Map
12 plans, by travel time
45 min to 1 h
1 plan
Mérida: theatre, museum and Alcazaba
Theatre, amphitheatre and Alcazaba+Grill at Tuétano €€
Theatre and amphitheatre at 9:30 with the joint ticket, the National Museum of Roman Art free on Sundays, a charcoal grill beside the Alcazaba and an afternoon from the bridge to the aqueduct.
1 h to 1 h 30
11 plans
Jerez de los Caballeros: towers and citadel
Guided visit of the towers and citadel+Lunch at Restaurante Santa María €€
A guided visit to San Miguel, San Bartolomé and the Templar citadel, the Museum of Sacred Art with its Holy Week display, lunch beside Santa María and back along the wall.
Zafra: squares, convent and spa
Squares and Santa Clara convent+Lunch at the parador €€€+Thermal circuit at El Raposo
Plaza Grande and Plaza Chica with their measuring rod, the cloister of Santa Clara, the Zafra Única route, lunch in the Feria family's fortress and an afternoon on the thermal circuit at El Raposo.
Évora: megaliths with an archaeologist
Visit with an archaeologist 3 h · €30+Cathedral and Roman temple
Three hours with an archaeologist among the nearly one hundred Almendres menhirs and the great Zambujeiro dolmen, lunch in Évora and the afternoon at the cathedral and the Roman temple.
Évora: temple, cathedral and bones
Cathedral and Chapel of Bones+Walled centre on foot
Évora is an hour and a quarter from Badajoz and its walled centre can be seen on foot in a day: the cathedral terrace, the Roman temple, the Chapel of Bones and the aqueduct.
Cáceres: towers, palace and cistern
Golfines with a guide and the cistern+Lunch at the parador €€€
The Torre de Bujaco, the Golfines de Abajo palace with a guide, the cistern at the Museo de Cáceres and lunch at the parador; an afternoon of squares and churches.
Cáceres and Trujillo: King's Landing and Casterly Rock
Film free tour, pay what you wish+Extremaduran menu €€+Trujillo castle €2
A free film tour through the Cáceres of Euron Greyjoy, the Plaza de Santa María and San Jorge, Extremaduran lunch and, in the afternoon, Casterly Rock at Trujillo castle.
On foot from Castelo de Vide to Marvão
PR3 trail · 9.6 km · 3 h 30+Marvão walls
Almost ten waymarked kilometres between two border towns, with a final climb on a medieval cobbled path among chestnut trees. You eat in Marvão and walk the walls at sunset.
Elemaki · CC BY 3.0Marvão: chestnut fair
Chestnut festival+Castle and cistern+Alentejo cooking €€€
Roast chestnuts and producers' stalls along the streets of Marvão at its November festival, a climb to the castle and Alentejo lunch with the plain spread out in front of you. An hour and a half from Badajoz.
Marvão and Castelo de Vide
Walls and castle 3 h+Jewish quarter of Castelo de Vide
A morning in Marvão, the walled town on a granite ridge, with the castle and its cistern; lunch and afternoon in Castelo de Vide, 11 km away, with its medieval Jewish quarter.
Monsaraz: town, menhirs and potters
Town and castle 2 h+Menhirs and pottery
A town of two white streets with a castle overlooking Lake Alqueva, a medieval fresco of the good and the bad judge, a menhir enclosure and Portugal's largest pottery village.
Monsaraz: lake beach and sunset
River beach with Blue Flag+Town and castle at sunset
A swim at the river beach on Alqueva lake, with lifeguards and a children's area, lunch in the shade and a climb up to the town when the sun goes down, to see the lake from the castle.
Driving time from central Badajoz on a Sunday morning, with no stops. Opening times for the plans in Portugal are given in Portuguese time, one hour behind Spain: you lose an hour on the clock on the way there and gain it back on the way home.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Which plan is best with children?
Monsaraz in summer, for the river beach on Lake Alqueva, with lifeguards and a play area. Outside summer, the walls of Marvão and the standing stones of Évora and Monsaraz.
Do we have to pay tolls?
The A6 towards Évora has a toll, and some Portuguese motorways charge electronically only: register your number plate before crossing. Marvão and Monsaraz can be reached by national roads.
Do restaurants open on Sundays in Portugal?
Many close on Sunday or Monday. Check the lunch details for each plan and book: in small villages there are few tables.
What time is it in Portugal?
One hour behind Spain all year round. If you leave Badajoz at 9:00, you reach Évora at 9:15 local time.