The district of Orihuela stretches to the Mediterranean where there are many magnificent sandy beaches with a range of services located between the Punta Prima and the Punta del Cuervo, including the Flamenca, La Zenia and Dehesa de Campoamor beaches. Tanot la Dehesa de Campoamor and Cabo Roig are two marinas suitable for leisure pursuits near to Orihuela.

The Segura River has also deeply marked Orihuela as it provides boundaries to the city and is the source of the rich 'huerta' (irrigated land) of the Bajo Segura. Today the river marks the border between the old city and the newer commercial centre, which originated in 1884 with the construction of a railway station linking Orihuela with Murcia, the city with which Orihuela is closely joined via its economy and the Segura River. Today Orihuela is the main town of the region. Today the extensive municipal district includes the second largest palm forest of the Alicante region as well as three golf courses, 16 km of town beaches including La Zenia and Dehesa de Campoamor.

Entering Orihuela from Alicante and walking through the San Antón palm grove you arrive at the house-cum-museum of Miguel Hernández, located next to the former Santo Domingo University with its magnificently high cloisters and baroque portal. Walk up calle Santa Lucía, with the hill crowned by the seminary to the right, and you arrive at the Cathedral of San Salvador were the museum contains the Velázquez painting.