Old Town of Cáceres, Spain

The old town of Cáceres is one of the best-preserved medieval and Renaissance townscapes in Europe — a walled quarter of golden stone in the heart of Extremadura, in western Spain, so complete and atmospheric that it is regularly used as a film and television set. Ringed by walls that mix Roman, Moorish and later work, and bristling with the fortified towers and palaces of rival noble families who vied for power here between the 14th and 16th centuries, the old town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. Wandering its silent, cobbled lanes, with storks nesting on the towers, feels like stepping straight into the Middle Ages.

What to See

Enter through the Plaza Mayor, the lively main square, and pass beneath the Arco de la Estrella into the monumental old town. Here the streets are lined with the towers and mansions of the medieval nobility — among them the Palacio de las Cigüeñas, the Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo and the Palacio de las Veletas, home to the provincial museum with its remarkable Moorish cistern (aljibe). The Bujaco Tower, an Arab-era tower on the main square, can be climbed for views over the rooftops, while the Plaza de Santa María is presided over by the Gothic co-cathedral of Santa María, whose tower gives another fine panorama. With almost no modern intrusion, the whole ensemble of squares, palaces, churches and walls is the attraction, best enjoyed slowly on foot.

How to Get There and Practical Information

Cáceres is the capital of its province in Extremadura, in western Spain, reached by train and bus from Madrid (around four hours by train) and from Seville and Lisbon; the walled old town rises just above the modern city and is a short walk from the central Plaza Mayor. There is no charge to enter and explore the old town, which is freely open at all hours, while individual museums, palaces and tower climbs have modest admission fees. Allow at least half a day to wander the lanes and squares, wear comfortable shoes for the cobbles and slopes, and try to visit in the softer light of morning or evening — or after dark, when the floodlit stone and the quiet make the medieval atmosphere especially powerful.