Best Areas to Stay in Murcia, Spain

Murcia’s historic city centre is located north of the Segura River.

This ancient area has the typical layout of the Arab medinas; a tangle of narrow winding streets lined with historic buildings that lead to beautiful squares.

At its heart, the Plaza Cardenal Belluga concentrates some of Murcia’s most representative landmarks, such as the Cathedral of Santa María, the Episcopal Palace or the Annex Building from the Town Hall, a landmark by renowned architect Rafael Moneo.

The nearby Glorieta de España is home to important buildings such as the Town Hall and the Episcopal Palace of Murcia.

The Monastery of Santa Clara la Real was built between the 15th and 18th centuries on the remains of the al-Qasr al-Sagir (the city’s Alcázar), a 13th-century Arab palace.

Other notable squares in the historic centre of Murcia are the Plaza de Santo Domingo, the Plaza de Julián Romea, the Plaza de Santa Catalina and the Plaza de las Flores; the main leisure and food area in the city.

The historic centre of Murcia is compact enough to explore on foot and has different urban bus lines. Murcia’s train station is located in the nearby neighbourhood of El Carmen, on the south bank of the Segura River.

The accommodation offer in the centre of Murcia is the most varied in the city. Here, you can find everything from cheap accommodation to the most luxurious boutique hotels and tourist apartments.

The El Carmen neighbourhood is located on the south bank of the Segura River, very close to the Old Town.

This area, the most populated in the city, is popularly known simply as “El Barrio”.

Developed in the 18th century to decongest the city centre, this area has wide avenues, a bullring, the Parador del Rey and the old Matadero.

El Carmen is also the place where Murcia’s main railway station is located. This rectangular-based building with two floors and an eclectic style offers several long-distance services to national destinations such as Albacete, Madrid, Valencia, Castellón, Tarragona and Barcelona.

The two commuter train lines (to Alicante and Lorca) also converge at this station.

Thanks to its excellent transport connections, El Carmen is the best area to stay in Murcia for travellers in transit or those touring the Spanish Levante.

The Campus de la Merced of the University of Murcia is located east of the historic city centre of the Murcian capital.

Campus de la Merced houses the university’s oldest faculties, in addition to the Antonio de Nebrija Library, the Paraninfo, an office of the University Information Centre and several museums.

Many of the buildings on the UM campus were built in 1915 in an eclectic style. The nearby Museo de Bellas Artes de Murcia exhibits a wide variety of art from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with temporary exhibits.

The Murcia Archaeological Museum has permanent and temporary exhibits of local finds from prehistory to the Bronze Age.

Additionally, several local art galleries located around the university offer modern art exhibitions.

The north of Murcia is considered the new financial district of the city.

This modern area is characterised by its wide streets and modern office buildings and business centres.

The north of the city is also home to the Espinardo Campus of the University of Murcia. This modern university city houses most of the faculties of the main Murcian university.

The north of Murcia is very well-connected to the city centre by the tram system, which offers numerous stations on the university campus and along Avenida Juan Carlos I to the old town of Murcia.

As it is a university and business area, the north of Murcia offers a large number of modern hotels by renowned Spanish and international chains.