Caceres



Cáceres is a beautiful small city of 96,000 people (2018) in the Extremadura region of Spain that is worth spending several days visiting. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

By plane
The nearest major international airports to Cáceres are: Madrid Barajas, Seville and Lisbon. Each is around 250-300 km from Cáceres.

Domestic flights from Madrid (Barajas) and Barcelona (El Prat) serve Cáceres' nearest airport at Talavera in the province of Badajoz, around 90 km from Cáceres. Talavera airport does not handle any international flights.

Airlines serving Madrid from the UK and Ireland : Aer Lingus, British Airways , Easyjet , Iberia , KLM , Lufthansa. Airlines serving Madrid from the USA : American Airlines, Delta , Iberia , KLM.

By train
Cáceres is served by several trains daily originating in Madrid Atocha, Lisbon and Badajoz. Details of all services are available via the RENFE website. Trains in this area are quite slow in comparison to road transport. However, the journey does hold some spectacular scenery if time is not an issue.

is on the outskirts of the city, 1-2 km from the city centre. Taxis are readily available, although it is an easy 10-minute stroll along the Avenida de Alemania to the city centre.

A high speed railway is under construction linking Madrid and Lisbon via Cáceres, Mérida and Badajoz. However, due to various incidents this project is suffering many delays and it is unknown when the line will be complete.

By car
From Madrid: Follow the A-5 motorway towards Badajoz/Portugal, leaving at Trujillo onto the new A-58 autopista. This motorway will take you directly to the suburbs of Cáceres where you can follow signs for Centro Urbano to reach the city centre.

From Salamanca/the north: Take the A-66 southbound in direction Sevilla / Mérida. Leave the motorway at the north end of Cáceres (Ronda Norte) and enter the city using the N-630, which will bring you directly into the city centre.

From Seville/Mérida/the south: Take the A-66 northbound and at the junction with the EX-100. Follow the signs onto the N-630 to lead you directly into the city centre.

From Badajoz/Portugal: Leave the A-5 motorway and follow the regional EX-100 road to the outskirts of Cáceres. Follow the N-630 directly into the city.

By bus
From Madrid: Buses leave Madrid several times each day from the Estación del Sur. The journey takes between three and a half to four and a half hours, depending on the service and time of day. Services usually take a 20-minute break in the town of Navalmoral de la Mata.

From Seville, the south, Salamanca and the north: Buses from the Alsa company run this corridor, passing through Cáceres.

(Estación de Autobuses de Cáceres) is on the outskirts of town, around 1-2 km from the city centre. Taxis are readily available, although it is an easy stroll along the Avenida de Alemania to the city centre.

Get around
Cáceres is a very compact city so it is unlikely that visitors will need to use public transport. All areas of the city are within 30 minutes walk of the centre.

See
The Old Town is the primary reason why people visit Caceres for tourism, and its medieval streets have almost all of the museums and culturally-significant buildings.



Plaza Mayor
This is an interesting elongated plaza at the base of the "Upper" City. It has the primary collection of restaurants in town. It is picturesque and a great starting point to see medieval-style buildings such as the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), towers (Horno, Yerba, Bujaco), and an old city gate (Arco de Estrella). Toward the newer part of the city, there is the 13th-century John the Baptist Church (San Juan Bautista) on Paseo de Canova. Paseo Canovas is a nice tree-lined street that is a great place to walk during the hot months.

Upper Old City
Palacio Golfines de Arriba - Free entry and very well maintained due to its conversion to a Parador 4-star hotel. The coffee and drinks are reasonably priced inside this historical building. Near Palacio de Golfines de Arriba, this part of town has the Templo de San Francisco Javier (a large church with a climbable tower, entry €1.50), the Saint Matthew church (Parroquia de San Mateo), Tower of Storks (Torre De Las Cigüenas), the Cáceres history museum, and the Convent of Saint Paul (San Pablo). At the convent, the nuns run a bakery and sell all manner of pastries to the public.

Lower Old City
The main gate is the "Arco de Estrella". At the nearby Saint Mary Cathedral (Santa Maria), there is a statue of the San Pedro de Alcántara where rubbing its feet is apparently lucky for your love life. During Semana Santa you can also guess the color of the Virgin's clothes inside for good luck, and the procession passes right by here. Practically next door to the Cathedral is the Palacio Golfines de Abajo where Francisco Franco once stayed. Nearby is the Plaza of Saint George (San Jorge) and the Church of the Precious Blood (Preciosa Sangre), whose tower can also be climbed for a small fee. Downhill from that plaza, there is the Arab museum, which is a restored house of a wealthy Muslim from the 12th century. Further down is the "Arco de Cristo", a 2,000-year-old Roman arch. Just past the arch, there are signs for the Camino de Santiago in Caleros Street, which is the location for the large church "Parroquia de Santiago de los Caballeros". At the bottom of the hill, there is an old monastery built in 1472, "Claustro Principal del Complejo Cultural San Francisco". Although now serving primarily as an events location, it is interesting to take a peek if for no more than to see huge storks nesting on the eaves.





Eat


Look for Torta del Casar, served at most restaurants.

Some places also make stuffed red peppers with a variety of fillings like fish, cornmeal, and lamb.

There is a variety of cheese made with paprika, but there are numerous names for it.

Also of note is the local red wine "Ribera del Guadiana".

Sleep

 * Palacio de Arenales (5 stars)
 * Atrio Restaurant Hotel (5 stars)