Zafra, two squares and a ducal palace.

Zafra is the commercial capital of southern Badajoz and one of the best-preserved towns in Extremadura. Its white old town fits into a stroll: two arcaded squares joined by a little arch, the nine-towered alcázar of the dukes of Feria, convents of Poor Clares that are still inhabited and a collegiate church with nine paintings by Zurbarán. The town grew with its markets and cattle fairs, and it still shows in its arcades. It can be seen in a day, and since it lies halfway between Mérida and Seville, it is a natural stop on the Ruta de la Plata.

How to get there from Mérida, Badajoz or Seville

By car, Zafra is right beside the A-66. From Mérida it is about 63 km, about fifty minutes. From Badajoz, about 75 km on the N-432, a little over an hour. From Seville, about 140 km on the A-66, a good hour and three quarters. From Cáceres, an hour and a half; from Huelva, about two and a half hours.

By train, Renfe Media Distancia stops at Zafra on the Mérida and Huelva lines, with few services a day. The station is on the outskirts, about twenty minutes' walk from the Plaza Grande.

Where to park

The old town is pedestrian. Park in the Plaza de España, the Plaza de los Escudos or the Ferial car park, and enter on foot: from any of the three, the squares are a few minutes away.

What to see in a day

Start at the tourist office in the Plaza de España, where they give you the map, and cross to the Plaza Grande, arcaded in the mid-15th century with the boom in trade. Through the Arquillo del Pan you pass into the Plaza Chica, the oldest, the centre of the medieval market: look on one of its columns for the vara de Zafra, the measure used to check goods.

Follow the Zafra Única route that the Town Council suggests: the alcázar of the Dukes of Feria, built between 1437 and 1443 and today a parador; the church of Santa Marina; the Casa Grande, from 1601; the Museo Santa Clara, which opens part of the cloister of a convent founded in 1428 as the Feria family's pantheon, free and also open on Sunday mornings; the convent of Santa Catalina and the hospital of Santiago, with its Gothic doorway and Mudéjar courtyard.

Before or after lunch, the collegiate church of la Candelaria: its altarpiece of the Virgen de los Remedios holds nine canvases by Zurbarán painted in 1644 for a merchant of the town. It is a parish church, so ask the tourist office for the visiting hours.

In the afternoon, if you feel like resting, the Balneario El Raposo, a quarter of an hour by car, sells passes with its thermal circuit from €55, with a heated pool at 32.8 °C. Or continue along the route towards Jerez de los Caballeros, about forty minutes to the south-west.

Where to eat

On Sundays, the Parador restaurant, in the alcázar itself, is the safe choice: open every day at midday and in the evening, with lamb caldereta, shepherd's migas and convent sweets. On weekdays and Saturday, Acebuche, with a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand, mixes Extremaduran and Argentine cooking, and La Rebotica, in an old house on calle Boticas, serves retinto beef and the Iberian trilogy. Both close on Sunday.

Where to sleep

At the Parador, inside the Feria palace, with a seasonal pool; at the Hotel Las Palmeras, under the arcades of the Plaza Grande, which accepts pets; or at the Hotel Huerta Honda, next to the alcázar. For a restful night, the four-star Hotel Balneario El Raposo, in the countryside.

When to go

In spring and autumn. In July and August midday easily passes 35 °C: old town in the morning, siesta and a terrace on the Plaza Grande at night. In October the town holds its fair. Note that Acebuche and La Rebotica close on Sunday, Acebuche on Monday too, and that the Museo Santa Clara closes on Mondays.