Spain
Tucked into the fertile valley of the Segura River in southeastern Spain, Murcia is a city that most travelers bypass on their way to the beaches of the Costa Cálida — and that is precisely its charm. This is a city of 450,000 that feels like a well-kept secret: a baroque cathedral presiding over a tapas scene that rivals Seville's, university students filling centuries-old plazas with youthful energy, and a surrounding huerta (irrigated farmland) so productive that Murcia calls itself the "Orchard of Europe." For those willing to veer off the beaten path, Murcia delivers an authentically Spanish experience untouched by mass tourism.
The Cathedral of Murcia, whose construction spanned from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, is the city's architectural masterpiece — a palimpsest of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles crowned by a bell tower that dominates the skyline. The Plaza del Cardenal Belluga, where the cathedral faces the equally ornate Bishop's Palace, is one of Spain's most harmonious public spaces. The city's warren of pedestrianized streets leads past convents, palaces, and the Real Casino de Murcia — a nineteenth-century gentleman's club whose interior is an extravaganza of Moorish, Neoclassical, and Art Nouveau design that must be seen to be believed.
Murcian cuisine is a revelation of sun-drenched Mediterranean cooking. The region's signature dish is zarangollo — a simple scramble of zucchini, onion, and eggs that showcases the huerta's extraordinary produce. Marinera, a tapa unique to Murcia, layers a Russian salad with an anchovy and a boiled shrimp atop a breadstick base, and is consumed standing at bar counters throughout the city. The local meat pies — pastel de carne murciano, filled with chorizo, egg, and minced veal in a puff-pastry shell — are a guilty pleasure. Murcia's wine region, Jumilla and Yecla, produces powerful Monastrell (Mourvèdre) reds that have gained international recognition while remaining remarkably affordable.
The region surrounding Murcia offers a range of excursions that span ancient history and natural beauty. The Roman Theatre of Cartagena, dramatically excavated from beneath the old town in the 1990s, is one of Spain's most important archaeological discoveries. The Mar Menor, Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, offers warm, calm waters ideal for sailing and windsurfing. The Sierra Espuna regional park provides hiking through pine forests and limestone peaks within easy reach of the city. For a unique natural experience, the eroded sandstone formations of the Enchanted City of Bolnuevo, sculpted by wind and sea into fantastical shapes, line the coast south of the city like a geological sculpture garden.
Viking includes Murcia on its Spanish and Mediterranean itineraries, typically accessed from the port city of Cartagena. The short transfer between port and city makes Murcia an easy and rewarding excursion. The best time to visit is March through June and September through November, when temperatures are warm but not the scorching heat of July and August, and the huerta's produce is at its seasonal peak. For travelers seeking the real Spain — passionate, unhurried, and gloriously undiscovered — Murcia is the answer.