Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Modern Art Museum) Helga de Alvear
You would not expect a museum dedicated to modern art, with an impressive collection, in the historical centre of Cáceres, but there is: Museum of Modern Art Contemporáneo Helga de Alvear. Beautiful building and often a surprising (but ever changing) exhibition. Free entry, book a time slot on the internet. Give it a try.
See picturesMonfragüe National Park
The Monfragüe National park is Paradise for birdwatchers, but even if you are not so keen on spotting birds or other wildlife, it is a nice area for a walk. There are three routes, but only (the green) one is circular. Once there you can see the vultures on their heads or almost grab them (before they grab you) from the 'hermita' or castle. 45 minutes by car along a sometimes winding and sometimes extremely straight, but ever beautiful road.
See picturesSanta María la Mayor
The most important church in the upper town of Trujillo (so not the one on the Plaza Mayor, which is called San Martín) for over 700 years. It is very well-preserved and the Gothic reredos is fascinating. There are two towers that you can climb for great views over the town, although the stairs up are steep and te steps not even, so you need to take care.
See picturesMuseo Vostell and Los Barruecos
It is merely the combination of the beauty of the old factory where they used to wash the wool, the stunning surroundings with the artificial lake for the factories water supply, the impressive rock formations on the other side and the art inside the factory, merely from the 60's and beyond, once the atelier of Wolf and Mercedes Vostell, now Museum Vostell. There is a very good restaurant on site, where you can lunch after the museum visit, or after your walk around the lake.
This spot is one of our favourites. The sharp contrast between nature and art, and the beauty of both, makes you feel swept of your feet. Not everyone we send over is to convinced by the contents of the museum, some people even get angryish. But the building and the rocky nature convince all of them.
See picturesRoman heritage
If you are interested in archaeological tourism, in Extremadura there is a large number of places where the traces from Roman times are just on our doorstep. All at roughly an hour's drive from Trujillo.
The most famous site is Merida, with its temples, theater, amphitheater, aquaduct and bridge, but Medellin (the original) has a wonderful Roman Bridge as well, that you still can cross by car. The same applies for an impressive Roman Bridge in Alcántara, close to the Portuguese border. And last but not least: Cáparra. So if you are interested in Roman remains, you can eat your heart out.
See picturesMérida
Mérida is a 50 minutes drive from Trujillo and really worth a visit. Merida itself is not the most beautiful city, to put it mildly, but the Roman remains are really impressive. The museum is a special building on its own and has a surprising exhibition. Our favourite is the bridge, which goes on forever.
See picturesCáceres
Cáceres is a World Heritage site, with a beautiful old center with adobe palaces, but it also has a beautiful green and shady esplanade surrounded by shops. It can be reached within half an hour along one of the quietest motorways in Europe, and you can park near the Plaza Mayor in Parking Obispo Galarza. If you do not feel like going back the same way the other day, Cáceres is easily combined with a visit Museo Vostell and Los Barruecos.
See picturesGuadalupe
Guadalupe is an amazing village, dominated by a huge church and monastery. If you are not over religious you can still enjoy the beauty of it all, by buying, but not taking the tour in Spanish (sorry, no other options offered), by letting the group go ahead of you. The city itself suffers slightly from tourism, but a bit further away from the church there are very nice streets and fountains to be found and the architecture is completely different from the one in Trujillo.
See picturesOn the other side of the border
It is probably too far for a one day trip, although many people (we amongst them) do so, but then you can include these two beautiful spots just on the other side of the border on your way to Portugal. The trip itself is a scenery one and if you are into Roman sites, in between the two you'll find Ammaia. Marvão is a bit of an open air museum, but on a spectacular cliff. Castelo de Vide is probably less impressive, but a lot more lively and therefore much nicer to have your lunch.
See picturesAnd, of course, Trujillo itself…
One of the reasons to stay in Trujillo is, of course, Trujillo. As said, it is a gem that conserves its medieval ambiance in the upper part, but at the same time it is lively enough in the lower part. You can spend hours, or even days, walking through its streets, where cars can hardly (but unfortunately do) pass. Or you can enjoy one of the most beautiful main squares in Spain.
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