Third Stop - Plasencia

From Trujillo, there's maybe an hour or a bit less to Plasencia. If you take the road to Plasencia from Trujillo directly, you might find a bit of a crazy road, but it's worth it because on the way you will encounter extraordinary landscapes and a viewpoint where you can park your car, and let yourself be captivated by spectacular mountains in which you will see the characteristic voltures of the area, the Tajo River and an endless horizon. It may take you longer to get to Plasencia and an extra dose of patience, but hey you're on vacation and living the moment, and there my friend you will find a peaceful moment in nature.

 

I would say Plasencia  is quite an interesting place to visit in just one day. It's main square is the heart of the city from which many narrow but bust streets are born. 

This city belongs to the Ruta de la Plata route and it was founded in theXII century. It's similar to Caceres in a way, however you can find significant differences while visiting each corner of the central part of the city which has not been practically changed. 

It treasures an aqueduct built in the XVI century that allowed the city to prosper, although they already had a water infrastructure, apparently it had constant issues and the cost of these were bigger than the idea of building a brand new infraestructure. Here's the story PLASENCIA'S AQUEDUCT , this page is in Spanish, however it gives you a quick visual idea on what to visit while you're there.

Besides the historical main square, I recommend following the great walls that surround the center of the city, these walls were built for military purposes as a defensive line for the city. Walking alongside these walls can give you an idea on how much they wished to keep their people safe, or the King of course! Some of the stairways that are found next to these walls are free to visit, and some give a great view. 

In the main square you will find a great variety of bars and restaurants where you can enjoy the region's gastronomy. 

Believe me, this stop will make you feel almost complete before we go to the next area to explore. From the Region of Caceres, in which I have recommended to visit these three stops, we're going to travel to the other region of Extremadura; Badajoz, that will surprise you as well.

Second Stop - Cáceres

 Now here's an interesting little city. It's a really good way to treat yourself after exploring Trujillo. Let's say that it's twice as big as Trujillo and it some how managed to keep the medieval essance while growing. It's about 40 km away from Trujillo and there are buses that take you there and back. 

You can't miss the 'Cuidad Monumental' which is basically the oldest part of the city and it's almost like a tiny city itself. You can walk around this area and find really breathtaking corners and almost feel as if you were living in that period of history. It offers museums which you can visit throughout the walk across this tiny city, some are with ticket others are for free. In any case the prices aren't expensive and for 10 Euros you can visit them all. Some churches inside this area offer a visit to their towers from where you can see the rest of the city, you can tell from there where the old part ends and the new one begins. 

It has wonderful gastronomic offer in the city square, right at the feet of the 'Cuidad monumental' and you can actually have lunch while admiring the majestic walls that in some way are trying to tell you their story.  I've personally had dinner at La Tapería de Tula which I found really nice and delicious food. Besides the fact their staff was absolutely lovely!

From the city square you have many narrow streets filled with different little shops that are unique. In fact, you can see the most important things of Caceres in one day, a delightful walk and a very pleasant meal will make your trip turn into a great experience. 

This city I aslo recommend visiting between October and May, summer time in this area of Spain is quite a challenge, especially for those who enjoy fresh weather and have trouble with high temperatures like me. 

You won't regret discovering this city and it's history. I recommend you book a free tour in English so you don't miss a thing. And, for the mystery lovers, there is a Night Tour in which you walk through the 'Cuidad Monumental' and the guide explains mysteries and legends inside this little city that holds a lot of history and offers a fulfilling experience.

First stop: Trujillo - Cáceres

Now if you haven't planned your vacation yet, please stop a minute and at least consider my proposal. Instead of going to the beach, to many of those fantastic beaches in Spain, how about planning a road trip, and adventure?

My first proposal is the following: 

Madrid is a good starting point, as it's right in the center of Spain. If you're going to be using public transport please take into account that some of the towns I am going to recommend are not easily accessed by frequent transport, so please check official websites such as THE TRAINLINE

From Madrid you can easily get to Cáceres (Nothern province of the Extremadura region). Once in this area, you can decide wether you'll stay in Caceres or on the other hand you could experience in other towns that aren't too far away. For these small road trips I highly recommend renting a car, these small towns have public transport but their schedules might not fit your journey making it rather difficult to plan a good adventure for the day. 

I recommend having your main base in Trujillo, this medieval town is about 40km away from Caceres, and about 80km from Guadalupe, which is a very picturesque town guarded by a beautiful monastery worth visiting. From Trujillo, you will also be relatively close to Plasencia, another small city that has it's magical enchantment. 

While in Trujillo, you mustn't miss the main square, the Saint Martin Church as well as the Santa Maria Church that has two main towers that can be visited and from which you will have a wonderful view of the town. And of course let's not forget its castle at the very top of the town, built between the IX and XII centuries. Most of these touristic attractions have a ticket office in which you will be able to buy tickets to all or some of these monuments. 

Trujillo's Castle

Now, it's important to pay attention to what or where you could eat. This will completely depend on what you like. But a very common and popular place to eat is 'La Troya' famous for its traditional meals and especially for the big quantities they serve, if you have a rather big appetite, GO FOR IT. 

It's not too pricey and it's worth the experience I guess😂. When I was younger I was able to eat all the food they served, but now, I just can't handle the appetizers they serve in huge amounts. 

Or, if you don't want to go through the hassle of having to eat too much, you can always try ''Catedritos" which is a traditional restaurant/bar with reasonable prices and good food (at least last time I went)  or 'Hostal La Emilia' which is also a nice place to book a room, I personally liked the place, the service and the food, it's also a walk away from the center of the town, a very good spot if you like peace and quiet because sometimes it happens that visitors come in the time of year in which the town is celebrating their traditional festivals and the center can be very noisy, so before visiting make sure you book your stay in an area that's rather far, but not too far from the town square. If there aren't any festivities or fairs going on in the town, staying in the center can be a very good choice. Most of the accomodations are fairly decent and clean and some offer 'breakfast included' packs.

This would be day one and two of your adventure, exploring Trujillo will surely awaken your imagination and have you curious for more. 😊

My personal advice: Travelling to little lost towns can be really exciting. Take into account that in many you might not find the fancy service, accomodation and touristic glamour you can definitely find in other well-prepared areas. Most of these places live off internal visitors that come from different places of Spain and normally don't stay longer than a weekend. So please be kind, you can always suggest ideas to the business owners etc. They aren't used to having people that aren't from the country, so smile, enjoy and always add something nice 😻.

Spain is not only beaches and sun

Most of the people around the world come to Spain to visit the main touristic areas: beaches and main cities such as Madrid or Barcelona. But have you ever imagened what lies in between these attractions?

Spain is a mediterranean country that tackles the planet on the Iberian Peninsula. It's a small but rich country that hides many beautiful corners, cultures and landscapes. It's unique position on the planet allows various species develop naturally among the human cities and activities and most importantly, it's hidden little towns throughout the lands are in many ocassions astonishing. 

Allow me to show you what else you mustn't miss visiting while you come to Spain. I have always liked to see beyond what's given, explore the lands that surround me. I live in Spain, I've been out and about, but when it comes to travelling I'm the first one to take a look at the map of the country I'm living in and say: Hey, I haven't visited this area yet. 

We will start with Extremadura, a 'State or Region' that I highly recommend visiting between mid September and early June. This region hides spectacular landscapes, incredible castles, and beautiful towns in which the mayority of them you can still feel the middle age essesence or vibes that ignite your imagination transporting you to times in which other things were important.