Cartagena

A day to discover the pearl of the Costa Blanca - lively Alicante, with its architectural and scenic wonders.

• Alicante, city centre
• Co-cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari
• City Hall
• Santa Barbara castle

• Our tour starts from Cartagena and heads towards Alicante, a city nestled among the mountains and sea in the Province of Valencia.
• While walking along the alleyways in the centre of this charming city of Costa Blanca, we will admire its historical and architectural beauties such as the Co-cathedral dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari, a wonderful example of Spanish Baroque, and the City Hall dating back to the 18th century, with its two 41-metre towers that dominate the city.
• After visiting the city centre, we will continue to Santa Barbara castle, a Medieval fortress perched on mount Benacantil 166 metres above sea level offering a lovely view of the city, monuments and coast from its bastions.
• One last look at magnificent Alicante and its deep blue sea before heading back to Cartagena.

Space is limited, so please reserve early.

• Elche Palm Grove
• Municipal Park
• Huerto del Cura

• Wewill leave Cartagena port by coach and set off for an exhilarating day in touchwith nature. We will pass through Murcia’s picturesque landscape, with its vastvalleys brimming with orchards,before we reach Elche, a cityimmersed in greenery. 
• Wewill start with an exciting walk through its lush vegetation, marvelling at thetreetops of the age-old palm grove,declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.We will stroll through the MunicipalPark, with its rustling palm trees and elegant Arab-style fountains,listening to compelling stories and fascinating facts about these incredibleexotic plants. 
• Wewill continue our exciting excursion to Huertodel Cura, an idyllic garden with numerousvarieties of palm trees. We will admire natural and architecturalmasterpieces in this captivating tropical greenhouse before heading back to thecoach and returning to the ship. 
• Elche’spicture-postcard scenery will delight us for the whole trip, leaving us with anindelible memory of this beautiful city.

• Werecommend that you book early as only a limited number of places are available. 

Be sure your battery is charged an you have space to store pictures. You will need them to create your gallery of Cartagena sitting comfortably on the train: from the Roman amphitheater to the forum, from the arsenal to the arena for the bullfights. Along the coast, the Muralla del mar, the port and the Cala Cortina await you. 

• Military arsenal, Roman forum, arena, the Roman amphitheater
• Muralla del mar, Cala Cortina

• Cartagena was founded by the Carthaginians, but over the centuries came Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, before it was conquered by the Crown of Castiglia: prepare to discover its monuments and symbolic locations in the company of a local guide, on board of a touristic train.
• You will see the Eighteenth century military arsenal and the Roman theater: our guide will explain that it was discovered purely by chance in 1988, that is could hold up to 6,000 people and it was the second largest on the Iberian peninsula. In the forum it is possible to distinguish the ancient roads and the temple, public buildings and thermal baths.
• The arena was built on the ruins of the Roman amphitheater and in addition to the bullfights it held musical performances and wrestling.
• The train will pass along the Muralla del mar, the walls that defended Cartagena.
• The port is where you will find the Spanish Navy’s fleet of submarines, while Cala Cortina is the beach that is most popular with the inhabitants of Cartagena: here you will stop precisely for some of the best pictures.

• To protect your health, in respect of the legislative requirements and safety protocol, the itineraries and the duration of the excursions may be subject to slight modifications.
• You will be accompanied by a guide who will carry out the tour in English.

• Murcia, old town
• Sierra de Carrascoy hills
• Plaza del Cardenal Belluga
• Calle Trapería
• Plaza de Santo Domingo
• Cathedral of Murcia (external visit)

• We will leave Cartagena by coach to discover the administrative centre of the province: Murcia. Founded by the Moors in the 9th century and conquered by the Christians in the 13th century, this vibrant city will treat us to a wonderful series of architectural gems. During the journey, we will admire the amazing Sierra de Carrascoy hills. 
• Once in Murcia, we will leave the coach to explore every corner of the city on foot: from Plaza del Cardenal Belluga to Calle Trapería, the main road with its famous casino dating back to the late 19th century, and down to Plaza de Santo Domingo, the square that is home to the Baroque church of Santo Domingo. 
• Before heading back to Cartagena, a stop to the Cathedral of Murcia and its blend of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance elements is a must. 
• We observe the cathedral from the outside, letting ourselves be surprised by its majesty: from the elegant stone facade, the monumental face of the city, to the imposing bell tower, which with its 93 meters high and its neoclassical dome, dominates the whole city.

• Spaceis limited, so please reserve early.
• This excursion is not recommended for guests withmobility problems.
  

Explore Cartagena on foot with our guide. Starting from the sea, you will explore the heart of the city. You will travel along an ancient decuman, in the discovery of Roman Carthago Nova, and then Calle Mayor, with its modernist-style buildings. At the end of the tour, you will discover why a ”Asiático coffee” warms more than a normal coffee.

• Calle Mayor de Cartagena
• Typical break with Asiático coffee

• Cartagena is in a strategic position, it is not by chance that all the great civilizations of the Mediterranean vied for it. An example? On Concepción Hill stood a Roman temple dedicated to Esculapio, then an Arab fortress and then the medieval castle you see now.
• Travel along the Muralla del Mar, which defended the city against attacks from the sea, and delve into the historic center together with the guide. In the calle Mayor, the main street of Cartagena, you will see stores, traditional cafés and modernist buildings. One of the many? The Gran Hotel, with decorations in stone and iron that resemble lace and a gracious zinc dome.
• Try to imagine what it was like to live in the Roman Hispania strolling through what is left of the thermal baths, of the the building that held the senate and of the temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess, Isis.
• After so much culture, it’s time for a break. Are you ready to taste two typical winter delicacies of the area? The “Asiático coffee is waiting for you: lightly alcoholic and with a flavor spiced with cinnamon, strictly served very hot in a characteristic glass.
• According to legend, the sailors who arrived from Asia ordered, upon their arrival in Cartagena, a coffee with condensed milk and a splash of brandy. This is where it gets its name.
• Today, instead of the brandy, Licor 43 is used, a Spanish liquor of a bright yellow color made of 43 different ingredients. 
• We bet that after you will be in just the right mood to explore the city center freely, before returning to the ship.

• To protect your health, in respect of the legislative requirements and safety protocol, the itineraries and the duration of the excursions may be subject to slight modifications.

• Roman Theatre and Roman Theatre Museum
  
• Charles III Rampart
• City Hall Square
• High Street
• Punic Wall

• Our excursion will reveal the main attractions of Cartagena, whose origins date back to 223 A.D. and which still retains the historical and architectural wonders built under Roman, Muslim and Arabic rule.
• Let us plunge into history and go back to Roman times by visiting the magnificent Roman Theatre, which was discovered through archaeological excavations and is one of the most amazing discoveries made in the city. It was built between 5 and 1 BC and is a testimony to the importance of Nova Carthago in ancient Hispania. It was located in one of the most run down parts of the city, but its rescue at the beginning of the 2000s contributed to restoring the splendour of the entire area.
• Breathe in the charm of this place rich in history and surrounded by some of the most emblematic buildings of the city - the amazing Cathedral, the Consistorial Palace, the Medieval Castle and the harbour.
• After visiting the Roman Theatre, we will enter the Museum that displays the artefacts found during the excavations. Some explanatory panels show us how the theatre was restored - a truly amazing work.
• We will then leave the Museum and walk towards Charles III Rampart to enjoy the fantastic views of the harbour. and reach the City Hall square and the High Street, scattered with magnificent modernist buildings dating back to the early 1800s.
• Before leaving Cartagena, we will visit the renowned "Punic Wall" archaeological site, which contains the remains of the ancient walls built by the Carthaginians to protect the city.

In this panoramic tour you will reach the heart of Cartagena starting from its coast. You will see the Cabo de Palos lighthouse and the Manga del Mar Menor, a long and narrow island that divides the sea from the largest salted lagoon in Spain. You will enter Cartagena traveling through Calle Mayor, the elite area of the city. We will take care of the coffee break.

• Faro de Cabo de Palos, Manga del Mar Menor
• Calle Mayor de Cartagena
• Coffee break

• Your tour in the discovery of Cartagena and its surroundings begins at the dock. First stop, the Cabo de Palos lighthouse: on this cliff long ago there was the temple of the Phoenician god, Baal Hammon, the Saturn of the Romans.
• During the photographic stop try to catch a glimpse of Islas de Hormigas: these small islands are part of one of the most important marine reserves in Spain.
• Full steam ahead to Manga del Mar Menor: a strip of land 21 km long that separates the Mediterraneo from the salty lagoon known precisely as Mar Menor. On the road to Cartagena, rest your eyes on the green golf fields of the Manga Club Príncipe Felipe.
• Calle Mayor crosses the ancient walls and leads from the sea to the old city. It is also the street for shopping and of the historic buildings, with a few jewels of modernist architecture.
• In need of a coffee break? Obviously, we have thought of everything.

• To protect your health, in respect of the legislative requirements and safety protocol, the itineraries and the duration of the excursions may be subject to slight modifications.