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Itinerary · 2 nights

The Ambroz Valley in autumn, a little over three hours from Madrid.

Two nights in Hervás when the chestnut trees turn yellow: the Vía Verde by bike from Béjar, the Jewish quarter with a guide, the chestnut grove and the Otoño Mágico festivities.

Part of Hervás and the Ambroz ValleyThe Central System

Duration2 nights in Hervás
From MadridA little over 3 h by car
KilometresAbout 290
Best timeOctober – November
Getting thereCar via the A-5 and Plasencia, or via Ávila and Béjar

The plan

The plan, hour by hour

Designed for leaving Madrid on Friday at 17:00 and sleeping two nights in Hervás on an October or November weekend. Book the bike, the meals and the guided visit first.

Friday

  1. 120:30Arrival and dinner in the Jewish quarter

    Leave the car outside the Jewish quarter and walk down. Dinner at Sésamo, on Calle La Cuestecilla, open Friday and Saturday from 21:00 to 22:30: book.

Saturday

  1. 19:00Vía Verde by bike from Béjar

    Bicis Ambroz takes you up to Béjar and you ride 23 km down among chestnut trees, almost all downhill, to the Iron Bridge in Hervás. About two and a half hours; from €23 with bike, helmet and transfer.

  2. 213:30Lunch at Nardi

    Seasonal Extremaduran cooking, with tasting menus and à la carte, on Calle Braulio Navas. Open at midday Wednesday to Sunday: book.

  3. 317:00Free tour at dusk through the Jewish quarter

    With Visitas Hervás, official guide: the history of the Jews and conversos of Hervás, the Travesía del Moral and the Fuente Chiquita bridge, in the last light. You pay what you think it was worth.

Sunday

  1. 110:00The chestnut grove

    If it is picking season, ask at the tourist office about access to the Castaños del Temblar, in Segura de Toro, trees 700 and 800 years old. Or take the Castañar Gallego visit with a biologist with Visitas Hervás. If it coincides, join an Otoño Mágico activity.

  2. 212:30Pérez Comendador-Leroux Museum and the drive back

    The Dávila palace, with sculpture, painting and a garden, is open on Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00 and is free. Have something on the Corredera and set off for Madrid: you arrive about 19:00.

Map

The stops, in order

What to do Eat 88 €Stay Services

Plan the trip

Hervás and the Ambroz Valley, step by step

Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.

  1. 11. When to go
  2. 22. How you travel
  3. 33. Where to stay
  4. 44. Where to eat

When to go

When to go to Hervás and the Ambroz Valley

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Best timeGood timeLow season

How you travel

The same break, your way

The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.

By Car Through the Ambroz Valley

Hervás is beside the A-66, an hour and a quarter from Salamanca and an hour and twenty from Cáceres, and the car opens up the rest of the valley: Segura de Toro, Cáparra, Baños de Montemayor or Granadilla. In the village, leave it outside the Jewish quarter and walk.

70–130 €per person per day, approximate
  • Where to SleepHotel Hospedería Valle del Ambroz…
  • Getting AroundA-66 from Cáceres or Salamanca…
  • Where to EatNardi, at lunchtime Wednesday to…
  • ServicesTourist office on Calle Braulio…

Where to Sleep

  • Hotel Hospedería Valle del Ambroz, in the former convent
  • Hotel Spa Sinagoga, on Avenida de la Provincia, easy to reach by car
  • El Jardín del Convento, a country house on the Plaza del Convento

Getting Around

  • A-66 from Cáceres or Salamanca; exit for Hervás
  • Cáparra, beside the N-630, km 455
  • Temblar Chestnut Trees, in Segura de Toro

Where to Eat

  • Nardi, at lunchtime Wednesday to Sunday
  • Sésamo, in the Jewish quarter, Friday to Sunday

Services

  • Tourist office on Calle Braulio Navas

How much does it cost?

People2
Nights2

Approximate, for 2 people and 2 nights: staying, eating and getting around there for each way of travelling. Getting there is not included.

Where to stay

Where to stay if you're driving

We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel

The hotel pool with the sierra in the background© Hospederías de ExtremaduraHotel

Hospedería Valle del Ambroz Hotel

Four stars · Former convent · Cloister and library · Pool in summer

Why we like it: Four-star hotel in a 17th-century Trinitarian convent, with 26 rooms, cloister, library, restaurant and a seasonal pool.

From €75 / night View details
The garden of the house with wooden tables and benches© El Jardín del ConventoCountry house

El Jardín del Convento Country House

19th-century house · Garden and vegetable plot · 7 rooms and cottage · Homemade breakfast

Why we like it: A 19th-century family house with a garden, glazed gallery and seven rooms plus a small cottage, on the Plaza del Convento; homemade buffet breakfast.

Spa hotel

Hotel Spa Sinagoga

Three stars · Spa · Seasonal pool · Restaurant

Why we like it: Three-star hotel in the centre of Hervás with spa, seasonal outdoor pool, restaurant with daily menu and views of the chestnut groves.

Services for this trip

Hervás Tourist OfficeAt Calle Braulio Navas, 6, beside the Corredera · information on the village and the Ambroz Valley, visiting hours and the Magic Autumn programme

Areas, for any way of travelling

AreaWho it's forAverage night
Jewish QuarterHalf-timbered houses, narrow streets and rural houses
La CorrederaSquare, restaurants and the tourist office
The ConventThe Hospedería and the church of San Juan Bautista

Where to eat

Where to eat in Hervás and the Ambroz Valley

The dining room of Nardi Restaurant© Restaurante Nardi

Nardi Restaurant

Restaurant · Hervás · €€€€

What to order: the Extremaduran-style pig's trotter ravioli, the house's classic bite, and seasonal mushrooms; or one of the tasting menus

The dining room of Sésamo, Casa de Comidas© Sésamo, Casa de Comidas

Sésamo, Casa de Comidas

Restaurant · Hervás · €€€€

What to order: the seasonal menu with produce from the valley; ask for a table in the dining room if it rains and on the terrace if it is fine

Tips

Worth knowing first

Local tip

Book everything at once: in autumn, the morning bikes, Nardi and Sésamo fill up on Saturdays.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take from Madrid to Hervás?

A little over three hours by car, about 290 km via Plasencia or via Ávila and Béjar.

When are the chestnut trees in colour?

In October and November, coinciding with the Otoño Mágico.

Where to sleep in Hervás?

At the Hospedería Valle del Ambroz, at El Jardín del Convento or at the Hotel Spa Sinagoga.

Can the Vía Verde be done with children?

Yes, from Béjar to Hervás it is almost all downhill and there are bikes and trailers for children.