Cáceres, a whole medieval city.

Cáceres keeps within its walls an almost complete medieval and Renaissance city: stone streets without cars, fortified houses with coats of arms, towers, palaces and churches, all in a few hectares on a hill. The monumental city has been a World Heritage Site since 1986, and in 2026 it marks forty years since the declaration. Below, the Plaza Mayor acts as a hinge with the new town. It can be seen in a day, but at night, lit up and silent, is where it truly surprises.

How to get there from Mérida or Badajoz

By car, from Mérida it is about 75 km on the A-66, under an hour. From Badajoz, about 90 km, a good hour and a half. From Salamanca, about 200 km on the A-66, around two hours twenty. From Madrid, about 300 km on the A-5 and the A-58 via Trujillo, a little over three hours.

By train, Renfe Media Distancia arrives from Mérida, Badajoz and Madrid. The train and bus stations are together, south of the centre, about 2 km from the Plaza Mayor: half an hour on foot or a taxi.

Where to park

Outside the walls. The monumental city is a restricted-traffic zone and its streets are not for cars: park in the centre, for example in the Obispo Galarza car park, and walk up. If you sleep at the parador you can drive in, but follow its instructions: enter by calle San Ildefonso and register your number plate at reception.

What to see in a day

Start in the Plaza Mayor, where the tourist office is. Climb the Torre de Bujaco, for €2.50, to see the square from above, and enter the monumental city through the Arco de la Estrella. You soon reach the plaza de Santa María, with the co-cathedral surrounded by palaces.

Continue to the plaza de los Golfines: the palacio de los Golfines de Abajo is visited inside with a guide, in small groups and at fixed times, for €3. It is the way to see how a noble family of the city lived, with its Armoury and its archive. A step away is the plaza de San Jorge, with the staircase of San Francisco Javier. Higher up, in the plaza de las Veletas, the Museo de Cáceres holds an Arab cistern beneath the house; it is free for EU citizens.

In the afternoon, the Museo Helga de Alvear, of contemporary art and free, or an aimless stroll along the streets of the upper part. Come back at nightfall: with the stone lit up and almost no people, it is another city.

If you prefer to be told about it, the full tour by Activa Tours does the route in two and a half hours with an official guide, four admissions and a tasting, for €19.50. It leaves from the Plaza Mayor.

Where to eat

Inside the walls, the Parador restaurant is open every day with Extremaduran cooking. Torre de Sande, Atrio's eating house, has a garden at the foot of an ivy-covered tower. Next to the monumental city, El Figón de Eustaquio, open since 1947, has a regional menu of migas, chanfaina and venison. For a big occasion, Atrio, with three Michelin stars.

How much time do you need?

A day for the essentials. With a night, you see the city lit up and visit the Golfines and the museums at leisure. With two, Cáceres is a base for Trujillo, 40 minutes away, for the Monfragüe National Park, an hour away, or for Mérida, an hour away on the A-66.

When to go

In spring and autumn, when it is pleasant to walk at any hour. In mid-November, the Mercado Medieval de las Tres Culturas fills the city with stalls and shows, with light and sound over the Torre de Bujaco; some museums close on those days. July and August are very hot: leave the visit for the morning and the night.