Caceres Travel Guide

298km (185 miles) SW of Madrid, 256km (159 miles) N of Seville

The capital of Extremadura’s northern province has a fortified old town that is one of the most immaculately preserved in Spain.

Founded by the Romans in 34 b.c., the hilltop stronghold was hotly contested during centuries of war between the Muslims and Christians. Its name comes from the Arabic al-qasr meaning citadel. When the city finally fell to the Christians in 1229, the knights who had secured the Reconquest were rewarded with parcels of land within its walls where they established dynastic homes. The magnificent honey-colored palaces and churches you see today are lavish upgrades financed in the 16th century by riches sent back from the Americas by the conquistadors.

In recent years, this historic city has attracted new visitors. Fine diners head for the world-class Atrio restaurant at the top of the old town, while fans of the TV series Game of Thrones come to explore the unchanging streets where some of its most famous scenes were shot.