The sunny Spanish mini-break with great food and history – that still wants tourists

It’s the beginning of October, and although signs of autumn are starting to creep in, the weather in Murcia remains unseasonably warm – reaching well over 30°C by midday. I sit in the dappled shade of a large, copper-tinged jacaranda tree in the Plaza Santa Catalina in the city, reading my book in shorts and a T-shirt, as if it were the height of summer. I close my eyes and listen to the chimes of a church bell, and nearly drift off to sleep. The wider region of Murcia is trimmed by 250km of coastline, with a picturesque interior that’s steeped in 3,000 years of history, with Bronze Age and Roman relics, medieval fortresses and the legends of the Knights Templar to be explored in Ceravaca city and the town of Cehegín. Shorts But during my visit to the region, two things stand out: the lack of crowds and exquisite food. Between January and June this year, a total of just 186,633 UK tourists visited the province – an increase of 9.4 per cent from the previous year, but still a modest intake compared to, say, Barcelona’s 9.6 million visitors in the first half of the year. Most of them come to the Costa Calida, the “warm coast”, that stretches from Murcia’s Mar Menor lagoon to the seaside town of Aguilas. The Roman port city of Cartagena is increasingly popular on cruise itineraries, too. It’s refreshing to walk around the city without seeing people creating “content” on their phones or forming long queues round the block for viral coffee shops. “Growing tourism in a way that benefits our communities matters to us,” Juan Francisco Martínez, director of the Institute of Tourism for the Region of Murcia, tells me. “Our visitors are not just tourists but guests, and we are delighted to welcome them.” Much of the city and wider region still feels “wonderfully undiscovered,” as Martínez puts it. Nothing about it is gimmicky, and its charm feels authentic. It’s something I taste in the food, too. The Plaza de Santa Catalina is lined with tapas bars (Photo: Antonio Lopez Velasco/Getty Images) The region’s Calasparra rice, grown in the mountain paddies and fed cold water from the Segura and Mundo rivers, ripens slowly and absorbs stock when cooked, meaning a lot of Murcian rice dishes taste notably rich. Many regional dishes are also seasoned with Pimentón de Murcia, a sweet paprika from dried, unsmoked peppers that gives Murcian dishes their colour and gentle sweetness. Other ingredients specific to the region include seafood from the Mar Menor saltwater lagoon, wines made from the Monastrell grape, and the native Chato Murciano breed of pig, which is used for cured hams and sausages. The area also has an abundance of lemon trees and juicy Jumilla cherries, also used in wine, and is known as the “orchard of Europe”. These high-quality ingredients are then turned into dishes unique to the region of Murcia. Mojete, for example, is a local tuna salad made with the ripest plum tomatoes, onion, black olives and hard-boiled eggs, so delicious and refreshing I have made several attempts to recreate it at home. Another local delicacy is the marinera tapa, a crunchy bread-based snack topped with potato salad and a salty anchovy fillet, served in most bars and cafes in the area – it goes down a treat with an ice-cold pitcher of tinto de verano and typically costs no more than €3.00 (£2.50) per portion. An octopus dish (Photo: Emma Clarke) I also enjoy regional rice dishes similar to paella and cooked over a wood and vine shoot fire at La Almazara; succulent prawns with baby leeks and artichokes and fresh mussels dressed only with a squeeze of lemon at El Pulpito; as well as meaty grilled octopus and, of course, pan con tomate. The culinary highlight, however, is sampling the award-winning tapas of El Casino de Felymar, a lively, traditional restaurant in the small town of Cehegín, 40 minutes north-west of Murcia city. Overseen by chef Rosalía Bastida Fernández, and with gorgeous views of the Ermita de La Purísima Concepción church, the Casino is known for its Mar Menor prawn tartare, which won the La Tapa del Año award in 2024 and comes on a bed of pickled vegetables, mullet roe and salad, and is served on warm buttered brioche. You can try the tasting menu for €70 per person (around £60) and it’s best to book a table in advance. In the city, a new Murcian tapas bar is creating a buzz. Pepe Juan, is headed up by Juan Guillamón, the chef behind the Michelin-starred restaurant Almo, and Pepe Morales, associated with the modern restaurant Demo. Dishes include fried squid sandwiches and skewered fried prawns. La Macetúa is another new-wave tapas bar and cerveceria where a cana (glass of beer) and pintxo costs €3.50 (£3) while Abónico, which focuses on seasonal vegetables from the region, seeks to reinterpret classic Murcian dishes. A main of leeks with sobrasada and burrata is great value at €15 (£13). The entrance to Mercado de Correos (Photo: Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images) And in a Modernist former post office, the Mercado de Correos is a modern food court where you can enjoy a selection of croquetas for €5 (£4.20), a glass of vermouth, or sample Murcian rice dishes – with lobster, octopus, Murcian pork or rabbit and snails – for as little as €9.50 (£8). Even as temperatures cool across Europe, Murcia remains sunny and warm throughout autumn, yet it is refreshing as a Spanish city break without crowds and tourist tat. I have a feeling that it won’t fly under the radar for long. How to get there Murcia is served from a wide range of UK airports by Ryanair and easyJet. Where to stay The writer was a guest at Hotel La Vera Cruz in Caravaca de la Cruz, which has doubles from £76 per night. In Murcia City, the Palacio San Juan is a new five-star hotel in an 18th-century mansion. Doubles from £176 per night. More information turismodemurcia.es/en