Mar Menor

Murcia

Murcia has a population of 1.2 million people and is known for very mild winters and dry hot summers, you might get the odd winter's night that’s a little chilly but in daytime even in winter when the sun is out, you are fine wearing just a T-Shirt and in summer the temperature can reach 40ºC.

It is best to take it slow, enjoy the beach and be careful with the sun. There is little rain in this part of Spain and Murcia is also one of the cleanest areas in Spain with the least industrial pollution. You can fly into Murcia's San Javier airport or the major international airport of Alicante which is an hour's drive to the north and there will soon be the new Murcia City airport near Corvera.

Murcia is modern while maintaining its traditions and moorish influence, the old town centre is fully pedestrianized and lanes full of shops lead into square after another, each with its own architectural gem, such as the 15th-century cathedral, the Bishop's Palace, the Casino which used to be a 19 th century gentlemen's club or the ornate Church of San Juan de Dios.

The city offers lots of cultural events, excellent shopping and a lively nightlife. Murcia was a centre of Moorish culture for almost 500 years and is known as the garden of Europe, producing first-rate fresh produce all year round, tomatoes, red peppers, olives, lemons, almonds and saffron as well as fresh fish and seafood means you’ll have plenty to eat and it also offers excellent wines produced in the mountainous areas of Jumilla and Yecla.

La Manga

The narrow strip of La Manga (the sleave) has a length of about 25 km. The salinas of San Pedro del Pinatar at the northern end of the lagoon not only produce salt they also attract thousands of flamingos and other birds. During the summer months, the water temperature of the Mar Menor rises to that of a warm bath. The shallow lagoon is a natural water park providing of shallow and warm water, it offers safe beaches for children and it is ideal for all kinds of watersports such as sailing, windsurfing, water skiing and jet skiing all year round and some of the best diving in Europe is to be had off Cabo de Palos, where a lighthouse marks the southern end of the Mar Menor.

The La Manga Strip reached it's present size in the 1600s. Within the Mar Menor are five islands. In the South are three small islands. Isla del Ciervo, Isla Ronda and Isla del Sujeto. At the centre are Isla del Barón (Baron Island) privately owned with a tall watchtower and La Isla Perdiguera, 1 kilometre square, famous during the Spanish Civil War and now famous for it's fish restaurants.