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Cartagena Today

The city of Cartagena

Cartagena is a city of contrasts, its rich cultural and military history merely a backdrop for the industrial and commercial activity which supports the second largest city in the Region of Murcia.

Its natural strategic port has offered shelter to traders for thousands of years, and the rich mines of the Sierra Minera provided a reason for the frequent wars which were fought in order to possess it, Cartagena still being a major naval base today, as well as boasting a rich military heritage of patrimony. The history of Cartagena charts its development and the cultures which have shaped it today.

The city has developed a lucrative tourism industry based on the number of historical places which tourists can visit and enjoy, including the RomanTheatre Museum, ARQUA, MURAM, Casa de la Fortuna, Cartagena Municipal Archaeology Museum, the Augusteum, the Molinete and other well preserved Roman buildings and museums.

In addition there has been major investment in the creation of a new market for cruise ship tourism.

Cartagena

These days the port remains a major focal point for commercial activity, and the Escombreras industrial area has attracted major businesses including the Repsol refinery, SABIC petrochemicals and Holcim concrete plants within a concealed industrial zone. Cartagena is also the home of the regional parliament building of Murcia.

The Campo de Cartagena is a major source of agricultural employment, copnsisting of flat and fertile irrigated areas where salad crops, peppers, potatoes and courgettes are grown, while non-irrigated crops include olives, carobs and almonds.

The more mountainous outlying districts of Cartagena boast extensive areas of beaches, stretching around the coastline from Isla Plana in the west to Cabo de Palos in the east. Here, the spit of La Manga del Mar Menor encloses the Mar Menor, giving Cartagena an extensive offering of prime sandy beaches with safe bathing conditions in Europe's largest saltwater lagoon.

This in turn creates a varied leisure industry, with watersports, a motor racing circuit, some of the best diving facilities in Europe and one of Spain's most prestigious golf and residential complexes, La Manga Club, all creating leisure and tourism opportunities for local businesses.

Cartagena has a rich cultural offering, with important Semana Santa and Romans and Carthaginians fiestas, Carnival, the Mar de Músicas and Cartagena Jazz festivals. The El Batel auditorium and congress centre enhances an already rich cultural programme.

LOCATION

Click for map, Cartagena Spain

There is often confusion on map searches as there is another Cartagena in Columbia. Cartagena Spain is located in the south of the region of Murcia and is a major port and industrial centre.

The municipality of Cartagena covers an area of 558 square kilometres, with a population of 218,000 making it the second most populated municipality of the 45 in the Region of Murcia.

It shares boundaries with Torre Pacheco, Los Alcázares, La Unión, Mazarrón and Fuente Álamo.

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CARTAGENA

A €15 million upgrade to Cartagena's wastewater treatment plant is a significant step for the Mar MenorThe Mar Menor Sur plant will get a new tertiary treatment system capable of processing up to 50,000 cubic metres of water per day, producing reclaimed water suitable for agricultural use Work to significantly upgrade the Mar Menor Sur wastewater treatment.. 07/10/2026

Cartagena's Town Hall palace has a stunning new look after dark, thanks to a €250,000 lighting projectNearly 2,900 LED lights now illuminate one of the city's most iconic buildings, cutting energy use by 60% in the process If you've walked past Cartagena's Town Hall square this week and noticed the building looking particularly striking.. 07/10/2026

Murcia tourism has plenty to celebrate after a strong summerThe Region of Murcia saw a strong increase in tourism from other parts of Spain this summer, but the latest figures show why higher visitor numbers don't always mean higher profits Murcia's tourism sector had a pretty good summer, with.. 07/10/2026

Carlos Alcaraz returns to winning ways with Tokyo titleThe Tokyo victory gives Alcaraz another title after almost five months out with a wrist injury and comes just weeks before the ATP Finals in Turin Carlos Alcaraz has ended a frustrating spell without a title by winning the ATP 500 in Tokyo, beating.. 07/10/2026

Yellow weather warning issued across Murcia as rain and storms returnAEMET's warning runs from midnight until 6:00 am on Wednesday, with up to 15 litres of rain per square metre possible in one hour The rain isn't quite finished with the Region of Murcia yet. After last week's storms and flooding, more.. 06/10/2026

After 50 years, work finally begins to dismantle Puerto Mayor in La MangaThe €23.6 million project will remove more than 2,500 metres of steel structures and restore almost 98 hectares of coastline at the Caleta del Estacio After decades of arguments, court cases and an unfinished port project sitting on the Mediterranean.. 06/10/2026

Two migrant boats with 87 people on board intercepted off CartagenaTwelve minors were among those on board both vessels stopped by the Guardia Civil The Guardia Civil intercepted two boats carrying a total of 87 migrants off the coast of the Region of Murcia on Monday October 5, with one stopped at El Gorguel in.. 07/10/2026

Cartagena's waterfront could soon be buzzing with markets and fairsEverything from Christmas markets to food fairs are planned from Alfonso XII dock to Santa Lucía The Port of Cartagena is working on a network of waterfront spaces for food markets, trade fairs and Christmas markets, with events set to spread.. 06/10/2026

Families in Spain could get up to €220 a month for food shoppingFamilies meeting the income and social requirements can receive between €100 and €220 a month, depending on the size of their household For families struggling to keep up with the cost of the weekly shop, a government-backed food support.. 06/10/2026

New €2 million project will take Cartagena's Roman amphitheatre to the next stageThe next stage will continue archaeological work inside the ancient arena, strengthen parts of the old bullring and create new areas for visitors Work at Cartagena's Roman amphitheatre is moving towards its next stage, with the current excavation.. 06/10/2026

Corvera airport hits six million passengers as more new routes are announcedThe airport has handled more than 709,000 passengers so far in 2026, with new connections to the Netherlands and UK coming next spring More than six million passengers have now travelled through Corvera airport since it opened in January 2019.. 06/10/2026

Free tacos are on the menu in Murcia today, and all you need is a flagTaco Bell and Duolingo are teaming up across Spain for International Taco Day Taco Bell and Duolingo are teaming up to mark International Taco Day today, Tuesday October 6, and anyone in the Region of Murcia who turns up with a flag and a bit of pronunciation.. 06/10/2026

Housing protests spread across Spain as general strike planned for NovemberFrom the eviction of an 87-year-old woman to mass demonstrations across Spain, a housing crisis has erupted into a political storm as Sánchez calls an early election Spain's housing crisis has gone from a long-running source of frustration.. 05/10/2026

Cartagena neighbourhoods set for smart sensors tracking air, noise and movement€130,258 scheme will gather live data across the city’s northern districts and feed it into a new digital twin Residents in northern Cartagena could soon have a clearer picture of the air they breathe, the noise around them, the weather and.. 05/10/2026

Spain continues with EES as other countries request a delaySome European airports are still dealing with queues and technical problems, but Spain is continuing with its EES rollout Spain is continuing to use the EU's new biometric border system, while several other European countries are still working.. 02/10/2026

Murcia on Red Alert as torrential rain floods streets across the RegionAEMET raises the warning as up to 40 litres of rain could fall in an hour, with an EsAlert sent to Mar Menor towns, Cartagena and Mazarrón What started as an orange weather warning this morning has now escalated dramatically, with the Murcia.. 02/10/2026

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