If you are lucky enough do a cruise that stops in Cartagena, besides knowing the Region of Murcia, you will stop to observe the history that surrounds this charming city. Discover some of the places you can not miss if you arrive by cruise to Cartagena and dive into the charm of the Costa Calida.

Cartagena has its own top 5 of indispensable places to visit during the cruise scale in the city. Thus, the Port of Cartagena has the following claims to make your stay in this place an unforgettable moment.

1.- Cartagena Port of Cultures: for a traveler it is possoble to go into the city and its exceptional heritage that treasures Punic, Roman and Byzantine remains like archaeological sites and interpretive centers. You can not miss the History Interpretation Center of  at the Castle of La Buena Concepción where you need to access through a panoramic elevator.

2.- The splendor of Rome in Cartagena: the Museum of the Roman Theatre, the Decumano, the House of Fortune, the Augusteum or the Roman’s Forum neighborhood, located in the Archaeological Park of El Molinete are just some of the examples from the past Roman in the city, essential visit for history lovers.

Cartagena’s Roman Theatre. Picture by J.Zamora

3.- Millennial Cartagena: the Interpretation Center of the Punic Wall gives the opportunity to go in deep the oldest chapters of the history of Cartagena.

4. Modern Cartagena: For those who prefer the Baroque and the Moderdism the city visit must include a walk through the Port of Cartagena and the Maritim Promenade, the Sea Wall, the Military Arsenal and the Submarine of Isaac Peral, the Artillery Park and the exceptional collection of castles and coastal batteries that crown the hills surrounding the port, such the Castillitos, one of the most charming places in Spain. The Refuges and the Museum of the Spanish Civil War or a ride on the tourist boat to explore the whole network of castles and coastal batteries that protected the city

Cartagena’s City Hall. Picture by Javier Lorente Ortega. Cartagena Port of Cultures

5.-Cartagena y el Mar: también navegando se puede llegar al Centro de Interpretación de la Arquitectura Defensiva de Cartagena y el Mediterráneo, ubicado en el Fuerte de Navidad. Imprescindible completar esta quinta opción con la visita al Museo Nacional de Arqueología Subacuática de Cartagena, ARQUA, un centro de referencia nacional e internacional en la protección del patrimonio subacuático donde se expone el “Tesoro de Las Mercedes”. La colección consta de más de 570.000 monedas de oro y plata de finales del siglo XVIII y principios del XIX.

5. Cartagena and the Sea: also sailing you can reach the Center for Interpretation of the Defensive Architecture of Cartagena and the Mediterranean, located at the Christmas Fort. Must complete this fifth option with a visit to the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Cartagena, ARQUA, a center of national and international reference in the protection of underwater heritage which exposed the “Treasure of Las Mercedes”. The collection consists of more than 570,000 gold and silver coins from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Kite surf in Calblanque. Joaquín Zamora

If you also are lucky enough to be in Cartagena in time to celebrate some of his most famous festivals such as Easter,  declared International Tourist Interest party or the Carthaginians and Romans party, a National Tourist Interest festivity or its highly acclaimed festival La Mar de Músicas, the experience in Cartagena will be the main door to explore the Region of Murcia and to feel the happiness that provides the Costa Cálida.