Restaurante Santa María
What to order: the Iberian pork and the house's traditional cooking; ask about what is in season
geocalia
Day itinerary · 38.32° N · 6.77° W
Jerez de los Caballeros on a Sunday: the Templar citadel and the city of towers.
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.
Leaving from
Part of Jerez de los Caballeros
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car1 h each way
WalkingAbout 3 h spread out, uphill
DifficultyEasy, sloping cobbles
CostGuided visit €11 and lunch
Best timeMarch – May · September – November
With childrenYes; under-12s do not pay for the visit
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Badajoz 1 h by car
from Badajoz, about 75 km
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1
Guided visit to Jerez de los Caballeros
leaves from Plaza de España · €11 · booking and wait for confirmation
+34 634 686 903
- 5 min on foot
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2
Museum of Sacred Art and Holy Week exhibition
on Sunday, 10:00 to 14:00
- 6 min on foot
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3
Church of Santa María de la Encarnación
the Visigothic inscription of the year 556 · if it is open
- 2 min on foot
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4
Restaurante Santa María
on Plaza de Santa María · €€ · booking
Calle Reloj, 34, 06380 Jerez de los Caballeros · +34 924 750 429
Restaurant €€ - 3 min on foot
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5
Circuit of the wall by its gates
from the Puerta de Burgos to the Puerta de la Villa
- 5 min on foot
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6
Vasco Núñez de Balboa House Museum
ask the tourist office for the hours
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Back home
you reach Badajoz around 19:00
Approximate cost
About €30–45 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Guided visit to Jerez de los Caballeros
Jerez de los Caballeros is an hour from Badajoz and a little over two from Seville and Huelva, among the dehesa pastures in the south-west of the province. A Sunday here is for climbing up to the Templars' citadel, looking at the four Baroque towers and eating in the shade of the oldest church. The tourist office is closed on Sundays: bring the map and have the guided visit booked.
The day, hour by hour
9:30 · Set off. From Badajoz it is about 75 km, a little over an hour. From Mérida, an hour and a half; from Seville, Huelva or Cáceres, a little over two hours, so leave earlier. Leave the car outside the upper town.
10:45 · Guided visit. Tour Extremadura leaves from the Plaza de España and takes an hour and a half to cover San Miguel Arcángel, San Bartolomé, the castle, the citadel and the wall. It costs €11, free for under-12s; entry to monuments and churches is extra. Book on 634 686 903 and wait for confirmation.
12:30 · Museum of Sacred Art. In the Palacio de la Vicaría, with the permanent exhibition of Jerez's Holy Week. On Sundays it opens until 14:00.
13:15 · Santa María de la Encarnación. The oldest church, beside the citadel, with the column bearing the Visigothic inscription of the year 556. It is a parish church: if it is closed, you see it from outside.
14:00 · Lunch at Restaurante Santa María. Family-run for more than forty years, in the same square. On Sundays it opens at midday; book on 924 750 429.
16:15 · Back along the wall. From the Puerta de Burgos, with the statue of Hernando de Soto, to the Puerta de la Villa, passing the citadel and the Torre Sangrienta.
17:30 · Casa Museo de Vasco Núñez de Balboa. His birthplace, about 200 m from the Museum of Sacred Art. The tourist office gives the opening hours: call ahead.
18:00 · Head home. You reach Badajoz around seven.
With children
The citadel, the Torre Sangrienta and the wall are the plan: Templars and towers. The guided visit is free for under-12s. With a pushchair, the cobbled slopes of the upper town are hard going.
Time1 h 30
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Caeriana
What to order: meats grilled over holm-oak charcoal or the fish of the day
Hotel Rural Arroyo La Plata Restaurant
What to order: local produce and the cooking of the day; in good weather, the terrace
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Jerez de los Caballeros
In spring and autumn. The Museum of Sacred Art opens on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00 and Restaurante Santa María serves lunch on Sundays. In July, the Templar Festival.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the visit on Friday
It does not publish fixed departures and the tourist office is closed on Sundays.
- 2Combine with Zafra
If you come from Mérida or Seville, Zafra is on the way, forty minutes off.
We'd skip it
Coming on a Wednesday: Restaurante Santa María is closed.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day in Jerez de los Caballeros cost?
The guided visit €11 and lunch; the rest can be seen free from the street. Between €30 and €45 per person.
Is the tourist office open on Sundays?
The town council publishes hours from Tuesday to Saturday. Bring the map and have the visit booked.
Can you do it with children?
Yes. They like the citadel and the wall, and the guided visit is free for under-12s.
What happens if it rains?
The Museum of Sacred Art and Balboa's house are indoors; the cobbles are slippery.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/jerez-de-los-caballeros/itineraries/towers-and-templars-with-a-guide
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.