Family things to do in Cartagena — beaches, parks, attractions and days out that actually work with children.
Paseo Alfonso XII 22, Cartagena
The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology on the waterfront — treasures raised from Mediterranean shipwrecks, telling the Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman story of this ancient port.
Cartagena's own city beach — a small, sheltered cove of clear water just past the port, easy to reach and good for a swim and a snorkel, with a couple of beach restaurants alongside.
The pedestrian spine of the old town — a parade of early-20th-century Modernist façades (Casa Cervantes, Gran Hotel, Casa Llagostera) running down to the port. The heart of the evening paseo.
The hilltop castle in Parque Torres, reached by a panoramic lift from the old town — an interpretation centre on the city's history and the best 360° views over the port and rooftops.
The Molinete Roman Forum district — an archaeological park of a forum, thermal baths and a banqueting hall (the Atrium), roofed and walkable in the heart of the old town.
The Punic Wall interpretation centre, built over a stretch of the 3rd-century-BC Carthaginian defences — the story of Qart Hadasht, the city Hannibal's family founded.
The Naval Museum on the old arsenal quay, home to the restored Isaac Peral — the world's first fully operational electric combat submarine, built here in 1888. Cartagena is the birthplace of the submarine.
Plaza Ayuntamiento 1, Cartagena
The dazzling white Modernist town hall by the port — a wedding-cake of marble and glass, one of Spain's finest Modernist civic buildings.
Parque Regional de Calblanque, Cartagena
A pristine regional park of golden dunes, cliffs and undeveloped beaches east of the city — the wild, protected coast the Costa Cálida's resorts leave behind. Access is restricted by shuttle bus in summer.
The grand natural harbour and waterfront promenade — palm-lined quays, the marina, cruise ships and the Isaac Peral submarine monument, ringed by hills and forts.
Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Cartagena
Cartagena's crown jewel — a magnificent 1st-century-BC Roman theatre for 7,000, lost for centuries and rebuilt from its own stones, entered through a museum that walks you down to the tiers. Unmissable.