Extremadura Advice
 

I am planning a trip with my Dad (belated 60th birthday gift for him) this fall to Barcelona and Extremadura. We will have roughly 10 days in total and were planning 4 days in Barcelona. I have read a number of the trip reports and posts on the Extremadura region which make it sound magical. I have a couple of questions [apologies if my plans are still rather vague]:

1. many of the Extremadura reports involved trips starting from Madrid. However our plan was to fly from Barcelona to Badajoz and then rent a car from there. Is there any reason this is not a sensible/practical plan?

2. Based on the (very small!) sections on Extremadura in the guidebooks I havde, many of the places we wish to visit [Plasencia, Trujillo, Merida, Guadalupe] "seem" to be doable day trips using Caceres as a base (we planned to stay at the parador there). Am I being naive to think we can use one town as a base over 5/6 days and if so what other place(s) would you suggest for overnight trips - perhaps going further north as a base for a couple of nights?

3. We are planning to travel between mid October and the end of November but other than than have not yet nailed down definitive dates. Is there any particular period in this range we should pick (or avoid?).

Thanks

whiskey

1. No, no reason. Iberia has two daily flights from Barcelona to Badajoz. A bit more expensive than flying to Madrid , and well, some people likes to see Madrid too :)

I can't help you with your other questions but I've thought maybe this website could be useful for you :
http://turismo-en.sigimo.com/htmlint.../intro1024.htm

Yes, definitely you can take Caceres as a home base as distances are not very long, and main locations are linked with new motorways. Caceres is the best option, and with many places to visit and a top restaurant.

Fall and early winter is a great time to be in Extremadura. Here are a couple of web sites you'll want to check. Too bad Maribel has yet to produce a guide to this region.

http://www.juntaex.es/
http://www.turismoextremadura.com

They will help you with a better picture of Extremadura. Another good source of information is the Tourist Office of Spain. Give them a call and see what they can send you to help with your planning.

Your plan sounds good to me. We stayed near Trujillo for a few days on a birding trip. Driving in the area was quite easy. The roads are good and traffic volume low.

Thanks for your responses. I had seen the turismo extremadura web site in some of the other posts I checked out but many of the links do not appear to be working. I did email them asking for some brochures, maps etc but perhaps should also contact the Spanish tourism office here in Toronto.

My plans have been disrupted somewhat in that my father cannot go this fall due to work commitments - so we are going to try for something next Spring (maybe andalusia?) and I will do this one on my own - however I am now leaning towards starting out in Madrid rather than Barcelona, and then driving to Extremadura from that. I suppose I could squeeze both cities in, but I frankly don't want to spend all my time schelping around :)

Gavin was your birding trip an organized tour or something you simply did on your own? Where did you go if you don't mind me asking.

Whiskey, It was a self-organized and led trip. I wrote a trip report which you should be able to find by googling: Birdtrip archives June 2003 week 2. Let me know if that does not work. There are some very nice birds in Extremadura and spring should be the best time to see them.

Hi whiskey,
given the places you are thinking of visiting, Madrid makes more sense as a departure point.

Flights to Badajoz are few and outrageously expensive (I have checked, having a sister down there makes you think of flying, but the bus is a far better option).

If you don't want to drive all the N5 down to Caceres, you could always get an Express bus service (quicker and more spacious than the usual ones), and then rent in Caceres.

And I will try to travel there during the cherry blossom season, sometime in March. You could stay for a couple of days in the Jerte or the Vera area. Really lovely.

Rgds, Cova

Ps. Think of eating in Altair while in Merida. Same owners as Atrio in Caceres, not so crowded and easier to get in without reservations. Very, very good.

Thanks again everyone for your input - I really appreciate it. Cova regarding your suggestion on a spring trip, I already have my flight to Madrid for the second week of November, but given that my father and I plan to return to Spain next March I am thinking perhaps I ought to "save" Extremadura for that trip - it seems a better time to go and plus I'll have some one to share the driving - the bus option just does not appeal to me :)

I'll just have to figure out how to spend the other 6 days...

cheers

whiskey

I agree about La Vera....I wrote a trip report about my visit to Extremadura and La Vera...I will post the link for you here..


http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34810840

Thanks ekscrunchy - I read your report before I made my first post and it was actually one of the reports that solidified my decision to visit that part of the country. In any event, I've decided to visit Extremadura next spring with my father (and my sister who lives in Lisbon will be able to join us for part of the trip then too.) For November I think I will split my time between Madrid and Barcelona and do days trips from each as well. So its back to trolling the Madrid & Barcelona reports :)

Thanks so much for all of your replies.

Whiskey.

Just in case its of any interest
http://www.extremadurasafari.com