# Trujillo What to see in Trujillo in a day: the Plaza Mayor, the castle, Pizarro's house and the kestrels, how to get there from Cáceres or Madrid and where to eat and sleep. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/trujillo · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Trujillo is a granite city on a boulder field, in the middle of the plain between Cáceres and Mérida. Below, an enormous Plaza Mayor, sloping and ringed by palaces; above, the walled medieval town and the castle. From here came Francisco Pizarro, who conquered Peru, and Francisco de Orellana, the first to go down the Amazon, and the money that came back from America can be seen in every coat of arms on the façades. It is covered on foot in a day. With a night, you see it at sunset too, which is when it looks its best. ## How do you get there from Cáceres? By car, along the A-58 motorway: it is 48 km and about 40 minutes. From Mérida, 90 km along the A-5, a little over an hour. From Madrid, 255 km along the A-5, about two hours and three quarters without stops; from Badajoz, an hour and three quarters along the same motorway. Trujillo is at the junction of the two motorways, so you arrive without minor roads. You can also go without a car. Avanza has buses from Cáceres and stops at Trujillo on the Madrid – Badajoz line, as well as services to Huelva and Lisbon. The station is on Avenida de Miajadas, in the lower part: a quarter of an hour's walk from the Plaza Mayor. Check the day's timetables on the Avanza website or app before going. ## Where to park? Outside the historic centre. The streets that climb to the medieval town are narrow, cobbled and sloping, and the Plaza Mayor is not a car park. Leave the car on the streets of the lower part, around the Plaza del Campillo or Avenida de Miajadas, and walk up. If you sleep at the Parador or at the Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta, both have paid parking; at Casa de Orellana ask when you book. ## How much time do you need? A full day is enough for the essentials: the Plaza Mayor, the climb to the medieval town via Santa María la Mayor and the Casa-Museo de Pizarro, the castle and a long lunch. If you can, stay a night. The guided visit at sunset goes up to the castle in the last light, and in the morning the square is empty and the stone freshly lit. With two nights, Trujillo works as a base for Monfragüe, about 50 km away, or for Guadalupe, 80 km. ## What to see in a day? Start in the Plaza Mayor. Walk round it slowly: the Palacio de la Conquista, with its corner balcony; the Palacio de los Duques de San Carlos, with the eagle granted to them by Charles V; the Casa de las Cadenas; the church of San Martín and the equestrian statue of Pizarro. In the square itself is the tourist office, open every day, and under the arcades the Turismo Trujillo guided visit leaves every morning at 10:30, which includes four entrance tickets. Then climb to the medieval town. On the way are the church of Santa María la Mayor, with the altarpiece painted by Fernando Gallego around 1490, and the Casa-Museo de Pizarro, which tells the conqueror's life on two floors. At the very top, the castle: seventeen granite towers, two cisterns of the Muslim alcazaba and a wall-walk from which you see the plain as far as the sierra. The ticket costs €2. In the afternoon, if it is spring, do the kestrel route: the historic centre is a protection zone for birds, with up to 120 pairs of lesser kestrel breeding at San Martín, the Palacio de San Carlos and the Torre del Alfiler from February to July. If it is Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, the HABLA winery, ten minutes along the A-5, opens for visits with a tasting. ## When to go? In spring and autumn. From March to May the plain is green, the temperature is kind and the kestrels are on the roofs. October and November bring clear light and mild afternoons. July and August are very hot: the stone stores up the sun and midday is unbearable on the slope up to the castle, so start early and leave the climb for sunset. In winter it is cold, but the city is quiet and the monuments open all the same. ## What do I combine it with? With Cáceres, 40 minutes away, for a weekend of two monumental cities. With the Monfragüe National Park, less than an hour away, to see vultures and eagles at the Salto del Gitano. With Guadalupe, 80 km away through the Sierra de las Villuercas, for the monastery. And with Mérida, an hour away, for the Roman theatre. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Game of Thrones Locations - Cerca: Cáceres (a 42.1 km), Monfragüe National Park (a 44.8 km), Guadalupe (a 47.6 km), Mérida (a 72.5 km) ## Qué hacer - **Plaza Mayor of Trujillo** (45 min · Everyone · On your own · free): What it is A large, sloping, arcaded square, surrounded by palaces of the lineages that grew rich from the conquest of America. In the centre is the equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro, and on one side the church of San Martín de Tours. From here you walk up to the medieval town and the castle. What to look at Look at the Palacio de la Conquista, with its corner balcony and coats of arms, and at the Palace of the Dukes of San Carlos, four storeys of ashlar, which has a corner balcony topped by an eagle: a privilege granted by Charles V to the family. The Casa de las Cadenas closes another side. The tourist office is in the square itself and opens every day. When to go First thing in the morning or last thing in the afternoon, when the stone takes on colour and there are fewer people on the terraces. In spring and summer, look up at the roofs of San Martín and the San Carlos Palace: that is where the lesser kestrels breed. The day Pizarro was a dragon In the first season of House of the Dragon, the square became a medieval-style market and the equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro was swapped for that of a dragon for the duration of the shoot. Turismo de Extremadura also names La Alberca, a cistern dug into the rock about 14 metres deep, among the corners of Trujillo that appear in the series. Earlier, Game of Thrones had gone up to the castle, which played Casterly Rock. - **Trujillo Castle and Its Cisterns** (1 h · Everyone · 2 €): What it is The fortress occupies the highest point of Trujillo, the Cabeza de Zorro hill. It was built between the 9th and 12th centuries on a Muslim alcazaba, of which two cisterns survive. It is all of granite ashlar, with seventeen square towers and a horseshoe-arch gate flanked by two towers. Inside you can make out the parade ground (patio de armas) and the albacar (outer enclosure). Opening hours and admission It is open every day. From October to April, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00; in spring and summer, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. Admission costs €2, and €1.50 per person for groups of ten or more. The two official timetables overlap in April: confirm the afternoon hours at the tourist office. Getting there From the Plaza Mayor you walk up through the medieval town, between Santa María la Mayor and the fortified houses: about ten minutes, uphill and over cobbles. At the top, walk the wall-walk: you see the plain of Trujillo as far as the sierra, and late in the day it is the best place for sunset. Casterly Rock, above the hill In the last episode of season seven of Game of Thrones, the castle plays Casterly Rock, the Lannisters' fortress: from its battlements, Jaime Lannister and Bronn watch the rival army. This is according to Turismo de Extremadura. There is no set or exhibition inside: it is the same wall-walk you walk with the €2 ticket, and the framing of the scene is that of the wall looking onto the plain. The series returned to Trujillo for House of the Dragon; from that shoot, Turismo de Extremadura cites the Plaza Mayor and La Alberca. If you do both on the same day, go up to the castle in the last light and leave the square for afterwards. - **Pizarro House-Museum** (45 min · Adults and older children): Francisco Pizarro, the conqueror of Peru, was born in Trujillo, and his family's house is now a museum devoted to his life. It is a Gothic manor house from the 15th and 16th centuries in Plaza de Santa María, at the top of the medieval town, a step from the church of Santa María la Mayor and on the way to the castle. What you see The museum is spread over two floors. The ground floor recreates the home where Pizarro spent his childhood and youth: what a house of the period was like inside, with its rooms and furniture. The same floor shows the cultural exchange that followed the discovery of America, what travelled in each direction between the two continents. The upper floor is devoted to the life and work of Francisco Pizarro, from Trujillo to the conquest of Peru, with objects, furniture, documents and recreations. It is a short, well-ordered visit that helps you understand why Trujillo is so tied to America, a relationship you then see in the palaces of the Plaza Mayor and in the conqueror's equestrian statue. It works for adults and for older children who already have an interest in history. Opening hours and admission The Turismo de Extremadura listing gives hours of 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:30, without specifying the days. The price is not published: ask at the tourist office in the Plaza Mayor, on 927 322 677. There are guided tours. Allow about three quarters of an hour. If you take Turismo Trujillo's guided tour of the medieval town, admission to the House-Museum is included, along with the castle, the church of Santiago and the Discoverers' Centre: it is the most convenient way to see it with commentary. Accessibility It has adapted educational material and an accessible toilet. The climb from the Plaza Mayor is a cobbled slope that can be hard with a pushchair or wheelchair; ask at the tourist office about the most comfortable access. Getting there and what to combine it with From the Plaza Mayor you walk up through the streets of the medieval town in a few minutes of uphill. Next door you have the church of Santa María la Mayor, with the altarpiece by Fernando Gallego, and higher up the castle, with its cisterns and the views over the plain. If you arrive late in the day, the sunset visit climbs up to the alcazaba in the light of dusk. To sleep right in the old town, look at the Casa de Orellana or the Parador. - **Church of Santa María la Mayor** (30 min · Adults): Santa María la Mayor has been Trujillo's most important church for more than seven hundred years. It is in the upper part, inside the medieval town, on the way to the castle, and can be recognised from afar by its two towers. It is an Asset of Cultural Interest and, according to Turismo de Extremadura, the second most important parish of the diocese of Plasencia, behind only the cathedral. History in three periods The church was born in the 13th century as a Romanesque church, built in the image of Plasencia cathedral. From that building survive the Julia tower, the eastern one, and the apse, with Cistercian influence. In the 14th century a higher central nave and two side aisles were added. At the beginning of the 16th the rib vaults, the new tower and the baptistery were commissioned. That is why, as you walk round it, you pass from Romanesque to late Gothic without leaving the building. What to see inside The main piece is the high altarpiece, with paintings from around 1490 by Fernando Gallego and Bartolomé. In its panels German, Flemish and Castilian techniques and styles are mixed: it deserves a good while in front of it. Around the naves open the funerary chapels of Trujillo's nobility, the lineages that built the city's palaces. It is a visit for those who enjoy art and history; with small children it is a short one. Opening hours and admission The official listing publishes neither hours nor price. Ask at the tourist office in the Plaza Mayor, on 927 322 677, before climbing up: that way you will not find a closed door after the slope. As a church in use, it can be visited outside services. Allow half an hour. Note: the guided tour of the medieval town includes admission to the castle, the Pizarro House-Museum, the church of Santiago and the Discoverers' Centre, but not to Santa María. Getting there It is on Paseo Ruiz de Mendoza, in the medieval town. From the Plaza Mayor you walk up through cobbled, sloping streets: comfortable shoes. If you have a car, park below and walk up. What to combine it with A few steps away, in Plaza de Santa María, is the Pizarro House-Museum, and a little higher up, Trujillo Castle with its cisterns. If you want to see it in the last light, the sunset visit up to the castle goes through the upper town. For a meal on the way down, the Mesón La Troya is in the Plaza Mayor. - **Guided Tour of the Medieval Town and the Route of the Discoverers** (Everyone · Desde 18 € per adult): This is Turismo Trujillo's morning tour, run by the guide company whose office is under the arcades of the Plaza Mayor. They call it "Trujillo Escenario Medieval y Ruta de los Descubridores" (Medieval Trujillo and the Route of the Discoverers) and it has an advantage over going on your own: the price includes four tickets and an official guide who takes you up through the medieval town explaining who lived behind each coat of arms. Starting point: unit 20 under the arcades It leaves every day at 10:30 from the Turismo Trujillo office, in unit 20 of the Plaza Mayor, next to the lottery office. It is not the municipal tourist office, which is in the same square: note the number so you do not wait at the wrong door. The first part is the Plaza Mayor itself, with Pizarro's equestrian statue, the church of San Martín and the palaces of the lineages that grew rich from the conquest of America. Then you cross the wall and go all the way round the medieval town, within the walls, up to the top of the hill. The four tickets included in the price The castle and its cisterns. The granite fortress occupies the summit of Trujillo and holds two cisterns from the Muslim alcazaba on which it was built. On your own, admission costs €2. It has its own page: Trujillo Castle. The Pizarro House-Museum. The family home of the conqueror of Peru, a Gothic manor house in Plaza de Santa María, with his childhood home on the ground floor and his life on the upper one. More at the Pizarro House-Museum. The church of Santiago, Romanesque, in the medieval town. The Discoverers' Interpretation Centre, the stop that gives its name to the second half of the tour. Prices, a minimum of four and how to book Adults pay €18, young people aged 12 to 14 pay €10 and under-11s go in free. The listing does not say what 11-year-olds or ages 15 to 17 pay: ask when you book. The tour runs with a minimum of four people, and for groups, companies and schools there is an exclusive service at a separate rate. You book on its website, at the office itself, by email at info@turismotrujillo.es or by phone, on 927 320 510. The company does not publish the length or the cancellation conditions, so it is worth asking about both, especially if you have a table booked afterwards. The climb to the alcazaba From the square to the castle you climb steep, stone streets. With a pushchair it is hard going, and if someone with you has difficulty walking it is worth speaking to the company first. On the way down, the Mesón La Troya is in the same square and opens at 13:15, without reservations. If you are left wanting more castle, the same company runs the sunset visit, which climbs in the last light but without tickets included. - **Guided Sunset Tour Up to the Castle** (Everyone · Desde 10 € per adult): Trujillo changes colour at dusk: the granite of the palaces turns golden and, from the top of the hill, the plain stretches out to the horizon. This guided tour by Turismo Trujillo, which the company calls "El Coleccionista de Atardeceres" (The Sunset Collector), is designed to reach the castle at just that moment. The route It starts in the Plaza Mayor and climbs with an official guide through the most notable streets, squares and corners of the medieval town up to the alcazaba. On the way, the guide tells the history of the city and its people. The finish is the castle viewpoint, from where the sunset is photographed: the company recommends bringing a camera. It is for all audiences. Times The departure time adjusts to sunset through the year: November to February: 16:30. March: 17:00. April and May: 18:00. June: 19:00. 1 July to 15 August: 20:00. 16 August to 15 September: 19:00. 16 September to 31 October: 17:00. The listing does not publish the length: ask when you book if you have dinner or a car afterwards. Price and booking It costs €10 for adults and €6 for children, with an official guide; the listing does not say up to what age the children's rate applies or mention admission to monuments. It runs with a minimum of four people. You must book and collect the ticket beforehand at the Turismo Trujillo office, in the Plaza Mayor, unit 20, under the arcades next to the lottery office, or book on its website, at info@turismotrujillo.es or on 927 320 510. Tips In winter, by the time you come down from the castle it will already be dark: bring a coat. In summer, the 20:00 departure avoids the worst of the heat. The streets are cobbled and sloping: comfortable shoes, and with a pushchair, a carrier is better. What to combine it with If you want to go inside the monuments, the morning guided tour of the medieval town includes admission to the castle, the Pizarro House-Museum, the church of Santiago and the Discoverers' Centre. By day you can see the castle and its cisterns or the church of Santa María la Mayor on your own. On the way down, have dinner in the Plaza Mayor, at the Mesón La Troya, or at the Restaurante Emilia, in Plaza del Campillo. - **Lesser Kestrel Walk Through the Historic Centre** (1 h 30 · Families and bird lovers · On your own · free): Trujillo is a special protection area for birds because of a falcon that fits in one hand: the lesser kestrel, which they call "mical" here. The historic centre and some more modern districts form the largest urban SPA in Extremadura, 208 hectares, and up to 120 pairs breed in it, the largest population in the region. The European LIFE ZEPA Urban project drew up a walking route to see them without a guide, which starts in the Plaza Mayor and takes an hour and a half. From San Martín to the Alfiler tower The first stop is in the square itself, where there are two breeding colonies: the church of San Martín and the San Carlos Palace. Look at the eaves and the gaps in the stonework, not at the ground. The second is the Palace of Juan Pizarro de Orellana, a Renaissance building where Miguel de Cervantes stayed, a friend of the owner, and where he wrote part of The Trials of Persiles and Sigismunda. Several pairs have chosen its walls to nest in. The third is a stretch of wall that serves as a viewpoint to the west. From there you can see the west of the Llanos de Trujillo SPA, the grasslands where the kestrels go down to hunt: it is the stop that explains why they breed in this city and not another. The fourth is the Alfiler tower, with an educational museum on the history of Trujillo inside, a stork's nest at the top and swifts and kestrels in the putlog holes of the façades. One more hour: the bullring and the silos If you have energy left, the leaflet suggests a one-hour extension with two stops outside the old town. The bullring, opened in 1848 and an Asset of Cultural Interest, has a broad Arab-tile roof full of nests; at first the SPA included only this bullring, and it was the town council that asked for it to be extended to all the colonies in the old town. Outside, on Calle Ronda de la Plaza de Toros, there is an observation tower. To the south of the city are the two 20th-century grain silos, the Macrosilo and the Silo I-Novo, 125 metres from each other. Artificial nest boxes were installed on their roofs and today they hold the two largest colonies in Trujillo. The bigger one is 70 metres long. According to the leaflet, sightings here are guaranteed in season. How to recognise a lesser kestrel It is the smallest diurnal bird of prey that breeds on the peninsula: between 28 and 36 cm long, with a wingspan of 58 to 72 cm and weighing between 120 and 145 grams. The leaflet shows two plumages: one with a reddish-brown back without spots, with a bluish band on the wing and a grey tail ending in a black band; the other with a back barred in dark brown and a barred tail, also with the black band at the end. It feeds mainly on medium-sized insects, small rodents and, now and then, reptiles. When it is not worth it The lesser kestrel is migratory. It breeds in Extremadura from February to July and then travels more than 3,000 km to spend the winter in Africa. From August to January the route is still a good walk round the old town, but without kestrels. Disturbance during breeding is among the threats the project cites, along with the loss of nesting holes and of hunting ground. If you prefer to go with someone who knows the colonies, the leaflet lists Trujillo companies with Urban Birding experiences, among them Turismo Trujillo and Iberian Nature. The Hostal Emilia, in Plaza del Campillo, lends binoculars to its guests. - **Visit and Tasting at Bodegas HABLA** (1 h 30 · Adults; children at a reduced price · Desde 38 € per adult): Bodegas HABLA is on the A-5 motorway, at the kilometre 259 exit, a few minutes by car from the centre of Trujillo. It opens to visits from Thursday to Sunday with three formats that differ in length, in what you eat and in the day. All are booked on its wine tourism page, with a date and time. Habla Clásico: from the Sala Mira to the Hablateca This is the short visit, an hour and a half, and the only one that also runs on Thursdays and Fridays. It starts upstairs, with the panoramic view from the Sala Mira, where they tell you the idea behind the winery. Then you go down to the production room, move on to the barrel room and finish in the Hablateca. The final tasting is of three of the house wines. It costs €38 for adults and €20 for adults who do not drink and young people aged 10 to 17. Ages 4 to 9 are €6, and up to 3, free. Habla Selección, at weekends at 12:30 It lasts two hours and adds to the interior a tour of the outside of the winery and of the production process. The tasting is also of three wines, but here with tapas prepared by the kitchen team. Only Saturdays and Sundays, at 12:30, so you come out at lunchtime. Adults pay €60, adults without alcohol €50 and ages 3 to 17, €35, although the children's price includes neither drink nor tapa. Under-2s do not pay. Habla Duende, a long table on Saturdays This is the experience for a proper meal. The visit inside has no tasting and ends in a tasting menu with several courses, each with the wine proposed by the sommelier. There is a vegan option and a children's menu. It runs on Saturdays at 13:00, and in July and August moves to 20:00. It costs from €130 for adults and €38 for children up to 12. When booking, a deposit of €50 per adult and €20 per child is left. It can be given as a voucher, valid for twelve months. Cancellations, groups and the stud farm The winery does not publish on its visits page the length of Habla Duende or the cancellation conditions: ask when you book, on 927 659 180 or 690 64 15 27. Turismo Trujillo, the guide company in the Plaza Mayor, also sells Habla Clásico with its own conditions: a minimum of six people and 100% charged if you cancel or change within the previous 72 hours. For groups there are tailor-made experiences, with tastings, presentations or a visit to its Pura Raza Española (purebred Spanish) horse stud, with a minimum number of people agreed with them. Always check the calendar of public holidays before you go. After the visit, the gastrobar Espacio H serves the same wines at shop prices; its kitchen closes at 16:00. The afternoon ends well with the sunset visit to the castle, as the plan HABLA tasting and sunset at the castle suggests. - **Rural Ethnographic Museum of Huertas de Ánimas** (1 h · All ages · €2.50, children €1.50): About 5 km from Trujillo, in the hamlet of Huertas de Ánimas, the neighbours built a museum so that the way people lived in an Extremaduran village of the past would not be lost. It is a private museum, small and very handmade, visited by appointment, and it works especially well with children. What you see According to Turismo de Extremadura, the museum was built on the initiative of the parishioners of Huertas de Ánimas and brings together twenty-four spaces that recreate life in the region's villages in another age. There are recreations of typical homes, a rural school and a wine cellar, and along the way you take in the popular architecture of the period. The visit is completed by a large collection of farm implements, tools and instruments of the trades of old. It is not a museum of display cases but of settings: you enter the rooms as if the family had just stepped out. For children, the school with its desks and the tools of the trades are what hook them most; for adults, often, a trip to their grandparents' house. Hours, booking and price The museum has no fixed hours: the visit is arranged. You must call the booking telephone first, 927 323 056; the information line is 927 320 468. Admission costs €2.50, and €1.50 for children. It offers guided tours. Allow about an hour. If you are in a group, the company Turismo Trujillo organises guided visits to the museum only for groups of more than ten people and by reservation, at €6 per person; they are booked on 927 320 510. Accessibility The official listing indicates access ramps, accessible parking, assistance for people with reduced mobility, a guide for people with disabilities and admission of guide dogs. It is one of the most comfortable visits in the area if you are travelling with someone with reduced mobility or a pushchair. Getting there Huertas de Ánimas is about 5 km from the centre of Trujillo; the practical way is to go by car. When you arrange the appointment, ask them to tell you how to get there and where to leave the car. What to combine it with It is a good counterpoint to monumental Trujillo: in the morning, the guided tour of the medieval town or the Plaza Mayor and the castle; in the afternoon, the museum, to see how people in the villages lived while the palaces grew in the city. If you like the countryside, add the lesser kestrel walk. The tourist office in the Plaza Mayor can help you fit the day together. ## Dónde comer - **Mesón La Troya** (Restaurant, Trujillo, €€). Qué pedir: the house menu, which includes bread, water and wine, with lamb caldereta as the main course; à la carte, Extremaduran migas and a half portion of torta del Casar - **Hostal Emilia Restaurant** (Restaurant, Trujillo, €€). Qué pedir: Extremaduran migas or scrambled desert truffles to start, and Iberian presa or lamb caldereta; for dessert, tocinillo de cielo - **Espacio H, the Bodegas HABLA Gastrobar** (Winery, Trujillo, €€). Qué pedir: a glass or a bottle of the house wine at the shop price with tapas; if you come to eat, arrive before 16:00, when the kitchen closes - **Trujillo Parador Restaurant** (Restaurant, Trujillo, €€€). Qué pedir: tomato soup with cumin and figs, Extremaduran zorongollo and Retinta beef sirloin with torta del Casar sauce; for dessert, the melted cheese ice cream with Villuercas e Ibores honey ## By car: The Base for Cáceres, Monfragüe and Guadalupe Trujillo is at the junction of the A-5 and the A-58: 48 km from Cáceres, 90 from Mérida and 255 from Madrid. With a car, the town is seen on foot and the car serves for the HABLA winery, the museum at Huertas de Ánimas and as a base towards Monfragüe, about 50 km away, or Guadalupe, 80. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–120 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Parador de Trujillo** (Hotel): The Parador de Trujillo is the former Franciscan convent of Santa Clara, from the 16th century, at Calle Santa Beatriz de Silva, 1. It is inside the historic centre, about 200 metres from the Plaza Mayor, with its own garage. A cloister between the church and the new courtyard The building is arranged around a central cloister of Renaissance columns and arches. At one end the cloister opens onto the convent's former church, with a vaulted ceiling, where the dining room is today; at the other, you pass to a second, modern-style courtyard. Outside there is a garden and a seasonal outdoor pool. You do not need to go out to eat: the Parador restaurant serves Extremaduran cooking in that church, with lunches from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinners from 20:00 to 22:30, and the café opens from 11:00 to 23:15. Standard or superior, with or without half board There are two types of room: standard double and superior double. The parador's list of services includes air conditioning, a safe with space for a laptop, a minibar, a flat-screen television with Chromecast and a hairdryer. There is room service, breakfast in the room, laundry and ironing, a digital newspaper service and free wifi. The parador has a lift and Paradores states that there are accessibility facilities: if you need them, ask for the detail when you book. When booking on the website you choose between room only, bed and breakfast or half board. Breakfast is served from 8:00 to 11:00. Prices change with the date: the calendar on the page itself shows them. Paid garage and seasonal pool For the car there are two options, the garage and outdoor parking, both paid. In an old town of narrow, cobbled streets, leaving it here and not moving it until you leave is the most convenient. The pool is seasonal; Paradores does not give the dates, so ask if you are travelling at the start or end of summer. All services are subject to capacity and availability. Outings from the parador On foot you have the whole city: the Plaza Mayor, the medieval town and the castle. Paradores gives these distances for outings by car: the Rural Ethnographic Museum in Huertas de Ánimas, 5 km; Cáceres, 48 km along the A-58; Monfragüe National Park, 50 km; Guadalupe, 80 km; Mérida, 90 km; Plasencia, 100, and the La Vera district, 135. Madrid is 255 km away along the A-5. The parador also rents halls for meetings and celebrations: the Santa Clara, the Berrocal and the former church, as well as the chapel and the cloister. - **Casa de Orellana Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): Casa de Orellana is the house where Francisco de Orellana was born, the native of Trujillo who in 1541 first sailed down the Amazon. It is a 15th-century building inside the walled enclosure, in the medieval town district and next to the church of Santa María la Mayor, with a crenellated tower and the coat of arms of the ten roundels. It was decorated by the interior designer Duarte Pinto Coelho and is now a hotel of only five rooms. Calle Paloma, at the top of the town The address is Calle Paloma, 5-7, in the upper part of Trujillo, between the Plaza Mayor and the castle. From the door you have the Pizarro House-Museum, in Plaza de Santa María, a few steps away, and the castle is uphill. You walk down to the Plaza Mayor through cobbled streets. Arriving has its own procedure. The hotel asks that, when you reach Trujillo, you call them with the details in your booking confirmation: someone from the staff comes out to meet you and takes you to the house. Ask in that same call where to leave the car, because the website does not mention parking. Five rooms named for an expedition Each room is named after someone from the history of Orellana and his voyage: Francisco de Orellana, the discoverer, with two beds. La Torre de Don Gonzalo, dedicated to Gonzalo Pizarro, with two beds. Fray Gaspar de Carvajal, the Dominican friar who was the chronicler of the voyage, with a double bed. Ana de Ayala, Orellana's companion, with two beds. Cosme de Chaves, his stepfather, who financed the venture, with a double bed. All are for two adults and non-smoking, with garden views, television, minibar, heating and air conditioning. They are cleaned daily and there is a laundry and ironing service. The wifi is in the common areas. A family of four needs two rooms; the website says nothing about extra beds or children, so ask. Breakfast included and a pool for guests only Breakfast is included in the price of all the rooms, and can be taken in the room. The house has a reception hall, a dining lounge, a patio and a garden with an outdoor pool, for guests only; the website does not say which months it opens. They also organise catering and cultural events. Check-in is from 12:00 to 21:00 and check-out until 12:00. Cancellation is free up to 72 hours before arrival; after that one night is charged. They accept Visa, American Express and MasterCard. The website does not publish whether dogs are admitted. - **Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta** (Hotel): The Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta occupies a 16th-century manor house at Calle Ballesteros, 6, next to the Plaza Mayor. From the palace it keeps the vaults and Renaissance cloisters; from the renovations, the comforts of a four-star hotel with 50 rooms, an outdoor pool and a quiet terrace. Calle Ballesteros, three minutes from the square The hotel reckons about three minutes on foot to the historic centre: you step out and you are in the Plaza Mayor, with the medieval town and the castle uphill. If you arrive by bus, the stop is about 16 minutes' walk away, according to the hotel. By car, it has parking at €10 a night, but spaces cannot be reserved: they go in order of arrival. If there is no space left, you will have to look for one outside the historic centre. Five types of room Double with two beds, which the hotel listing gives as adapted for people with reduced mobility, and the only one that mentions cots on request. Double with a double bed, with an LCD television and a desk. Single, simpler. Superior double, more spacious. Connecting doubles, designed for families or friends: a room with a double bed and another with two beds joined by an entrance hall. All have wifi, air conditioning, a safe, a minibar and a hairdryer; almost all have a telephone in the bathroom too. The website does not give the square metres of each type. If you need the adapted room or the cot, confirm it when you book. Breakfast yes, dinner elsewhere Breakfast is a buffet, Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 10:30 and at weekends and on public holidays from 8:00 to 11:00. The rest of the kitchen is stopped: the hotel warns that the restaurant, the café and room service are not operating until further notice. For lunch and dinner you have the Mesón La Troya close by, in the same square, or the Parador restaurant, 200 metres from the square. Summer pool and other house rules The pool opens in the summer season, from 11:00 to 21:00. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00; some hotel offers include earlier check-in or later check-out, subject to availability. Pets are not allowed. Bookings of three rooms or more may have their own payment conditions and supplements. The hotel has meeting rooms with natural light and free wifi. To book by phone, the Eurostars switchboard answers 24 hours on 913 342 196; the hotel, on 927 659 190. - **Hostal Emilia** (Hostel): A family hostal The Hostal-Restaurante Emilia opened in 1929, almost a hundred years ago, and is still a family business. It is in Plaza del Campillo, at the lower entrance to Trujillo, a few minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor and near the bus station. Downstairs it has a bar and a home-cooking restaurant; upstairs, the rooms. It is an unpretentious place, designed for a good rest and an early start to see the city or the countryside. The rooms All have a window to the outside and natural light, and the hostal describes them as spacious, suitable for resting or working. They are equipped with a 32-inch television and free high-speed wifi. They are simple, with wooden furniture. The website does not publish the number of rooms, the types (single, double or triple), the prices or the check-in and check-out times, so all of that is worth asking when you book by phone or email. The house restaurant The cooking is home-style, with grandmother's recipes passed down from generation to generation and local produce bought in the town's shops. On the menu there are Extremaduran migas with La Vera paprika, scrambled eggs with wild asparagus or desert truffles, golden thistles with ham, torta de la Serena and Extremaduran cheeses; among the spoon dishes, white beans with Iberian chorizo, picatostes soup and, in season, tomato or egg gazpacho. From the charcoal grill come Iberian presa, secreto and sirloin, lamb chops and beef entrecôte, and there is lamb caldereta. The wines are largely from the Ribera del Guadiana, with Habla del Silencio, from the Trujillo winery HABLA. You have all the detail on the page for the Hostal Emilia Restaurant. Eating and sleeping in the same house is handy when you arrive late or come back tired from an outing across the plains. For those who come to watch birds The hostal belongs to the Extremadura Birding Club, the network of businesses committed to birdwatching tourism. It offers route maps, lends binoculars to guests and helps book excursions with local guides. You do not need to go far: Trujillo's historic centre is a special protection area for birds, and in spring the lesser kestrels breed in the gaps in its façades. The lesser kestrel walk through the historic centre starts in the Plaza Mayor, a short stroll from the door, and is best done from February to July, early or at dusk. What is nearby From Plaza del Campillo you walk up to the Plaza Mayor, the church of Santa María la Mayor and Trujillo Castle and its cisterns. If you want someone to tell you about the city, the guided tour of the medieval town is a good first afternoon. Bookings on 927 320 083 or at info@hostalemilia.com. ### Servicios - **Trujillo Tourist Office**: In the Plaza Mayor · every day, morning and afternoon · maps, monument opening times and tickets ## Car-free: By Bus from Cáceres or Madrid Trujillo works well without a car: Avanza has buses from Cáceres and on the Madrid – Badajoz line, and once here everything is on foot. The station is in the lower part, a quarter of an hour's walk from the Plaza Mayor. What you miss without a car are the winery and the museum at Huertas de Ánimas. Presupuesto orientativo: 60–100 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Parador de Trujillo** (Hotel): The Parador de Trujillo is the former Franciscan convent of Santa Clara, from the 16th century, at Calle Santa Beatriz de Silva, 1. It is inside the historic centre, about 200 metres from the Plaza Mayor, with its own garage. A cloister between the church and the new courtyard The building is arranged around a central cloister of Renaissance columns and arches. At one end the cloister opens onto the convent's former church, with a vaulted ceiling, where the dining room is today; at the other, you pass to a second, modern-style courtyard. Outside there is a garden and a seasonal outdoor pool. You do not need to go out to eat: the Parador restaurant serves Extremaduran cooking in that church, with lunches from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinners from 20:00 to 22:30, and the café opens from 11:00 to 23:15. Standard or superior, with or without half board There are two types of room: standard double and superior double. The parador's list of services includes air conditioning, a safe with space for a laptop, a minibar, a flat-screen television with Chromecast and a hairdryer. There is room service, breakfast in the room, laundry and ironing, a digital newspaper service and free wifi. The parador has a lift and Paradores states that there are accessibility facilities: if you need them, ask for the detail when you book. When booking on the website you choose between room only, bed and breakfast or half board. Breakfast is served from 8:00 to 11:00. Prices change with the date: the calendar on the page itself shows them. Paid garage and seasonal pool For the car there are two options, the garage and outdoor parking, both paid. In an old town of narrow, cobbled streets, leaving it here and not moving it until you leave is the most convenient. The pool is seasonal; Paradores does not give the dates, so ask if you are travelling at the start or end of summer. All services are subject to capacity and availability. Outings from the parador On foot you have the whole city: the Plaza Mayor, the medieval town and the castle. Paradores gives these distances for outings by car: the Rural Ethnographic Museum in Huertas de Ánimas, 5 km; Cáceres, 48 km along the A-58; Monfragüe National Park, 50 km; Guadalupe, 80 km; Mérida, 90 km; Plasencia, 100, and the La Vera district, 135. Madrid is 255 km away along the A-5. The parador also rents halls for meetings and celebrations: the Santa Clara, the Berrocal and the former church, as well as the chapel and the cloister. - **Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta** (Hotel): The Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta occupies a 16th-century manor house at Calle Ballesteros, 6, next to the Plaza Mayor. From the palace it keeps the vaults and Renaissance cloisters; from the renovations, the comforts of a four-star hotel with 50 rooms, an outdoor pool and a quiet terrace. Calle Ballesteros, three minutes from the square The hotel reckons about three minutes on foot to the historic centre: you step out and you are in the Plaza Mayor, with the medieval town and the castle uphill. If you arrive by bus, the stop is about 16 minutes' walk away, according to the hotel. By car, it has parking at €10 a night, but spaces cannot be reserved: they go in order of arrival. If there is no space left, you will have to look for one outside the historic centre. Five types of room Double with two beds, which the hotel listing gives as adapted for people with reduced mobility, and the only one that mentions cots on request. Double with a double bed, with an LCD television and a desk. Single, simpler. Superior double, more spacious. Connecting doubles, designed for families or friends: a room with a double bed and another with two beds joined by an entrance hall. All have wifi, air conditioning, a safe, a minibar and a hairdryer; almost all have a telephone in the bathroom too. The website does not give the square metres of each type. If you need the adapted room or the cot, confirm it when you book. Breakfast yes, dinner elsewhere Breakfast is a buffet, Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 10:30 and at weekends and on public holidays from 8:00 to 11:00. The rest of the kitchen is stopped: the hotel warns that the restaurant, the café and room service are not operating until further notice. For lunch and dinner you have the Mesón La Troya close by, in the same square, or the Parador restaurant, 200 metres from the square. Summer pool and other house rules The pool opens in the summer season, from 11:00 to 21:00. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00; some hotel offers include earlier check-in or later check-out, subject to availability. Pets are not allowed. Bookings of three rooms or more may have their own payment conditions and supplements. The hotel has meeting rooms with natural light and free wifi. To book by phone, the Eurostars switchboard answers 24 hours on 913 342 196; the hotel, on 927 659 190. - **Hostal Emilia** (Hostel): A family hostal The Hostal-Restaurante Emilia opened in 1929, almost a hundred years ago, and is still a family business. It is in Plaza del Campillo, at the lower entrance to Trujillo, a few minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor and near the bus station. Downstairs it has a bar and a home-cooking restaurant; upstairs, the rooms. It is an unpretentious place, designed for a good rest and an early start to see the city or the countryside. The rooms All have a window to the outside and natural light, and the hostal describes them as spacious, suitable for resting or working. They are equipped with a 32-inch television and free high-speed wifi. They are simple, with wooden furniture. The website does not publish the number of rooms, the types (single, double or triple), the prices or the check-in and check-out times, so all of that is worth asking when you book by phone or email. The house restaurant The cooking is home-style, with grandmother's recipes passed down from generation to generation and local produce bought in the town's shops. On the menu there are Extremaduran migas with La Vera paprika, scrambled eggs with wild asparagus or desert truffles, golden thistles with ham, torta de la Serena and Extremaduran cheeses; among the spoon dishes, white beans with Iberian chorizo, picatostes soup and, in season, tomato or egg gazpacho. From the charcoal grill come Iberian presa, secreto and sirloin, lamb chops and beef entrecôte, and there is lamb caldereta. The wines are largely from the Ribera del Guadiana, with Habla del Silencio, from the Trujillo winery HABLA. You have all the detail on the page for the Hostal Emilia Restaurant. Eating and sleeping in the same house is handy when you arrive late or come back tired from an outing across the plains. For those who come to watch birds The hostal belongs to the Extremadura Birding Club, the network of businesses committed to birdwatching tourism. It offers route maps, lends binoculars to guests and helps book excursions with local guides. You do not need to go far: Trujillo's historic centre is a special protection area for birds, and in spring the lesser kestrels breed in the gaps in its façades. The lesser kestrel walk through the historic centre starts in the Plaza Mayor, a short stroll from the door, and is best done from February to July, early or at dusk. What is nearby From Plaza del Campillo you walk up to the Plaza Mayor, the church of Santa María la Mayor and Trujillo Castle and its cisterns. If you want someone to tell you about the city, the guided tour of the medieval town is a good first afternoon. Bookings on 927 320 083 or at info@hostalemilia.com. ### Servicios - **Trujillo Tourist Office**: In the Plaza Mayor · every day, morning and afternoon · maps, monument opening times and tickets - **Trujillo Bus Station**: Avanza buses to Cáceres, Badajoz, Madrid and Lisbon · Avenida de Miajadas ## Luxury: Sleeping in a Convent or at the Casa de Orellana Trujillo has two ways of sleeping inside history: the parador, in the 16th-century convent of Santa Clara, with a cloister and pool, and Casa de Orellana, five rooms in the birthplace of the discoverer of the Amazon, inside the wall. Add a visit with a paired menu at the HABLA winery. Presupuesto orientativo: From €180 por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir in style - **Parador de Trujillo** (Hotel): The Parador de Trujillo is the former Franciscan convent of Santa Clara, from the 16th century, at Calle Santa Beatriz de Silva, 1. It is inside the historic centre, about 200 metres from the Plaza Mayor, with its own garage. A cloister between the church and the new courtyard The building is arranged around a central cloister of Renaissance columns and arches. At one end the cloister opens onto the convent's former church, with a vaulted ceiling, where the dining room is today; at the other, you pass to a second, modern-style courtyard. Outside there is a garden and a seasonal outdoor pool. You do not need to go out to eat: the Parador restaurant serves Extremaduran cooking in that church, with lunches from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinners from 20:00 to 22:30, and the café opens from 11:00 to 23:15. Standard or superior, with or without half board There are two types of room: standard double and superior double. The parador's list of services includes air conditioning, a safe with space for a laptop, a minibar, a flat-screen television with Chromecast and a hairdryer. There is room service, breakfast in the room, laundry and ironing, a digital newspaper service and free wifi. The parador has a lift and Paradores states that there are accessibility facilities: if you need them, ask for the detail when you book. When booking on the website you choose between room only, bed and breakfast or half board. Breakfast is served from 8:00 to 11:00. Prices change with the date: the calendar on the page itself shows them. Paid garage and seasonal pool For the car there are two options, the garage and outdoor parking, both paid. In an old town of narrow, cobbled streets, leaving it here and not moving it until you leave is the most convenient. The pool is seasonal; Paradores does not give the dates, so ask if you are travelling at the start or end of summer. All services are subject to capacity and availability. Outings from the parador On foot you have the whole city: the Plaza Mayor, the medieval town and the castle. Paradores gives these distances for outings by car: the Rural Ethnographic Museum in Huertas de Ánimas, 5 km; Cáceres, 48 km along the A-58; Monfragüe National Park, 50 km; Guadalupe, 80 km; Mérida, 90 km; Plasencia, 100, and the La Vera district, 135. Madrid is 255 km away along the A-5. The parador also rents halls for meetings and celebrations: the Santa Clara, the Berrocal and the former church, as well as the chapel and the cloister. - **Casa de Orellana Boutique Hotel** (Small hotel): Casa de Orellana is the house where Francisco de Orellana was born, the native of Trujillo who in 1541 first sailed down the Amazon. It is a 15th-century building inside the walled enclosure, in the medieval town district and next to the church of Santa María la Mayor, with a crenellated tower and the coat of arms of the ten roundels. It was decorated by the interior designer Duarte Pinto Coelho and is now a hotel of only five rooms. Calle Paloma, at the top of the town The address is Calle Paloma, 5-7, in the upper part of Trujillo, between the Plaza Mayor and the castle. From the door you have the Pizarro House-Museum, in Plaza de Santa María, a few steps away, and the castle is uphill. You walk down to the Plaza Mayor through cobbled streets. Arriving has its own procedure. The hotel asks that, when you reach Trujillo, you call them with the details in your booking confirmation: someone from the staff comes out to meet you and takes you to the house. Ask in that same call where to leave the car, because the website does not mention parking. Five rooms named for an expedition Each room is named after someone from the history of Orellana and his voyage: Francisco de Orellana, the discoverer, with two beds. La Torre de Don Gonzalo, dedicated to Gonzalo Pizarro, with two beds. Fray Gaspar de Carvajal, the Dominican friar who was the chronicler of the voyage, with a double bed. Ana de Ayala, Orellana's companion, with two beds. Cosme de Chaves, his stepfather, who financed the venture, with a double bed. All are for two adults and non-smoking, with garden views, television, minibar, heating and air conditioning. They are cleaned daily and there is a laundry and ironing service. The wifi is in the common areas. A family of four needs two rooms; the website says nothing about extra beds or children, so ask. Breakfast included and a pool for guests only Breakfast is included in the price of all the rooms, and can be taken in the room. The house has a reception hall, a dining lounge, a patio and a garden with an outdoor pool, for guests only; the website does not say which months it opens. They also organise catering and cultural events. Check-in is from 12:00 to 21:00 and check-out until 12:00. Cancellation is free up to 72 hours before arrival; after that one night is charged. They accept Visa, American Express and MasterCard. The website does not publish whether dogs are admitted. ## As a family: A Castle, a Square and Falcons on the Rooftops Trujillo is compact and done on foot, with a proper castle at the top and a big square below to run around in. The problem is the cobbled slopes: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair. ### What works best The castle: cisterns, towers and wall-walk for €2 The kestrel walk, from February to July, with binoculars The ethnographic museum at Huertas de Ánimas, with its school of old, €1.50 for children The morning guided tour: free for under-11s ### Where to sleep Parador de Trujillo, with a seasonal pool Hostal Emilia, no slopes from the station ### Where to eat Mesón La Troya, children's menu at €8 Restaurante Emilia, home cooking ### Bear in mind Keep an eye on them on the castle wall-walk: it is narrow In July and August the heat bears down at midday: castle in the morning or late in the day The Huertas de Ánimas museum opens by appointment ### Qué hacer as a family - Plaza Mayor of Trujillo - Trujillo Castle and Its Cisterns - Guided Tour of the Medieval Town and the Route of the Discoverers - Lesser Kestrel Walk Through the Historic Centre - Rural Ethnographic Museum of Huertas de Ánimas ## With teenagers: Conquistador History, Told in the Street For a teenager, Trujillo comes through its stories: Pizarro, who conquered Peru, and Orellana, the first to sail down the Amazon, were born here. Better with a guide than with display labels, and better at sunset than at midday. ### What works best The sunset visit up to the castle, €6 for children The castle on your own, with the wall-walk and the cisterns The morning guided tour, €10 for ages 12 to 14, with four tickets ### Where to sleep Eurostars Palacio Santa Marta, with a rooftop pool Parador de Trujillo ### Where to eat Mesón La Troya, in the Plaza Mayor ### Bear in mind Churches without a guide are boring: leave them for those who ask One afternoon of castle and square is enough; with more days, Monfragüe is an hour away ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Trujillo Castle and Its Cisterns - Guided Tour of the Medieval Town and the Route of the Discoverers - Guided Sunset Tour Up to the Castle ## Consejos ### Go up to the castle at the last minute The sunset light over the plain is the best thing about Trujillo. The sunset guided visit leaves at 16:30 from November to February. ### Get the tickets with the visit The Turismo Trujillo morning visit, for €18, includes the castle, Pizarro's house, the church of Santiago and the Centro de los Descubridores. ### Firm-soled shoes The cobbles of the medieval town are slippery in the rain and tiring going down. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take to get from Cáceres to Trujillo? About 40 minutes by car, 48 km along the A-58. There is also an Avanza bus. ### What is there to see in Trujillo in a day? The Plaza Mayor, the church of Santa María la Mayor, the Casa-Museo de Pizarro and the castle, with a lunch in the square in the middle. If it is spring, the kestrel route. ### How much does it cost to enter Trujillo castle? €2 per person. It is open every day, morning and afternoon. ### Can you go to Trujillo without a car? Yes. Avanza comes from Cáceres and from the Madrid – Badajoz line. The station is a quarter of an hour's walk from the Plaza Mayor. ### Where do you park in Trujillo? Outside the historic centre, in the lower part, and walk up. The Parador and the Eurostars have paid parking for their guests. ### Can you go with children? Yes. They like the castle and the square, the guided visit is free for under-11s and the ethnographic museum of Huertas de Ánimas is 5 km away. With a pushchair, the cobbled slopes are hard going.