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Steeply mounted on a sheer cliff, Mula is guarded by an imposing castle. Narrow streets meander between handsome squares lined with 16th-century churches and palaces. On the outskirts, there’s a fine spa, in use since Roman times.

One of the best ways to admire the stunning coastline is to take a ride in a glass-bottomed boat. This service offers full-day trips (including beach barbecue) from Denia (Dénia), Xàbia (Jávea), Calp (Calpe) and Altea.

At this huge marine park, you can admire the flamingoes, penguins and turtles, or enter a spooky bat cave. Dolphins, sea lions and parrots perform spectacular shows. Other attractions include racoons and prairie dogs, and there’s a special section for very young kids.

The welcoming capital city of Murcia Province is a delightful mix of the old and the new, with flamboyant Baroque churches, elegant modern shopping avenues, flower-filled public squares and gardens, and intriguing museums all clustered together in the old centre (see Other Sights in Murcia). The magnificent Baroque Cathedral of Santa María (see Catedral de Santa María, Murcia) is one of the loveliest in all Spain. The graceful squares are packed with excellent tapas bars and restaurants.

Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas (see Wine Towns) have all been granted their own D.O., and produce a range of whites, reds and rosés. The powerful red wines, usually drunk young, are the best known outside of Spain, but Bullas is also notable for its refreshing rosés – perfect summer drinking.

The prize exhibit here is the Villena Treasure (Tesoro de Villena) – a glittering Bronze Age hoard of bracelets, bowls, torcs and bottles, fashioned from thin sheets of beaten gold, and skilfully decorated with simple incisions or raised patterns.

Alicante’s finest civic Gothic building has been sensitively converted to hold its collection of 20th-century art. Mobiles and kinetic works by the Alicantino artist Eusebio Sempere feature strongly, but there are also paintings by Juan Gris, sculptures by Eduardo Chillida, and sketches by Picasso and Dalí.

This much-restored 16th-century granary is home to fragments of Iberian sculpture and Visigothic capitals, as well as a large collection of paintings, including several works by Xàtiva-born José de Ribera. A portrait of King Felipe V is famously hung the wrong way up, as punishment for his burning the city down in 1707.

This intriguing museum in Spain’s shoe-making capital documents the evolution of shoe design from the early spurred metal boots worn by medieval knights to the most extravagant 21st-century creations. If you love shoes, don’t miss it.

Artifacts dating back to Phoenician times illustrate Cartagena’s long maritime history. There’s a vast collection of ancient amphorae, and early maps and documents attesting to the city’s importance 2,000 years ago.