Real Monasterio de Santa María de Guadalupe
Extremadura
Guadalupe's renowned, Unesco World Heritage–listed monastery is located, according to legend, on the spot where, in the early 14th century, a shepherd…
Must-see attractions in Extremadura
Extremadura
In a lovely shady setting 1.5km northwest of Cuacos de Yuste, this monastery is where Carlos I of Spain (Charles I; also known as Carlos V of Austria)…
Extremadura
About 25km west of Hervás, the ghost village of Granadilla is a beguiling reminder of how Extremadura's villages must have looked before modernisation…
Mérida
Mérida's most spectacular Roman monument, and the only one to once again fulfil its original function – by hosting performances during the Festival…
Extremadura
Trujillo's main square is one of Spain's most spectacular plazas, surrounded by baroque and Renaissance stone buildings sporting intricately carved…
Mérida
Don't miss the extraordinarily powerful spectacle of the Puente Romano spanning the Río Guadiana. At 792m in length with 60 granite arches, it's one of…
Mérida
Even if you visit only a handful of Mérida's sights, make sure one of them is this fabulous museum, which has a superb three-floor collection of statues,…
Cáceres
As you head up the steps to the Ciudad Monumental from the Plaza Mayor, turn left to climb the 12th-century, 25m-high Torre de Bujaco, home to an…
Cáceres
As the closest square to the Plaza Mayor, the Plaza de Santa María and the surrounding tangle of lanes provide most people's introduction to the Ciudad…
Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo
Cáceres
The sumptuous home of Cáceres' prominent Golfín family has been beautifully restored. Built piecemeal between the 14th and 20th centuries, it's crammed…
Cáceres
The excellent Museo de Cáceres, spread across 12 buildings in a 16th-century mansion built over an evocative 12th-century aljibe (cistern), is the only…
Extremadura
Atop the town's 600m-high summit, Trujillo's castle is of 10th-century Islamic origin (note the horseshoe arch just inside the entrance) and was later…
Extremadura
Occupying pride of place at the southern end of Monesterio, the excellent Museo del Jamón is arguably the best of its kind in Spain. Displays, interactive…
Extremadura
Arguably the most spectacular spot in the national park is the Mirador Salto del Gitano. From this lookout point, 5km south of Villareal along the EX208,…
Extremadura
One of the stars of Extremadura's Ribera del Guadiana wine-producing region, Palacio Quemado produces excellent reds and runs guided tours (including one…
Extremadura
Built from a preexisting Moorish fort by the powerful local Feria house, Feria's impeccably revamped 15th-century castle enjoys spectacular panoramas in…
Badajoz
Badajoz' majestic 12th-century, 8-hectare Alcazaba, the largest in Spain, lords over the city above the Plaza Alta. Guarding all is the Torre de…
Extremadura
The hilltop Castillo de Monfragüe, a ruined 9th-century Islamic fort, has sweeping 360-degree views across the park, with birds swooshing by above and…
Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor
Extremadura
This 13th-century church is a stunner. It has a mainly Gothic nave and two towers that you can climb for fabulous views across Trujillo, the castle and…
Extremadura
Plasencia’s magnificent cathedral is two-in-one. The 16th-century Catedral Nueva is a Gothic-Renaissance blend with a handsome plateresque facade, a…
Extremadura
The Plaza Grande and the adjoining Plaza Chica are both beautifully arcaded and ideal for soaking up Zafra life. The southwestern end of Plaza Grande,…
Extremadura
Looming large above little Alburquerque is the intact Castillo de Luna. The centrepiece of a frontier defence system of forts, the castle occupies the…
Extremadura
On the south side of Plaza Mayor, carved images of conquistador Pizarro and his lover Inés Yupanqui (sister of the Inca emperor Atahualpa) adorn the…
Mérida
The soaring columns here are one of Mérida's most dramatic, incongruous sights, surrounded as they are by the buildings of a modern Spanish city…
Extremadura
Unearthed in 1929, the fascinating, substantial remains of the once-splendid Roman city of Cáparra mostly date to around the 1st century. Initially…
Cáceres
This 15th-century Gothic cathedral creates an impressive opening scene for the Ciudad Monumental. Inside, you'll find a magnificent carved 16th-century…
Extremadura
Within an impressive 18th-century mansion, the Museo Pérez Comendador-Leroux houses works by Hervás-born, 20th-century sculptor Enrique Pérez Comendador…
Extremadura
On the northwest side of Alcántara, a magnificent 2nd-century Roman bridge – 204m long, 61m high, with six arches and much reinforced over the centuries –…
Extremadura
What a surprise this is out in the Extremadura backblocks! Built in the 16th century to house the Orden de Alcántara, an order of Reconquista knights –…
Mérida
Beside Mérida's Plaza de Toros, the Casa del Mitreo is a late-1st- or 2nd-century Roman house with a well-preserved fresco and several intricate mosaics…
Mérida
This large Islamic fort was built in the mid-9th century on a site already occupied by the Romans and Visigoths, probably becoming the first ever alcazaba…
Centro de Visitantes Los Descubridores
Extremadura
This museum inhabits the 17th-century Iglesia de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo with a high-tech display on Spain's conquest of the Americas and the larger…
Catedral de Santa María de la Asunción
Extremadura
Coria's primarily Gothic cathedral has intricate plateresque decoration around its main, north portal. It occupies a well-used sacred site: there was a…
Extremadura
Off Zafra's main shopping street, this imposing 15th-century Mudéjar convent is a working convent with cloistered nuns. Visitors can, however, explore the…
Extremadura
High in the upper old town (and signposted from the Puerta de Santiago), this small museum occupies a 15th-century home believed to have belonged to the…
Extremadura
Around 6km south of Guadalupe, close to the Puerta Llano, this well-regarded winery produces whites, reds and cavas (sparkling wine), and occupies a…
Extremadura
For one of Spain's more unusual swimming experiences, it's hard to go past the Cantera de Alcántara. It was here that the stones were quarried by the…
Mérida
This basilica was built in the 5th century in honour of Mérida's patron saint, who is said to have been martyred in the 4th century. It was then…
Centro de Interpretación del Arte Rupestre de Monfragüe
Extremadura
This excellent new installation serves as an interpretation centre for the rock art found in the Parque Nacional de Monfragüe, close to the Castillo. The…
Mérida
The 1st-century Circo Romano could accommodate 30,000 spectators. Discovered in the 16th century, its remains represent the only surviving hippodrome of…
