El Sordo Restaurant
What to order: the roast kid or suckling pig, ordered when you book; without ordering, the aged beef chuletón or the €60 tasting menu
geocalia
Day itinerary · 38.15° N · 1.34° W
A morning in 32-degree water, and roast kid in the Moorish valley.
The thermal pools of the Archena Spa in the morning, lunch at El Sordo in Ricote, open on Sundays, and a stroll round the Moorish old quarter. Half an hour from Murcia.
Leaving from
Part of Ricote Valley and the Archena SpaThermal getaways
Add to my trip
Total time9 h
By car30 min each way
WaterAbout 32 °C
Cost€70–90 pp
Best timeOctober – May
With childrenYes; children's pool
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Murcia 30 min by car
from Murcia via the A-30, exit for Archena and the Balneario road
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1
Thermal Pools at the Balneario de Archena
day entry · €33 on Sundays · cap and flip-flops compulsory
+34 968 68 80 22
- 15 min by car16 km
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2
El Sordo Restaurant
booking, and confirm before 12:00
Calle Alharbona, 1, 30610 Ricote · +34 968 69 71 50
Restaurant €€€Book - 5 min on foot
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3
Ricote old town and the Olivera Gorda
Encomienda house and the Cabecico de la Doctrina viewpoint
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Back home
via Ojós and Archena to the A-30; in Murcia around 18:30
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
Thermal Pools at the Balneario de Archena
The Archena Spa is half an hour from Murcia and sells a day ticket to its thermal pools: spring water at about 32 degrees, an indoor pool with jets and current rivers and another outdoors facing the Ricote Valley. This plan spends the morning in the water, goes up to Ricote, the village that gives the valley its name, for lunch and ends with a stroll through its streets before heading back.
The day, hour by hour
9:30 · Set off. From Murcia to Archena on the A-30, about 30 minutes. The spa car park costs €2 an hour and €8 a day.
10:00 · Thermal pools. They open at 10:00. On Sundays general admission costs €33 in the 2026 low season; children aged 3 to 11 pay less and those aged 0 to 2 do not pay. Bring a cap, swimsuit and flip-flops, which are compulsory, and a towel or bathrobe. If you leave the site, you cannot re-enter without a ticket from the spa restaurants.
14:00 · Lunch at El Sordo. From Archena to Ricote it is about 20 minutes along the valley road, via Villanueva and Ojós. El Sordo has been open since 1917 and on Sundays serves lunch from 12:30 to 17:00: wood-roasted kid or suckling pig, chuletón, and bienmesabe for dessert. Book by phone and confirm the table before 12:00.
16:30 · Stroll round Ricote. From the restaurant you walk down to the centre: the Llamas palace, the Casa de la Encomienda, the church of San Sebastián and the Cabecico de la Doctrina viewpoint over the orchards.
17:45 · Head home. Go down to Ojós and Archena and join the A-30: in Murcia around 18:30.
Why in that order
In the morning the spa has fewer people and the light enters the outdoor pool. Eating after the bath, in the village, changes the air and leaves you the afternoon to walk as much as you feel like.
Time4 h
Change the route
Without children: add a two-hour session of the Balnea circuit, from age 14:
Balnea Thermal Circuit in Archena
With children and good weather: the Ojós bridges instead of the walk through Ricote:
Ojós Bridges Walk
If you do not want to leave the spa: lunch at the Restaurante del Agua and more bathing in the afternoon:
Restaurante del Agua at the Balneario de Archena
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Jardines de Villanueva Restaurant
What to order: the sopaícas board (zarangollo, pipirrana and pisto) and then chuletón, presa or sea bass from the grill with potatoes al montón
Restaurante del Agua at the Balneario de Archena
What to order: the caldo con pelotas or a tomato with tuna belly, and the paparajote with nougat ice cream for dessert
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 Ricote Valley and the Archena Spa
Any Sunday of the year; in autumn and winter the hot water is all the more welcome. The spa opens at 10:00 and El Sordo serves lunch on Sundays from 12:30 to 17:00.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Confirm the table before 12:00
El Sordo releases unconfirmed bookings.
- 2Bring your own cap and flip-flops
You save buying them at the entrance.
- 3A padlock for the locker
If you do not bring one, they sell them at the entrance.
We'd skip it
From 9 to 18 December 2026 the covered Termalium pool closes for maintenance, and from 11 to 22 January 2027 the outdoor one: check the dates before going.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
About €33 admission on Sundays plus lunch at El Sordo, between €35 and €60: between €70 and €90 per person.
Is it a good plan with children?
Yes. The spa has a children's pool and under-2s do not pay. El Sordo is a long lunch: better with children who can stand the after-lunch wait.
What if it rains?
The Termalium pool is covered and the rest of the plan works just the same.
Do I need to book the ticket?
It is sold online on the spa's website; on Sundays that is the safest.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/region-of-murcia/ricote-valley/itineraries/archena-spa-and-lunch
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.