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Cartagena Today

The city of Cartagena

Cartagena is a city of contrasts, its rich cultural and military history merely a backdrop for the industrial and commercial activity which supports the second largest city in the Region of Murcia.

Its natural strategic port has offered shelter to traders for thousands of years, and the rich mines of the Sierra Minera provided a reason for the frequent wars which were fought in order to possess it, Cartagena still being a major naval base today, as well as boasting a rich military heritage of patrimony. The history of Cartagena charts its development and the cultures which have shaped it today.

The city has developed a lucrative tourism industry based on the number of historical places which tourists can visit and enjoy, including the RomanTheatre Museum, ARQUA, MURAM, Casa de la Fortuna, Cartagena Municipal Archaeology Museum, the Augusteum, the Molinete and other well preserved Roman buildings and museums.

In addition there has been major investment in the creation of a new market for cruise ship tourism.

Cartagena

These days the port remains a major focal point for commercial activity, and the Escombreras industrial area has attracted major businesses including the Repsol refinery, SABIC petrochemicals and Holcim concrete plants within a concealed industrial zone. Cartagena is also the home of the regional parliament building of Murcia.

The Campo de Cartagena is a major source of agricultural employment, copnsisting of flat and fertile irrigated areas where salad crops, peppers, potatoes and courgettes are grown, while non-irrigated crops include olives, carobs and almonds.

The more mountainous outlying districts of Cartagena boast extensive areas of beaches, stretching around the coastline from Isla Plana in the west to Cabo de Palos in the east. Here, the spit of La Manga del Mar Menor encloses the Mar Menor, giving Cartagena an extensive offering of prime sandy beaches with safe bathing conditions in Europe's largest saltwater lagoon.

This in turn creates a varied leisure industry, with watersports, a motor racing circuit, some of the best diving facilities in Europe and one of Spain's most prestigious golf and residential complexes, La Manga Club, all creating leisure and tourism opportunities for local businesses.

Cartagena has a rich cultural offering, with important Semana Santa and Romans and Carthaginians fiestas, Carnival, the Mar de Músicas and Cartagena Jazz festivals. The El Batel auditorium and congress centre enhances an already rich cultural programme.

LOCATION

Click for map, Cartagena Spain

There is often confusion on map searches as there is another Cartagena in Columbia. Cartagena Spain is located in the south of the region of Murcia and is a major port and industrial centre.

The municipality of Cartagena covers an area of 558 square kilometres, with a population of 218,000 making it the second most populated municipality of the 45 in the Region of Murcia.

It shares boundaries with Torre Pacheco, Los Alcázares, La Unión, Mazarrón and Fuente Álamo.

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CARTAGENA

Red flags on these Murcia beaches today: NO swimming allowedGoing in the sea has been prohibited on these beaches this Tuesday This Tuesday July 8, the beach surveillance posts at several beaches in Cartagena, San Javier and La Union have raised the red flag to show that swimming conditions are dangerous and.. 08/07/2025

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Smoke from Catalonia wildfire sparks panic in Orihuela Costa and Mar MenorResidents woke to smoke-filled homes and a sky thick with smog Widespread alarm reverberated across Orihuela Costa and the Mar Menor area of Murcia on Tuesday morning, July 8, when the sky filled with thick smoke and an acrid smell of burning. Shortly.. 08/07/2025

Iker Casillas pays a surprise visit to La Azohía, MurciaThe former Real Madrid and Spanish national team goalkeeper shared images of the sunset on the coast of Cartagena on social networks La Azohía has enjoyed an illustrious visitor this week: the 2010 football World Cup winner, Íker Casillas.. 08/07/2025

Illegal boat parties once again plague the Mar MenorRubbish, loud music, speeding jet skis and illicit boat anchoring are escalating in the Mar Menor Just a couple of weeks after the Maritime Authority, Guardia Civil and Local Police claimed they were launching a serious crack-down on irresponsible.. 07/07/2025

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South African investment group acquires Cartagena's Espacio Mediterráneo for €135.4 millionThe group Lighthouse has taken over the landmark retail centre from Germany’s Deka fund The Espacio Mediterráneo shopping centre in Cartagena has officially changed ownership for the first time since its construction in 2007. The.. 03/07/2025

Cartagena restores historic Arco de la MilagrosaThe work aims to preserve the last remnant of the Casa de Misericordia entrance Cartagena City Council is restoring the Arco de la Milagrosa, the last remaining piece of the former Casa de Misericordia building. The stone archway, which once served.. 02/07/2025

Free aquagym, yoga and pilates classes return to Cartagena beaches this July and August!See dates and times for fitness classes on beaches from La Manga to Isla Plana all this summer Following on from the hugely successful beach sports and fitness programme in Cartagena last summer, the City Council has decided to repeat the popular.. 30/06/2025

Pilar de la Horadada AP-7 tunnel fails to reopen as plannedThe vital motorway tunnel linking Orihuela Costa with Murcia will remain closed ‘until further notice’ Much to the relief of thousands of motorists, the Ministry of Transport delivered the good news last week that the AP-7 tunnel in Pilar.. 30/06/2025

Murcia's San Juan goes off with a bang: 223 incidents but no real disastersFires in bins, reed beds and even the odd school, but nothing could stop one of Spain’s favourite excuses for a party In true Spanish style, when there is a festival to be had, the Region of Murcia certainly gets stuck in, especially if.. 25/06/2025

Second chance for Cartagena chiringuitos?With the high season already underway, new tenders could rescue Cartagena’s shuttered beach bars It’s officially summer in Cartagena, but a stroll along the coast reveals something’s not quite right. Beaches that should be buzzing.. 25/06/2025

La Manga Adventure Golf changes opening times for summerThe popular family fun minigolf has made a slight modification to tee-off times due to the hot weather The La Manga Adventure Golf fun family minigolf centre near Playa Honda and Playa Paraíso on the Mar Menor is changing its summer opening.. 24/06/2025

Thirty loggerhead turtles return to the sea from La Manga beachThe Region of Murcia celebrates a decade of turtle conservation with the release of 191 turtles since 2014 A group of 30 young loggerhead turtles was released back into the Mediterranean on Wednesday June 19, at Ensenada del Esparto beach at.. 23/06/2025

Mar Menor and Portmán Bay once again given Black Flags for environmental harmEcologistas en Acción has highlighted pollution, mismanagement and encroachment along Spain’s coastline in its 2025 Black Flags report The environmental organisation Ecologistas en Acción has once again raised the alarm..

The best snorkelling sites in the Region of Murcia!Crystalline Mediterranean waters and spectacular scenery and marine life make for great snorkelling beaches in the Costa Cálida Now that the heat of summer has reached the Costa Cálida there is no better way to cool down than with a dip in the..

Murcia tourism jobs hit record high ahead of sizzling summer seasonMore than 68,000 people now work in the sector as the region gears up for a busy summer The Region of Murcia is heading into what’s expected to be a bumper summer for tourism, with record-breaking job numbers in the hospitality and travel sectors.. 19/06/2025