Tourism in Murcia.

The Murcia region is little known even within Spain, maybe that’s the reason why it continues to be relatively unspoilt compared to other more overcrowded areas of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Nevertheless its more than 300 sunny days a year with an average temperature of 21 degrees, and the 250 km (156 miles) of beaches of the so-called Costa Cálida (Warm Coast) have attracted tourists for decades. Although little known, Murcia is being promoted as a cultural destination, in which are included several tourist dynamic projects.^{[citation needed]} Murcia is one of the Spanish autonomous communities that has grown the most in the last years, and it has conferred it the character of an ideal destination of services, shopping and for the organization of cultural events and conventions.

[edit]Cultural Tourism

[edit]Major tourist destinations

Murcia Cathedral.

• Murcia, the capital city offers the facilities, equipment and services of a large city. It is the seventh largest Spanish city by population with approximately 439,000 inhabitants in 2009. Murcia's sights include a very tall belfry and its famous Cathedral. Murcia is also a large University town with more than 30,000 students per year. It has more than 2 million km² of parks and gardens. Murcia has a rich history tied to the Jewish community.
• Cartagena, is the region's second largest city and one of the main Spanish naval bases. Sights include its recently restored Roman Theatre (among its numerous other Roman remains), a number of modernist buildings made or its military fortifications
• Lorca is a large medieval town at the foothills of where its famous castle stands. It is the second largest municipality of Spain by area.
• Caravaca de la Cruz, or simply Caravaca, is one of the five official Holy cities for Catholicism since it is claimed to house of part of the Lignum Crucis, the Holy Cross.

[edit]The castles itinerary

Castle of Lorca

the interior of the region of Murcia has plenty of castles and fortifications showing the importance of these frontier lands between the Christian Castile and the Muslim Andalusia. They include:

• Castle of Jumilla, a former Roman fortification turned by the Moors into an Alcazaba. The Castilian Kings and the marquis of Villena gave it its appearance of Gothic royal residence.
• Castle of Moratalla, one of the largest castles of the province, built to defend the town of Moratalla from the invaders from the nearby Muslim Kingdom of Granada.
• Castle of Mula, of Muslim origin, but as many castles, eventually restored and renovated.
• Real Alcázar of Caravaca de la Cruz, where the Holy sanctuary was built, also of Moorish origin, conquered by the Christians and finally home of several noble families.
• Concepción Castle, in Cartagena, built on one of the five hills of the old Carthagena, following the Roman taste. Now is home of the Centre for the Interpretation of Cartagena's History.
• The Castle of Lorca, also known as the Fortress of the Sun.