Los Nietos Today

A popular beachside town on the shore of the Mar Menor

Los Nietos, which is in the east of the municipality of Cartagena on the shore of the Mar Menor, is one of the beach resorts which grew in this part of the Costa Cálida in the early twentieth century, and the atmosphere still retains some of its slightly old-world charm, harking back to the time when the majority of those who came here were from the rest of the Region of Murcia.

The main attraction of Los Nietos is still the long sandy beach, with the warm water of the Mar Menor ensuring that it is possible to swim in the sea practically all year round. Although there are hardly any waves in the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe, there is normally a strong prevailing breeze, and this also makes the area ideal for those practicing or learning many water sports: the marina of Los Nietos is one of the main centres of activity in the town throughout the year for this reason. 

As is the case in most seaside resorts, the population of Los Nietos swells enormously in summer, but there is also a sizeable community of residents, ensuring that it is far from a ghost town and that there is an adequate level of basic services such as education and medical care throughout the year. In addition, the town is well connected to the city of Cartagena – a very affordable local train service reaches the city centre in just 28 minutes – and the city of Murcia is also well under an hour away by car. 

The proximity of the airports of San Javier, Corvera and Alicante-Elche is another factor which helps to keep the number of visitors high, with those from the rest of Europe now joining the Murcianos and Madrileños who have known about the “secret” of the Mar Menor for many years!