(05APR26) On Easter Day, I travelled to Spain to visit my friend in Murcia. As “Semana Santa” plays a big role in the country, I was thrilled to experience the street festivals on that week so it was the perfect time to get there. An underrated city, Murcia is one place in España that one might’ve rarely talk about yet this town is bound for simplicity and vibrance. You can even get to see the whole of it in just a day! From the delicious tapas, a bounty of parks with beer gardens and the pretty outskirts, I definitely enjoyed exploring it and I highly recommend! ⭐️
Here's some trip ideas and itinerary if you’re down to explore one of Spain’s southern gems!
FLIGHT
I flew via Ryanair from London Stansted to Alicante airport which is a 2hr flight. As for someone living far from Stansted, I normally take the Stansted Express which is roughly 30-45mins from London Liverpool station.
I thought I boarder the wrong plane...or could this be a sign of my next Euro destination?! Haha!
There’s nothing much I can say about my airflight besides that it arrived in Alicante on time (and passengers were applauding about it.) . Plus as of this writing, the EU has commenced on introducing the Entry/Exit system for British nationals. It’s pretty similar to their own e-gate at the UK border so it’s a smooth process once you’ve registered from it.
TRANSPORTATION & WIFI
The cheapest way to travel from Alicante to Murcia is by bus which you would need to book in advanced. The journey approximately takes an hour although it felt like more because of the traffic. However, this modern bus has comfortable seats, generous legroom with an entertainment system—what?! I didn’t get to use it as I took a nap throughout the trip. 😴
Whilst once you get to Murcia, you can tour the whole city merely just on foot! Literally, every attraction in this town can be reached by just walking and I’m grateful that I got to achieve my step count goal here!
I got connected on this whole trip using my Airalo e-sim. It’s easy to install and activate once you’re in your travel destination. Download the Airalo app now then use my referral code: JULIA2362 to get £2.50 off on your first purchase!
HOTEL
I stayed in Hotel RH Murcia which is one of the accommodation that is situated in the city center. Hotel service is good as they clean and refill the room with amenities every day. The ambiance is classy, fragrant and tidy; The room space suits me as a solo traveler.
ITINERARY
Murcia is known as the “Orchard of Europe” for it is one of the biggest exporters of fruits, vegetables and flowers. I actually felt like I was in Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon when I was there as it gives this chill, simple life ambiance where the whole community might know each and everyone! Though the biggest challenge here can be the language barrier; People can barely speak in English. Hence I got to thank my gym friend residing there, Margarita who was awesome to communicate in their local tongue. I did take a beginner’s Spanish class before yet I still have a lot to learn; let alone to make a Spanish conversation but hopefully I’ll get there soon!
Since it was festival week when I came, most establishments had modified opening hours. Despite that, I love how they eat late supper in this country and the drinking culture here is insane.
Most restaurants start to pile up for dinner by 9PM. As part of the festival, there are beer gardens or barracas installed at the park for late night drinks.
My first dinner here had a glass of sangria, shrimp and potato croquettes, patatas bravas and the delicious Iberico steak that we forgot to take a pic of! I’m not really sure how it happened but I had 3 shots of alcohol on my first night.🙈 I love it. And I must got carried away with the delicious tapas here!
It’s amazing how these small bites are already filling. The boquerones or fresh anchovies mixed in garlic, olive oil and vinegar is my favorite. ♡
Many thanks to Margarita for touring me around here! From Philippines to Europe ♡
You should also NOT miss the Valor café for churros and hot chocolate! I’ve always loved churros and this is one of the treats that I look forward whenever I go to Spain. ♡ The creaminess of the hot chocolate was perfect as well. 🍫
And as I’ve described earlier in this post, going around the main centre in Murcia is easy as everything can be reached on foot (you can even achieve your daily 10K+ steps!). Likewise, it was a very pleasant town to walk around.
From Al-fresco dining to quaint squares plus the beautiful Murcia Cathedral.
It was really incredible to see how they prepare for their daily events at that time. Plus I got to enter the cathedral before I left the country which I got to say, it’s one of the prettiest churches I’ve seen in Europe so far. It makes me so proud whenever I go to countries with strong Catholic faith. ♡
Beside the cathedral stood the adoration chapel of the town's patron saint, Nuestra de Murcia.
Since it’s festival week, there are banderitas everywhere which indicates the route of the procession. Additionally, the main roads get closed for it with paid seats on the side to watch the event.
El Corte Ingles is the only mall in town which I found similar to London’s Selfridges. In fact, its location is the shopping district. Pro-tip for the girls: Mango, Stradivarius and Zara stood side by side in this area and the prices here are a bargain so thou shall shop with your heart’s desires!
The Teatro Romea has an interesting legend about a Dominican priest whose monastery was destroyed because of the theater’s construction. Hence, he cursed it to be burned thrice and as it already happened for the second time, people leave a specific empty seat on each show to prevent the casualty.
Carnations are madly being sold in every flower stall in preparation for Banda de la Huerta or the Harvest Festival. These beautiful national blooms are commonly used as a headpiece for the occasion.
It was week-long event yet I have only been to 1 throughout my stay where everyone was dressed-up in their national costume.
Thanks to my friend and her partner for styling me up! It was a first for me to attend a festival in Europe where everyone was dressed for their culture, I love it. ♡
That day was a massive street party around the town where people went on picnics at the park, dined at barracas or watched the parade. Most of them come in a float and they would toss a variety of food and drinks to the crowd!
It’s like an adult version of piñata; I got lemons, a drink and a bunch of snacks which was pretty cool!
Happy 175th Anniversary, Murcia! This is definitely not my last to visit and I loved to tour more of this side of Spain next time.
PS: I’m touring more of Europe this Summer! ;)
‘til then!
