Discover
A little sea with a very big personality
Tap anything on this page for maps, photos and the full story — towns, beaches, a market for every day of the week, attractions and two thousand years of history.
Mar Menor conditions today
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The Mar Menor at a glance
- 170 km²
- Surface area of the lagoon
- 7 m
- Maximum depth
- 22 km
- Length of La Manga sandbar
- 300+
- Days of sunshine each year
- 18–29 °C
- Typical water temperature
- 5
- Islands inside the lagoon
The area, town by town
Click a town for its map, highlights, market day and what it is like to live there.
Lagoon town
Los Alcázares
The busiest lagoon town — kilometres of flat promenade, shallow beaches and terrace life all year.
More info
Salt pans & mud baths
San Pedro del Pinatar & Lo Pagán
Working salt pans, flamingos and the famous therapeutic mud baths at the northern tip.
More info
Sailing & services
Santiago de la Ribera & San Javier
Wooden jetties, a sailing club and the everyday town behind it with every service you need.
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Two seas
La Manga del Mar Menor
A 22 km sandbar with the Mediterranean on one side and the warm lagoon on the other.
More info
Inland
Torre Pacheco, Roldán & the huerta
Working Spanish towns, golf resorts and the market gardens that feed much of Europe.
More infoLocal markets
Fresh produce, local crafts and a true taste of Spanish life — a market somewhere every morning of the week.
MondayCartagena & Alhama de Murcia
City-scale market with clothes, leather and household goods.
More infoTuesdayLos Alcázares seafront market
One of the biggest and best markets on the lagoon, right by the sea.
More infoWednesdaySan Javier & Fuente Álamo
Town-centre market with clothes, plants, food and accessories.
More infoThursdaySan Pedro del Pinatar & Santiago de la Ribera
Popular local market with great variety at the northern end.
More infoFridayCabo de Palos (summer) & Balsicas
Harbour-side stalls under the lighthouse in the summer season.
More infoSaturdayTorre Pacheco & La Manga
A proper working-town market inland, plus stalls on the strip.
More infoSundayLos Alcázares car boot & Cabo de Palos crafts
Second-hand bargains and craft stalls to round off the week.
More infoBeach by beach
Click any beach for the map, facilities and what it is really like.
Los Alcázares
Playa de Los Narejos
Shallow for 30 metres out — the safest beach on the lagoon for small children.
More info
Los Alcázares
Playa de la Hita
Wilder sand beside a protected wetland where flamingos often feed behind the beach.
More infoLo Pagán
Playa de Villananitos
Warm, calm water lined with fish restaurants, next to the mud baths.
More infoSantiago de la Ribera
Playa Barnuevo
Town beach with wooden jetties, the sailing school and a promenade behind.
More infoLa Manga
Playa del Pudrimel & the Med side
Cross the road from lagoon to open sea: bigger sand, real waves, deeper blue.
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Regional park
Calblanque
Protected dunes and untouched coves 30 minutes south — no buildings, no bars.
More infoTop local attractions
Nature
Salinas de San Pedro Regional Park
Boardwalks, windmills and flamingo pools — free and easy walking.
More info
Coast
Cabo de Palos lighthouse
A working lighthouse above a fishing harbour with the best seafood on the coast.
More infoLocal life
Weekly street markets
A different town every morning of the week, 9am to about 2pm.
More infoBoat trips
The lagoon islands
Five volcanic islands sit inside the Mar Menor — boat trips run in season.
More infoDay trip
Cartagena
Thirty minutes south: a Roman theatre, naval harbour and modernist streets.
More infoNature
Calblanque natural park
Dunes, cliffs and empty beaches with no development at all.
More infoActivities & water sports
Warm, shallow, sheltered water and more than three hundred days of sunshine make the Mar Menor one of Europe's great outdoor playgrounds. Click any activity for the detail, the best season and where to go.
All year · Beginners welcome
Dinghy sailing & catamarans
Flat, shallow, sheltered water — widely described as one of Europe's best places to learn to sail.
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Best Sept–June · Shallow water
Kitesurfing & windsurfing
Waist-deep water for hundreds of metres and reliable thermal wind make this a classic learners' spot.
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Calm mornings · Island trips
Paddleboarding & kayaking
Glass-flat water at sunrise, five islands to circle and the salt flats to explore.
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Islas Hormigas Marine Reserve
Diving & snorkelling at Cabo de Palos
One of the Mediterranean's best-known dive sites, ten minutes from the lagoon on the open-sea side.
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Free · Salt flats shoreline
Mud baths at Lo Pagán
The famous black therapeutic mud on the Charco del Coterillo shoreline — free and open to all.
More info
Flat routes · Year-round training
Cycling & the coastal paths
Long, flat seafront cycleways and quiet huerta lanes — the reason pro teams winter here.
More infoRegional park · Free hides
Birdwatching in the salt flats
Flamingos, avocets and black-winged stilts in a protected wetland of international importance.
More infoSummer ferries · Charters
Boat trips & island hopping
Seasonal ferries between the lagoon towns, plus catamaran cruises and fishing charters.
More infoMotorised watersports
Waterskiing, wakeboarding & jet skis
Flat water with no swell is close to ideal for towed sports and jet ski hire.
More infoCoast, dunes and old mines
Walking & hiking trails
Boardwalks, promenade routes and the wild cliff paths of Calblanque and the Sierra Minera.
More infoBeach and countryside rides
Horse riding & equestrian
Riding centres inland from the lagoon offer lessons, hacks and out-of-season beach rides.
More infoSan Javier & Los Alcázares
Flying, skydiving & air sports
A long aviation history: the air force academy at San Javier and skydiving over the lagoon.
More infoGolf around the Mar Menor
More than a dozen 18-hole courses lie within half an hour of the lagoon, most of them playable year-round. Click any course for the map, the layout and what to expect.
Los Belones · 18 holes, par 71
La Manga Club — South Course
The championship course of the region, host of the Spanish Open on several occasions.
More infoLos Belones · 18 holes, par 71
La Manga Club — North Course
Shorter and tighter than the South, remodelled by Dave Thomas with plenty of water.
More infoLos Belones · 18 holes, par 71
La Manga Club — West Course
Arnold Palmer's hillside layout with elevated tees and the best views on the resort.
More infoSan Javier · 18 holes, par 72
Roda Golf & Beach Resort
A flat, walkable Dave Thomas course five minutes from the lagoon and the airport.
More infoTorre-Pacheco · 18 holes, par 70
Mar Menor Golf Resort
A Jack Nicklaus Signature course wrapped around the resort at Torre-Pacheco.
More infoRoldán · 18 holes, par 68
La Torre Golf Resort
A short, strategic Nicklaus layout — the friendliest championship-standard round on the lagoon.
More infoLos Alcázares · 18 holes, par 70
La Serena Golf
The closest 18 holes to the Mar Menor shoreline, on the edge of Los Alcázares.
More infoFuente Álamo · 18 holes, par 72
Hacienda del Álamo Golf Resort
One of the longest courses in Spain — a big, open Dave Thomas design inland from the lagoon.
More infoBaños y Mendigo · 18 holes, par 71
El Valle Golf Resort
A Nicklaus design set in a natural valley, framed by hills and olive groves.
More infoSucina · 18 holes, par 72
Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
Quiet Nicklaus course through olive and citrus country, twenty minutes from the lagoon.
More infoPilar de la Horadada · 18 holes, par 72
Lo Romero Golf
Lakes, waterfalls and a lot of shot-making just north of the lagoon.
More infoBaños y Mendigo · 18 holes, par 72
Altaona Golf & Country Village
A relaxed, rolling course in the hills behind the Mar Menor, popular with residents.
More infoTwo thousand years of history
1st century BC
Rome works the salt
Read more +8th–13th century
The bathing palaces
Read more +16th century
Watchtowers
Read more +1900s
Balnearios on stilts
Read more +1960s–70s
La Manga is built
Read more +Today
A protected lagoon
Read more +
Interesting facts
- The Mar Menor is Europe's largest saltwater lagoon — about 135 km² of water, separated from the Mediterranean by the 22 km sandbar of La Manga.
- Nowhere is it deeper than around seven metres, so the water warms quickly and swimming is comfortable for much of the year.
- It is saltier than the open Mediterranean, which is why you float so easily.
- The Romans mined salt here, and the pans of San Pedro del Pinatar are still working today.
- Thousands of greater flamingos feed in the salinas, alongside avocets, black-necked grebes and terns.
- Five volcanic islands sit inside the lagoon; Isla Perdiguera and Isla del Barón are the best known.
Explore the area
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Found somewhere you like the look of? These pages cover everything else on the lagoon.