I will be wandering around in Extremadura after spending Semana Santa in Sevilla.

After Semana Santa, I will have 10 days, more or less, and I'd like to explore some small towns, mostly in Extremadura. Among these towns are Carmona, Zafra, Mérida, Trujillo, and Zamora. If I have extra time, I'd like to go to Cuenca before I fly out of Madrid.

Carmona sounds interesting, so maybe I'll go there from Sevilla, explore the town, and stay the night, then go on to Mérida for a couple of days. I would do day trips to Zafra and Trujillo.

Zamora is a bit out of the way of the others, so it's still tentative.

I've visited a lot of Spain, and I'd just as soon see places I haven't seen before, which is why I've picked some of these obscure towns. I don't know how much time to spend in these towns, but I think I'd spend just a day in most of them. One question in my mind is whether I'll see too many similar towns end up with everything just a blur.

I also don't know whether to rent a car or to do train and bus trips. I think a car would be a lot more convenient since I'll be stopping in several towns. The roads I've driven in Spain were very good, but I'm not sure whether they'd be as good off the beaten track in Extremadura. Also, if I took the trains and busses, I'd have more opportunity to hear and to speak Spanish.

I like architecture, history, just taking in the ambiance of various places. I'm at an age where I like slow travel.

Can anyone give me advice about these vague questions? Car or public transportations. Too many little towns?

We were in Extremadura in 1985 and the roads were fine. Cuenca is EastSouthEast of Madrid, so I do not think that it makes sense to go there.

To whet your appetite:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7622975757180/

Great Pics, Michael. I've been to Salamanca, but I think your pictures are much better than mine. Excellent detail. I'm espcially interested in the Roman ruins--not in Salamanca, of course.

I know Cuenca is east of Madrid, but I may try to get there. We went several years ago and stayed in the parador, but it was raining pretty hard and I didn't get a good look at the Casas Colgadas.

Carmona, do it as a side trip from Seville and good idea to stay the night.
In May 2003 I made the first trip to Extremadura, focusing on less visited locations. I wasn't in Fodors, so I wrote no trip report; neither had digital camera. It went as it follows:
Went first to Jerez de los Caballeros, stayed the night at Hotel Los Templarios. There are several baroque towers in this town, really impressive. Very quiet, excellent ham and frog's legs. Next day we moved to Zafra, stayed at the Parador for 2-3 nights, cannot remember. The Parador is very easy to reach as usual. Park there and make your reservation for lunch at the beautiful courtyard. Then go to the Tourism office (the Parador staff’ll guide you) as they make free walking tours of the town (which is very beautiful), including the castle where the Parador is. It takes about one hour, they are very kind. Zafra is very beautiful and quiet, full of unexpected corners. Sidetrips we made to Burguillos del Cerro (with a castle) and Fregenal de la Sierra, that has an amazing complex: Bullring, church (former mosque built upon Visigoth church, upon Roman temple and so on), town hall and market, all in the same building.
We skipped Merida and went straight to Trujillo, full of beautiful buildings and a great square with the statue of Pizarro, who was born here (see: http://www.jgonzalezbueno.com/galeri...s/Trujillo.jpg ). Stayed at the Parador too and then drove to Guadalupe, night at the Parador and early morning visit to the Monastery. Then we drove towards Madrid.
In other trips we have visited Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena (busy towns, we passed them by) and Medellín, birthplace of Hernán Cortés, a small town with an impressive bridge and a square with the statue of Cortés, and the castle above it.
I think you can visit Merida, and Trujillo. Then move to Cáceres, or drive further north to Plasencia. I think this shall be enough, you'll need a day to drive back to Seville. Zamora is too far to the North. Cuenca too far east.
Of course I recommend a car, these places are not difficult to navigate and park. Roads are good and motorways too.

My highlights in Extremadura:
Mérida, UNESCO World Heritage Site, was founded by order of Emperor Augustus, to protect a pass and a bridge over the Guadiana river. The city became one of the most important cities in the Roman empire. Mérida preserves more important ancient Roman monuments than any other city in Spain (including a triumphal arch of the age of Trajan). The Roman Theatre, besides being the most visited monument in the city, since 1933 home to the development of the Festival of Classical Theatre of Mérida thus returns to its original function and transcends the mere ornament. The Museum of Roman Art in Merida is well worth the visit. Roman statues, mosaics, and artifacts populate this excellent museum.
http://rarurl.com/CaWBJF

Trujillo portrays influences from the three cultures which have left their mark throughout the city, these being Roman, Muslim and Christian. Extremadura is often called "land of conquerors". Francisco Pizarro, a Conquistador born in Trujillo, founder of Lima and conqueror of the Incan empire of Peru in 1532, Francisco de Orellana, discoverer of the Amazon --Trujillo will be celebrating Orellana's 500th Anniversary in 2011-- and others. The Conquistadors built magnificent residences constructed of the finest granite stone, on their return to their native soil. These residences not only reflected their adventures abroad, but also portrayed the colonisation of South America. The Plaza Mayor which is overlooked by the city's substantial Castle, is filled with many elegant buildings including the Church of St. Martin which houses a glorious 18th C organ. A prominent feature of the square is the elegant bronze sculpture of Francisco Pizarro mounted on horseback. This work executed by the North American artist Charles Rumsey emphasizes the importance of the conquistador's return to Spain from Latin America.
http://rarurl.com/4GNL

Cáceres. The best way to savour this unique city is to leave your car in one of the carparks located outside the historical centre, and then to stroll around the historical quarters at your leisure to admire the numerous buildings, towers, palaces and plazas. Cáceres is an outstanding example of a city that was ruled from the 14th to 16th centuries by powerful rival factions: fortified houses, palaces and towers dominate its spatial configuration. This city bears the traces of highly diverse and contradictory influences, such as Islamic arts, Northern Gothic, Italian Renaissance, arts of the New World, etc. The walls of the city bear exceptional testimony to the fortifications built in Spain by the Almohads. Few monuments have survived from the Muslim period within the walls. The most significant is the five-nave reservoir with three bays, incorporated into the Casa de las Veletas in the 16th century. Although most of the monuments have been lost, the pattern of the streets, with winding backstreets that open on tiny squares or turn into narrow alleys, the number of patios and interior gardens are a survival from urban planning during the Almohad period. The Old Town of Cáceres is a World Heritage Site.
http://rarurl.com/WVKbGd

Plasencia. The city walls, which have stood since eight centuries, boasted seventy towers, eight gates and a huge Alcázar in its highest point. Most of it remains except the Alcázar, which was demolished. The focal point of the old city, however, was and, after more than eight hundred years, still is the market square (Plaza Mayor), where a weekly market has been in operation every Tuesday since the foundation of the city. Plasencia has two cathedrals, the older (Catedral Vieja), in Romanesque and Gothic style, and the newer (Catedral Nueva) in late Gothic, Renaissance and Plateresque styles but never completed. The newer, right next to the older, was built partially by cannibalizing building materials of the older --condemned to disappearance-- but works stopped one day and never were taken up again. The fault line between both cathedrals can be seen in the façade. They are connected through the cloisters.
http://rarurl.com/nBkeye

The only place we've been to was Merida - to see the Roman ruins - which were fascinating. But we were on a road trip - coming from Portugal and headed to Seville. The roads were fine - have never seen bad ones in Spain - and the traffic is very light to nonexistent (as least as compared to my area).

We wished we had more time - but onlyhad 3 weeks altogether and were rushed as it was.

Thanks so much for the comments. Very exciting to look forward to seeing them.

Pegonthreroad-
I think we may be following each other next Spring! I'll be in Spain for Semana Santa and the following week was planning to spend it in Extremadura.

I visited this region (Cacares, Trujillo & Merida) in 2004 and it was absolutely unspoilt and beautiful. I wouldn't miss Cacares with it's monumental old quarter. I stayed at the paradors in Merida and Cacares and they are probably some of the best in this chain. Zamora, Cuenca & Carmona are not in Extremadura but are both beautiful places to visit. I spent 3 days in Zamora and could have realistically just had a one day visit (and I'm a slow traveler).

Public transportation is good but if you can rent a car it would be much easier, particularly if you want to explore smaller villages and be more flexible with your time.

CathyM, if you carry on spelling "Cacares", you'll miss it next time

Thanks josele - I always get Caceres and Caseres mixed up....so apparently I've added Cacares to the mix....

Cathy, thanks for your reply. Your description of the towns makes my mouth water.

We visited Cáceres in 2004 and were very impressed. We also did a monumental job of getting lost in the city when we took a wrong turn. After we'd walked forever, my sister made me to into a bar and ask "Por favor, donde está la plaza mayor?"

I'd been studying Spanish for about five years at the time, but when she said, "What did they say?" I had to respond, "I have no idea." Her opinion of my Spanish skills plunged.

It is a beautiful city.

If you consider staying in Zafra, we enloyed the Parador. Richard www.paradores-spain.com/spain/pzafra.html

You might be interested in asking your nearest Tourist Office of Spain for some updated information.

You can also check some of the local websites:
www.turismoextremadura.com/index.html
www.extremadura.com/