Extremadura

Extremadura is renowned for its physical beauty and many travelers enjoy simply walking its verdant northern valleys or southern and eastern hills. In the north's Valle La Vera are picturesque villages with traditional timber and stone homes. The adjacent Valle del Jerte has spectacular cherry blossoms in March. Bird watchers make for the north's craggy Parque Nacional Monfragüe, home to eagles, vultures, falcons, owls, raptors and storks. Extremadura is crammed with historical remains. The delightful small town of Trujillo has restored Roman baths, an Arabic castle and walls, and impressive Renaissance mansions funded by the ...

Extremadura is renowned for its physical beauty and many travelers enjoy simply walking its verdant northern valleys or southern and eastern hills. In the north's Valle La Vera are picturesque villages with traditional timber and stone homes. The adjacent Valle del Jerte has spectacular cherry blossoms in March. Bird watchers make for the north's craggy Parque Nacional Monfragüe, home to eagles, vultures, falcons, owls, raptors and storks. Extremadura is crammed with historical remains. The delightful small town of Trujillo has restored Roman baths, an Arabic castle and walls, and impressive Renaissance mansions funded by the conquistadors who came from here. Ten times larger and a vibrant university town, Cáceres also has gorgeous Renaissance buildings built with riches from the Americas. Captivating Guadalupe is set around its World Heritage-listed monastery where an idolized, ancient image of the Virgin resides. Mérida was the biggest Roman city on the Iberian Peninsula and has one of the longest Roman bridges anywhere. Check out the fantastic collection of mosaics, statues and frescoes at Mérida's Museo Nacional de Arte Romano.

About the Expert

John Noble is a coauthor of Lonely Planet's Spain, Andalucia, and Mexico as well as many other LP titles from Indonesia to Belize to Brazil.