# May long weekend from Badajoz: getaways for 1 May, Labour Day Getaways from Badajoz for 1 May: Monfragüe with birds nesting, Guadalupe, kestrels in Trujillo and, across the border, Évora, Marvão, Monsaraz and Tomar. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/badajoz/getaways/may-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Badajoz - [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): From March to May the Monfragüe birds are nesting: griffon vultures occupy the Salto del Gitano wall and, with luck and binoculars, black stork, Egyptian vulture or imperial eagle can be seen. In spring the park also runs free guided walks. Book the rural house and the Sunday 4x4. - [Trujillo: square, medieval village and castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/trujillo/itineraries/trujillo-main-square-and-castle-with-a-guide.md) (Day itinerary, Trujillo): From February to July lesser kestrels nest on the roofs of Trujillo's Plaza Mayor, and in May you see them hunting over the square at any hour. The morning guided visit bundles four tickets for €18. The afternoon, sitting in the square, looking up. - [A weekend in Guadalupe and the Villuercas, three hours from Madrid](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/guadalupe/itineraries/guadalupe-villuercas-weekend-from-madrid.md) (2 nights, Guadalupe): In spring the Villuercas have green ranges and full streams, and it is one of its two best seasons, with autumn. Two nights beside the monastery allow for the guided visit, the hermitage and a walk. The vulture hide is booked beforehand. - [Évora: megaliths with an archaeologist](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/evora/itineraries/almendres-megaliths-with-an-archaeologist.md) (Day itinerary, Évora): In spring the Almendres cork-oak grove is green and flowering, and it is the best time to spend three hours in the countryside with the archaeologist. Groups are of 3 to 7 people: book. 1 May is also a holiday in Portugal, and Évora receives many Portuguese visitors. - [On foot from Castelo de Vide to Marvão](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/marvao/itineraries/pr3-trail-from-castelo-de-vide.md) (Day itinerary, Marvão): The path from Castelo de Vide to Marvão is almost ten kilometres among chestnut trees, and in spring the countryside is green and the sun not yet oppressive. It is not done in July and August: almost all in the sun. May is one of its best months. Remember: in Portugal, one hour earlier. - [A Templar Weekend in Tomar, an Hour and a Half from Lisbon: Convent, Almourol, Medieval Banquet and Castelo de Bode](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/central-portugal/tomar/itineraries/templar-weekend-with-almourol.md) (2 nights, Tomar): The Convent of Christ is closed on 1 May, so if the long weekend starts that day, leave Tomar for the second and do Almourol and the Pegões first. From April to June the Tagus and the Castelo de Bode reservoir are at their best for the boat. - [A Stargazing Night in Monsaraz, an Hour and a Half from Badajoz](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/alentejo/monsaraz/itineraries/stargazing-night-in-monsaraz.md) (1 night, Monsaraz): Spring is one of the best seasons for the Alqueva sky, with mild nights for being outdoors. The Cumeada telescope sessions run Tuesday to Saturday: choose the night and check the moon phase, because with a full moon you cannot see the Milky Way. - [Jerez de los Caballeros: towers and citadel](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/jerez-de-los-caballeros/itineraries/towers-and-templars-with-a-guide.md) (Day itinerary, Jerez de los Caballeros): In spring Jerez de los Caballeros is toured without summer's heat, between the towers of San Miguel and San Bartolomé and the Templar fortress. The Museum of Sacred Art, with Jerez's Holy Week, opens on Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00. An hour from Badajoz. ## 1 May is a holiday on both sides The dehesa is never as green as on the May long weekend. 1 May, Labour Day, is a holiday in Extremadura and also in Portugal, where it is the Dia do Trabalhador, and Extremadura does not add another day: there is a three-day long weekend if it falls on a Friday or a Monday, and four if it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday and you take the day in between. That it is also a holiday in Portugal changes plans along the border. Évora, Marvão and Monsaraz receive many Portuguese families that day, and some monuments close: the Convent of Christ in Tomar and the Jerónimos monastery in Lisbon are not open on 1 May. On the other days of the long weekend, Portugal operates like a normal weekend. ## The dehesa in its month May is the last month before the heat, and the dehesa knows it: tall grass, holm oaks with new shoots and flowers in the verges. It is the moment for countryside getaways. In Monfragüe, the birds are in full nesting and can be seen from the viewpoints without walking much; in Trujillo, lesser kestrels nest on the roofs of the Plaza Mayor. And in Guadalupe, the Villuercas have full streams. In Portugal, spring is the time for walking. The path from Castelo de Vide to Marvão climbs among chestnut trees to the walls, and at the Almendres, near Évora, the cork-oak grove surrounds an enclosure of almost a hundred standing stones. ## Two nights on the other side With four days there is room for two nights away. Tomar, two and a half hours away, is the Templar getaway: the Convent of Christ, Almourol castle on an island in the Tagus and a boat on the Castelo de Bode reservoir. You just have to fit the convent day around 1 May, when it is closed. Closer, Monsaraz calls for a night for the sky: it is at the centre of Dark Sky Alqueva and twenty minutes from the Cumeada observatory. ## Weather and time May in Extremadura can already have days of thirty degrees in the afternoon, especially in the second half. Do countryside walks in the morning and leave the afternoon for villages and lunches. And remember the time: in Portugal it is one hour earlier than in Spain, so the ten o'clock visit in Évora is at eleven Badajoz time. ## Vultures within binocular range At Monfragüe, the Salto del Gitano and castle viewpoints are reached almost from the car, and the vultures pass very close. Trujillo's Plaza Mayor, with the kestrels, appeals at any age. In Marvão, the walls and the castle cistern are a game for explorers. And a night of telescopes in Monsaraz, with children over seven or eight, is one they will not forget. ## Monfragüe has few beds First, the beds in Monfragüe, which are few, and those in Guadalupe. Then whatever has places: the Monfragüe 4x4, the visit to the Almendres, the Cumeada stargazing session and the vulture hide in Guadalupe. In Portugal, book lunch on 1 May: it is a holiday there too. ## Road and timetables From Badajoz the long-weekend exits are less congested than from the big cities, and the border is ten minutes away. What you do notice is the timetable: with the hour's difference, one in the afternoon in Portugal is two in Badajoz, and many kitchens close between lunch and dinner. If you cross for lunch, arrive early and book on 1 May. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is 1 May a holiday in Portugal? Yes, it is the Dia do Trabalhador. Some monuments close that day, such as the Convent of Christ in Tomar and the Jerónimos in Lisbon. ### Can you see birds in Monfragüe in May? It is one of its best months: from March to May the birds are nesting. From the Salto del Gitano you see griffon vultures up close and, with luck, black stork or imperial eagle. ### What can you do in a single day? Trujillo, Jerez de los Caballeros, Évora or Marvão, all less than two hours away. Remember that in Portugal it is one hour earlier. ### Is it already hot in May? It can be: at the end of the month there are afternoons of thirty degrees. Leave long walks for the morning.