Murcia lifestyle

Murcia boasts some great shops, so get ready to flex your plastic! For chic fashion houses and department stores, the Calle de la Traperia is your place, and here you'll also find some of Murcia's original silk workshops - the city was famed for its silk in medieval times - and silversmiths too. There are more swish boutiques around Calle Jabonerias and all around the city, bustling flower, craft and food markets offer fascinating browsing. Local souvenirs worth seeking out include Murcia's delicate silk fabrics, leather goods, decorative glass and charming baskets made from esparto grass.

Fresh seafood, mouth-watering paellas and succulent fruit desserts - Murcia's cuisine is some of the most tempting in Spain. Must-tries include meat pies, luxurious lobster and potatoes in garlic, called al ajo cabanil. For puddings, give delicious paparajotes, lemon leaves fried in light batter and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon a whirl, as well as treats made from fruits harvested from the local market gardens, such as tangy fig sorbet. The region is also home to some fine white and red wines, the perfect accompaniment to your dining. And don't forget the many tapas bars all over the city, but mostly around the Plaza de Flores.

There's nightlife to suit every taste in Murcia from more sedate chatter-filled evenings in cosy tapas bars to energetic times at sophisticated discos. You'll find the biggest choice of traditional tapas bars and taverns congregrated around the Plazes de Flores and Cathedral, together with plenty of trendy music bars scattered around the centre. And if you fancy painting the town red, Murcia's electrifying nightclubs will oblige, with regular world-class DJs presiding over packed, partying dancefloors.