It was a challenge. We had 24 hours to visit Cáceres, Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to a long list of must-see monuments.
Armed with some travel tips from our friend Will, we set out to conquer Cáceres and prove that 24 hours was plenty of time to enjoy a new city.
Cáceres Travel Recommendations
Transportation
We decided to take the Renfe train from Navalmoral de la Mata to Cáceres. It was quiet and comfortable with stunning views of the countryside and mountains. Cáceres also has a bus station with various lines connecting cities throughout Spain.
Hotel
When Ale and I look for a hotel when traveling, we look for the best quality at the lowest price. Hotel Don Carlos was a perfect combination. Ideally located right in the center of Cáceres, it is an easy 20 minute walk from the train station. We loved its historic, cozy feel, super friendly reception staff, free wifi and delicious breakfast buffet.
Tapas
We arrived to Cáceres absolutely starving. Sightseeing would have to wait—my stomach is my priority. We did a risky thing, and asked the hotel staff for a lunch recommendation. In our experience this often backfires, as the smiling staff member sends us to terrible, overpriced tourist spots. Upon realizing that her recommendation was in the main square I was truly tempted to turn around, but hunger won out and we sat down.
El Puchero is the first of many restaurants lining one side of the Plaza Mayor. Touristy or not, it offers a creative tapas menu at great prices. We tried migas, stewed beef cheek with chorizo, grilled cod over wild mushrooms and gilled pork tenderloin with foie gras and melted Torta del Casar (the region’s famous sheep's cheese). Everything was delicious—eat there if you visit Cáceres!
Shopping
We didn’t have time to do much shopping, but when it started to downpour we did need to buy an umbrella. Calle Pintores is a good option for almost anything you need.
Monuments
When you walk around the historic center of Cáceres it seems like everything is a monument (and I’m fairly sure it is!) I wish I could tell you exactly what we saw, but we preferred to just wander around, reading the descriptions of the buildings and occasionally looking up more information on our phones. What did strike me as amazing about the center is that it is uncorrupted by stores and restaurants. There is hardly anything commercial about it and it feels like you are back in the medieval period!
Cáceres, City of Statues!
Dinner
We looked up some tempting places to eat dinner but with the rain we decided to stay in. We made a quick stop at one of the specialty shops for some regional cheese and chorizo, and grabbed a bottle of wine and loaf of bread. A humble dinner, yes, but delicious all the same!
Extra Time?
If you find yourself with more time to spend in Cáceres, try one of these places we did not get to check out—then come back and tell us how it was!
- Café: Arabia Riad
- Restaurant: La Cacharerría
- Museum: Museo de las Veletas
Jambro
Caceres deserves to be on every traveller's list. Its such a hidden medieval gem bgging to be explored.
toby
wonderful post!! and the food looks scrumptious! what a charming town, I want to visit it now.
Lauren Aloise
It is impressive how well-maintained the town is. You'll love it!
Patrick
Nice photos.....24hrs enough to visit a city? Depends on the city! Caceres or other smallish cities maybe but the biggies need three or four(at least) ,I reckon.
Lauren Aloise
I agree! And yes, you can visit Cáceres in 24 hours (and really enjoy it) but it deserves more time of course!
Giovanna
Wonderful post. The woman on the statue is Leoncia Gómez (La Leoncia); she used to sell newspapers at that square (San Juan). The name of the statue is Vendedora de diarios.
Cheers!
Lauren Aloise
Thanks for the answers Giovanna! That is so cool that they made a statue for her!
Cat
Christene, Fonz and I did Cáceres on a rainy December afternoon. Since it's small enough, I think that a day does it, as well as you can do several other cities in Spain in one day: Aranjuéz, Oviedo, Córdoba, Aracena... And, por cierto, when we saw El Puchero in the Plaza Maypr, we hatched the plan for me to oen an academy called El Puchero!
Lauren Aloise
You should totally open El Puchero English academy Cat! Sounds delicious (and educational). I'd agree with you on 1 day being enough for Aranjuéz and Aracena, haven't been no Oviedo (yet) but Córdoba deserves more time!
Melanie
Hi Lauren! I also think Cáceres is small enough to see in a day. The only sight you didn't mention that I would recommend in the future is the huge statue of Jesus at the top of the hill - great look-out spot of the city! Hope you get to see it someday 🙂 All of these images brought back memories for me, since my husband is from there. PS love Torta del Casar! Glad you got to try it, and I hope you and your husband enjoyed Cáceres!
Lauren Aloise
Thanks for the tip Melanie! I missed it, unfortunately! Next time... My husband and I really enjoyed the trip, do you and your husband go back to visit often?
Melanie
No, unfortunately, we don't make it back often since moving to the US. We've lived in the US for about two and a half years now together, and we've only made it back to Spain once 🙁 But every time we go, we visit Caceres to see my suegros 🙂 I always enjoy seeing the sights (in your pictures) every time we go because they bring back great memories. So glad you enjoyed your trip, and I am really enjoying your series on Extremadura!
Madaboutravel
Great post! I've actually never been to Cáceres but your post made me want to visit it... Oh, all the food looked delicious 😉