# Pilar long weekend from Badajoz: getaways for 12 October, the National Day Getaways from Badajoz for the Hispanidad long weekend: the Monfragüe deer rut, the 12 October festival in Guadalupe, Lisbon and its coast in autumn and the Ambroz chestnut grove. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/badajoz/getaways/pilar-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Badajoz - [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): On 12 October Guadalupe celebrates the Hispanidad Festival, because its Virgin is patron saint of Extremadura and Queen of the Hispanidad, and the village receives pilgrims. If you want the festival, go that day; if you want calm, arrive on Saturday. Beds opposite the monastery are booked weeks ahead. - [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): In October the deer of Monfragüe are in rut: at dawn and dusk you hear them roar from the viewpoints and tracks. The park organises free guided walks with booking in October, and the guided Sunday 4x4 goes out at the times of greatest activity. - [A Weekend in Lisbon, Two and a Half Hours from Badajoz](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/lisbon-region/lisbon/itineraries/weekend-from-badajoz.md) (2 nights, Lisbon): 12 October is a working day in Portugal, so Lisbon has the rhythm of a normal autumn weekend, with a good temperature for the Alfama slopes. Watch out if the long weekend includes a Monday: the Jerónimos and Belém close every Monday. Book the timed ticket. - [Two Nights in Ericeira, an Hour from Lisbon: Surf, Mafra Palace and the Tapada](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/lisbon-region/ericeira-and-mafra/itineraries/two-nights-with-surf-and-the-tapada.md) (2 nights, Ericeira and Mafra): October is one of the good months to start surfing in Ericeira, with the water still warm and autumn waves on the school beaches. Mafra palace is closed on Tuesdays: if the holiday falls on a Tuesday, do Mafra on the Monday. Book the lesson on the school's website. - [A Night in Óbidos from Lisbon: the Walls at Dusk, Dinner by the Wall-Walk and a Canoe on the Lagoon](https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/central-portugal/obidos/itineraries/one-night-with-walls-and-canoe.md) (1 night, Óbidos): September and October are Óbidos's months without summer's queues on the Rua Direita, and the canoe on the lagoon still goes out. As 12 October is not a holiday in Portugal, the village is quiet. A Nova Casa de Ramiro is closed on Sundays: dinner is the Saturday one. - [Autumn in Hervás and the Ambroz Valley, three hours from Madrid](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/hervas-and-the-ambroz-valley/itineraries/autumn-hervas-ambroz-valley-from-madrid.md) (2 nights, Hervás and the Ambroz Valley): From early October to the last weekend of November, the villages of the Ambroz Valley celebrate the Otoño Mágico, with walks through the chestnut grove and markets every weekend. In mid-October the chestnut grove begins to turn yellow. Book the Vía Verde bike. - [Cáceres and Trujillo: King's Landing and Casterly Rock](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/caceres/itineraries/kings-landing-and-casterly-rock.md) (Day itinerary, Cáceres): In autumn you walk happily up the slopes of Cáceres and Trujillo, which in summer scorch from mid-morning. From October to April Trujillo castle opens in the afternoon from 16:00 to 19:00, just in time for sunset. The Cáceres free tour does not run every day: confirm it. - [Trujillo: HABLA winery and sunset at the castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/trujillo/itineraries/trujillo-habla-winery-tasting-and-castle-sunset.md) (Day itinerary, Trujillo): From October to May the guided sunset visit at Trujillo castle goes out in mid-afternoon, and you are back in Badajoz at a reasonable hour. The Bodegas HABLA tasting is at 12:30, with tapas: whoever tastes should not drive. ## 12 October, with Portugal at work October is the month of the deer in Monfragüe and of the Hispanidad in Guadalupe, and the 12th, the Pilar and Spain's National Day, brings the two together. In Extremadura it is a holiday with no added day: there is a three-day Hispanidad long weekend if it falls on a Monday or Friday, four if it falls on a Tuesday or Thursday and you take the day in between. If it falls on a Wednesday, the October long weekend stays a single day. In Portugal 12 October is an ordinary day. Its holiday that month is a week earlier, on 5 October, Republic Day. That is why, for someone leaving Badajoz, this long weekend is a good occasion for Lisbon and its coast: there is no long weekend there, and Lisbon, Ericeira and Óbidos have the crowd of any autumn weekend. ## The deer rut, two and a half hours away In October the deer in Monfragüe are in rut, and the roaring is the sound of the park at dawn and dusk. You hear it from the viewpoints and from the tracks, and with binoculars you see the stags in the clearings. Two nights in Villarreal de San Carlos, inside the park, let you be at the viewpoints at dawn and dusk without driving at night. In October the park organises free guided walks with booking. ## Guadalupe, on Hispanidad day Guadalupe lives 12 October as one of its two great festivals, along with 8 September. Its Virgin is patron saint of Extremadura and Queen of the Hispanidad, and the monastery receives pilgrims and visitors that day. If you want to see the festival, go on the 12th. If you prefer the monastery in peace, arrive on Saturday and leave the festival day for walking in the Villuercas. ## Lisbon and its coast in autumn Lisbon is two and a half hours away by the A6. In October the slopes of Alfama no longer scorch and the viewpoints have autumn's low light. To the north, Ericeira is the coast's surf village, with autumn waves good for learning, and Mafra palace a quarter of an hour away. Óbidos, an hour from Lisbon, is strolled without the summer queues. A detail of the Portuguese calendar: the Jerónimos and Belém close on Mondays, and Mafra palace on Tuesdays. If your long weekend includes one of those days, fit the visits around them. ## The Ambroz chestnut grove North of Cáceres, the Ambroz Valley begins its Otoño Mágico in October, with walks, markets and activities at weekends. By mid-month the chestnut grove is taking on yellow, which peaks between the end of October and November. ## The deer rut seen by a child In Monfragüe, the rut at dusk from a viewpoint impresses at any age, and the vultures at the Salto del Gitano are within binocular range. In Lisbon, tram 28 and the boat to Cacilhas are outings in themselves. And in Cáceres, touring the series' locations with the free tour hooks teenagers. ## What sells out The rural houses in Villarreal de San Carlos and the beds in Guadalupe fill for this long weekend. In Lisbon, the Jerónimos ticket is timed and sells out at weekends. In Ericeira, the surf lessons have places by group. ## Chestnut groves still green The Aracena and Marvão chestnut groves have their best moment at the end of October and in November: in mid-October they are still green. And the Monsaraz river beach no longer has lifeguards: its season ends in September. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is 12 October a holiday in Portugal? No. It is a working day there; Portugal's October holiday is the 5th, Republic Day. ### When is the rut in Monfragüe? In October, with the deer in rut. It is heard mostly at dawn and dusk. ### What happens in Guadalupe on 12 October? The Hispanidad Festival is celebrated, because the Virgen de Guadalupe is Queen of the Hispanidad and patron saint of Extremadura. There are more people than usual. ### What can you do in a single day? Cáceres and Trujillo, with the castle at sunset, or Trujillo with a wine tasting, less than two hours away.