# Mérida

What to see in Mérida in a day: Roman theatre and amphitheatre, museum, Temple of Diana and Alcazaba, combined ticket prices, opening hours and where to eat and sleep.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/merida · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Mérida was Augusta Emerita, the capital of Roman Lusitania, and it still looks like it. Within a few blocks you have a theatre with its columned stage, an amphitheatre, a temple in the middle of the street, a granite bridge over the Guadiana and an aqueduct with its arches standing. Its archaeological ensemble has been a World Heritage Site since 1993. It is the capital of Extremadura, a lively, flat city toured on foot, and in a day you see the essentials.

## How to get there from Badajoz or Cáceres

By car, Mérida is a junction of motorways. From Badajoz it is about 60 km on the A-5, about fifty minutes. From Cáceres, about 75 km on the A-66, under an hour. From Seville, about 190 km on the A-66, a little over two hours. From Madrid, about 340 km on the A-5, close to three hours and three quarters without stops.

Without a car it is also easy to reach. Renfe Media Distancia has trains from Badajoz, Cáceres, Seville and Madrid, and the station, on calle Cardero, is a quarter of an hour's walk from the theatre. The bus station is on the other side of the Guadiana, about twenty minutes' walk from the centre.

## Where to park

The centre has narrow streets and there is little space around the theatre. The practical thing is to leave the car on arrival, if possible in your hotel's car park, and not move it until the evening: from the theatre to the Alcazaba is ten minutes on foot. You need the car again only for the Roman circus, to the east, and for the Proserpina reservoir, about 8 km to the north.

## What to see in a day

Start at 9:00 at the theatre and amphitheatre, when they open and there are no groups yet. The theatre was inaugurated between 16 and 15 BC and could hold about 6,000 people; the amphitheatre, next door, was the gladiators' one. Buy the combined ticket there: for €17 it also covers the Alcazaba, the Casa del Mitreo with the Columbarios, the crypt of Santa Eulalia, the Morería, the circus and the centre of the Temple of Diana. Under-13s accompanying their family do not pay.

Opposite is the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, Rafael Moneo's brick building, with the statues and mosaics that have come out of the city. It costs €3 and is free on Sundays and Saturday afternoons; it is closed on Mondays.

Then head down towards the Plaza de España past the Temple of Diana, with its columns in the middle of a block of houses, and the Forum Portico. Eat in that area. In the afternoon, the Arab Alcazaba and the Roman bridge, to cross the Guadiana on foot. If you have light left, the Milagros aqueduct, a quarter of an hour's walk away, with the sun side-on to the pillars.

If you prefer to be told about it, the "Mérida al completo" tour by Activa Tours does the route in three and a half hours with an official guide and the tickets included, for €42. It leaves from its office opposite the museum.

## Where to eat

Near the Alcazaba, Tuétano serves holm-oak grill and is open Wednesday to Sunday from midday to midnight. For an occasion, A de Arco, with a piece of the Arch of Trajan inside the dining room. The Parador restaurant, in a convent above the forum, is open every day and has a terrace in a garden with Roman pieces.

## How much time do you need?

A full day for the theatre, the museum and the centre. With a night, you add the circus, the Casa del Mitreo and the aqueduct at leisure, and see the city lit up. With two, Mérida serves as a base for Cáceres, an hour away, or for Zafra, fifty minutes to the south.

## When to go

In spring and autumn. From March to May and in October and November you can walk comfortably at any hour. In July and August midday easily passes 35 °C and there is little shade among the ruins: monuments first thing, museum at midday and a stroll at dusk. In return, summer brings the Classical Theatre Festival, with Greek and Latin plays at night in the Roman theatre. The ensemble closes only on 25 December and 1 and 6 January.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Zafra (a 55.0 km), Cáceres (a 62.1 km), Trujillo (a 72.5 km), Jerez de los Caballeros (a 76.0 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Mérida Roman theatre and amphitheatre** (1 h 30 · Everyone · €13 theatre and amphitheatre · €17 joint ticket): What it is
The theatre was inaugurated between 16 and 15 BC, promoted by Marcus Agrippa, and its stands held about 6,000 people. What you see today is the two-storey stage front of columns, partly reconstructed, the stands and the peristyle gardens. Right next to it, the amphitheatre was the venue for gladiators and fights with wild beasts. They are visited together, with the same ticket, in a single enclosure.
Hours and tickets
From October to March it opens from 9:00 to 18:30, with the ticket office and access until 18:00. In summer it closes later: the Consortium publishes the hours for each season on its website. It only closes on 25 December and 1 and 6 January; on 24 and 31 December it opens 10:00 to 15:00.
Admission to the theatre and amphitheatre costs €13, and €6 reduced (ages 13 to 17, students up to 25, over-65s and others). The joint ticket, at €17, adds the Alcazaba, the House of the Mithraeum and the Columbaria, the crypt of Santa Eulalia, the Morería, the circus and the Temple of Diana. Under-13s who go with their family and Mérida residents do not pay. You do not need to book: there is no limited capacity and you buy at the ticket office or online.
How to get there
The entrance is on Calle José Ramón Mélida, in the upper part of the old town, ten minutes' walk from Plaza de España. The tourist office is beside the ticket office. The Consortium also organises one-hour guided visits for groups and, outside summer, night visits on Fridays and Saturdays.
- **National Museum of Roman Art** (1 h 30 · Everyone · €3 · free on Sundays): Moneo's brick nave
The National Museum of Roman Art opened in 1986 in a building by Rafael Moneo raised opposite the theatre and amphitheatre. Its image is the great nave of brick arches, which repeats the Romans' way of building, with overhead light. It is the museum of Augusta Emerita: almost everything you see turned up in the Mérida excavations.
In February 2026 its extension, also by Moneo, joined to the original building, was inaugurated: a new temporary exhibition room, an auditorium for 238 people, areas for educational workshops, storerooms and new research spaces. With it the ticket office, shop and access were also renovated.
What is inside
Statues, mosaics, portraits, inscriptions and everyday objects from the capital of Lusitania, spread across the central nave and its upper galleries. The sculptures that decorated the Roman theatre are here, and seeing them after visiting the theatre helps you imagine the full stage front. In the basement, the building rests on remains of the Roman city, with houses and a road, which can be walked.
Allow at least an hour and a half; with children, it is better to pick a few rooms than to try to see it all.
Hours, admission and free days
It is open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 to 20:00, and Sundays and public holidays 10:00 to 15:00. It is closed on Mondays. General admission costs €3 and reduced €1.50. It is free every Sunday and on Saturdays from 14:00, and always for under-18s, over-65s and students aged 18 to 25, among other groups.
It is not included in the joint ticket for Mérida's monuments: the museum is state-run and has its own ticket office. The Visigothic Collection, in the former church of Santa Clara, in the centre, belongs to the same museum, is free and has different hours; check before going. The information phone number is 924 311 690.
Where it is and how to fit it in
It is on Calle José Ramón Mélida, level with the entrance to the theatre and amphitheatre. The logical thing is to do the theatre first thing, before the heat builds, and go into the museum on leaving. If you do the guided visit "Mérida in Full", the museum is left out: save it for the afternoon or for Sunday, when you do not pay.
- **Temple of Diana and Forum Portico** (30 min · Everyone · On your own · free from outside): The Temple of Diana is the only Roman temple in Mérida that keeps a good part of its columns standing, and it does so in the middle of a block of houses: its columns appear among the houses on Calle Romero Leal, a few steps from the centre. Beside it, on Calle Sagasta, the Forum Portico gives an idea of the luxury of the old public square.
A temple that was not Diana's
The name stuck in the 17th century, but today we know it was consecrated to Rome and the Emperor: it was a temple of the imperial cult. It was planned with the square when the city was founded, in the time of Augustus, following the model of the Empire's new cities. It was built of granite from local quarries, covered in stucco, and was surrounded by columns on all sides, on a podium about three metres high. The monumental access staircase has been lost.
The temple presided over the forum of the colony, the great square where politics were conducted, justice was handed down, trade was done and sacrifices were offered. It stood at the head, in a sacred precinct or temenos flanked by two pools, with a platform in front from which the authorities spoke to the citizens.
Why it survived
At the end of the 15th century, Don Alonso Mexía, a knight of the Order of Santiago, built his palace over the temple's remains, the so-called Palace of the Corbos. Paradoxically, that saved it. In 1972 the building was expropriated to recover the temple, and it was decided to keep part of the palace: it keeps a simple doorway, a Gothic-style window and the arcade of a two-storey courtyard that reuses Roman, Visigothic and Islamic columns and capitals.
The Forum Portico
On Calle Sagasta stands a reconstructed front of columns from the portico that surrounded a square adjoining the forum. Look for the clipei, the large medallions, and the caryatids that decorated its upper part.
Hours and price
Temple and portico are seen from the street, free and at any hour, also at night. The temple's interpretation centre opens in winter from 10:00 to 18:30, with access until 18:00, and costs €3; it is included in the Consortium's joint ticket. Allow half an hour for both.
Getting there and what to combine
They are five minutes' walk from Plaza de España, along Calle Santa Catalina: it is the natural walk between the square and the theatre and amphitheatre. Nearby are the Arch of Trajan, where the restaurant A de Arco is, and the Alcazaba with the Roman bridge.
- **Arab alcazaba and Roman bridge over the Guadiana** (1 h · Everyone · €6 the Alcazaba · bridge free): The Mérida Alcazaba has watched over the entrance to the Roman bridge over the Guadiana for almost twelve centuries. They are two visits in one: the fortress, with its underground cistern and remains from every period of the city, and the bridge, the longest walk over the river and free.
The Alcazaba
An inscription over its main gate dates its inauguration to the year 835. It was built to protect the Muslim rulers from the revolts of Mérida's population and to control the bridge crossing. It is an almost square enclosure, with a perimeter of about 550 m, and 25 square towers that act as buttresses; some are already Christian. The main entrance, towards the city, was defended by a barbican raised where one of the Roman city's gates had stood.
The most special piece is the cistern: you enter by two facing doors to a distributor and go down by two staircases to the cistern, which was filled by seepage from the Guadiana. Above it there was a small mosque and a watchtower. Inside the enclosure you also see the Roman dike, the base of the bridge gate, Roman streets and houses, pilasters of a large Visigothic building and the conventual house of the Order of Santiago. From the wall-walk you look out over the river.
The Roman bridge
Its construction is tied to the foundation of Augusta Emerita. It is 792 m long and has 60 arches, with spillways between them, of concrete faced with rusticated ashlars. Floods and wars forced it to be restored many times, but the stretches at the ends keep their original shape. Since 1993 it has been pedestrian only.
Hours and price
The Alcazaba is open from 1 October to 31 March from 9:00 to 18:30, with the ticket office until 18:00, and from 1 April to 30 September from 9:00 to 21:00. It closes on 25 December and 1 and 6 January; on 24 and 31 December, 10:00 to 15:00. The individual ticket costs €6, €3 reduced, and is included in the €17 joint ticket. The bridge is free to cross. In summer there are guided night visits to the Alcazaba: check dates at the ticket office. Allow an hour for the two.
Getting there and what to combine
The Alcazaba is on Paseo de Roma, at the end of Calle Romero Leal, five minutes from Plaza de España; the bridge leaves from its gate to the other bank, where the bus station is. Next to it is the Morería archaeological area, and in sight, Santiago Calatrava's Lusitania bridge. For eating two steps away, Tuétano is beside the Alcazaba, and the Temple of Diana is on the same street.
- **Los Milagros Aqueduct and Albarregas park** (45 min · Everyone · On your own · free): The Los Milagros aqueduct is the image of Mérida that is not inside any enclosure: a row of tall piers and slender arches crossing the Albarregas river valley, north of the centre. It can be seen free, at any hour, and is lit up at night.
What it is
It is what remains of the Roman conduit that brought water to Augusta Emerita from the Proserpina reservoir. According to the Monumental City Consortium, the water travelled underground to the piscina limaria, a settling tank where impurities were separated. From there, a powerful arcade crossed the Albarregas valley, which is the stretch you see today. The arches combine granite ashlars and courses of brick, and that alternation of colours is what stands out most up close.
The water ended at the castellum aquae, a distribution tower on today's Calle Calvario, on the kardo maximus, one of the two main streets of the Roman city. In front of it was a great monumental fountain.
The Albarregas park
The river valley is now a park with paths that run beside the piers. It is a good place to stretch your legs, sit in the shade and see the aqueduct from below, at its full height. Beside it is the small Roman bridge over the Albarregas, another Consortium monument, and very close is the railway bridge.
When and how to go
It is on Avenida Vía de la Plata, outside the paid enclosures: the visit is free and has no hours. In the late afternoon the sun hits the stone from the side, and at dusk the lighting comes on. Allow about 45 minutes with the walk through the park.
From Plaza de España it is about 1.4 km, a quarter of an hour's walk towards the train station, which is very close: if you arrive or leave by train, it is easy to see on the way. With a dog, on a lead, the park is fine. With children, the park's open space is a rest between monuments.
What to combine
To follow the path of the water, go on to the Proserpina reservoir, where the conduit began, with its Roman dam still standing. Back in the centre, the church of Santa Eulalia, with the Hornito and the Humilladero, is close, and the Roman circus is in the same northern half of the city. If you prefer to have it explained, the guided visit "Mérida in Full" covers the main monuments.
- **Mérida Roman Circus** (45 min · Everyone · €6 or joint ticket): The Mérida Roman circus is the setting for the chariot races of Augusta Emerita: an enormous esplanade on the outskirts, east of the old town, where you can make out the whole track. It is the last monument on the joint ticket and the furthest away, but also the one that best gives the scale of the Roman city.
What it was
It was built in the early years of the 1st century AD, shortly after the founding of the city. For the Monumental City Consortium it is the largest of the entertainment buildings the Romans built in Mérida and one of the most important in the Empire. Its stands could hold about 30,000 spectators, divided into caveae, and the arena covered about 30,000 m². For children it helps understand the size: a good part of the city fitted here.
What you see
In the centre of the track runs the spina, the wall that divided the arena in two and marked the chariots' turn. It was the most decorated part, with sculptures and obelisks; today its foundations remain. In the centre of the short west side was the porta pompae, the procession gate, through which the cortège entered before the races: musicians, charioteers, priests and religious images. On both sides opened the carceres, the stalls from which the chariots set off.
At the entrance, an interpretation centre explains what the races were like and how the circus worked before you go out onto the track.
Hours and price
It opens like the rest of the complex: from 1 October to 31 March, 9:00 to 18:30, with ticket office and access until 18:00; from 1 April to 30 September, 9:00 to 21:00. It closes on 25 December and 1 and 6 January, and on 24 and 31 December it opens 10:00 to 15:00. The individual ticket costs €6, €3 reduced, and is included in the €17 joint ticket. Under-13s with their family do not pay. Allow about 45 minutes.
Getting there
It is on Avenida Juan Carlos I, outside the old town, about 20 minutes' walk from the theatre. In heat or with small children, better by car. There is very little shade: in summer, go first thing.
What to combine
Next to the circus, on the same avenue, are the Rabo de Buey-San Lázaro aqueduct and baths and the chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Antigua. On nearby Avenida de Extremadura is the church of Santa Eulalia, with the Hornito and the Humilladero. If you are heading north, the Los Milagros aqueduct is the natural next step. If you have not yet seen the theatre and amphitheatre, remember the joint ticket covers everything.
- **Guided visit "Mérida in Full", with tickets** (3 h 30 · First visit · Desde 27 € per person): Six stops and four tickets in one morning
Mérida has so much to see that a first visit often ends up as back-and-forth between ticket offices. This Activa Tours route puts it in order: three and a half hours on foot with an official guide, from the Puerta de la Villa to the theatre, with the tickets for four sites included in the price. It costs €42 with tickets or €27 without, if you already have the Consortium's joint ticket.
From the Puerta de la Villa to the stage front
The meeting point is its office, on Calle José Ramón Mélida 32, the museum's street. The first stop is the Puerta de la Villa, where one of the four monumental gates of Augusta Emerita, the capital of Lusitania, stood; there the guide places the city before you start. Then, Plaza de España and the co-cathedral of Santa María la Mayor, to talk about the reconquest of 1230.
The first ticket is the Morería archaeological complex, with the longest surviving stretch of wall. Along the bank of the Guadiana you continue to the Alcazaba, with the Roman bridge in view; inside you see the walls and go down to the cistern. Back to the centre for the Temple of Diana and the forum portico, seen from the street. The third ticket is the House of the Amphitheatre, with mosaics, remains of wall and a necropolis with mausoleums. And the finale, the theatre and amphitheatre: first the gladiators in the arena, then the stage front.
Left out are the National Museum of Roman Art, which has its own ticket office, the circus and the Los Milagros aqueduct: save them for the afternoon or the next day.
How to book and what happens if you change plans
You book on its website, choosing the day on the calendar, or by calling 924 110 888. The tour is in Spanish only; for other languages, ask them. The guide is dressed in pink.
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, with a full refund or change of date. Within those 24 hours neither change nor refund is accepted, and if you do not turn up everything is lost.
Pace and accessibility
It is three and a half hours on foot, with stretches over archaeological remains, the riverbank and stairs in the Alcazaba cistern. It is not accessible for reduced mobility. In summer bring water and a cap: almost the whole route is outdoors.
The short version
If you are short of time, the same company has "Mérida Essentials", two hours, from the forum portico to the Roman bridge with the theatre inside: €30 with the theatre and amphitheatre ticket, €18 without, and that one is accessible.
- **Proserpina reservoir and its Roman dam** (3 h · Families, in summer · On your own · free): Proserpina is the Roman reservoir that supplied Augusta Emerita with water, north of Mérida. Its ashlar dam is still standing almost two thousand years later, and the lake it holds is today an official bathing area in summer and a quiet walk the rest of the year. It is the half-day plan for when you fancy water and fresh air between monuments.
The Roman dam
According to the Monumental City Consortium, the reservoir is of Roman origin and has been remodelled many times over the centuries. The dike is about 425 m long and the water reaches about 21 m deep. You can walk along its crest and see up close the stone wall that holds the water.
From here the conduit left that reached the city by the Los Milagros aqueduct: the water travelled underground to a settling tank, the piscina limaria, and from there crossed the Albarregas valley over the arcade. Seeing both on the same day is following the whole path of the water, from start to finish.
Swimming and walking
The reservoir is in the official register of bathing areas of Extremadura. The season is in high summer, and its status and services can change each year: before going, check at the tourist office or in the Junta's register of bathing areas. Outside those months it is an unhurried place to walk along the shore, sit and watch the water or have a picnic with children.
Near the dam, the Consortium mentions Lake Proserpina and a Water Interpretation Centre; ask at the tourist office whether the latter is open when you go, because its hours are not published.
How to get there
It is on the outskirts, to the north, along the Proserpina road. The Consortium places it about 5 km from Mérida; by road from the centre, reckon a little more. The practical way is by car. The visit to the dam is free and unrestricted, outside the paid enclosures, and has no hours.
When to go and what to combine
For swimming, July and August; for walking, spring and autumn, with milder temperatures. In summer, go early or late to avoid the strong heat, and bring water and sun protection. Allow half a day if you are going to swim, and a good hour if you are only walking.
On the way back, stop at the Los Milagros aqueduct, which is on the way to the centre, in the late afternoon, when the sun hits the arches from the side. If you still have time, the Alcazaba and the Roman bridge or the Temple of Diana round off the day well.
- **Mérida International Classical Theatre Festival** (2 h 30 · Adults and teenagers): Every summer, the Roman theatre of Mérida goes back to doing what it was built for. The International Classical Theatre Festival programmes tragedies, comedies and shows inspired by the Greco-Roman world, at night, with the audience seated on the stone tiers and the Roman stage behind. It is the most different way of experiencing the monument.
What an edition is like
The 2026 one was the 72nd edition, from 3 July to 30 August, with the motto "Classics of the past, emotions of the present". According to the Junta de Extremadura, it brought together more than 150 performances between Mérida and its offshoots. At the Roman Theatre nine productions premiered, from Spartacus, which opened the festival, to Electra Jonda, Timon of Athens, The Comedy of the Pot, Phaedra in Hell, Oedipus's Journey or the musical The 9 Muses, which closed it. In 2026 each production ran several nights in a row, almost always Wednesday to Sunday.
The festival does not stay on the Roman stage. The María Luisa Theatre, in the centre, hosts smaller performances, and there are offshoots at the sites of Medellín, Regina and Cáparra, as well as a season in Madrid. Film cycles, workshops, exhibitions, parades and the lectures of the Encounter with the Classics, at the National Museum of Roman Art, complete the programme. It is organised by the Festival Board Consortium, and its director is Jesús Cimarro.
Dates and tickets
It is held in July and August. Each year's programme is presented in spring: the 2026 one was announced on 18 March. Tickets are bought on the festival website, festivaldemerida.es, which sells through Entradas.com and has a group service. Prices change depending on the play and the area of the stands, and we do not fix them here: check them on each performance's page. For questions, the office is at Calle Santa Julia 5 and its phone number is 924 009 480.
Tips for the night
Bring a cushion: the stands are stone and performances last two hours or more. Arrive in good time to get in without rushing and find your seat. Premieres and weekends fill up first.
By day the theatre remains open to visits, with the set in place: you see it on the visit to the theatre and amphitheatre, on the Consortium's joint ticket. If you want to understand the context before the performance, the National Museum of Roman Art is right opposite.
Getting there and where to sleep
The theatre is inside the city, about 800 m from the train station, and Mérida has a train station and a bus station. In July and August accommodation is in great demand: book early at the Parador de Mérida, the Ilunion Mérida Palace or the Hotel Nova Roma.

## Dónde comer
- **Tuétano** (Restaurant, Mérida, €€). Qué pedir: holm-oak grilled meats and the artisan cured meats; if you have time, one of the two tasting menus
- **A de Arco** (Restaurant, Mérida, €€€). Qué pedir: what is in season and the menu of the month from its gastronomic days; ask for a table beside the arch
- **Parador de Mérida Restaurant** (Restaurant, Mérida, €€€). Qué pedir: grilled Retinta beef sirloin or lamb caldereta with shepherd's bread omelette; for dessert, repápalos

## By car: Park Once and Walk
Mérida sits at the junction of the A-5 and the A-66: 60 km from Badajoz, 70 from Cáceres and 200 from Seville. The monumental complex is covered on foot, so the car is for getting here, leaving it, and coming back for it to visit the Roman circus and the Proserpina reservoir, which are on the outskirts.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Mérida** (Hotel): The convent over the Temple of Concord
The Parador de Mérida is at Calle Almendralejo 58, in the centre, over the old Roman praetorium and the ruins of the temple dedicated to the Concord of Augustus. The building is the Convent of Jesús, built in 1725 to meet the need for convents and hospitals in a time of epidemics and wars with Portugal: classicist Baroque, topped by two bell gables. It was one of the first paradores in the network.
Inside it keeps a cloister with Roman columns and the old chapel, which is now the main lounge. In the convent's former orchard is the Garden of Antiquities, with Roman, Visigothic and Mudéjar archaeological pieces among fountains, ponds and lots of greenery; that is where the restaurant puts its terrace.
Within walking distance of everything
From the door you reach Plaza de España in two minutes and the main Roman monuments in about ten on foot, including the theatre and amphitheatre. The Temple of Diana is even closer. The train station is a quarter of an hour's walk. By road, the parador is about 60 km from Badajoz, 70 from Cáceres and 200 from Seville.
The parador has its own car park for cars and coaches. The website only says it is given free to those booking events, subject to availability; if you are going to stay with a car, ask when booking whether there is space and how much it costs.
Rooms, pool and breakfast
There are three room types: standard double, superior double and suite. Services include the outdoor pool, gym, sauna and solarium, wifi and electric car charging points.
Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 11:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:30 on Saturdays and Sundays. The café is open from 11:00 to 24:00. The parador restaurant serves lunch from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinner from 20:30 to 23:00 every day, and in the same building is La Alacena del Foro, a gastronomic space with a more informal menu.
The website does not detail this parador's pet policy or check-in and check-out times: ask on 924 313 800 or at merida@parador.es.
- **ILUNION Mérida Palace** (Hotel): A palace on Plaza de España
The ILUNION Mérida Palace occupies a historic building at number 19 Plaza de España, Mérida's main square, the same one as the town hall. It is a five-star hotel of the Ilunion chain and holds the UNE 170001-1 Universal Accessibility certification.
From the door, the Temple of Diana is a few steps away; the Alcazaba and the Roman bridge, about 500 metres; the theatre and amphitheatre, about ten minutes' walk, and the Los Milagros aqueduct, 1.2 km. The train station is 600 metres away, about ten minutes on foot, and Badajoz airport 41 km, under an hour by car.
Five room types
The standard doubles are 25 m², with a 2 × 2 metre bed or two 1 × 2 beds, and can be exterior or interior. There are 25 m² singles designed for business travel, 30 m² triples with three beds or one double and one single, which suit a family with one child, and 45 m² junior suites with a sitting area and desk. Two rooms are accessible, with turning space for a wheelchair, an adapted bathroom and Braille labels.
Rooftop pool and restaurant
On the roof there is a pool-solarium with views over the city. It is only open in season and is not accessible for people with reduced mobility. There is also a gym and sauna. The hotel restaurant works with regional produce and traditional cooking; the website gives a price of €17 without making clear whether it is a set menu. It has nine rooms for meetings and celebrations, with capacity for up to 150 people.
Car, dog and bookings
For the car, the hotel has a valet parking service for €30 (the website does not make clear whether that is per day); to get it back, give half an hour's notice. Pets are accepted: ask about the conditions when booking.
To book, the Ilunion central line is on 911 081 396 and the hotel on 924 383 800 or at reservasmeridapalace@ilunionhotels.com. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times; it allows online check-in.
For dinner without taking the car, Tuétano is a couple of minutes away, beside the Alcazaba.
- **Nova Roma Hotel** (Hotel): Suárez Somonte, the street that runs down towards the museum
Nova Roma is a three-star city hotel at Calle Suárez Somonte 42, inside Mérida's historic centre. Its selling point is distance: the National Museum of Roman Art is about 300 metres away, the theatre and amphitheatre 450, the Alcazaba 500, the train station 800 and the Los Milagros aqueduct 1.4 km. Everything you come to see in Mérida can be covered on foot from the door.
It also works as a stop en route. Mérida is on the A-66 motorway, the Ruta de la Plata, and the hotel presents itself to those travelling it who want to break the journey with a night in the centre.
Three room types
It has 55 air-conditioned rooms, of three types: 17 m² doubles, designed for couples; doubles for single use, for those travelling alone; and triples, for small families or friends. There are facilities and rooms adapted for reduced mobility. Wifi is free throughout the hotel.
Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00. Reception is open 24 hours, useful if you arrive late from the motorway or leave early.
Breakfast and parking
Breakfast is a buffet, served at the hotel itself. The hotel manages a car park for guests, subject to availability; the website does not publish its price or location, so ask when booking and confirm before you arrive, because parking on the street in the historic centre is not easy.
The website says nothing about pets: if you travel with a dog, check before booking.
Midweek discount
The hotel publishes an offer for over-55s: 10% off the best rate for accommodation and breakfast, Sunday to Wednesday, except public holidays and subject to availability. To book, the phone number is 924 311 261.
For dinner nearby, A de Arco, beside the Arch of Trajan, is a stroll through the centre.
### Servicios
- **Roman Theatre Tourist Office**: Next to the theatre ticket office · open daily · maps, opening times and guided tours

## Car-free: By Train and on Foot
Mérida is one of the few cities in Extremadura that works well without a car: there is a Renfe train from Badajoz, Cáceres, Seville and Madrid, and the station is a quarter of an hour's walk from the centre. Once here, everything essential fits into a stroll; only Proserpina calls for a car or taxi.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Parador de Mérida** (Hotel): The convent over the Temple of Concord
The Parador de Mérida is at Calle Almendralejo 58, in the centre, over the old Roman praetorium and the ruins of the temple dedicated to the Concord of Augustus. The building is the Convent of Jesús, built in 1725 to meet the need for convents and hospitals in a time of epidemics and wars with Portugal: classicist Baroque, topped by two bell gables. It was one of the first paradores in the network.
Inside it keeps a cloister with Roman columns and the old chapel, which is now the main lounge. In the convent's former orchard is the Garden of Antiquities, with Roman, Visigothic and Mudéjar archaeological pieces among fountains, ponds and lots of greenery; that is where the restaurant puts its terrace.
Within walking distance of everything
From the door you reach Plaza de España in two minutes and the main Roman monuments in about ten on foot, including the theatre and amphitheatre. The Temple of Diana is even closer. The train station is a quarter of an hour's walk. By road, the parador is about 60 km from Badajoz, 70 from Cáceres and 200 from Seville.
The parador has its own car park for cars and coaches. The website only says it is given free to those booking events, subject to availability; if you are going to stay with a car, ask when booking whether there is space and how much it costs.
Rooms, pool and breakfast
There are three room types: standard double, superior double and suite. Services include the outdoor pool, gym, sauna and solarium, wifi and electric car charging points.
Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 11:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:30 on Saturdays and Sundays. The café is open from 11:00 to 24:00. The parador restaurant serves lunch from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinner from 20:30 to 23:00 every day, and in the same building is La Alacena del Foro, a gastronomic space with a more informal menu.
The website does not detail this parador's pet policy or check-in and check-out times: ask on 924 313 800 or at merida@parador.es.
- **ILUNION Mérida Palace** (Hotel): A palace on Plaza de España
The ILUNION Mérida Palace occupies a historic building at number 19 Plaza de España, Mérida's main square, the same one as the town hall. It is a five-star hotel of the Ilunion chain and holds the UNE 170001-1 Universal Accessibility certification.
From the door, the Temple of Diana is a few steps away; the Alcazaba and the Roman bridge, about 500 metres; the theatre and amphitheatre, about ten minutes' walk, and the Los Milagros aqueduct, 1.2 km. The train station is 600 metres away, about ten minutes on foot, and Badajoz airport 41 km, under an hour by car.
Five room types
The standard doubles are 25 m², with a 2 × 2 metre bed or two 1 × 2 beds, and can be exterior or interior. There are 25 m² singles designed for business travel, 30 m² triples with three beds or one double and one single, which suit a family with one child, and 45 m² junior suites with a sitting area and desk. Two rooms are accessible, with turning space for a wheelchair, an adapted bathroom and Braille labels.
Rooftop pool and restaurant
On the roof there is a pool-solarium with views over the city. It is only open in season and is not accessible for people with reduced mobility. There is also a gym and sauna. The hotel restaurant works with regional produce and traditional cooking; the website gives a price of €17 without making clear whether it is a set menu. It has nine rooms for meetings and celebrations, with capacity for up to 150 people.
Car, dog and bookings
For the car, the hotel has a valet parking service for €30 (the website does not make clear whether that is per day); to get it back, give half an hour's notice. Pets are accepted: ask about the conditions when booking.
To book, the Ilunion central line is on 911 081 396 and the hotel on 924 383 800 or at reservasmeridapalace@ilunionhotels.com. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times; it allows online check-in.
For dinner without taking the car, Tuétano is a couple of minutes away, beside the Alcazaba.
- **Nova Roma Hotel** (Hotel): Suárez Somonte, the street that runs down towards the museum
Nova Roma is a three-star city hotel at Calle Suárez Somonte 42, inside Mérida's historic centre. Its selling point is distance: the National Museum of Roman Art is about 300 metres away, the theatre and amphitheatre 450, the Alcazaba 500, the train station 800 and the Los Milagros aqueduct 1.4 km. Everything you come to see in Mérida can be covered on foot from the door.
It also works as a stop en route. Mérida is on the A-66 motorway, the Ruta de la Plata, and the hotel presents itself to those travelling it who want to break the journey with a night in the centre.
Three room types
It has 55 air-conditioned rooms, of three types: 17 m² doubles, designed for couples; doubles for single use, for those travelling alone; and triples, for small families or friends. There are facilities and rooms adapted for reduced mobility. Wifi is free throughout the hotel.
Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00. Reception is open 24 hours, useful if you arrive late from the motorway or leave early.
Breakfast and parking
Breakfast is a buffet, served at the hotel itself. The hotel manages a car park for guests, subject to availability; the website does not publish its price or location, so ask when booking and confirm before you arrive, because parking on the street in the historic centre is not easy.
The website says nothing about pets: if you travel with a dog, check before booking.
Midweek discount
The hotel publishes an offer for over-55s: 10% off the best rate for accommodation and breakfast, Sunday to Wednesday, except public holidays and subject to availability. To book, the phone number is 924 311 261.
For dinner nearby, A de Arco, beside the Arch of Trajan, is a stroll through the centre.
### Servicios
- **Roman Theatre Tourist Office**: Next to the theatre ticket office · open daily · maps, opening times and guided tours
- **Mérida Train Station**: Renfe Media Distancia from Badajoz, Cáceres, Seville and Madrid · about a 15-minute walk from the centre
- **Mérida Bus Station**: Across the Guadiana · services between provincial capitals and neighbouring cities · taxi rank

## As a family: Gladiators, Chariots and a Bridge to Cross

Mérida works with children because the Roman remains here are big and easy to understand: a theatre, an amphitheatre for gladiators, a racetrack. And it is cheap: children under 13 who come with their family do not pay at the Consorcio monuments, and under-18s do not pay at the museum.

### What works best
The amphitheatre, right beside the theatre, for talking about gladiators

The Roman circus, with its chariot racetrack

The Roman bridge, for walking across the Guadiana

The Los Milagros aqueduct, with the Albarregas park for running about

### Where to stay
ILUNION Mérida Palace, with 30 m² triple rooms and a rooftop pool

Nova Roma, with triple rooms and parking

### Eating
Tuétano, open all day from Wednesday to Sunday

Parador restaurant, with a terrace in the garden

### Worth knowing
The joint ticket, at €17, is free for under-13s with their family

In July and August, visit the monuments first thing: there is little shade

The staircase down to the Alcazaba cistern is narrow

### Qué hacer as a family
- Mérida Roman theatre and amphitheatre
- National Museum of Roman Art
- Arab alcazaba and Roman bridge over the Guadiana
- Los Milagros Aqueduct and Albarregas park
- Mérida Roman Circus
- Proserpina reservoir and its Roman dam

## Consejos

### Buy the combined ticket
For €4 more than the theatre alone, you get into all the Consortium's monuments.

### Museum on Sunday
The Museo Nacional de Arte Romano is free on Sundays, from 10:00 to 15:00.

### Start at 9:00
That is when the theatre opens and when there are fewest people.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does a ticket to the Roman theatre in Mérida cost?
€13 for the theatre and amphitheatre, €6 reduced, and €17 for the combined ticket to all the Consortium's monuments. Under-13s with their family do not pay.

### What are the Roman theatre's opening hours?
From October to March, from 9:00 to 18:30, with entry until 18:00. In summer it closes later.

### What is there to see in Mérida in a day?
The theatre and amphitheatre, the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, the Temple of Diana, the Alcazaba and the Roman bridge, with the Milagros aqueduct if you have time left in the afternoon.

### Can you go to Mérida without a car?
Yes. There is a Renfe train from Badajoz, Cáceres, Seville and Madrid, and the station is a quarter of an hour's walk from the theatre.

### Do you have to book tickets?
No. There is no limited capacity: you buy at the ticket office or online.

### Can you go with children?
Yes. Under-13s do not pay at the Consortium's monuments and under-18s do not pay at the museum. The amphitheatre and the circus are what they like best.