Walking in Extremadura Spain

The region of Extremadura shares its borders with Portugal, the southern region of Andalucia, and the inland regions of Castilla la Mancha and Castilla y Leon. The national parks of Monfrague (north of Trujillo) and Cornalvo play a vital role in preserving this Mediterranean areas wildlife and flora and are easy for you to walk in and explore. The area is also rich in culture traditions and the old Roman road, Via de la Plata, is the north-south divide of the region and travels through many of the provinces key cities, Plasencia, historic Caceres and Merida.

The region is split in halves with two provinces, Caceres in the north and Badajoz in the south. It has a wealth of Roman and Moorish history and was the home of many conquistadors. At its northern border you have the Cordillera mountain range and the Sierra de Gredos. You will be able to find a variety of walking opportunities in the region and enjoy the flora and fauna of this region. To the south, bordering Andalucia, is the Sierra Morena and the remainder of the region is a flat table land. The latter is  farmed producing vines, cereals and olives.

The climate is mainly dry and mild in nature, with one of the lowest rainfalls in Spain good weather is almost certain in the summer with temperatures rising over 30°C. Being inland the winters can get quite cold, but are generally mild..

Airports
The region has no airports of it own but you can fly into Madrid for the north and into Seville for the south. From both of these airports you would need to allow at least 1-3 hours drive depending how far into Extremadura you wish to go.

• Madrid – northern area (1-3hrs drive)
• Seville – southern area (1-3hrs drive)

The region has a wealth of Roman and Muslim architecture and the southern region of Badajoz, and in particular the city of Merida played key roles in Hispania (Roman Spain). Southern cities of interest include Badajoz and Merida.

Walking in Badajoz
On a hill, north eastern of Badajoz, the capital of this northern province, is one of the best preserved Moorish architectural treasures, the Arabic Alcazaba, a walled castle and its many watchtowers. Its massive battlement, Torre Espantaperros, gave the Arab kings tremendous views of any approaching enemy. Many archaeological treasures are viewable in the local museum which was formerly a mosque.

Walking Around Merida
Played a key role in Roman Spain and today has some of the finest example of the largest classical theatres. Every summer the city hosts a festival of the famous Classical Theatre which is performed in the theatre. Merida's Roman Art Museum has some wonderful collections of this periods art. The city also has fine examples of this architecture with their bridge, aqueducts, churches and many other buildings.

Walking Near Caceras
The northern city of Caceras is the capital city of the northern province and has the caves of Maltravieso and El Conejar which date back to prehistoric times.  It still has well preserved Moorish walls and was the scene of many battles. It has 30 watch towers from this Muslim period and the most well known one is Torre del Bujaco. During the 16th and 17th centuries rich palaces and mansions were built and these can be visited today. t also has

Walking Around Trujillo & Plasencia
These towns are also fine examples of the medieval period. Trujillo, which is east of the capital city was the birthplace of one of the most beautiful squares,  Pizarro. It also has a medieval castle. The town of Plasencia town, north of Caceras, has a magnificent cathedral and palaces showing excellent examples of Baroque and Renaissance period.