How to Spend a Day at Murcia's Fiestas de Otoño Without the Crowds

Everyone told me to go on the Saturday night. I went on a Thursday morning instead, and I've not been back on a weekend since.

Last October I took the car from Los Alcázares up to Murcia city for the autumn fiestas, expecting the usual wall of people. What I got was a gentle, almost private version of the celebrations. I had a table at a good café, a parade route to myself and a proper lunch without queuing. It took a couple of years of getting it wrong first, so here's how I'd do it now.

Why timing is everything

Murcia does its fiestas with real enthusiasm. The evenings fill up with families, teenagers, brass bands and the occasional very loud firework. That's lovely if you're 22. If you've got a hire car, a dodgy knee and a partner who needs to eat by two, it's less so.

The weekday daytime is a different place. Murcians work, and so the centre is quieter between roughly ten and one. Locals come out properly after about eight in the evening, so I plan to be on my way home by then.

My rule is simple. Arrive early, eat at a Spanish hour (that means two o'clock, not twelve), and leave before the evening rush gathers. Programmes change from year to year, so check the council's published schedule for the actual dates and events before you set off. Don't trust a printed leaflet from last year.

Getting there and parking without the stress

From Los Alcázares it's around 40 minutes by road, and I'd avoid driving into the centre at all. Use one of the underground car parks on the edge of the old town, and walk in along the Segura. Arriving by the river is far nicer than arriving by the ring road anyway.

There's also a regional train link between Murcia and the Mar Menor area. If you'd rather not deal with parking, check the current timetable and use that. Final trains can be earlier than you'd expect, so don't leave the return to chance.

If you're staying in one of our holiday rentals near Roda Golf, ask your host about the best parking option for the day. They usually know which car park is least chaotic that week.

What to wear and carry

October in Murcia can still hit 25 degrees at midday, then drop sharply once the sun goes. Wear layers. Bring comfortable shoes, because the old town is paved and you'll walk further than you think. Carry some cash too. A few stalls and small bars still prefer it.

My quiet-morning route

I park, walk up to the cathedral square and look at the baroque front before the crowds do. It's a proper building, and in the early light it's a different thing from the packed photo-spot it becomes by afternoon.

Then coffee. I like a cortado and a tostada with tomate and olive oil at one of the cafés around Plaza de las Flores. Sit outside if the sun's out. You'll see the town setting up for the day, stallholders unpacking, council workers hanging the last of the decorations. That's the bit I enjoy most.

Around half ten I wander through the Mercado de Verónicas. It's the covered market, and the fruit and veg stalls are brilliant at this time of year. Pomegranates, persimmons, figs, great piles of peppers. Buy a bag of whatever's in season and eat it on the way round. Nobody's pushing and the stallholders have time to chat, even if your Spanish is shaky.

After that, I follow whatever's on. Daytime fiesta events tend to be smaller and more local, with children's activities, street music and the odd procession. These are the ones where you stand three feet from the action instead of ten rows back.

Lunch, and when to leave

Murcia is the vegetable garden of Spain, and the food reflects it. My lunch order never changes: a zarangollo (courgette and egg, scrambled gently with onion), a plate of marinera (the Russian salad on a crisp breadstick topped with an anchovy) and then whatever the kitchen is proudest of. Ask for the menú del día where it's offered and you'll eat three courses for a very fair price.

Book if you can, even on a weekday. During the fiestas the popular places fill from 2pm, and the ones with a terrace go first. If you can't book, go at 1.30pm, which is early for Spain but late enough that the kitchen is firing on all burners.

After lunch, take your time. Walk it off along the river, find a bench, and watch the town gradually fill up. That's your cue. By five, you can feel the mood changing. The bars are louder and the pavements are fuller. I head for the car around then, and I'm back on the Mar Menor side before dark.

The sensible way to end the day

I usually drive back via Los Alcázares and stop at the seafront for a slow walk along the paseo. After the noise of the city, the flat, still water of the Mar Menor at dusk feels like a reward. If the weather's kind, a drink at a chiringuito finishes it off nicely.

Not a bad way to spend a day off, particularly if you've got a morning round at Roda booked. Browse our golf courses near the Mar Menor if you're planning to combine the two. And if you want ideas for other days out, our area guide to Los Alcázares and the Mar Menor has plenty.

The fiestas are worth seeing, but you don't have to see them at their loudest. Go on a weekday, eat late, leave early, and Murcia will treat you very well. Questions about planning a trip? Get in touch and I'll point you in the right direction.