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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.

Novelda (see Casa-Museo Modernista, Novelda), is most famous for its marble, but if that proves difficult to pack, you could pick up some locally grown golden saffron to flavour your own paellas (see Paella) instead.

Sleepy Novelda rarely makes it onto tourist itineraries, but it should. This charming if rather dilapidated little country town boasts a cluster of fine Modernista mansions, of which the most impressive is the Casa-Museo Modernista, Novelda. On the edge of town, the castle of La Mola squats next to the Gaudí-inspired sanctuary of Mary Magdalene.

Escape the crowds in this peaceful village, 4km (2 miles) from lengthy golden beaches.

The delightful mountain town of Ontinyent has been producing textiles since Arabic times, and its high-quality wool blankets are exported all around the world. There are numerous factory outlets offering excellent bargains.

Magnificent churches, monasteries and palaces attest to Orihuela’s distinguished history. Set back from the coast in a fertile valley and surrounded by rolling sierras, this ancient capital of an Arabic taifa became an important centre of learning after the Reconquest (see c.1200–c.1300: The Reconquista), and the Catholic monarchs held court here before making the final push on the last Arabic kingdom of Granada. The narrow streets are lined with faded palaces and countless fine churches, including the graceful cathedral, the Colegio de Santo Domingo (see Colegio de Santo Domingo, Orihuela) and the utterly charming Iglesia de Santas Just y Rufina.

In a town best known until now for cheap sun, sea and sand (see Benidorm), the Parc de l’Aigüera is a landmark new development. Designed by prestigious Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill, this vast, urban park spreads north of the old village of Benidorm. It draws on Classical influences, with an elegant avenue bordered by a stepped terrace decorated with vast urns. This culminates in a circular outdoor amphitheatre, surrounded, Roman-style, with stepped seating. Concerts take place here during the summer months, but it’s always a quiet place for a stroll, a world away from the bedlam on the beach-front.

Time seems to have stood still in Penáguila, a small village of ochre houses huddled around a sturdy 16th-century church. On the outskirts are the immaculate flower gardens and ponds of the 19th-century Jardín de Santos. Surrounded by magnificent mountains, the ruins of an ancient castle are set among forest high above the village.

This huge, jagged rock emerges dramatically from the sea and dominates the entire bay at Calp (Calpe). A protected Natural Park, it is home to over 300 species of flora. Connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, and impossibly sheer, for centuries it was the perfect hideout for pirates. Now it provides the perfect challenge for rock-climbers and, thanks to a tunnel bored through the rock early in the last century, there’s also a less arduous (though still demanding) hiking route to the top.