closed on Mondays.
How much does the day cost?
About €26 in tickets per person, plus lunch.
Can you do it with children?
Yes. They like the boat and the lift; the shelter's audiovisual makes an impression on the smallest.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/region-of-murcia/cartagena-and-calblanque/itineraries/roman-theatre-castle-and-boat
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.