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  Murcia click for weblink
The city of Murcia is the region’s capital and dates back to 831AD when the Moors founded it. The importance of the city over the years can be seen in the churches, palaces and other public buildings
The centre of the city has pedestrian areas and these allow the visitor access to a large area of the city including the Cathedral, Theatre Romea and the Casino as well as the main shopping areas. The Cathedral combines a number of different building styles, Baroque, Renaissance, Gothic and Moorish. The building is often the home to exhibitions of paintings and other art works.
Murcia has a good range of shops. Leather goods and shoes are good value. The main department store, El Cortes Ingles, is a good starting point for shopping and nearby there are many other specialist shops and boutiques.
 Cartegena click for weblink
This is an ancient seaport and naval dockyard where the first submarine was built in 1900 and where submarines are still built today. It is the region’s second city with its history stretching back over 3,000 years. It features some of the most important collections of Roman and Byzantine remains in Spain. The port is the centre of the Spanish Navy and there are usually a number of ships in the port. One of the first submarines, the “Peral” is on the water’s edge.
The city has a large shopping centre with a wide range of interesting shops. A new department store, El Corte Ingles opened in 2004.
Did you know: in 218 AD hannibal and his elephants left Cartegena to begin their historic journey over the Alps into Italy.
La Manga del Mar Menor
This 30 km peninsula stretches between the Mediterranean and Mar Menor seas with sandy beaches on both coasts and three marinas.
There are many places to eat along La Manga strip and lots of nightlife that goes on into the early hours. Should you choose to drive along the strip you will see lots of water activities and places where you can hire equipment. A few kilometres along you will come to Tomos Maeste Lock  which is the only navigable entrance/exit from Mar Menor to the Mediterranean which results in it being very busy with lots of boats coming and going.
Cabo de Palos - lying at the beginning of La Manga Strip is the ancient fishing port of Cabo de Palos. This typical Mediterranean fishing village is often best known for its lighthouse which can be seen from many points around the Mar Menor. It has many gourmet restaurants and is close to the marine reserve of the Hormigas Isles which lies just a few miles offshore. However most tourists and visitors will probably best remember it for the popular Sunday market. The main part of the village is based around the port and small marina. Restaurants and bars are open all year and offer some of the best seafood in the area.
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