Looming large above little Alburquerque is the intact Castillo de Luna. The centrepiece of a frontier defence system of forts, the castle occupies the site of its 13th-century Muslim predecessor and was subsequently expanded. From the top of the five-sided 15th-century defensive tower, views take in the Portuguese border (the Portuguese took the town for a few years in the early 18th century). On the compulsory Spanish-language guided tour, you'll walk across the 10m-high drawbridge, then explore the grand castle digs.
Among many curiosities is a hole set in the wall of the defensive tower. It was used by the castle’s masters as a toilet – sending an unpleasant message to hostile forces below when under siege. Other gaps were used, similarly, for throwing boiling oil on enemies.