HISTORIC REGION EXTREMADURA .Sunday 10th – 17th September 2023 £1499.00

Discover a world in Spain you never knew existed. Fly into Seville and stay 2 nights is this vibrant city. Transfer to Merida our base for 4 nights. Full day trips to Caceres & Trujillo. Travel back to Seville stay overnight in Zafra. Little is known of  Extremadura region but you will be amazed at its vast array of historical Roman sites.

Mérida, capital of Extremadura, was once also capital of the Roman province of Lusitania (as Emerita Augusta, founded 25 BC) and is still home to the most impressive and extensive Roman ruins in all Spain.

…….Like walking through an open air museum…….

The ruins lie sprinkled around town, often appearing in the most unlikely corners. Became a UNESCO world Heritage site in 1993.

Hotel Merida Palace is located in Plaza de España Square, this restored 15th-century palace offers a rooftop terrace with a small seasonal pool and city views. Hotel is 200 yards from the Roman Temple of Diana.

Guests can use the hotel’s gym and sauna, or relax in the peaceful interior courtyards. There is also an on-site tapas bar and a restaurant serving traditional Extremaduran cuisine.

The Roman Amphitheatre and Roman Art Museum are just a 10-minute walk from the Hotel Mérida Palace.

Caceres, More than ten towers dominate the historic quarter of Caceres, delimited by Arab walls. Cobbled streets marked by medieval, fortified homes and Renaissance palaces make up the most beautiful sceneries in this city, which was declared World Heritage.

The local history is closely related to one the historic, peninsular routes: “Vía de la Plata” (the Silver Route), a Roman road that linked Seville and Astorga, used by the pilgrims who were headed to Santiago de Compostela.

Trujillo. The town’s historic core is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Spain

Beginning in the Plaza Mayor, its splendour extends up the hillside into a labyrinth of mansions, leafy courtyards, fruit gardens, quiet plazas, churches and convents enclosed within 900m of walls circling the upper town. It all dates to the 16th century, when Trujillo’s favourite sons returned home from the Americas as wealthy conquistadors, and what they bequeathed to their home town lives on in a most beautiful wa

 Zafra, also known as Little Seville, is right at the heart of Baja Extremadura, on a plain at the foot of the steep rocky mountains of Sierra de Castellar.
The town is dominated by the 15th-century Alcázar (fortress). From the outside, it has a military appearance, but the interior resembles a palace. Note the Renaissance cloister in the central courtyard.

Nowadays, the Alcázar houses the local Parador de Turismo.

The medieval quarter stretches around the fortress, in a network of narrow streets that form a peculiar pattern that resembles the shell of a turtle. A stone wall from the 15th century used to surround it completely; today, only three of the eight gates that it formerly had are still standing.

Zafra’s monumental heritage is very rich, with great buildings such as the sumptuous collegiate church of La Candelaria, erected in 1546.

suggested Itinerary (subject to changes):

Fly into Seville from Gatwick.  Transfer to city centre hotel, just a short walk from Seville Cathedral and Palace.  Enjoy 2 nights in this beautiful vibrant city.

Transfer to Merida which is a 2 hrs journey but with a 75 minute stop in Italica on-route. Roman commander Publius Cornelius Scipio founded the city in 206 BC, during the Second Punic War, as a place for his Italian veterans to settle down – hence the name Italica. While much of Scipio’s original city now lies beneath Santiponce, Hadrian’s 1st Century ‘New City’ can still be seen today. Built on the scale of an imperial city, with new public buildings such as the amphitheatre, baths, theatre, and luxurious houses with mosaic floors, Italica was one of the region’s premier cities. Visitors can still stroll the 15 meter wide main avenue, see about twenty intricate mosaic floors and the remains of the thermal baths. The amphitheatre ( SEE PHOTO BELOW) was featured in Game of Thrones, was one of the largest in the Empire, and could accommodate 25,000 spectators. Even today, its underground passages are in perfect condition. Travel on to Merida. This will be our base for next 4 nights, staying in a 5 star Hotel IIunion Merida Palace.

During our stay we do a days trip to Caceres and Trujillo.

Transfer to Zafra overnight before travelling back to Seville airport.

This trip includes all transfers, flights, hotel and breakfast accommodations, stop in Italica.

Please be aware that there is a certain amount of transfers involved