Hotel Balneario Valle del Jerte
Why we like it: Four-star spa hotel with 77 rooms in Valdastillas, with mineral-medicinal water circuits, three dining rooms and small dogs admitted.
Duration2 nights in Jerte
From MadridAlmost 3 h by car
KilometresAbout 220 via Ávila
Best timeLate March – April
Getting thereCar via the AP-6 and N-110, or CEVESA bus
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for leaving Madrid on Friday at 17:00 and sleeping two nights in Jerte. On blossom days, between late March and mid-April, book the accommodation weeks ahead and the meals before you leave.
Friday
- 120:00Arrival in Jerte and dinner
You come down the Tornavacas pass in the last light. Dinner at Flor del Cerezo, the inn's restaurant, with the picota cherry as the star product: book by phone, on 927 470 101.
Saturday
- 110:00Drive through the villages of the sierra
About 50 km along the cherry-tree slope: Valdastillas, Piornal, Barrado, Cabrero, Casas del Castañar, El Torno and Rebollar. Stop at the viewpoints over the terraces. If the blossom has already fallen below, up in Piornal it is still there.
- 214:00Lunch in Cabezuela del Valle
At the Judería restaurant, next to the church of San Miguel: Extremaduran cooking with produce from the valley, and dogs admitted in the gastrobar area. It doesn't publish opening times: book by phone.
- 316:30Cabezuela, the Jewish quarter and the Cherry Museum
The historic-artistic centre of crooked streets, La Aldea, where the Jewish quarter was, and the Museo de la Cereza on Calle Hondón (call ahead on 636 731 862). If it coincides with the festival, the villages open their cellars, forges and presses.
Sunday
- 110:00Los Pilones
From the Garganta de los Infiernos Interpretation Centre, 3 km of climbing among oaks to the granite pools: 45 minutes each way. In spring the gorge runs strongly: look, don't swim. The car park at the entrance is paid from mid-March.
- 213:30Lunch at Piconegro
The restaurant of the Valdastillas spa hotel is open on Sunday at midday; closed that night and Monday. Book on the hotel's website.
- 315:30Caozo waterfall, if you have legs left
The 7 km loop from Valdastillas passes among cherry orchards in blossom. If you prefer not to reach Madrid late, set off directly: you are home around 19:00.
Every spring, more than a million and a half cherry trees cover themselves in white blossom on the terraces of the Jerte Valley, in the north of Cáceres. From Madrid it is about 220 km, almost three hours via the AP-6 to Villacastín and the N-110 through Ávila and El Barco, and the last stretch comes down the Tornavacas pass with the whole valley in front of you. It makes a weekend from Friday to Sunday: one day for the blossom by car and on foot through the villages, and another for the Garganta de los Infiernos and its granite pools.
When is the blossom?
It changes every year. In 2026 it was from 20 March to 3 April, more or less. The cherry trees lower down flower first, in Navaconcejo and Valdastillas, and then those on the high slopes, so in the valley it lasts about two weeks. The Cherry Blossom Festival, of National Tourist Interest, opens in one village and closes in another two weeks later: in 2026, in Tornavacas from 27 to 29 March and in Casas del Castañar on 11 and 12 April. The 2027 dates have not been announced yet. The tourist office reports on the blossom by WhatsApp, on 609 414 796.
How do you get there from Madrid?
By car, via the AP-6 to Villacastín and the N-110 through Ávila, El Barco de Ávila and the Tornavacas pass: it is the shortest and prettiest route. The other option is the A-5 to Navalmoral de la Mata and the dual carriageway to Plasencia, to go up the valley from below. Without a car, CEVESA leaves from Madrid's Estación Sur for Plasencia via El Barco de Ávila and stops in the valley, with few services: if you go by bus, sleep in Jerte and rely on the 4x4s of the valley's companies.
Where to sleep?
| Accommodation | Where | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Valle del Jerte | In the village of Jerte | Couples or families, close to everything, from €75 |
| El Cerezal de los Sotos | 600 m from Jerte | Couples, adults only, two-night minimum, from €115 |
| Hotel Balneario Valle del Jerte | Valdastillas, in the lower part | Spa in the afternoon; dogs under 5 kg |
| Camping Valle del Jerte | At the entrance to the reserve | Tent, motorhome or bungalow; opens on 19 March |
What if I go in May or June?
Then there is no blossom, but there are cherries. From May to July they are harvested; the picotas, the stalkless Jerte variety, from mid-June. Swap Saturday's drive for a cherry picking with the company Garganta de los Infiernos, from Jerte: four hours, about 2 kg of cherries to take away and a stop at Los Pilones, from €50 per person. In June the water at Los Pilones is already inviting for a swim.
With children
It works well. Los Pilones is a short route with a reward, the Caozo is low difficulty and the cherry picking is beginner level. For those who don't walk, the 4x4 to Los Pilones takes two hours from €20. The campsite has a pool and playground, and bungalows for up to eight.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Jerte 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.
When to go
When to go to Jerte Valley
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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.
The N-110 Runs the Length of the Valley
By car you have everything within half an hour: the N-110 runs up the valley floor from Plasencia to the Tornavacas pass and the roads to the sierra villages branch off it. The only thing that needs care is parking at the Garganta de los Infiernos.
60–110 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Valle del Jerte, in…
- Getting aroundFrom Plasencia, 30 km along…
- Where to eatPiconegro, at the spa, open…
- ServicesTourist office in Cabezuela del…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Valle del Jerte, in the village, five minutes from the reserve
- Hotel Balneario Valle del Jerte, in Valdastillas, with parking
- El Cerezal de los Sotos, with a covered space for each room
Getting around
- From Plasencia, 30 km along the N-110 to Cabezuela
- Loop of about 50 km through the sierra villages
- Reserve car park, paid from mid-March to October
Where to eat
- Piconegro, at the spa, open on Sunday lunchtimes
- Judería, in Cabezuela; park outside the old quarter
Services
- Tourist office in Cabezuela del Valle
- No parking between Jerte's football ground and the campsite
By Bus to Jerte, Then on Foot
You can manage without a car, with patience: the Plasencia bus line stops at Navaconcejo, Cabezuela, Jerte and Tornavacas, and CEVESA reaches the valley from Madrid via El Barco de Ávila. There are few services a day. Stay in Jerte: from the village the 4 km walk to Los Pilones starts on foot.
70–120 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Valle del Jerte, in…
- Getting aroundPlasencia – Jerte Valley bus…
- Where to eatFlor del Cerezo and Las…
- ServicesTimetables at Plasencia station, 927…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Valle del Jerte, in the centre of Jerte
- El Cerezal de los Sotos, 600 m from the village
- Camping Valle del Jerte, at the entrance to the reserve
Getting around
- Plasencia – Jerte Valley bus along the N-110
- CEVESA from Madrid's Estación Sur
- To Los Pilones on foot from the El Nogalón bridge, 4 km
Where to eat
- Flor del Cerezo and Las Tenerías, in Jerte
- El Cerezal's picnic for the walk, guests only
Services
- Timetables at Plasencia station, 927 414 550
- 4x4 tours with pick-up in Jerte or Cabezuela
Spa, Pool over the Valley and Seven Rooms
The valley has no grand luxury hotels, but it does have three four-star places with something of their own: mineral-medicinal waters, an adults-only house with a vegetable garden and a tannery with an infinity pool.
From €120per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Balneario Valle del Jerte…
- Getting aroundBy car: the three are…
- Where to eatPiconegro and the spa's Asador
- Services90-minute circuits in the Patio…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Balneario Valle del Jerte: Patio de Aguas, junior suites with terrace
- El Cerezal de los Sotos: adults only, 50 m² deluxe with terrace, €150
- Hotel Valle del Jerte: junior suites and a pool over the valley, closed until 2027
Getting around
- By car: the three are within 20 minutes of each other
- Private 4x4 tour through the reserve
Where to eat
- Piconegro and the spa's Asador
- À la carte dinner on the porch at El Cerezal, guests only
Services
- 90-minute circuits in the Patio de Aguas
- Half-board packages with spa
From the Gorge to the Sierra de Tormantos
The valley has 30 waymarked routes on its tourist office website, from two-hour walks to high-mountain crossings. The natural base is Jerte, beside the entrance to the Garganta de los Infiernos.
40–90 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepCamping Valle del Jerte, at…
- Getting aroundLos Pilones: 3 km and…
- Where to eatEl Cerezal's picnic or the…
- ServicesGPX and KML tracks on…
Where to sleep
- Camping Valle del Jerte, at the door of the reserve
- Las Palomas, apartments with kitchen in Jerte
- El Cerezal de los Sotos, with a picnic for the walk
Getting around
- Los Pilones: 3 km and 45 minutes each way
- Garganta de los Infiernos circular walk: 16 km, 6 h
- Charles V trail: 27.7 km one way to Jarandilla, with a car for the return
Where to eat
- El Cerezal's picnic or the campsite supermarket
- Las Tenerías, in Jerte, on the way back
Services
- GPX and KML tracks on the tourist office website
- Tourist office in Cabezuela, closed Monday and Friday
How much does it cost?
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Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a carin styleif you're on foot
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Valle del Jerte (Hospedería de Extremadura)
Why we like it: Four-star hotel with 28 rooms in a former tannery in Jerte, with an infinity pool over the valley and the Flor del Cerezo restaurant.
From €75
View details
El Cerezal de los Sotos Rural Hotel
Why we like it: Adults-only rural hotel with seven rooms in a stone and wood house inside the reserve, 600 m from Jerte. Two-night minimum.
From €115
View details
Camping Valle del Jerte
Why we like it: Campsite with 150 shaded pitches and bungalows for 2 to 8 people at the entrance to the Garganta de los Infiernos, with a pool and restaurant. Dogs welcome.
From €15
View details
Las Palomas Rural Complex
Why we like it: Ten rural apartments and houses for 2 to 4 people 1 km from Jerte, with fireplace, kitchen, shared pool and stone barbecue. No pets.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Jerte | The reserve on foot, Los Pilones, hotels | |
| Cabezuela del Valle | Historic centre, tourist office | |
| Valdastillas | Spa, Caozo waterfall |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Jerte Valley
Piconegro Restaurant
What to order: anything with picota or valley cherries in season, and an Extremadura wine from its list
Judería Valle del Jerte Restaurant
What to order: the patatas revolconas with La Vera paprika and the acorn-fed Iberian abanico with sweet-and-sour cherry sauce
Flor del Cerezo Restaurant
What to order: the five-course game menu while the season lasts; the rest of the year, the Extremaduran gastronomic menu
Las Tenerías Restaurant
What to order: the boned, confit suckling pig or the lamb stuffed with spring garlic, mushrooms and shallots, the two dishes the Repsol Guide highlights
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Go midweek if you can take a day off: on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival, the sierra roads jam and the car parks fill up.
We'd skip it
Going with fixed dates a month ahead without checking the blossom. If the year comes early or late, you will miss the flowering: ask the tourist office the week before.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Madrid to the Jerte Valley?
Almost three hours by car, about 220 km via the AP-6 and the N-110 through Ávila.
When do the Jerte cherry trees blossom?
Between late March and mid-April, depending on the year. In 2026, from 20 March to 3 April, approximately.
Can I go from Madrid without a car?
Yes, with CEVESA from the Estación Sur towards Plasencia via El Barco de Ávila, which stops in the valley. There are few services a day.
Where to sleep in the Jerte Valley?
In Jerte, to be close to the Garganta de los Infiernos: the inn, El Cerezal de los Sotos or the campsite. With a spa, in Valdastillas.
Do I need to book?
Yes, in blossom season: accommodation weeks ahead and meals before you leave.