# Sunday in Cáceres: Bujaco, the Golfines and the cistern

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.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/caceres/itineraries/bujaco-golfines-and-cistern

## El día
- 09:00 · Salida: 1 h by car (from Mérida via the A-66, about 75 km)
- 10:00 · Plaza Mayor and Arco de la Estrella (park outside the wall · map at the tourist office)
  - 2 min on foot
- 10:15 · Bujaco Tower and its viewpoint (€2.50 · half an hour)
  - 6 min on foot
- 11:00 · Golfines de Abajo Palace, with a guide (11:00 guided tour · €3 · buy beforehand on its website)
  - 5 min on foot
- 12:15 · Cáceres Museum and its Arab cistern (free for EU citizens · on Sunday, until 15:00)
  - 5 min on foot
- 13:30 · Parador de Cáceres Restaurant (Extremaduran cooking · €€€ · booking) · Parador de Cáceres Restaurant, €€€
  - 4 min on foot
- 15:45 · Plaza de San Jorge and San Francisco Javier church (the San Francisco Javier staircase)
  - 3 min on foot
- 16:30 · Santa María Co-Cathedral (ask the office for the day's hours)
- 17:30 · Vuelta (you reach Mérida around 18:30)

Cáceres is an hour from Mérida on the A-66: you arrive mid-morning and come back in daylight. Sunday has a catch: the Golfines palace and the Museo de Cáceres open only in the morning. This plan puts them before lunch and leaves the afternoon for wandering the monumental city, which never closes.

## The day, hour by hour

9:00 · Set off. From Mérida it is about 75 km on the A-66. From Badajoz, an hour and a half; from Salamanca, about two hours twenty, so leave earlier. Park outside the wall: the monumental city has restricted traffic.

10:00 · Plaza Mayor. Pick up a map at the tourist office and look at the square with the wall and the Torre de Bujaco above it.

10:15 · Torre de Bujaco. €2.50 and half an hour: the Plaza Mayor from above.

11:00 · Golfines de Abajo palace. You can only enter with a guide, in small groups at fixed times: on Sundays there are visits at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00. It costs €3, free for under-12s. Buy the ticket on its website: you will not wait more than five minutes.

12:15 · Museo de Cáceres. On Plaza de las Veletas, with the Arab cistern under the house. Free for EU citizens; on Sundays it closes at 15:00.

13:30 · Lunch at the Parador. Inside the wall, on Calle Ancha: zorongollo, Iberian sirloin with Torta del Casar and técula mécula. Open at midday every day; book on 927 211 759.

15:45 · Plaza de San Jorge. The steps of San Francisco Javier above the patron saint's square.

16:30 · Co-cathedral of Santa María. Ask the day's opening hours at the tourist office, because they depend on services. Then a wander without a set route around the upper part.

17:30 · Head home. You reach Mérida around half past six.

## With children

They enjoy the Torre de Bujaco and the cistern, and at the Golfines there is a family visit with riddles. Under-12s do not pay for the palace. With a pushchair, the sloping cobbles are hard going: a baby carrier is better.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
From Mérida and Salamanca on the A-66; from Badajoz, about 90 km. Park outside the wall.

### Without a car
Renfe Media Distancia trains run from Mérida and Badajoz. The station is about 2 km from the Plaza Mayor: a taxi or half an hour on foot.

## Consejos

### Buy the Golfines tickets on Saturday
The visits are for small groups and sell out.

### Come back on a Saturday night
The monumental city lit up is the best of Cáceres.

## Cuándo no ir

Leaving the Golfines and the museum for Sunday afternoon: both close at midday.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the day in Cáceres cost?
Bujaco €2.50, the Golfines €3 and the museum free for EU citizens. With lunch at the parador, about €45–70 per person.

### What is open on Sunday afternoon?
The streets and squares, always. The Golfines palace and the Museo de Cáceres close at midday.

### Can you do it without a car?
Yes, by train from Mérida or Badajoz, with a taxi or a walk from the station.

### What happens if it rains?
The Museo de Cáceres, the Golfines and the Museo Helga de Alvear are indoors; the cobbles are slippery.