Visitors to Cáceres, considered to be one of the top three monumental sites in Europe, and declared World Heritage by UNESCO, will find an enormous wealth of historic and cultural heritage here. The city’s walled enclosure still conserves several medieval defences, including the Yedra, Bujaco and Horno towers, built in the 12th century.

Palaces and noble houses are found all over the medieval old town, whilst Plaza de Santa María is surrounded by such buildings as the Carvajal Palace, a hundred-year-old fig tree standing in its picturesque Renaissance courtyard. The square also houses the Basilica of Santa María, Gothic in style, with a nave and two aisles. Inside is a magnificent altarpiece.

Not far from the church is the Plaza de San Pablo, where we find the Torre de las Cigueñas, or Stork Tower. Another outstanding attraction in the city, highly representative of the local architecture, is the Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo, where the Catholic Monarchs resided on their visits to Cáceres. This palace, which combines Gothic and Mudéjar elements, features a splendid, early-16th-century Plateresque façade.

Outside the walls now, steps lead up to the Plaza Mayor, a charming square housing the city’s main administrative buildings. Nearby is the Renaissance-style Palacio de Godoy.

Leaving the city, we can visit the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Montaña, which houses an interesting baroque altarpiece.

Visitors can also take some of the varied and interesting routes in Cáceres province, such as the famous Route along the Vía de la Plata, the Roman road that once joined Seville and Astorga and which was later used by pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Another outstanding attractive of Cáceres is its delicious cuisine, featuring such typical regional dishes as caldereta de cordero/cabrito (lamb or kid stew), migas (made with chorizo sausage, pork and bread), sopas canas (soup made from milk, bread, oil, paprika and garlic) and “ropavieja” (meat in a sauce with egg and tomato). Trout from the River Jerte are also rightly famed.

A variety of craft products are made and sold in different places all over Cáceres province. These include: copper and brass from Guadalupe, pipes made from heathwood or volcanic stone from Gasco and embroidery and wood carvings from Sierra de Gata.