Cartagena Spain historical sites and places which tourists might enjoy

We have put the Panoramic lift, Parque Torres and Castillo de Concepcion on one page as it is logical to combine a visit to all of them together, although the Parque can be accessed via the back road free of charge if you want to see the best views of the city and Roman theatre for free.

 There are three parts to this, the panoramic lift which brings visitors up from Calle Gisbert which can be combined with a visit to the visitor centre in the Parque or used on its own.

The Castillo de Concepcion, which is a paid entry visitor centre and gives information about the history of Cartagena.

The Parque Torres, which is free entry and can be accessed from the street below or via the panoramic lift, which has stunning views and can then lead down to a walk which brings you down the back of the Roman Theatre and back into the Plaza del Ayuntamiento by the port.

The Route.

The Parque Torres is right on top of one of the five protective hills that surround Cartagena, protecting it, sheltering it and defining the structure of the City we see today.

As the highest point within the City it offers outstanding views and is home to the Castillo de la Concepcion, also known locally as the Castillo de los Patos. 

This site has been important throughout the history of Cartagena, the Romans having constructed a temple here to Asklepio, the God of health, the muslims constructing a 12^th century fortification over the ruins of the temple which was replaced by a mediaeval fortification following the Christian reconquist in 1243.

By the 19^th century the castles' water deposits were being used as a prison and even as late as the Spanish civil war, sirens to warn the population of the approach of bombers were located here.

 

Today it has been converted into a centre which enables visitors to understand the order in which the city was occupied throughout its history, through display panels and an audio visual presentation, as well as having stunning 360 degree panoramic views from the roof.

 

Along with the archaeological museum(click here for info) it is a very good place to start if you have the time to explore Cartagena thoroughly, as it places the events in an understandable order.

 

The city has been important to Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, Goths Visigoths, Arabs, Iberians, Christians, Rebublicans and Loyalists, so it can get a little confusing when visiting the historic sites to know where everything fits in and who was running things when!  

As a stand alone historical attraction, the centre is a little uninspiring. It has an interesting water cistern which now houses the gift shop, the interpretation centre with display panels and a roof terrace which gives stunning views, but nothing else, the external parts of the castle  are open to visitors, being in the Parque Torres outside.

Truthfully,  it's not the most important thing in Cartagena to visit, but if you have a Puerto de Culturas  abono ticket and the time to see all of the attractions, it's well worth seeing, in fact, we would say come here first as the display panels put the history in the right order so you can see where everything fits in.

The only point we would note is that the Visitor Centre is currently undergoing improvements and the entrance is via stairs so is not suitable for wheelchairs or those with limited mobility.

There are 2 means of access;

Either via the Panoramic lift from Calle Gisbert or via Calle Parque Torres which runs up the side of the park. 

 

The Panoramic lift is great fun, and can be a bit scary if you're afraid of heights, but is the easiest way up and .is very inexpensive at only a euro, or 80 cents for reductions.

 

 

If you intend to visit the visitor centre in the castle, it's cheaper if you buy a ticket for both the lift and Castillo de la Concepcion at the same time and they're both in the Puerto de Culturas attractions so the discount ticket applies.

If you decide not to visit the Castillo itself, you can still use the Panoramic lift to get up to the Parque Torres which surrounds it, or drive up the road at the side of the Monte Concepcion and visit the park on its' own. 

The gardens (Parque Torres) surrounding the Castillo are a lovely place to go on a hot day as they're cool, breezy and shaded. Peacocks wander around beneath the trees, ducks splash around in a little pool and there are great views down into the Roman theatre and across the city.The guns located on the viewing point make a fantastic photo opportunity and you can really see the structure of the city from up here.

 

There are plenty of places to sit and shady corners to keep out of the sun, but it's not the easiest place for those with limited mobility as its all up and down, although ramps do give full access, other than to the Castillo itself.

 

The Castillo sits right at the top, so if you wind your way down through the walks to the viewpoint, then carry on down the hill to the fountain at the bottom, you can walk on past the fountain and the Auditorio, through the silver gates and  into the Parque Cornisas.

 

From here, its possible to look down into the spectacular Roman theatre below, and appreciate the sheer scale of it, taking into consideration that this only represents a part of the original structure,  and by walking from one to corner to the other, it's possible to see right the way around.

 

If you get the chance to visit the Roman Theatre Museum you'll be able to see from the virtual reconstructions of the city, how important and imposing the theatre would have appeared in its day, but even now it's a stunning sight.

 

From here, stairs lead down around the back of the theatre, winding back down to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the entrance to the Roman Theatre Museum.

You can follow the streets around and see the theatre from the bottom if you don't want to actually go in, but it's the best museum in Cartagena, so if you only want to go to one place, it really has to be the Roman Theatre Museum.

 

Practicalities of using the panoramic lift and the Castillo de Concepcion, Cartagena Spain

Parque Torres , Centro de Interpretacion de la Historia de Cartagena, Panoramic lift

 

Logical route, from Calle Gisbert, up in the lift, visit the Castillo, then wind down through the gardens of the Parque Cornisas, view the theatre from above and finish in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento at the entrance to the Roman Thetare museum.

 

Panoramic Lift 1 euro, 80 cents for reductions.

 

Castillo de la Concepcion, Centro de Interpretacion de la Historia de Cartagena, 3.50 or 2.50 euros.

A combined ticket for both is 4 euros/ 3 euros

 

Opening Times

Winter hours .Both the castle and the lift are open from 10am-5.30pm Tuesday to Sunday in the winter.

Summer hours. Both the castle and the lift are open 7 days a week, from 10am-2.30pm and 4pm-8.30pm.

The Parque Torres is open 7 days a week from10am - dusk in the winter and 8pm in the summer.

 

Would we recommend it?

If you have a discount ticket for the Puerto de Culturas attractions, absolutely, come here first.

If not, for general sightseeing purposes I would take the lift up and enjoy an amble around the gardens and follow the path down without visiting the Castillo, but if you're keen to learn about the history of Cartagena, or don't have to worry about the cost of the entrance fee, I'd go and have a look

We had a really good morning following the route down, then went to the Muralla Bizantina below before lunch, and its logical to follow this on with a visit to the Roman Theatre Museum afterwards.This helps to really form a picture of what the city would have looked like, so when you go onto the other attractions, you have a better understanding of where they fit in and how Cartagena was structured.

 

If you want to see an extra part of the theatre structure which is not on the normal tourist routes, add in a visit to the Muralla Bizantina. Muralla Bizantina

This is now an art gallery with the roman portico of the theatre in its basement.

It's not a large site by any means, but is an interesting addition to this route and is free entry. There are exhibitions in the centre all year round, the current one being a photographic exhibition

 

Disability Access?

Would children enjoy this route?

If they're not scared of heights, the lift is fun. The Parque Torres has lots of space to run around and ducks and peacocks provide free entertainment, although the wardens are naturally protective of their charges, and the youngsters enjoy sitting on the cannons and finding landmarks on the maps provided.

It's not the easiest place to manoeuvre buggies, or wheelchairs if you want to visit the castle, and the route down via the back of the theatre has a lot of steps, so is not a good idea if you have to carry a child and buggy, go and see the theatre from above, then maybe walk down Calle Parque Torres instead, at least its all downhill.

 

CLICK HERE for location of Calle Gisbert( entrance to the panoramic lift)

 

Military Trail

Another option, The Military trail, Cartagena.

There are many places around Cartagena which link to form the Cartagena Military trail and we'll be adding to this list on an ongoing basis over the next few months, so have a look at these other places . Some are paid, some are free, but it's great fun to find them all and discover Cartagenas' military history. 

Castillo de la Concepcion- Mediaeval construction, with cannons and excellent views, Castillo de Concepcion.

Fuerte de Navidad, Cartagena, part of the O'Donnell Fortifications, via Navantia shipyards, Fuerte de Navidad

Museo Militar - Home of the military museum, containing many important items of local military interest. Museo Militar

Cabo de Tinosa batteries, between Mazarron and Cartagena, Bateria de Castillitos and El Jorel

Civil War Shelter,  a civil war museum Civil war Museum

 

Cartagena tourist information in English

Use the search functions on the left hand side of the page to find other interesting things to do in Cartagena.For concerts, exhibitions, art, music and fiestas, click here for what's on. Again, you can search by town location or topic using the search bars across the top.

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