# December long weekend from Badajoz: cheese, spas and birds for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception Seven getaways and plans from Badajoz for Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception: Aracena with its cheese market and the acorn season, Mérida open, a thermal bath in Zafra, Évora in festival mood and the birds of Monfragüe and Doñana. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/badajoz/getaways/december-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Badajoz - [An autumn weekend in the Sierra de Aracena: chestnut groves, acorn-fed pigs and ham](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/itineraries/sierra-de-aracena-autumn-chestnuts-ham.md) (2 nights, Sierra de Aracena): Every December long weekend Aracena celebrates its Artisan Cheese Market, with dairies from the sierra and other areas. The pigs are still in the montanera under the holm oaks, and the cave is open on the 6th and 8th: it only closes on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Epiphany. - [Aracena: the Gruta and ham in Jabugo](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-de-aracena/itineraries/aracena-marvels-cave-and-jabugo-ham.md) (Day itinerary, Sierra de Aracena): The Gruta de las Maravillas is open every day of the long weekend, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 15:30 to 18:00, with a daily capacity: on long weekends the passes run out. Buy a timed ticket on the Aracena Tourism website, which does not take phone bookings. - [Mérida: theatre, museum and Alcazaba](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/merida/itineraries/roman-theatre-museum-and-alcazaba.md) (Day itinerary, Mérida): The Mérida Monumental Site is open on 6 and 8 December with its normal hours; in winter it only closes on Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Epiphany. With the short day, theatre and amphitheatre first thing, and the aqueduct at the end of the afternoon. - [Zafra: squares, convent and spa](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/itineraries/squares-santa-clara-and-spa.md) (Day itinerary, Zafra): The El Raposo spa's thermal circuit runs all year, with the pool at 32.8 °C and saunas: on the cold days of the long weekend it is the best end to the afternoon. You book a day and time by phone, and it is wise to do so a week ahead. - [Évora: temple, cathedral and bones](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/evora/itineraries/roman-temple-and-bone-chapel.md) (Day itinerary, Évora): In Portugal 8 December is also a holiday, that of the Immaculate Conception, and 1 December, the Restoration: Évora fills with Portuguese on their long weekend. Remember that it is one hour earlier there and that in December the light goes early. - [A birdwatching weekend in Monfragüe, three hours from Madrid](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-birdwatching-weekend-from-madrid.md) (2 nights, Monfragüe National Park): The Villarreal de San Carlos visitor centre is open every day of the long weekend, from 9:30 to 18:00 in winter; it only closes on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. In winter the park is quiet and good for black vulture and imperial eagle. - [A weekend in Doñana and El Rocío, an hour from Seville](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/donana-and-el-rocio/itineraries/donana-el-rocio-marshes-weekend.md) (1 night, Doñana and El Rocío): From October to April the Doñana marsh has water and winter birds, and December is at the best of the season. The official 4x4 from El Acebuche is booked online, and on a long weekend the first-hour places go first. From Badajoz, the December long weekend has something no other city in Spain has: Portugal next door, with its own long weekend. There, 1 December, the Restoration of Independence, and the 8th, the Immaculate Conception, are national holidays; here they are Constitution Day, on the 6th, and the Immaculate Conception, on the 8th. On the border you notice it on the road, in the car parks of Elvas and Évora and in the restaurants on both sides. ## The calendar on both sides of the border In Extremadura there is no holiday of its own that week, so the long weekend depends on how the 6th and 8th fall that year. If the 6th falls on a Sunday, some regions move the holiday to Monday: check the working calendar before booking. Mérida, Zafra and Évora, less than an hour and a quarter away, are done in a day. The Sierra de Aracena and Monfragüe call for a night, and Doñana, a little over three hours away, only pays off if you combine three or four days. ## Aracena: cheese, acorn season and a warm cave The December long weekend is the big weekend of the Aracena sierra. The village celebrates its Artisan Cheese Market on those days, with dairies from the sierra and other parts of Spain, and in the dehesas the Iberian pigs are still in the montanera, feeding on acorns under the holm oaks. The chestnut groves have already lost almost all their leaves, but the light over the sierra is clean. The Gruta de las Maravillas is open every day of the long weekend and keeps a stable temperature inside all year, so in December it is welcome. It has a daily capacity and on long weekends it sells out: buy a timed ticket before leaving home. ## Spas and stone for rainy days December in Extremadura alternates days of cold sun with rain. For the latter, two plans nearby. In Mérida, the theatre and amphitheatre are open on both holidays, and you can split the day between what is under cover and what is not. In Zafra, the El Raposo spa, eleven kilometres away, has a thermal circuit all year with a pool at almost 33 °C: an hour of hot water after the squares. ## Évora on its own long weekend Évora is an hour and a quarter away. 8 December is a holiday there too, so the walled centre will have more people than on a normal winter day, and some services will work on holiday hours. The Jardim de Natal, the Christmas market in the public garden, has in recent years started in mid-month, after the long weekend. Cross the border with the clock in mind: in Portugal it is one hour earlier. ## Winter birds In December Monfragüe is quiet, without the spring crowds, and it is a good time to see black vulture and imperial eagle from the Salto del Gitano. Doñana is at its best: with the autumn rains the marsh fills with water and the winter birds arrive. Both getaways call for binoculars, warm clothing and setting off at first light. ## Cave and steps for the children The Gruta de las Maravillas is the easiest plan: a short guided visit, with lakes that catch their attention. In Mérida, the amphitheatre and theatre let them run and climb the tiers. The Doñana 4x4 lasts several hours: with small children, the short route along the La Rocina paths is better. ## Cave passes and sierra houses The cave passes and the rural houses in Aracena, first. In Monfragüe, accommodation inside the park, in Villarreal de San Carlos, is scarce. In Doñana, the early-morning 4x4 places. The El Raposo thermal circuit is booked by phone with day and time. ## The rut and the chestnuts are already over The Monfragüe deer rut is in September and October. The Marvão Chestnut Fair is held in November. And the Monsaraz lake beach is for summer.