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Ten things to do in Archena!
Located on the banks of the River Segura, Archena is inextricably linked with its history as a spa town and today the luxurious Balneario continues to attract many thousands of visitors a year to the municipality, enjoying the riverside setting of the spa and hotel complex as well as the natural attractions of the municipality.
Surrounded by irrigated farmlands the town is well worth a visit, and those visiting the region in motorhomes will be delighted to know that they are welcomed in Archena with the provision of free motorhome parking!
As well as the Balneario, the town is also home to a characterful esparto grass museum, an archaeological museum, several attractive historic buildings and churches and offers plenty of good shopping and leisure facilities, as well as enjoying a number of fiestas and entertainments throughout the year.
Click to see full information about Archena in the dedicated Archena section.
Pamper yourself!
The thermal spa medicinal and beauty resort of the Balneario de Archena is among the most prestigious of its kind in Spain, and offers a range of treatments and therapies at eminently affordable prices. Allow the kids to splash around in the swimming pools – which also contain water from the natural spring – while you treat yourself to a little relaxation and recharge your batteries!
Coloured salt and flower petal carpets!
Each local fiesta in Murcia has its own particularities and peculiarities, and in Archena the festivities to mark Corpus Christi in late May or early June are well known for the elaborate “carpets” created by the locals out of flower petals, plants and coloured salt. Prepare to be surprised and amazed at the works of art on display!
Throughout the year there are other fiestas bringing life and colour to the streets of the town. See Fiestas in Archena for further information.
Stroll along the banks of the Segura
Water has played a determining role in the history of many municipalities of the Region of Murcia, but in few can it have been so important as in Archena, where not only is agriculture dependent on the water from the River Segura but the prosperity of the town is inextricably linked to the thermal spa waters.
Stroll along the river on the path near the Balneario or venture out into the countryside to see the network of irrigation channels and water wheels on the surrounding farm land, and gain an insight into how Archena has made the best possible use of its most precious resource over the centuries.
The wonderful world of esparto grass
In centuries gone by esparto grass was commonly used in Murcia to make baskets, footwear and a variety of household objects, and in Archena an esparto museum exhibits many such items. This will delight lovers of traditional crafts, and the enthusiasm of Kiko, who runs the museum in the former palatial residence of the Viscount of Rías, is such that he has demonstrated the flexibility of the material by creating novelty esparto items ranging from scale models of local monuments to carnival costumes!
Enjoy traditional Archena cuisine
Typical Archena dishes reflect the agricultural diversity of the Murcia Region, and among the favourites are paella-style rice dishes, most commonly featuring rabbit, and migas and gachamigas to warm up on cold and rainy days. As for sweets, among the most popular are the merengue and flaky pastry “cuernos” or horns, the cream “pitisú” and the chocolate and merengue “negritos”, while homemade apricot and peach jams are still produced using locally grown fruit.
There are plenty of options for those who enjoy eating out in Archena, ranging from the luxurious setting of the four star hotels in the balneario complex to earthy tapa in one of the many street bars of the municipality.
Chill out at the Casino
The casino at the Balneario de Archena was built for the leisure activities of the visitors in the late 19th century, and nowadays is open all day as a bar-cafeteria in the shade under the leafy branches on the banks of the River Segura. Whether you fancy light refreshments or something a little stronger there are few more pleasant and relaxing locations to sit and chat in the Region of Murcia!
Take in the local museum
The municipal museum of Archena is likely to be one of your first ports of call in the town as the building doubles up as home to the local tourist information office, and is located alongside the River Segura opposite the mountain of Cabezo del Tío Pio, which is home to arguably the most important archaeological site in the area. Many of the items exhibited inside relate to this site and to prehistory in Archena and the surrounding area, including a replica of the “Vaso de los Guerreros” (or Warrior Vase), which dates from the 3rd century BC and is now housed in the national archaeology museum in Madrid.
Historic buildings in the town centre
Learn more about how Archena came to be the town it is today with a visit to the church of San Juan Bautista, which took well over 200 years to build, and the Casa Grande, which was a tax collection office for the military-religious Order of San Juan de Jerusalén in the Middle Ages and is now the main Town Hall building.
Enjoy the view from the water wheel of Acebuche
Located a couple of kilometres from the centre of Archena, this structure is an important part of the heritage of the town and the surrounding countryside, and offers a view over Archena and further north into the Ricote valley, inviting curious visitors to explore this highly picturesque part of the Region of Murcia.
Celebrate a near-disastrous gunpowder explosion
Most local fiestas in Murcia derive from religious feast days or the Reconquista in the Middle Ages, but the Fiestas del Polvorín are held to commemorate a huge explosion on September 1 1963 at a military gunpowder store just outside the town!
