Plaza del Icue, Cartagena

This plaza is in the heart of the main Cartagena shopping streets

This is a plaza in the heart of the shopping area of old Cartagena, and is easily recognisable as the plaza containing the “sculpture of the boy with the fish”, correctly known as the Icue.

An Icue was the name given to the young orphans or poor children who lived on the streets and were frequently found in the harbour area, picking up the small fish discarded (or liberated) by the fishermen. These youngsters were inevitably shabbily clad and permanently hungry, and this statue remembers all the "icues" who rew up in Cartagena in this fashion.

The statue is in the centre of the Plaza, which is a popular choice for cultural activities and concerts and is also a regular stop-off point for a coffee among shoppers.

The plaza is easily found: from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento walk straight up the main shopping street, past the Casino and into Puertas de Murcia. This opens out into the Plaza del Icue.

The nearest underground car park is in Calle Real, although it’s just as easy to park in the portside underground car park. Camper van owners will have quite a walk to get here, as the nearest easy parking is on the waste ground by the old town hall or by the extranjería and along the front of the Muralla del Mar into the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.