If you love old towns and historical sites as much as we do, you will be happy to know that there is a hidden region in Spain where you can find, among others, a city built from the old Roman town of Emerita Augusta (now named Mérida), a monastery with a wonderful Mudejar cloister devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe (in the village with the same name) and the two medieval gems appearing in this post. That region, Extremadura, was the land of famous Spaniard conquerors of the New World. But today Extremadura still remains unconquerable to the great number of tourists that visit Spain year after year.
Our journey to Portugal led us to cross the entire Iberian Peninsula by car and to enter the Portuguese region of Alentejo from Extremadura. On that trip I realised that amazing places can be found quite close and Cáceres and Trujillo are two living examples of that which have even served as the location of Game of Thrones due to their amazing architecture.
Cáceres
The Old Town of Cáceres is a World Heritage site and we would say that every corner there is full of charm. The Old Town is a wonderful medieval and renaissance complex full of history and palaces. Here are, in our opinion, the main hotspots of Cáceres.
- Plaza Mayor
This is the main square of the city and the starting point for every visitor. If you dare to cross the Arco de la Estrella (Star Arch) you will be entering the walled city. Plaza Mayor is full of restaurants with nice terraces. And here is our gastronomical tip for Cáceres: try the restaurant El Requeté, located in the square. We chose it by chance and had a wonderful and refreshing lunch there. Afterwards we realised that it was among the Top 5 restaurants in Cáceres by TripAdvisor, so we made a good election!
- Torre de Bujaco
This tower is the main construction in Plaza Mayor. Located next to the Arco de la Estrella, this Arabic construction is nowadays used as an interpretation centre. From its top you can have the best views of the Old Town, so don’t forget to go up!
- Plaza de Santa María and Co-cathedral
If you continue your walk around the Old Town of Cáceres you will find the Plaza de Santa María, the square where the Co-cathedral of Santa María is located. This temple shares the function of being a bishop’s seat with another one located in Coria, a city located in the north of Extremadura. The construction of the Co-cathedral was made during the XV and XVI centuries over a previous building of the XIII century.
- Iglesia de San Francisco Javier
Apart from the Cathedral, the Old Town of Cáceres counts with the church of San Francisco Javier, built in the XVIII century. The white painting over the stones made me fall in love with that Baroque construction at first sight. The little square of San Jorge, with the stairs that give access to the church, is my favourite scenery in Cáceres.
- Museo de Cáceres
The city museum is located in two historial buildings, called Casa de las Veletas and Casa de los Caballos and shows the archaeology, the ethnography and the art works of the region. But the main attraction there is the Arabic aljibe (water cistern), partially dug on the natural rocks. With 16 arches supported by 12 columns, it is a magic place that surely deserves a visit.
Trujillo
Just a 30-minute drive from Cáceres, you will find Trujillo, which has home to Francisco Pizarro, the Peru conqueror whose statue oversees the main square of the town. From that square you can see the leading attraction of Trujillo, its medieval castle, built at the top of the town between the IX and XII centuries.
The Trujillo castle is a great fortress that invites you to enter and walk around its walls, for where you can have the best views of the city surroundings and the typical landscape of Extremadura.
Moreover Extremadura is a great destination for cheese lovers! So if you have the chance to visit Spain don’t forget to include Extremadura among your destinations. You will find a region full of history that is waiting to be discovered.
I had not heard of the Extremadura region. It does look lovely. I would love to walk on the castle walls and of course try some cheese! Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
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One cheese from Extemadura has been considered the best of the world! But I don’t remember the name 😦 It is the most isolated and forbiden by tourists part of Spain but it is rich in culture and history. Thanks for your comment 🙂
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I love medieval towns but didn’t know anything about Cáceres and Trujillo till reading your post. Beautiful pictures! #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Extremadura is full of medieval and roman heritage but it is not known by foreigners. Its authenticity remains untouched. Thanks for your comment 🙂
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Oh I love the look of this town and I love that hordes of tourists haven’t found it yet! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
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Maybe the reason is because there is no big airport near Extremadura and no many people go there. But it deserves a road trip! Thanks for your comment 🙂
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I’d be down for going!
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I have not heard of Extemadura region in Spain but now that you have shared it with us, I’m keen to see what it is like for I’m a history buff 🙂 #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Hi Kat! We have only written about Cáceres and Trujillo, but also Mérida is faboulous. The Roman Ruins in Mérida are astonishing and we will show them in a future post. Thanks for you comment 🙂
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OK, looking forward to it 🙂
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Wow, so much history! This is right up my alley. I especially like the look of the Museo de Cáceres and that water cistern. #WanderfulWednesday
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Hi Katherine! We are glad you liked it! If you like to read about history we recommend you also “Alentejo, stories behind the history” post that you will find in our blog (Portugal category) 🙂
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Sounds like a great discovery. That water cistern is like a rough version of the Alhambra 😉 Very informative post!
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Glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks for your comment and hope you can go there at some point!
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I’ve heard the name Extremadura but had no idea where it is! Both cities look pretty. I love medieval towns!
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It is fantastic you love medieval towns! We recommend you our post “Girona, the medieval jewel” if you haven’t read it. We also love medieval towns so we are going to post more writtings of lovely and some unknown medieval sites 🙂
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There are so many places I’ve yet to visit in Spain! I’ve been to mainland Spain for the first time last summer and I loved explored the old castle of Alicante and Guadalest. Caceres looks gorgeous as well though!
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Yes, there are many places in Spain to discover. It is impossible to see everything in one travel… Neither in one life I would say 🙂
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I wasn’t familiar with either of these two towns but they both look charming and lovely. Another two spots to add to my inevitable next visit to Spain it seems. #TheWeeklyPostcard
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Hey! Glad you liked it 🙂 Extremadura is rich in history and medieval architecture, aswell in food and landscapes. If you go there you will find authenticity.
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I am quite infatuated with medieval towns. There is so much history in them and it’s amazing that they are still standing today! Great photos.
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Hey! Thanks for your comment. If you like medieval towns and its atmosphere you have to know about Girona also :). We recommend you our post https://mappingthemap.com/2017/03/26/girona-the-medieval-jewel/ Hope you enjoy it also!
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We have got to go explore more of Spain and Portugal! And we’ve added Caceres and Trujillo to the dream itinerary – we weren’t aware of them before, so thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard! They look lovely, and we can’t wait to explore!
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Nice to hear it from you 🙂 In that case, don’t miss Mérida. We haven’t written about it in this post but if you go to Extremandura you cannot miss Mérida roman heritage. Thanks for your comment 🙂
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I was looking for a place off the tourist map to fill in three vacant days in my trip to Spain. This looks like it. Thanks
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Yes! I am sure you’ll like it and won’t have the tourist preassure around 🙂 Glad it can be useful for you 😀 If you need any other recommendation in your trip through Spain don’t hesitate to contact us via email. 😉
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Spain looks very beautiful…
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Yes, it is! And it has a lot of regions not so visited by tourists that are quite interesting 🙂
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