Car hire Murcia

Car Rental Murcia

If you plan on hiring a car for your Holiday in Murcia, visit Carhirespain.net’s rental search to find the best possible rates. By comparing car hire prices and policies online before you book, you can save up to 50 per cent on your rental. Car hire in Murcia is what we excel at. 

Make the best of your trip to Murcia with an unlimited mileage policy. By pre-booking an airport pick up with Car hireSpain.net you can be on your way to Floridablanca Gardens before most passengers have arranged a taxi. Choose one of our hire cars with a full-to-full fuel policy and save even more without limiting your travel plans. 

A hire car from Carhrespain.net is the best way to see Murcia. Do it your way, on your terms for the best Spanish holiday ever.

Murcia

The capital of Murcia province, Murcia, is one of Spain’s least-known travel destinations, even though it is the seventh-largest city in the country. Murcia sits inland between Almeria and Alicante and has a lot to offer someone willing to take the road less travelled.

Murcia is the perfect compromise for those who want convenience but don’t love big cities.  It has retained its small-town charm, but not at the cost of becoming dull. There is always plenty going on. Take an endless stroll through its many plaza’s, each one with a different feel and local flavour. You will find something new around every corner.

It is an excellent place to sit back and relax. Nothing rushes in Murcia —  even its Cathedral took over 300 years to complete. 

Murcia has it all

Don’t make the mistake of thinking there is nothing to do here — Murcia has it all — food, culture and architecture. Visit the city’s tree-lined plazas, spend a late afternoon in a busy tapas bar, or just go shopping. If all this isn’t enough for you, mountains, beaches and even thermal hot spring spas are a short drive away.

If you prefer something more rugged, head for the hills. Only 15 minutes out of the city and you are in a beautiful nature reserve with countless trails for bicycling and hiking. 

If you still have the strength to press on, try a tapas tour to get a real picture of Murcia and experience some of the best food the region has to offer. Hit the tapas trail in Plaza de las Flores and see where the evening takes you.

The Costa Calida

Murcia’s coastline is known as the Costa Cálida, and it lives up to its “warm coast” moniker. The climate here is ideal — beaches for you to explore stretch down the coast all within an hour or two out of town. 

In Murcia and on the Costa Calida, all you have to do is decide how you want to pass the day. Whether you want to hit the beach with children, play sports, go nude or find the unexplored, the warm coast has it all. 

Check out the golden sand beaches, natural caves, and rugged coastline. They are all just a short drive away.

What to see in Murcia with a hire car

Murcia is a town for lazy exploration, so enjoy your time there and set a leisurely pace. Even with your hire car, there is no need to take in more than a couple of sites in a day.

Murcia’s Old Town

There is no better palace to get a feel for Murcia than the old town. Murcia’s historic heart is full of stately plazas lined with baroque buildings for you to explore. Park the hire car nearby, as many of these old streets are given over to pedestrians so you can wander in peace. 

The old town contains some of Murcia’s most iconic architecture. As you wander between the old buildings, you will find abundant shops and boutiques. Once you have worked up a bit of thirst or hunger, you’ll be happy to know the old town is famous for its bakeries, bars cafes and tapas.

Santa María Cathedral

While you wander the old town, be sure to visit Murcia’s Santa María Cathedral. It is a historical site of note and considered a masterpiece of the Spanish Baroque period. 

They say good things come to those who wait, and the citizens of Murcia showed over 300 years of patience waiting for Santa Maria to finish. It dates back as for as 1385, but because it took so long to complete, it marries several styles. While baroque dominates outside, the interior is decidedly Gothic.

Even if you don’t want to go inside, do it for its incredibly detailed facade.  It would be a shame to avoid the gothic interior, though. There are numerous lavishly appointed chapels, as well as the tomb of King Alfonso X of Castile. 

The bell tower provides one of the best views of the city there is.  At 93 metres tall it’s the second-highest bell tower in Spain and took more than 250 years to complete.

Real Casino de Murcia

If architectural decadence fascinates you, the Real Casino de Murcia is somewhere you should not avoid. A relative newcomer to this city completed in 1847, the casino is notorious for its eclectic excess. Each room mirrors a different period or geographical style and is rendered for effect.

The casino remains a private club today with 1600 active members. The members are willing to share, however, and while you cannot gamble on the premises, you can take a tour to see how the other half lives. 

The government declared the Casino Real de Murcia a National Historic Building in 1983. King Don Juan Carlos gave it royal or Real status when the building was refurbished between 2006 and 2009. 

Visit the English library, the French ballroom, or the jaw-dropping Arabic Court.  Over 35,000 sheets of gold leaf line the court. There is also a Pompeiian Court, a Blue Court, a Billiards Room and the private  Members Room and Terrace.

The casino also holds cultural and musical events with limited public admission. 

The Real Casino de Murcia is a remarkable building and a rare chance to see so many architectural styles accurately and lovingly represented under one roof. 

Santa Clara Monastery & Museum

With a rich and mixed history, the Santa Clara Monastery and museum spans several eras of Spain’s past.

Originally an Islamic-Mudejar palace, the monastery of Santa Clara has housed Clarissan nuns which 1365. The building’s mixed heritage is clear throughout. Different cultural styles and periods like Islamic, Gothic and Baroque all coexist peacefully —  like the modern-day museum and the Clarissan nuns themselves. 

Although you are only able to see a portion of Santa Clara and its grounds, it is well worth the trip.

One of the highlights of the Museum grounds is the preserved pool. It is one of the oldest Arabic pools in Spain and is surrounded by meticulously kept tranquil gardens. The museum documents both the history of the building and its occupants.

Built in 1172, Santa Clara was occupied by Christian kings in 1243 until the Clarissan nuns took over in 1365. 

Monteagudo Castle

Not far from the city in your hire car, just outside the suburbs to the northeast of Murcia, Monteagudo castle sits on a 149-metre limestone mountain.

As you approach the site, the first thing to come in to view is the statue of Christ that occupies the castle walls. In historical terms, Christ is a relatively recent addition. The current statue was built in the 1950s to replace an earlier 1920s sculpture destroyed during the Spanish civil war.  

The castle beneath it dated back considerably farther to the 800s and was a critical defensive location to Moorish Taifa of Murcia for the next 250 years. The original granaries, built to help its early occupants withstand sieges are still intact. 

Unfortunately for the Moors, grain was not enough to withstand Castillion forces and Castilian King Alfons X used the castle as his Murcian residence after their defeat.

The castle offers excellent views and a chance to get out of the city without going far. It is also one of the older well-preserved historical sites near town.

Day trips from Murcia with a hire car.

While there is plenty to do in and around Murcia the city, Murcia the province boasts another one of Spain’s famed coastlines, the Costa Cálida. Exploring the warm coast is one of the best reasons for hiring a car you could possibly come up with.

There are hundreds of beaches large and small for you to explore. So why not pack up your stuff and make a road trip of it exploring a little off the beaten path in your hire car.

Mar Menor beach in Murcia

Mar Menor is 51.6 km from Murcia and can be reached by hire car in under 1 hour. It is also close to Cartagena, only 30 mins away. 

Mar Menor is a saltwater lagoon separated from the Mediterranean by a 22 km long thin strip of sand called La Manga or the sleeve. It is an idyllic spot where you can chill on a strip of beach with blue water on both sides. Because it is a protected lagoon, Mar Menor is incredibly calm, with no waves or current so it’s perfect for families. Once you gross La Manga, conditions are ideal for sailing and watersports. It is the best of both worlds.

A beach visible from space

Mar Menor is a truly unique place that is clearly visible from space. The lagoon itself does not exceed 7 meters deep and is the largest of its kind in Spain and one of the largest lagoons in the world. It is known for being very saline, so swimmers experience increased flotation while swimming. Within the lagoon are five smaller islets.

While the beauty of Mar Menor is undisputed, it comes with a caveat. Overuse and poor husbandry by local authorities have put the ecosystem in jeopardy. If you plan to visit, don’t plan on a full day trip. Add it to your list as a must-see destination in the hire car and treat it with respect before moving on to somewhere less endangered for the rest of your day.

Cartagena

Cartagena is perfectly placed for a short 50 km drive in the hire car from Murcia. Its location makes it perfect for a stop on the way back after visiting Mar Menor.

The Cartagena municipality is home to 72 coves and beaches some only accessible by boat.

Of the easier to reach locations, the city beaches of Cartagena are very popular.  Cala Cortina is a sheltered bay with restaurants, a boardwalk, and umbrellas to rent. It is an ideal place to spend the day. It is the nearest beach to the city of Cartagena and has everything you could need for a day. 

Cala Cortina

The sand at Cala Cortina is 25 meters wide and extends for 250 metres. Beware, however, its nearness to the city makes it popular on weekends and it can get crowded. That said it is a Blue flag beach of its clear waters and excellent facilities. It is an excellent place for cycling thanks in part to a dedicated cycle lane added in 2016.

Calblanque

Calblanque is another of Murcia’s treasures. It is considered one of the best beaches in the area and the type of beach you hired a car to visit. With few facilities, Calblanque is a “virgin beach”. What you will find there is pure beach with no resorts nearby. 

Calblanque is within the regional park Parque Regional de Calblanque and is a lovingly preserved natural landscape. 

Explore its long, red gold sands,  quiet coves, fossil dunes and salt lakes against the backdrop of the blue sea. If you time it right, you are likely to have the entire place to yourself. 

Aguilas

Once Calblanque has given you a taste of the unspoiled, you will be happy to find that there is still more to explore in your hire car. About an hour and ten minutes drive from Murcia, the 35 beaches of Águilas occupy 28 kilometres of coastline. 

Each of the beaches offers a slightly different experience. Of them all, Cuatro Calas is probably the most beautiful. It sits on the border of Almeira in a Protected Nature Reserve.

 Once you have experienced Cuatro Calas, head the hire car north from the cape of Cabo Cope to Galera on the border with Lorca. The area is filled with pristine coves, all in the Cabo Cope and Puntas de Calnegre Regional Park.

You will need to drive for a bit on a smooth dirt road, but the effort will be worth it to experience unspoiled nature well away from the crowds. The only other people you are likely to meet are fellow trekkers and dedicated cyclists.