Portray of the Destination
Cartagena offers varied sceneries: high cliffs with hidden beaches or vast bays that will delight visitors, those looking for comfort or, perhaps, tourists willing to enjoy a untouched landscape. The large sand beaches and the mountains surrounding them are a traditional summer resort.
We would like to thank the Cartagena Town Hall for the information and pictures provided.
Visit
www.cartagena.es
Geography
Cartagena lays along five hills called Molinete, Monte Sacro, Monte de San José, Despeñaperros and Monte de la Concepción, from where they dominate the sea, highlighting the city. The city has two beautiful beaches, Cala Cortina and El Portus, apart from the Mar Menor popular beaches, La Manga and Cabo de Palos with their beautiful sea bottoms.
Climate
It has a privileged climate: the annual average temperature is around 20ºC (68ºF). The coldest month is January with temperatures not lower than 12ºC (53.6ºF). August is the hottest month with temperatures around 28ºC (82.4ºF)
When to go
Due to the city great climatic conditions, beaches can be enjoyed in summer and a wide cultural offer during the rest of the year.
History
Cartagena was founded with the name Quart Hadast towards the year 227 B.C. During the Roman rule, the city underwent a splendorous time between the late 3rd century B.C and early 2nd century B.C. The city importance was based on its rich mines, its privileged location and unique topography (a small peninsula surrounded of hills with an inner lagoon or sea), perfect for guarding the city.
When the Roman Empire fell, a period of decadence, of which not many information is available, began. As from the 7th century, the city of Cartagena is almost extinct. In 1246, Alfonso X (called the Learned) conquered the city that recovered its condition of Episcopal see. The early medieval centuries were times of decadence, a situation that lasted until the 16th century.
Around 1873, the current city layout was established, a great number of buildings were erected –both public and private constructions- gathering the eclectic and modernist trends of that period in Spain. A new economic depression arose due to the mining crisis of the late 20th century, the Second Republic and the Spanish Civil War during which it was one of the most important bastions of the republican government and, together with Alicante, the last city dominated by General Franco.
Traditions
19th March: St. Joseph; 9th June: Regional Day of Murcia; 15th August: The Assumption Day; 29 September: Carthaginian and Roman's day.
Gastronomy
The Cartagena cuisine is essentially based on seafood. Fish like gilthead seabream, grouper, “dentón” (common dentex) or mullet can be cooked in many different ways: grilled, salted or roast. The main fish dish is, without doubt, the “Caldero”.
A wide range of land produce can also be tasted like the peas (called “pésoles” in Cartagena), tomatoes, artichokes or beans. The latter, can be dried and then elaborate a very important dish within the local cuisine: Michirones.
Rabbit is the main meat eaten in the area, part of dishes like rice and rabbit, or rabbit “al ajo cabañil”. Those dishes may be accompanied by the local wine: “Vinos del Plan” that can be white, red or rose. Desserts: melons or prickly pears, “arrope” or “tocino de cielo”. Some typical drinks are: “Asiático” that is a coffee with condensed milk, cognac, a couple of gouts of liquor, cinnamon and served on glasses especially designed for this drink; “Láguena”, that is a mixture of anisette and aged wine; “Reparo”, which is also cognac and aged wine.
Basic Dictionary
YES: si. NO: no. HELLO: hola. GOOD BYE: adios. GOOD MORNING: buenos días. GOOD AFTERNOON: buenas tardes. GOOD NIGHT: buenas noches. PLEASE: por favor. SORRY: lo siento. THANK YOU: gracias. DOCTOR: médico. PHARMACY: farmacia. NUMBERS: 1: un. 2: dos. 3: tres. 4: cuatro. 5: cinco. 6: seis. 7: siete. 8: ocho. 9: nueve. 10: diez. 11: once. 12: doce. 13: trece. 14: catorce. 15: quince. 16: dieciséis. 17: diecisiete. 18: dieciocho. 19: diecinueve. 20: veinte. 21: veintiuno. 22: veintidós. 30: treinta. 40: cuarenta. 50: cincuenta. 60: sesenta. 70: setenta. 80: ochenta. 90: noventa. 100: cien. 1000: mil. DAYS OF THE WEEK: MONDAY: lunes. TUESDAY: martes. WEDNESDAY: miércoles. THURSDAY: jueves. FRIDAY: viernes. SATURDAY: sábado. SUNDAY: domingo. COMMON WORDS: BIG/SMALL: grande/pequeño. HOT/COLD: caliente/frío. OPEN/CLOSED: abierto/cerrado. GOOD/BAD: bueno/malo. NEW/OLD: nuevo/viejo. PUSH/PULL: empujar/tirar. ENTRANCE/EXIT: entrada/salida. LADIES/GENTLEMEN: señoras/señores. FAR/NEAR: lejos/cerca. LEFT/RIGHT: izquierda/derecha. TAXI: taxi. BUS: autobús. MEALS: BREAKFAST: desayuno. LUNCH: comida. DINNER: cena. MENU: menú. WINES: vinos. DESSERT: postre. THE BILL: la cuenta. COMMON SENTENCES: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?: ¿Habla inglés?. I DON'T UNDERSTAND: no entiendo. WHERE IS IT?: ¿donde está? HOW MUCH IS IT: ¿Cuánto es? WHAT TIME IS IT: ¿Qué hora es? COULD YOU HELP ME: ¿Puede ayudarme?
Currency
Euros. There are 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 euro bank notes. There are also 1 and 2 euro coins, together with 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent coins
Currency Exchange
1 EUR (Euro) = 1.20 U$D (United States Dollar)
1 EUR (Euro) = 0.66 GBP (Pound Sterling)
Prices
In comparison with other European Union countries and, probably, due to its tourist vocation, Spain is one of the cheapest countries for travelling. Obviously, prices depends on the season. The peak season is summer and the off-peak one winter.
Useful Info
Official nameCartagena
CountrySpain
Time Zone+1 GMT
Official LanguageSpanish
Surface area558.3 sq. km (215.5 sq. mi)
Population195,000 inhabitants
Political RegimeConstitutional Monarchy
Public holidays
1st January: New Year; 6th January: Epiphany; 19th March: St. Joshep; March-April: Holy Week; 1st May: Labour Day; 15th August: the Assumption day; 12th October: National Day of Spain; 1st November: All Saints' Day; 6th December: Spanish Constitution Day; 8th December: Immaculate Conception Day; 9th December: St. Leocadia; 25th December: Christmas day.
Religion
Like in the rest of Spain, Cartagena is mainly Catholic and this is even reflected on the city festivities.
Religion90% Catholics
Arrival / Departure
The region is within easy reach of the rest of Spain through a good road network. Several means of transport reach Cartagena. The railway links the city with the rest of the country, by air to the San Javier Airport (Murcia). Overland through the road network or by ship to the port of Cartagena.
Safety
Taking into account the importance that tourism has in Spain, the security of the tourists is a true priority for the country. However, some general recommendations are given to visitors like carrying the required money when going out and not the total amount taken for the holidays, also precautions need to be taken in busy places to prevent possible thefts.
Visa
European Union tourists do not need visa to enter Spain. Neither those citizens of the United States, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and the rest of the Latin American countries, though a return ticket must be bought. Travelers from Australia, Anguilla, Bermuda, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea, Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Saint Helena, Singapore and Turk & Caicos do not either need visa provided that they do not stay more than 90 days in Spain.
Clothing
Clothing, which does not have very fixed rules, changes according to the climatic period, the place or the circumstances. Spaniards usually do not over dress to attend to work or to share leisure time with others; in general casual comfortable clothes are used, without forgetting that during the month of January, warm clothes are a must.
Electricity
220 volts. Sockets are usually for two round plugs.
Radio and Television
TV Channels: TVE1, TVE2, Antena 3, Tele 5, Cuatro.
Radio Stations : Onda Cero, Gaceta FM.
Telephone
The Spanish phone code is 34 and the Cartagena code is 968. To make a phone call to another country you must first dial 00 and then the international code of the country you would like to call to and finally dial the subscriber phone number. For phone calls within Spain a special code is not required.
The most important mobile phone operators are Amena –
www.amena.com-, Movistar/Telefónica Móviles -www.movistar.tsm.es- and Vodafone-www.vodafone.es-.
Telephone booths are very common along the streets and they work with coins or phone cards. There are also the called locutorios, they are establishments with many phone booths, where coins or cards are not needed, just pay in cash the phone call after the conversation. In many of these kind of places it is also possible to send and receive faxes and there are computers with internet connection as well.
Police092
Ambulance968 222222
Fire Brigade968 128880
Tourist health care services112
Newspapers and Magazines
National papers: Abc, Diario 16, El Mundo, El País, Estrella Digital, La Razón, La Vanguardia.
Local papers:
Diario La Verdad,
Diario La Opinión,
Diario El Faro,
Crónica del Sureste,
Hoy Cart@gena.com,
Diario Línea
Mercado Cartagena,
La Economía de la Región de Murcia.
Postal Service
The postal service is efficient. The mail sent within Europe take between 3 and 5 days to reach to their destination. A registered post costs 2.50 Euros minimum.
Opening hours: 8.30 to 20.30 and saturdays 8.30 to 13.00.
www.correos.es.Post offices
Alameda 968 124 665
Barrio Peral 968 512 004
Los Dolores 968 510 293
Pol Industrial 968529067
Main office 968 501 527
Health Care Services
In general, the Spanish health care system is good. There is no problem in that regard. Actually, the only precaution is related to the severe sunshine, which can cause sunstroke. It should be mentioned, however, the fact that Spain has an extensive health centers net, where first aid services and specialized assistance are provided.
Health centres:
Hospital Perpetuo Socorro
Sebastián Feringán 12
30205 Cartagena
Tel. 968 510 500
Hospital Arrixaca 968 369500
Hospital General 968356200
Emergencies
Social Security 061
Red Cross Murcia
Emergencies 968 222222
Hospital Rossell 968 325000
Hospital R. Méndez 968 445500
Centro de Salud Cieza 968 762420
Hospital "Morales Meseguer"
968 360900 y 360907 (emergencies)
Airport
Airport of San Javier
Carretera del Aeropuerto, s/n
30720
San Javier
Tel.: 968 172 000
Fax: 968 500 191
Web:
www.aena.es/aeropuertos/murcia/index.htm
Public Transport
The city counts on a good transport system. The different bus services cover the city with departs every ten minutes.
For more information:
Cartagena Bus Station
Avda. Trovero Marín (beside Plza. Bastarreche)
3
0202 Cartagena
Tel.: 968 505 656
Taxi services:
RADIO TAXI
Cartagena Tel.: 968 520 408 / 968 311 515 / 968 315 523
RADIO TAXI
La Manga Mar Menor (Cartagena) Tel.: 968 563 863 / 968 145 000
Railway
Excellent train connections and, b
esides, in a near future, the AVE (High speed train) will be operating in Cartagena.
Cartagena Railway Station
Plza. de México, 2
30201
Cartagena
Teléfono: 902 240 202
Web:
www.renfe.es
Bus
Different bus services cover the city. For more information:
CARTAGENA BUS STATION
Avda. Trovero Marín (beside Plza. Bastarreche)
30202 Cartagena
Tel.: 968 505 656
Car
By land the city is connected to the rest of Spain through an excellent road network.
Car Rentals
AVIS ALQUILE UN COCHE, SA
Pza. de Méjico (Estación FFCC)
30201 Cartagena
Tel.: 968 525 778
Web:
www.avis.esRENT A CAR GRAU
C/ Jacinto Benavente, 2
30203 Cartagena
Tel.: 968 520 246 / 968 121 440
EUROPCAR
Pza. de Méjico /Estación de FFCC
30201 Cartagena
Tel.: 968 123 010
Fax: 968 123 010
Web:
www.europcar.es
FAMILY RENT A CAR
Av. Tito Didio, Polígono Industrial Cabezo Beaza, s/n
30395 Cartagena
Tel.: 968 120 670
Fax: 968 120 663
e-mail:
family@familyrentacar.com
Web:
www.familyrentacar.comShip
The terminal offers parking lot for buses, a taxi stop, an information desk and, all the required services for tourists. It is connected to the Dock Alfonso XII through pedestrian passages and paths for vehicles by the commercial area of the marina.
Harbour of Cartagena
Plza. Héroes de Cavite
30201 Cartagena
Tel.: 968 325 800
Fax: 968 325 815
Web:
www.apc.esDestination Tourism Office in Spain Spanish embassy in the destination Taking pictures
There are no restrictions regarding pictures.
See climate
www.worlweather.orgCurrency converterwww.xe.com/uccA dinner12-25 Euros
A coffee1 Euro
The Bus1 Euro
The taxiInitial fare = € 1.10 (standard); € 1.44 (at night); € 1.65 (public holidays)
The train4 Euros approx.
