The Old Town of Caceres: a UNESCO Site Under the Radar
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Well, Cáceres is not completely under the radar anymore… Since the town was a setting in the popular “Game of Thrones” series, more dedicated fans have it on their radar. Nevertheless, we believe it holds true for international tourists visiting Spain: Cáceres is still under the radar. Hence the town’s own tourism slogan: “Cáceres – Discover the secret…”
For us, the UNESCO World Heritage listed Old Town of Cáceres was the next logical stop on our roadtrip from Portugal to Bilbao. It’s only 75 kilometres to the north of Mérida, the small town known for its amazing Roman history and UNESCO listed Archaeological Ensemble .
There’s such a profusion of interesting sights within short distances in the less-visited Extremadura province of Spain and neighbouring Portugal!
What you will find in this article:
The History of Cáceres
Paintings in the Cuevas de Maltravieso (Maltravieso Caves), near today’s town, are older than 67,000 years, dating them to a period long before the “homo sapiens” species was acknowledged.
The actual town of Caceres (like Merida) was founded by the Romans. Under the succeeding Visigoths, the town declined. It gained renewed importance when the Moors occupied it in the 8th century and expanded the fortifications. Later, during the 14th to 16th centuries, the city was ruled by powerful rival factions, who each built fortified houses, palaces and towers to secure and express their dominant position within the city.
What to See in Cáceres
What you see today is a 9-hectare medieval city with Roman, Islamic, Gothic & Renaissance architecture.
The UNESCO protected old town of Caceres is surrounded by 1174m of 12th century Moorish wall, which has some 30 towers, in varying states of repair. The most famous of these is Torre Bujaco, facing the Plaza Mayor, and located beside the main entrance to the walled city, the Arco de la Estrella.
Most of the aforementioned palaces are preserved in their original appearance. Some are so tall that they nearly dwarf any human on the narrow streets. This has its good side too: you can easily find shade when strolling along the narrow cobbled laneways.
The medieval atmosphere feels very authentic because the entire old town contains no visible modern structures and is mostly too narrow to allow for vehicle traffic. Of course, this provides a perfect backdrop for period films, like “Game of Thrones”.
The Main Attractions of Cáceres
Plaza Mayor
The main plaza adjoins the fortified old town of Caceres and is overlooked by the most prominent of the Almohad towers, the “Torre Bujaco”. It’s a pedestrian-friendly wide expanse, lined with historic houses and many outdoor bars and eateries.
This is the social centre of town and a lovely place to sit, have a drink and enjoy some of the excellent tapas the town is famous for. And, of course, to people-watch…
Torre Bujaco
This Moorish tower juts right into the main plaza on the east side. Its structure dates back to 1173 and its name is derived from Caliph Abu Ya’qub. You can climb the tower for an entrance fee of €2.50.
Arco de la Estrella
The wide stair to the right of the Bujaco Tower leads up to the “Star Gate”, the main entrance into the “Monumental City” or “Old Part” of Caceres.
The day we arrived, the stair and gate were crowded with people, forming a long line to get into the nearby cathedral. The next day, we found out at the tourist information that we had arrived during the 10 days of the year when the patron saint of Cáceres – Virgen de la Montaña – leaves her sanctuary on a mountain overlooking the city, and holds court in the Cathedral. Everybody was eager to receive her blessing.
The Co-Cathedral of Santa María
When you follow the narrow road straight in from the Arco de la Estrella you come to the Gothic style Santa María cathedral, which was built in the 13th century. In this church, the Virgen de la Montaña was on display during our visit in early May. Hence, it was always really busy inside – not a good time to take photographs.
The cobbled Plaza de Santa Maria in front of the cathedral, as well as the Star Gate, were major filming locations for “Game of Thrones”. The cathedral has two main entrances; one in the sidewall towards the Arco de la Estrella, and another in the south-facing wall towards a smaller section of Plaza de Maria. When you walk through the narrow alley in the south-east corner of the plaza, you come directly to three other main sights.
Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo
The small Plaza de los Golfines is bordered on three sides by Caceres attractions. One corner is taken up by the Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo. This part fortified tower – part Renaissance mansion was built by the Golfin family and was often the preferred lodging for Royals staying in Caceres. If you look up its forbidding stone walls, which face Plaza de Santa Maria, you will notice richly carved stone decorations at the top! For a fee of €2.50, you can visit this palace.
Please note: there are two Palacios de los Golfines inside the small old town! This is the one called “de Abajo”, the lower. The second one is called Palacio de los Golfines de Arriba and is located near the Santa Ana Gate.
Iglesia de San Francisco Javier
Facing the Golfines palace, sitting at the top of some steep stairs, is the Church de San Francisco Javier. You can visit this 18th century church, which is now used to exhibits religious art. You can also climb the church tower, which gives you excellent views across the rooftops of the “Monumental City”. The entrance donation is €1.50 p.p.
On our first night in town, we witnessed the singing of religious chorales in front of the stairs – the surrounding buildings provide excellent acoustics.
Casa de los Becerra
On the west side of the same plaza is the Casa de los Becerra, now the upmarket hotel “Casa Don Fernando”, with a recommended restaurant (one way to visit the inside). This palace was built for the nobleman, Luis de Becerra in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Elvas in Portugal, UNESCO listed for the largest bulwarked fortifications in the world
[110kms by road from Caceres]
Vila Viçosa and its marble-clad Ducal Palace, former residence of the Kings of Portugal
[another ~40kms from Elvas, see above]
Plaza San Mateo
When you walk uphill from the Iglesia de San Francisco Javier you arrive at another plaza surrounded by several of Caceres’ sights.
Palacio de las Cigüeñas
On the highest point of the Old Town sits the Palacio de las Cigüeñas (“Palace of the Storks”), obviously named for the number of stork nests taking advantage of the elevated location. Battlements still crown its impressive tower; most others were demolished by order of Queen Isabel the Catholic.
This palace was built in the 15th century by Diego de Ovando over the remains of an earlier Moorish Alcazaba. Above the archway in the otherwise fairly plain facade sits a window and the coats of arms of the Ovando-Mogollón. Today this building is used by the Ministry of Defence, but you can enter the interior courtyard, which is worth a visit.
San Mateo Church
The north-east corner of the plaza is occupied by the fairly nondescript Iglesia de San Mateo, which lends its name to the plaza. The original church was built in the 13th century, on top of an earlier mosque. It later went through numerous alterations between the 16th and 19th century. Today you will find elements from the Gothic, Renaissance, Plateresque, and Rococó periods all mingled together. When we visited the church was locked.
Head to the south-west from here to get to the Museum of Caceres.
Palacio de las Veletas (Museum of Cáceres)
This palace stands out for a few reasons: it’s one of only a handful in Caceres without defensive features, and it has a lovely balustrade with ornate gargoyles and colourfully glazed ceramic balusters topping the exterior wall. Its elevated position also allows you a lovely view across the Jewish Quarter below.
This palace houses the Museum of Cáceres. Whilst it might not have the most exciting collection of artefacts, a visit will allow you to explore the interior of this building and the old Moorish cistern, dating from the 11th or 12th century, in the basement. We didn’t find it as impressive as the one we had seen in Morocco , but then that is a comparison with a “high standard”… The entrance fee is low at €1.50.
The exit of the museum is via an old stable building across the laneway, one street-level lower. From there it’s only a few steps down to the former Jewish Quarter of Caceres.
The Former Jewish Quarter of Cáceres
It is believed that the first Jews settled in Caceres during the period of Muslim-rule of the city (711 – 1229). After the Christians reconquered Cáceres, segregation was introduced and the Jews were confined to this lower section of town.
Nowadays, you see much more modest houses in this part of the walled city; mostly narrow, two-storey, white-washed buildings. In the centre of the Jewish Quarter sits a small unpretentious synagogue (unfortunately locked when we visited).
Other Sights in Cáceres
Inside the wall are several other outstanding historic buildings, many of which we only walked past. The row of photos below shows a few of these – the image descriptions tell you more!
Please click thumbnails below for a larger photo with description.
Don’t Forget to Look Outside the “Monumental City”
We left the historic part of Caceres in search of a simple vegetarian lunch. On our way, we came past a few interesting buildings and other sights – so allow some time to see more of Caceres! The individual photo descriptions will tell you more.
Please click thumbnails below for a larger photo with description.
Best Time to Visit Cáceres
You could visit any time of the year, but consider that the middle of summer will be too hot for strenuous outdoor activities. Best time would be spring or autumn. In early spring, an added bonus will be a chance to see the lovely cherry blossom; this region is quite famous for its cherry trees.
Be aware that Caceres holds several important and large festivals each year. The biggest crowd is undoubtedly attracted by the annual WOMAD Music Festival in May, which is free of charge. In October, the town holds a Blues Festival and an Irish Music Festival. Best check Google for planned festival dates in Caceres before you finalise your booking!
“Semana Santa” [link to the Spanish program in Caceres], the week leading up to Easter, is not in general the best time to travel anywhere in Spain – unless you are interested in the very local Catholic way to celebrate this event. Many Spaniards travel this time of the year; large processions attract big gatherings, and hotels can be booked out or more expensive.
the Marco Polo Map Spain & Portugal
This is likely the most accurate paper map you can find for the Iberian Peninsular.
Additional Information for Motorhomes
Caceres has an official lot for camping vehicles to spend the night. It is within walking distance of the old town, has basic services like water and sewage, and is free to use. The lot is under some mature trees and has no power outlets – not the best combination if you are relying on solar charge.
The other downside: the allocated space seems to be too small for the demand. There are around 12 spaces, which were all occupied when we arrived at around 5:30 in the afternoon. More motorhomes arrived after us – finally, most spaces in the adjoining parking lot, reserved for buses, were also taken up by campers.
Closing Thoughts about Visiting Cáceres
Our post is based on spending 24 hours in Caceres; we arrived one afternoon from Merida and left the next afternoon for Avila. With the relatively short distances in Extremadura between major sights and UNESCO World Heritage listed attractions, it’s easy to see a lot in a short period of time. Our brief visit was partly due to a pre-booked ferry crossing to Great Britain.
You could spend easily two full days in this city, which would give you more opportunities to visit other sights. Another idea might be to base yourself in this lovely, small town and use it as a base for hikes in the region. Or you can take advantage of the cities numerous festivals throughout the year and plan your visit around one of them.
We are confident that the added influx of visitors for the “Game of Thrones” filming location will soon ebb. For day-trippers from Madrid, the province of Extremadura is too remote. Therefore, Caceres is one of the World Heritage Sites in Spain you can enjoy without the crowds.
So visit Cáceres and “discover the secret…”!
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The palace is closed Mondays. Check the website for the times which the guided tours start. They have different times in the summer vs the winter, with a special schedule on Sundays.
Which palace are you talking about?
You have me interested in Caceres when you said UNESCO World Heritage site. I will always go out of my way to visit one. And Caceres sounds like it has many interesting things to see and do to make the side trip particularly worthwhile.
I’m sure you wouldn’t be disappointed! And if you are there don’t miss Merida and its astonishing well preserved archeological ensemble – only 75 or 80 kilometres down the road!
Wonderful photos of this intriguing city – would love to visit someday! Thanks for the many hepful hints!
Do so! The entire border region, both in Spain and in Portugal, is still fairly undiscovered and a pleasure to visit.
Cacares looks fascinating, and even more so because it is off the radar. I was thinking that the Game of Thrones connection might have ruined it, but you say that the tourism influx due to that is probably going to dwindle. It’s so nice to think that there are still places you can feel like you are discovering, and not just following a hundred thousand other footsteps and falling in line for a photo or too. Pinned :)
Even Game of Thrones followers have to be really dedicated to visit Caceres – it is out of the way! Places like Ronda or Dubrovnik are so much easier to get to – and so much more famous.