Hi! I'm planning a road trip in Southern Spain and was curious why Cartagena didn't seem to come up very often. It seems like it could be a very interesting stop to see the ruins, etc. Please let me know your thoughts if you have been there.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7609 posts
It’s been years since I was there, but I enjoyed my half day there. It doesn’t have the wow sites like some cities. If you’ve seen other Roman ruins then I wouldn’t make the 3+ hour each way drive just to see the ruins.
I’m more into castles and en route to Cartagena are Vélez-Blanco, Lorca, and Castell de Calahorra.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
222 posts
I agree. It's a nice place to overnight if you are en route, but not to make a special trip.
Posted by
North Italy
466 posts
We were there a couple of weeks ago. The Roman ruins are nothing special, surrounded by modern buildings and rebuilt in bits.
Instead the centre and harbour area are very pleasant - outside the centre it's a bit grittier but still ok. I drove about an hour and a quarter from where I was staying and it was worth it.
Granada to Cartagena is 3 hours by car so in my opinion not worth it.
If you're looking for a day trip from Granada by car Alhama de Granada is about 50 minutes and is nice:
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2024/03/off-beaten-track-in-andalucia-alhama-de.html
Or in an hour and half Malaga is more interesting than Cartagena