Mérida
For a Mérida-area sleep with a Roman-inspired twist, seek out this thoughtfully restored townhouse turned thermal baths and homey adults-only country hotel in little Aljucén, 16km north of Mérida. Expect poolside recliners, candlelit corridors, flower-lined gardens, Roman-style mosaics, columned courtyards and elaborate Roman-themed meals (€30). There are just four bright, welcoming rooms, three with colour-tiled kitchenettes.
Baths (€12) and massages are open to nonguests.
8.84 MILES
Mérida's most spectacular Roman monument, and the only one to once again fulfil its original function – by hosting performances during the Festival…
8.94 MILES
Don't miss the extraordinarily powerful spectacle of the Puente Romano spanning the Río Guadiana. At 792m in length with 60 granite arches, it's one of…
8.73 MILES
Even if you visit only a handful of Mérida's sights, make sure one of them is this fabulous museum, which has a superb three-floor collection of statues,…
29.86 MILES
As you head up the steps to the Ciudad Monumental from the Plaza Mayor, turn left to climb the 12th-century, 25m-high Torre de Bujaco, home to an…
29.82 MILES
As the closest square to the Plaza Mayor, the Plaza de Santa María and the surrounding tangle of lanes provide most people's introduction to the Ciudad…
Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo
29.8 MILES
The sumptuous home of Cáceres' prominent Golfín family has been beautifully restored. Built piecemeal between the 14th and 20th centuries, it's crammed…
29.7 MILES
The excellent Museo de Cáceres, spread across 12 buildings in a 16th-century mansion built over an evocative 12th-century aljibe (cistern), is the only…
24.64 MILES
One of the stars of Extremadura's Ribera del Guadiana wine-producing region, Palacio Quemado produces excellent reds and runs guided tours (including one…
8.34 MILES
Built between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century, the 830m-long Acueducto de los Milagros once supplied Roman Mérida with water from the dam at Lago…
8.47 MILES
Only a small section remains of this once-1.5km-long aqueduct, opposite the Roman circus.
8.49 MILES
The 1st-century Circo Romano could accommodate 30,000 spectators. Discovered in the 16th century, its remains represent the only surviving hippodrome of…
8.51 MILES
This basilica was built in the 5th century in honour of Mérida's patron saint, who is said to have been martyred in the 4th century. It was then…
8.7 MILES
This imposing 15m-high granite archway isn't known to have anything to do with Roman emperor Trajan, but it was situated on one of Mérida's main Roman…
8.72 MILES
Outside the main gate to the Roman theatre, the Casa del Anfiteatro, a 3rd-century mansion, has some reasonable floor mosaics but was closed for…
7. Museo Nacional de Arte Romano
8.73 MILES
Even if you visit only a handful of Mérida's sights, make sure one of them is this fabulous museum, which has a superb three-floor collection of statues,…
8.75 MILES
Many of the Visigothic objects unearthed in Mérida are exhibited in this archaeological museum, set inside a 16th-century church-convent just off the…