Aguilas - Bateria de Castillitos - Cartagena - Licor 43 Experience Tour

Route: Murcia - Aguilas - Bateria de Castillitos - Cartagena - Licor 43 Experience Tour - Murcia
Duration: 10 h
Our first stop in this tour will be at Aguilas which has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic age, and many other cultures, including the Argaric, Phoenician, Roman and Moslem people, have left traces here. Of particular interest are the Roman remains, especially the baths, which date from the 1st to 4th century. Aguilas, an old Roman fishing port, was established in more modern times during the Enlightenment, when in 1785 it began to operate as a port of exit for the produce of the Murcia region's fertile fields. In the 19th century it became a major mining enclave, a reminder of which times is the Hornillo jetty, where iron, lead and silver from the nearby mines were loaded onto ships. In Águilas town centre, with a rich seafaring flavour, it is worth visiting Plaza de España's beautiful gardens full of rubber plants, the City Hall (19th century), and the parish church of San José, where the image of the patron saint is housed. At the top of the old town, standing on a promontory, is the castle-fortress of San Juan de Águilas, built in 1579 for purposes of defence. Below it sits the port and its characteristic black-and-white striped lighthouse, in operation since the mid-19th century. The town's Food Market and the railway monument are other places of interest. Our next stop we will make at Bateria de Castillitos. The gun battery was built to prevent enemy ships entering the bay to attack the important port and military arsenal at Cartagena.The Bateria de Castillitos military buildings are extensive and were built in an ornate, crenelated style reminiscent of a Disney set. You can look inside a many of them including both the gun control bunkers and many of the crenelated towers. The highlights of the visit, however, are the massive 381mm guns with the 17m long barrels each mounted in an enormous turret. These guns were only ever fired once in action. This was during the Spanish Civil War by the Republican Forces against Franco’s Nationalist fleet in April 1937. Our next stop will be at the old Cartagena.In 1728 Cartagena became the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the Mediterranean and the city was heavily fortified with the construction of the castle on the site of a former Moorish kasbah. You’ll get an introduction to the history of Cartagena in the La Concepcion Castle area (external visit). From this point you’ll have views of the Roman Theater, which is one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in Spain. Take a walk down the Calle Mayor. Admire the triangular Town Hall and its 3 different façades. Continue to the Modernist Cervantes House and Casino, among some of Cartagena’s most impressive Art Nouveau buildings. We will end at the Grand Hotel, built in the style of the Viennese and French Modernist schools, with time to enjoy a tapa in the city’s main Modernist street. Finally we will visit to the Licor factory in Cartagena. The 43 Experience Tour,  guides the guests through the historical backdrop of the Licor 43, which started in the refinery Diego Zamora S.A. Amid the visit you don't simply find out about the source of the Liqueur, the history and diverse points of reference of the organization, you likewise will get a look at within the assembling plant. There you can perceive how they fill the containers, the naming and the bundling yet in addition colossal tanks of 20.000 liter volume where they store the alcohol 43. After that we will return to Murcia.
Price: Per person