# Sunday in Zafra: the squares, Santa Clara and an afternoon at the spa

Plaza Grande and Plaza Chica with their measuring rod, the cloister of Santa Clara, the Zafra Única route, lunch in the Feria family's fortress and an afternoon on the thermal circuit at El Raposo.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/itineraries/squares-santa-clara-and-spa

## El día
- 09:30 · Salida: 45 min by car (from Mérida via the A-66, about 63 km)
- 10:30 · Plaza Grande and Plaza Chica (park at Plaza de España · look for the vara (rod) in Plaza Chica)
  - 5 min on foot
- 11:15 · Santa Clara Museum, Inside the Enclosure (free · on Sunday, 10:00 to 14:00)
  - 4 min on foot
- 12:30 · Zafra Única Route, from the Alcázar to the Pilar del Duque (alcázar, Santa Marina, Casa Grande, Santa Catalina and the Santiago hospital)
  - 3 min on foot
- 14:00 · Parador de Zafra Restaurant (in the alcázar · €€€ · booking) · Parador de Zafra Restaurant, €€€
  - 13 min by car, 10,9 km
- 16:30 · Thermal Circuit at the El Raposo Spa (passes with circuit from €55 · booking by phone) · El Raposo Spa Hotel, From €55 per person
- 18:45 · Vuelta (you reach Mérida around 19:45)

Zafra is fifty minutes from Mérida and a good hour and a half from Seville, beside the A-66. A Sunday is enough for its two arcaded squares, the enclosed part of a convent that is still lived in and a lunch in the palace of the Dukes of Feria. And since there is a spa a quarter of an hour away, the afternoon can be spent in thermal water.

## The day, hour by hour

9:30 · Set off. From Mérida it is about 63 km on the A-66. From Badajoz, a little over an hour; from Seville and Cáceres, a good hour and a half. Park in the Plaza de España or the Plaza de los Escudos: the old town is pedestrianised.

10:30 · Plaza Grande and Plaza Chica. Go through the Arquillo del Pan and look, on a column in the Plaza Chica, for the Zafra rod once used to measure the goods at the market.

11:15 · Museo Santa Clara. Part of the cloister of the Poor Clare convent, founded in 1428 as a pantheon for the Feria family. Free; on Sundays it opens from 10:00 to 14:00.

12:30 · Zafra Única route. The walk suggested by the town council: the 1437 fortress, Santa Marina, the Casa Grande, the convent of Santa Catalina and the hospital of Santiago, ending at the Plaza Grande.

14:00 · Lunch at the Parador. In the fortress itself, with lamb caldereta, shepherd's migas and convent sweets. It is one of the few dining rooms in Zafra with published Sunday hours; book on 924 554 540.

16:30 · Thermal circuit at El Raposo. A quarter of an hour by car, a heated pool at 32.8 °C, saunas and thermal loungers. Passes with the circuit start at €55; book on 924 570 410 and ask the hours.

18:45 · Head home. You reach Mérida around a quarter to eight.

## With children

The morning works: the squares are pedestrianised and Santa Clara is short and free, with ramps and a lift. The spa is designed for adults; with children, swap the afternoon for the collegiate church of La Candelaria or carry on to Jerez de los Caballeros, with its Templar citadel.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
From Mérida, Cáceres and Seville on the A-66; from Badajoz on the N-432. Park in the Plaza de España, Los Escudos or the Ferial.

## Consejos

### Book lunch and the spa
The parador fills up on Sundays and the circuit has limited places.

### Bring swimwear and flip-flops
For the thermal circuit; ask when booking whether they provide bathrobes.

## Cuándo no ir

Counting on Acebuche or La Rebotica on Sunday: both are closed.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the day in Zafra cost?
The squares and Santa Clara cost nothing. With lunch at the parador and a spa pass, €90 to €130 per person.

### Where can you eat in Zafra on Sunday?
At the Parador restaurant, which is open every day.

### What happens if it rains?
Santa Clara and La Candelaria are indoors, and the spa is the perfect plan.

### Is the spa far?
A quarter of an hour by car, about 11 km.