The old town of Cáceres

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.

Get in

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.

1 Cáceres Railway Station 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.

2 Cáceres Bus Station (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.

San Francisco Javier Church

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.

• 1 Santuario De Nuestra Señora De La Montaña (Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Mountain). Located at 600 m on top of a mountain south of town, this is where the Virgin de la Montaña (patron virgin of Caceres) resides for most of the year and makes a nice walk or a strenuous run if you are up for it. Also has beautiful views of the Old City. (updated Aug 2019)

• 2 Plaza de los Toros. A bullfighting arena that is on the north side of town. (updated Aug 2019)

Eat

Torta del Casar

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".

Drink

• El Corral de las Cigueñas, c/ Cuesta de Aldana, 6, ☏ +34 670 590 068. Lively bar in the old part of town. By day a relaxing place to have a drink with friends, by night the home of some of the best live bands in Cáceres. Enjoys a mixed crowd, and is popular among students. 
• La Habana Café-Bar, c/ Pizarro, 1. 16:00 - 03:00. A lively bar which draws visitors for coffee and chat in the afternoons and drinks and dancing at night. Very lively at weekends and known for serving excellent Mojitos. Very reasonably priced and the staff are extremely efficient and helpful. The bar also has a great focus on art, housing the vibrant Habana Espacio Libre art gallery in an adjoining apartment. 

Sleep

• Palacio de Arenales (5 stars)
• Atrio Restaurant Hotel (5 stars)
• Hotel Barceló V Centenario, c/ Manuel Pacheco, s/n, ☏ +34 927 23 22 00. Upmarket hotel in the outskirts of Cáceres. Very good quality service. The only drawback of this hotel is its location, as it is quite far from the town's major attractions. 
• Hotel Cáceres Golf, Carretera N-630, km. 558, ☏ +34 927 23 46 00. Excellent hotel a few miles outside Cáceres town on a Golf Complex. Accommodation and meals are of an extremely high standard. The hotel is not well situated for those arriving without a car, as public transport to this area is limited. 
• Hostal Hernán Cortés, Travesía Hernán Cortés, 6, ☏ +34 927 24 34 88. Quaint little hostal in the modern area of town, behind the post office. Only 5-10 minutes walk from all the main attractions. The hostal is old-fashioned and basic. However, it is very clean and great value for money and has a very helpful and friendly staff. Perfect for a short break if you don't intend to spend much time indoors. €30. 
• Hotel Los Naranjos, c/ Alfonso IX, 12, ☏ +34 927 24 35 12. Small budget hotel on the outskirts of the old town, just a few minutes walk from the Plaza Mayor. 
• Parador de Cáceres, c/ Ancha, 6, ☏ +34 927 21 17 59. Upmarket, state-owned Parador Hotel in the heart of the old town. Perfect location for all the major attractions in Cáceres. Very luxurious. 
• NH Palacio de Oquendo, Pza. San Juan 11, ☏ +34 927 21 58 00. This 4-star hotel is an entirely renovated palace dating from the 16th century, next to the main shopping area and within the Roman and Arabic walls.