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Staycation in Spain: Five great reasons to visit Murcia

With two-week quarantines likely on arrival and departure from other European nations andwith no idea how long travel bans will be in place summer holidays this year look decidedly domestic.

Published: 13 May 2020 09:48 CEST
Staycation in Spain: Five great reasons to visit Murcia
Photos: Felipe Ortega/ Aitor Aguirregabiria/ Lilliana Fuchs / Flickr

Travel restrictions pose a huge number of issues – not least how and when it will be possible to see family overseas. But when it comes to tourism, those who live in Spain find themselves at a distinct advantage. With its kilometres of coast, diverse cities, and mountainous areas to explore, Spain leaves you spoilt for choice.

One option often overlooked by holidaymakers is Murcia. The lesser known coastal cousin of nearby Alicante and Almeria, this south-Eastern region is rich in fresh food and sandy golden beaches, and is an inexpensive holiday destination well worth of consideration.

Eleanor Rosenbach, a Madrid resident who often spends her holidays in Murcia, shares her love of the region with The Local readers: Here are her five reasons why Murcia should be top of your list for holidays this summer.

Sun, sun, sun

If you’re a sun worshipper, look no further.

Rain in Murcia is as rare as three weeks of unbroken sunshine in the UK. Though in winter you’ll see residents eagerly rock out their furs and quilted jackets on the few days when temperatures descend below 8C, in summer sunshine is practically guaranteed.

Be warned, though – access to water is important in the Murcian summer. Temperatures regularly top 40 degrees, and the inland capital city turns in to a ghost town in August as residents flock to the relative cool of the beaches. For more than a few days in the region, proximity to agua is a must.

Comidas, meriendas y cenas


Murcia's famous marineras is the ideal accompaniment to a cold beer, or a glass of wine. Photo: Lilliana Fuchs / Flickr
 

Murcia is the ‘huerta de Europa’, producing vast quantities of fresh fruit and veg consumed throughout Spain and beyond. The famous Mediterranean diet – which when purveying tapas options in Madrid can feel elusive – is in full swing in Murcia.

Fresh fish, seafood and vegetable dishes abound, and after a few days in the region you’re likely to find yourself wondering why its gastronomy doesn’t have wider international recognition.

A must-try are marineras – a dish composed of a savory Murcian rosquilla topped with ensaladilla rusa (a dish of which the region is undisputed King) and an anchovy. A Murcian speciality, it should ideally be enjoyed with an ice cold cerveza.

Variety is the spice of life


Cabo de Palos is a snorkeler's paradise. Enrique Domingo / Flickr
 

One of the region’s primary attractions is its beaches  – from the expanses of golden sand towards the border with Alicante to the secluded bays flanked by rocky outcrops in Águilas, from the calm shores of the warm-watered Mar Menor to the snorkelers’ paradise of Cartagena and Cabo de Palos.

For fans of windsailing, kayaking and other watersports there’s no shortage of options, and the region boasts one of Europe’s best diving sites. But it has more to offer – Murcia city is a vibrant university town packed with tascas and terrazas serving inexpensive regional delicacies.

Cartagena is an historic gem, boasting well preserved Roman ruins, wide tree lined streets and an elegant port. Towards the north of the region, hilltop towns like Caravaca de la Cruz offer spectacular views and a wealth of archaeological, historical and religious interest sites to visit. For those who favour golf as an afternoon activity, the region’s 15 golf courses will leave you spoilt for choice.

Culture, and its remains


Cartagena with its Roman amphitheatre. Photo: Pablo Cabezos /Flickr

In Roman times, Cartagena was the jewel of the Iberian Peninsula. Though the city’s subsequent conquests and changes have remoulded it, relics of the time remain in the forum and the spectacular amphitheatre whose restoration at the close of last century marries careful preservation of the ruins with a stunning and respectful modern architecture. 

The wealth of artifacts found during the restoration can be seen in the nearby amphitheatre museum. Cartagena’s rich seam of modernist buildings rising from the port into the centre of the town – themselves a product of the mining boom in the 19th century – are also well worth a look. Murcia city has less to offer by way of archaeological sites, but its imposing baroque cathedral and historic casino offer more than enough to keep you entertained for a day trip.

The price


Photo: Roda Gold Info / Flickr

 

If the rest wasn’t persuasive enough, worth remembering is that Murcia is relatively inexpensive, particularly compared to other more well-trodden tourist zones of the eastern coast. Eating out – even in the most chic of areas – won’t set you back too much. There's also an abundance of accommodation options with prices to suit all budgets in towns and beaches, as well as golf courses and resorts. Should travel bans prohibit the use of northern Europeans using their holiday homes in the summer, there will likely be an even greater wealth of sleeping options and at great prices. 

If you believe your area of Spain deserves more recognition, drop us a line and tell us why! 

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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