This is a great place for taking photographs of the city and your cruise ship in the port below. The castle at the top was originally a Roman temple which was later fortified under Moorish then Christian rule. If you aren’t interested in going inside the museum you can still get good views of the Theatre from the street.Ĭartagena Cathedral – Photo Credit: CC Pablo CabezosĮl Castillo de la Concepción: To the north-east of Plaza del Ayuntamiento, within the grounds of Parque Torres, is Cerro de la Concepción which is one of the five hills surrounding Cartagena. Built between the 5th and 1st centuries BC, this remarkable amphitheatre was only discovered in 1988 and is Spain’s 2nd largest after the one in Mérida (Extremadura). You’ll then proceed through a number of rooms and subterranean corridors which lead to the Roman Theatre itself. Museo del Teatro Romano (Plaza Ayuntamiento): Once you’ve paid a small admission fee into Cartagena’s Roman Theatre Museum it’s well worth watching the short educational video about the city’s most important archaeological site. Cruise passengers can make their own group and hire a local guide for an informative walking tour of Cartagena. A simple city map is all you need to identify the main sights worth seeing during your day in port beginning with the museum to the city’s Roman Theatre which lies just a few metres away inside the salmon-coloured building. The main tourist office is located inside the beautiful Palacio Consistorial in Plaza del Ayuntamiento. You’ll most likely be happy to spend a few hours on dry land during your visit to Cartagena but if you can cope with more time at sea there’s an interesting boat trip from the marina which goes across the bay to the lighthouse at Fuerte de Navidad (Fort Christmas) which you’ll have spotted as your cruise ship entered the port. The operator will give you a quick explanation of how to use the contraption before leading you around town in a small group. Other: For novelty value you might like to join a Segway tour around the main sights. For this reason and due to to the excessive time spent queuing for buses when a cruise ship is in port it’s hard to recommend the service unless you suffer from a severe lack of mobility. In Cartagena this Bus Turístico navigates a 45-minute circuit around the city but is not allowed to access the main street (Calle Mayor) or the compact historic centre which is for pedestrians only. Tourist Bus: (Paseo Alfonso XII, 8) There are often mixed feelings amongst cruise ship passengers as to whether or not it’s worth taking hop-on, hop-off tourist bus services in cruise destinations. With moderate fitness you can walk around most of the city and there’s a lift to take you up to the castle on Concepción Hill to avoid any exertion.īeautiful Calle Mayor – Photo Credit: CC Ley There’s a tourist information office inside the Town Hall building where you can pick up a city map listing the main attractions. On the opposite side of the road from the port you will soon come to the bus stop for the hop-on, hop-off bus service, turn right just after this bus stop and follow Plaza Héroes de Cavite as far as Plaza del Ayuntamiento which lies within the pedestrianised historic centre. Walking: From the pier where you disembark simply walk north towards the town then turn left on Paseo Alfonso XII as you depart from the port area. Occasionally ships dock at the Muelle de la Curra on the south side of the port which isn’t quite so convenient as it requires a shuttle transfer into the city. There’s a yacht club (Real Club de Regatas de Cartagena) right next to where you arrive which welcomes cruise ship passengers. Its location is ideal for cruise ship passengers who can walk into the city centre within 10-minutes. Located on the coast of Murcia in south-east Spain, the naturally deep Port of Cartagena can accommodate most vessels at the Muelle de Cruceros which lies on the northern side of the commercial port within a short walk of the city centre.
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