I am visiting Extremadura from Ireland this autumn and need some advice on what to see and do. Here is what I'm thinking:
Day 1: Arrive in Madrid 10:00 and drive to Mérida. Visit the Roman Theatre, Amphitheatre, Museum of Roman Art, Temple of Diana, Plaza de Espana. Stay in Merida town centre.
Day 2: Visit the Roman Bridge and Aqueduct in the morning and drive to Trujillo for 10:00. Spend a few hours sightseeing and visit the Alcazaba. have lunch and drive to Cáceres. Check out all the Cáceres old town and go bar hoping in the city centre.
Day 3: Full day exploring Cáceres and enjoying the vibe.
Day 4: Leave early for Meandro del Melero and explore the scenery. Have lunch in Hervás and take in the old town. Stay in Plasencia and have a good look around the town.
Day 5: Leave early for Garganta de los infiernos and do Los Pilones route. Have lunch around Jerte. Leave for Madrid around 13:00 and spend the night in Madrid.
Let me know if there's anything big I'm missing. Thanks for your help!
Posted by
back in the Americas
846 posts
So glad to see your interest in Extremadura. It is a beautiful area, you will feel like you have stepped back in time in many places. Your itinerary looks to combine cultural history and natural scenic beauty.
Day 1- This is a very busy day. If you arrive at Madrid airport at 10, get a car, drive 3+ hours to Mérida and possibly stop for lunch on the way, it may be 3 or 4 before you get to Mérida. Be aware that the Roman museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The ruins are beautiful
Day 2 x Trujillo is a gem. About an hour's drive from Trujillo is Guadalupe. The Royal Monastery there is a stand out attraction and the little town itself is very charming. Your itinerary is already jam packed but do consider it if you shuffle your days and stops around.
Day 3- Cáceres - so impressive
Day 4 and 5 x I have not been to Meandro del Melero nor Hervas but I have been to Valle del Jerte for the cherry blossoms and to Plasencia. Get yourself some of the local cherry jams as a souvenir..
Posted by
Minnesota
1152 posts
I agree that you have (easily) 8 days of stuff planned for 5 days and you are seriously underestimating the amount of time transfers/driving are gonna take. On your first day alone, you won't get your bags to your hotel room until ≈5pm. I'm assuming you're already in Europe, but if you're flying from North America, you'll be driving jet lagged. The driving is very low stress but make sure you have someone to talk to on the drive.
Extremadura is pretty cool. It seemed more popular with Spanish tourists than foreigners so it's a great experience. The GoT tourism has probably waned now too.
My biggest advice is to add days or trim your trip to one single extremadura base plus Madrid. I'd choose Caceres but YMMV
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8789 posts
I feel you are setting yourself up for disappointment. You are seriously underestimating the driving time getting to places, how long it will take to see the things you have listed, and the time it takes getting from parking lots to the sites. In 2024 I spent three weeks going to essentially the same places you want to see in five.
If you are intent on driving after an overnight flight, consider driving to Trujillo and spending a night before continuing on to Mérida. Visiting the castle in Trujillo will take no less than an hour. You can add more time if wanting to see the main plaza and Iglesia San Martín de Tours.
Hervás is pretty small and can be seen in under two hours. Its main sites are the medieval bridge and Jewish quarter.
Cáceres is a UNESCO site and the historic center is vehicle restricted. The closest parking is about a mile from it.
Plasencia is a nice small city. Its cathedral was pretty and there are parts of the old city wall you can walk on.
Here’s a link to my 2024 mostly Extremadura trip report. On it we stayed at Paradors in the places you mention.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/spain-mostly-extremadura
Prior to the trip identify those items that are your must see/do and those you’re willing to drop when you run short on time.
Posted by
Fairfax, Virginia
384 posts
I agree with all the above, too much in too little time and perhaps an overly optimistic estimate of driving times and what you can accomplish in a day. You didn’t say when you are going, but if it’s summer the heat may also be a factor. I just returned and temps in some places exceeded 40C for days at a time. That seriously reduced what we tried to do each day.