Top Things to do in Extremadura
Top Hotels in Extremadura
10 Free Things to do in Extremadura That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Extremadura, Spain including Old Town of Caceres, Meandro Melero, Monfrague National Park, Garganta de los Infiernos, Archaeological Museum of Badajoz, Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, Plasencia, Templo de Diana, Barrio Judio de Hervas, Ciudad de Zafra.
Restaurants in Extremadura
1. Old Town of Caceres
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3,007 reviews
Reviewed By K2683GRlc - Bath, United Kingdom
Stayed 2 nights and walking around this lovely old historical town was a delight....lots of hidden gems to see....a location for Game of Thrones.....lots of bars and restaurants. Loved Caceres and would visit again!!
2. Meandro Melero
3. Monfrague National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 986 reviews
Reviewed By JRAsFishBabe
We arrived in Lisbon, picked up our rental car from Centauro Rent a Car and then drove to Caceres, Extremadura. Here we would spend our first three nights on the Iberian Peninsula, exploring Caceres and Monfraque National Park. We were staying at the Casa Don Fernando, situated right on the Plaza Major, so visiting the old town was very handy. A visit to Monfraque, requires transportation, so having your own vehicle is a necessity. From our hotel to the park, via Ex- 390, the distance is 61 km., the time to get there is approximately one hour. You will pass through the small town of Torrejon el Rubio, here you turn left onto EX -208, which takes you into the park. Torrejon el Rubio is a small town, where, if you wish, accommodations and food can be had. As you come into town from Caceres, take note of the storks nesting on the tower. We were visiting in June and everywhere we drove, we observed hundreds of storks nesting in all sorts of towers, church towers, power poles, etc. You enter Monfraque via a winding EX-208, to the right, on top of a small mountain, you will see the Castle of Monfraque, built in the 9th century. As you continue, you come to Salto Del Gitano, here there is a viewpoint overlooking the gorge and the river Tajo. This viewpoint is an excellent place to see many bird species, including the Eurasian Black Vulture. The park hosts over 250 breeding pairs of this species, the largest colony, worldwide, Some of the species that we saw here were the White-rumped swift, Egyptian Vulture, Black Stork, Spanish Imperial Eagle, as well as the Black Vulture. Others species the park is home to, include Azure-winged Magpies, Eurasian Eagle Owls, Griffon Vultures, Golden Eagles, and Bonelli's Eagles. Indeed, the park is home to 15 regular breeding species of raptors. Monfraque is truly set up for the viewing of birds, as there are numerous viewing stations throughout. One of note is La Tajadilla, a spacious viewpoint which overlooks the river Tietar, and facing a craggy cliff, is bountiful with many nests of the raptors. Monfraque National Park's 18,396 ha., stretching along the rivers Tajo and Tietar, represents a great treasure of biodiversity. Its Mediterranean landscape and wildlife make it one of most remarkable natural areas in Europe. It has been recognized as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve since 2003. In addition to the wealth of natural history, there is also much human history associated with the area. In the park are many caves containing paintings dating back to prehistoric times, much evidence of Roman activity, bridges, roads, etc. historic events through the middle ages, such as Monfraque castle, and of course, right up to modern times. You must stop in at the Visitor Centre in Villarreal de San Carlos. This a very small village in the park, offering limited services. There is a small museum here, as well as restroom facilities. There is free entry to the park, and the park can visited at any time of the day. Also be prepared for heat, we were there in mid-June, temperatures were already in the low 40 degree Celsius range. We were told that these temperatures were perhaps 10 degrees above normal, but be prepared anyway. This would suggest, that perhaps an early visit in the day or a later visit in the day would be more appropriate. Also, I think, if it is possible, choosing a cooler time of year to visit would be better. This is such an amazing park, try to maximize your time here, making your experience as comfortable as possible! The park is close to Plasencia, Trujillo (Home of the conquistador Pizarro), and Caceres. These all have great services and are worthy of visits. P.S. You will enjoy this so much, and of course , "don't " forget your binoculars!
4. Garganta de los Infiernos
5. Archaeological Museum of Badajoz
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 115 reviews
Archaeological museum that presents the history of the province of Badajoz from the Lower Paleolithic to the XVIth cent.
6. Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 52 reviews
7. Plasencia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 661 reviews
Reviewed By CDFR - Logrono, Spain
Had not heard of Plasencia before we decided to stay here (weather was good, and it was on our route) Very pleasantly surprised and impressed by the well preserved monuments in the town, including the cathedral, parador, convents, and city walls. The city has a calm vibe with just enough action to be interesting. Several shops sell good quality ham and other products from extremadura at reasonable prices. There are also very nice walks on the island and great cycling paths along the river away from any traffic. Nice campsite 3 km from the centre wich is right on the cycle/walking paths. Will definitely stop here again.
8. Templo de Diana
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,622 reviews
Reviewed By Norwegian425 - Trondheim, Norway
Most people coming to Merida want to see the many remains from the Roman Period. In my opinion Templo de Diana is a sentral part of those remains and must not be missed. It is fantastic that this temple has survived all these years and still can be presented in such a good condition. What a Place Merida must have been 2.000 years ago!
9. Barrio Judio de Hervas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 722 reviews
Reviewed By ConchitaR - Madrid, Spain
the Hervás ghetto is worth traveling to visit calmly. The medieval city of Hervás, in a magnificent valley with a warm microclimate, was founded by Knights Templar and immediately a small Jewish community was created that was growing for two centuries, until its expulsion in 1492. Many of the Jewish families were converted and it is easy to follow its history after that date, but also many families left the city and went to Portugal and left their houses in Hervás. the Jewish quarter was in the northwest part of the town, and remained - as was the norm in the Castilian kingdoms - next to the castle of the city. Nowadays the castle -which was at the top- no longer exists because it was destroyed in the 16th century, and the church of Santa María, which occupies the most outstanding part of the city, was built in its place in the 17th century. But in its origin, the city of Hervás and its Jewish quarter always looked at the castle -the Lord of Béjar- that presided over the life of the city. The Jewish population was rich and active, and lived on agriculture, commerce and various trades such as cobbler, tanner, etc. From what I have read, life in Hervás of the Jews was fairly quiet, until the expulsion; at least, in the city they did not have some horrible customs that there were against the Jews in other towns like Toledo ... The streets of the Jewish quarter keep the disposition and traditions of its origin. The names of the streets (the one of the Synagogue, the one of the Rabilero - where the Rabbi lived) are conserved and the names of the families families that lived in them are known (the one of the Coen, for example) ... But the place where the Synagogue was, it no longer has this building, and is now occupied by a house and service buildings of a normal family. But you get a perfect idea with the fountains, the magnificent orchards, etc. of how life was there. There are some families of Israelis (or Jews) who have returned in recent years, and have put businesses (rural houses, typical tahonas) very well managed for tourism and visits to this neighborhood and this wonderful Jewish quarter. Everything is very well maintained, clean , and you can see the love of those who live in this Jewish quarter. We are left wanting to buy one of those small houses and go to live seasonally to this wonderful place.
10. Ciudad de Zafra
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 312 reviews
Reviewed By steverI6121WP
Unlike some reviewers who preferred Merida, I thought Zafra to be much nicer. For a small town it has a lot going on...lots of independent shops, nice restaurants, friendly bars (some with actual character, not brightly-lit and clinical) and some pretty grand architecture. In particular many homes and public buildings had grand art nouveau and arts-and-crafts touches, such as ornate railings. You can drive without getting in a panic (unlike Seville, Cordoba, Caceres etc.). Its inhabitants seem pleasant and reasonably affluent, and it showed a higher level of civic pride than most places we saw. We stayed 2 nights at the parador.
