# Alcázar of the Dukes of Feria

What to do en Zafra · Zafra

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/things-to-do/alcazar-of-the-dukes-of-feria · Revisado: 2026-11-12

- Duración: 30 min
- Temporada: All year
- Para quién: Everyone

Visit · 30 min · The nine-tower castle-palace of 1437, now a parador, with a marble patio and Mudéjar ceilings

What it is
Lorenzo II Suárez de Figueroa, first Count of Feria, began building it in 1437 and finished it in 1443: a Gothic alcázar, both defensive and palatial, with pyramidal Mudéjar-style battlements and nine towers. It is the building that best tells the story of the power of the Feria family, who turned Zafra into the capital of their lordship.
When the Suárez de Figueroa reached the title of dukes, in 1567, they wanted a palace worthy of their new rank. They remodelled and extended the old count's alcázar and joined it to the church of the convent of Santa Marina, which they rebuilt at the same time. Around 1600 the classicist marble patio was added, and between 1605 and 1609 the passageway and the Puerta del Acebuche were built. In the church of Santa Marina is the kneeling sculpture of the Englishwoman Margaret Harrington.
What you see inside
Inside are Gothic paintings and Mudéjar wooden ceilings, such as those of the Sala Dorada and the chapel, along with coffered ceilings, chests, ironwork and banisters from the old palace. Hernán Cortés was a guest of the house. Today the building is the Parador de Zafra, which highlights its inner patio and the views of the town from the terrace; the old chapel is now one of its lounges.
How to visit
From outside you can see it from the Plaza Corazón de María, where the entrance is, and from the Puerta de Palacio and the Pilar del Duque, a 15th-century Gothic drinking trough from which the outer facade is easy to see. Inside, the building works as a hotel. The parador itself advertises a free guided visit on its website, but does not publish days or times: ask at reception, on 924 554 540 or at zafra@parador.es, before you go. The other way to see the patio and the lounges is to eat in its restaurant, which serves Extremaduran cooking with Iberian ham, migas and lamb caldereta, or to have a drink in the café. And if you want to sleep inside history, the Parador de Zafra listing describes the rooms.
Allow half an hour for the exterior and the patio. The alcázar is the starting point of the Zafra Única route, which continues by Santa Marina and Calle Sevilla to the Santa Clara Museum, the pantheon of the same family that built the palace.

## Cómo llegar y contacto

- Coordenadas: 38.4258, -6.4165

## Cerca de aquí

- [Zafra Única Route, from the Alcázar to the Pilar del Duque](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/things-to-do/zafra-unica-route), a 0 m
- [Acebuche](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/where-to-eat/acebuche), a 81 m
- [Hotel Huerta Honda](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/where-to-stay/hotel-huerta-honda), a 89 m
- [Parador de Zafra](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/where-to-stay/parador-de-zafra), a 180 m
- [Parador de Zafra Restaurant](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/where-to-eat/parador-restaurant), a 180 m
- [Plaza Grande and Plaza Chica](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/things-to-do/plaza-grande-and-plaza-chica), a 229 m
- [La Rebotica](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/where-to-eat/la-rebotica), a 235 m
- [Santa Clara Museum, Inside the Enclosure](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra/things-to-do/santa-clara-museum), a 260 m

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Can you visit the alcázar of Zafra?
It is the Parador de Zafra. You can see it from outside and, inside, by going into its restaurant or café; the parador also advertises a free guided visit with no published timetable.

### When was it built?
It was built between 1437 and 1443; the marble patio dates from around 1600.

### How many towers does it have?
Nine, crowned with battlements.

Destino: [Zafra](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/zafra.md)