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Barcelona may still be at the top of the list of virtually every tourist traveling to Spain, with its world-famous Gaudí-designed Sagrada Familia and approaching the beach of Barceloneta tens of millions of visitors per year… but that’s it kind starting to lose its luster a bit, right?
Don’t get us wrong, Barcelona is absolutely epic, but between the ‘Tourist Eff Off’ graffiti splattered on every other wall and the $15 sangrias, it’s not exactly the most welcoming or reasonably priced destination in the Iberian country.
If you fancy a relaxed Mediterranean life, great food and great culture, but you’re not exactly keen on spending over $208 every day in Barcelona, we have just now the alternative for you:
This sunny city in Spain is one of the most affordable cities in Europe
You may know the name ‘Cartagena’ from a certain Caribbean hub somewhere in South America. The original however, one is located right on the Mediterranean Sea, and it is a much older queen with over 2,000 years of history.
It is also one of the sunniest And most affordable cities in Southern Europe.
Located along the coast of Murcia, a low-lying stretch of golden sand directly opposite Africa, the country bears the brunt of the hot, dry air masses coming from the Sahara. We’re talking daytime highs of 95°F, which can easily be pushed to around 104°F on the occasional ultra-hot day, and nighttime lows of 75°F.
Oh, and terribly limited rainfall of course.
For the average sun seeker out there: the fact that it rarely rains and is located right on the coast is reason enough to go. Add to that the fact that Cartagena is seriously affordable compared to places like Barcelona, Valencia or Málaga, and it starts to seem like a bit of a no-brainer.
For starters, it’s not a major international hotspot.
It does attract tourists, sure, but not nearly the same volume as Spain’s main citiesand as you probably know by now, fewer tourists usually means friendlier hotel rates, cheaper meals and less energy of ‘paying €6 for a bottle of water’.
The wider region of Murcia also has lower average incomes than the more prosperous coastal regions of Spain, but more on that later.
Before you fly to Europe this summer, prepare in advance by doing a little destination check on the Entry Requirement Checker page. I’m sure you’ve heard of all the fuss with fingerprints and travel permits, so wait until the very last minute.
So the real question is: why would you swap Barcelona for Cartagena in the first place?
An underestimated cultural heavyweight
We’ve alluded to it before, but Cartagena’s trump card is its enormous cultural weight:
It was built-in immemorial times by the Phoenicians, before being annexed by the expansionist Greeks, and finally Rome, needless to say it has layers, layers, layers of monuments stacked on top of each other.
The local Sagrada Familiaalthough? As in: that one iconic monument that defines a city? That must be the Roman theater of Cartagena, an ancient site that was built all the way back in the 1st century BCand only rediscovered in 1988.
It is among the best preserved Roman theaters in Europe and probably does not receive even a third of the level of tourism that comparable sites in Italy or Greece receive.
Not far from the theatre, just a 5-minute walk away, is the Roman Forum, a vast archaeological zone complete with baths, temples and virtually intact Roman streets. Even if you’re not a Roman Empire nerd, the inner city itself is an absolute joy to wander around.
It has palm-lined streets, elegant 19th century facades and sun-drenched squares surrounded by tapas barsand you can get the best caldero del Mar Menor at Restaurante El Barrio del Foro Romano, a simple, local tavern in the heart of the city.
It is too super safe. Spanish beach towns tend to get a bad rap for rampant scams and pickpocketing, but Cartagena in particular feels quite chilly. In fact, the entire country is currently doing quite well on the Traveler Safety Index, with a score of 94/100 based on recent reports from visitors:
How cheap actually Is Cartagena?
Speaking of food, if you’re going to eat in the historic center of Cartagena, you’ll never spend more than $20, and that’s if you’ve chosen a relatively central, mid-range restaurant.
Some even let you go cheaper starting at just $12 menu del dia offers, which usually include a small starter, a meat-based main course and a dessert or coffee, and if you don’t mind spending a little, a nice rooftop dinner for two ranges from an acceptable $40 to $60.
Looking for budget accommodation? For my fellow low-cost traveler in the south, a hostel bed costs just $25, while guesthouse stays, usually run by a local family, average about $50.
As for full-service hotels, they range from $70 to $100. To keep it simple, there’s something here for every type of traveler and every budget, but there’s no denying that Cartagena really leans difficult to the cheaper end of the spectrum.
Even attractions cost a fraction of the prices you might be used to elsewhere in Spain! A visit to the Roman theater costs only €7.00 (about $8), while the castle sits on a hilltop overlooking the city, Castillo de la Concepcionis even cheaper, with a general admission price of €5.00 ($6).
As for the beaches, most are free to enter, and while there is paid parking, it costs about $5 for the whole afternoon, and if you really want to get fancy, renting a sun lounger from a beach bar costs $20 to $35.
Cala Cortina is the closest to the city center and is not only easy to reach, but also offers calm waters and honey-colored sand. The best beach in the areaBut that is Playa de Calblanque, a natural, protected beach known for its raw, undeveloped beauty.
Of course, don’t miss La Manga del Mar Menor, a narrow strip of sand about 21 kilometers long that separates the Mediterranean Sea from a shallow lagoon called the ‘Little Sea’. You can swim in the Mediterranean Sea on one side and in the lake on the other, which is usually warmer, calmer and calmer than the open sea.
Looking for more hidden gems in Spain? Check out this local gem of a town with golden sands and probably a peaceful atmosphere never heard of it.
