Valencia - Murcia

Map of Valencia - Murcia } Map of Spain

Valencia & Murcia, Murcia cathedral

Valencia & Murcia, Murcia Cathedral

Valencia & Murcia, Valencia Town Hall

Valencia & Murcia, Valencia train station

Valencia & Murcia, Valencia, City of Arts and Sciences

Alicante, night view of the port

Valencia & Murcia, Alicante, Castle of Saint Barbara

Valencia & Murcia, Sagunto

Valencia & Murcia, Sagunto. The Ampitheatre

Valencia & Murcia, Pensicola, the castle

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Monumental Cities and Towns
History and Geography
Cuisine
Festivals
Itineraries that feature this region
Accommodation in this region

The Spanish Levante in the south east of Spain is formed by two autonomous communities: Murcia and Valenciana, both with a long tourist history. Fine sandy beaches overlooking the Mediterranean, a wonderful year-round climate and welcoming inhabitants are just some of the regions special qualities. The landscape also varies greatly from the summer beach resorts on the coast to the small and charming villages found in the mountains and valleys of the interior.

Monumental Cities and Towns

Murcia: regional capital has a 14th century Cathedral and the 18th century La Glorieta.
Valencia: modern city with a beautiful train station, a remarkable 17th century Basílica de la Virgen Desamparados and the modern museum Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias designed by Calatrava.
Alicante: overlooked by the 16th century Santa Barbara castle, also boasts the 15th century San Nicolas Cathedral and the Church of Santa Maria.
Sagunto: ancient Roman city with restored amphitheatre and castle. Interesting Jewish quarter and the Church of Santa Maria.
Peñiscola: seaside town dominated by the fortress-castle from the 14th century and the walled site called Portal de Fosc.

History and Geography

The Spanish Levante is located along the Mediterranean coast, between Catalonia (in the north) and Andalusia (in the south). The climate is typically Mediterranean, with mild, short winters and very hot summers, reaching temperatures of 40ºC. The average number of sunny days in this area is around 150 per year. The population is about 5 million people.
Valencia has been inhabited by the Iberians since early times and it was later colonised by Greek and Carthaginian traders. It passed to the Moors in the 8th century and at the fall of the caliphate of Cordoba in 1022 it gained its independence for a brief period until it was brought under the rule of Aragón. During the 14th and 15th centuries Valencia flourished both economically and artistically. The region began to decline in the early 17th century after the Moors were expelled but in recent times there has been an economic revival.
Although the community of Murcia dates back more than a million years, it was not until the Romans conquered the region, that Murcia started to gain importance. With the Arabs came a period of great economic development and in the early 13th century Murcia was absorbed into the Kingdom of Castile. Since then Murcia´s fortunes have been up and down but the present day Murcia forms a very strong part of the Iberian peninsula.

Cuisine

The main ingredients in this region’s cuisine are rice and citrus fruits. World famous paella comes from Valencia, which is also known for it´s delicious oranges and other citrus fruits. All types of seafood and shellfish can be enjoyed. Also delicious cured meats, sausages and other pork derivatives that come from the interior.

Festivals

March: 19th The great day of the Fallas in Valencia, when after parading the floats are ceremoniously set alight.
Easter: Special celebrations in Lorca and Murcia.

Itineraries that feature this region

Spanish Cities

Alicante

Accommodation

Please click on the symbol to see the Spanish Hotels in this area and obtain information about each.