Spain Driving Advice
 

Hello,
We will be driving from Segovia to Merida in September. On the way, about an hour out from Merida, we want to spend a full day in Caceres. Should we:
A. Drive onto Merida(where we'll spend 2 nights), and drive back to spend the following day in Caceres - then back to Merida(since this means double-backing, we would spend extra money and time)?
B. Stop in Caceres - on route to Merida(it is on the way, after all!)and spend the day. This option would save us time and money - BUT - is it SAFE to leave our car in Caceres for the day(with all our luggage)?
Which option do fellow fodorites suggest? (To me, it seems like time and money vs. the peace of mind knowing our stuff is in our hotel)
If there is a 3rd option, feel free to offer it.
Thanks very much.

I would never leave a car full of VISIBLE luggage or anything else of value anywhere...in Spain or in the USA..it is simply too much of an enticement for some folks.

if there is a left luggage at caceres train station.. pay to leave visible pieces there. the bus station might also have it, but i am unsure how to find this our for you right now.

if you rearrange everything so nothing is visible and do not open trunk at your caceres stop.. i would think you are as safe as any of us are. we stop on our trips all the time, but try NOT to leave anything at all visible.. not even a jacket.

this is quite a drive you have ... i don't know if i would have much energy left for a full touring day in caceres after that.

perhaps go to merida, see the ruins and the museum there and save caceres for next day??

i hope you can see oropesa on the way down...it is a strikingly beautiful parador castle hotel . especially impressive at night when you approach.

Thanks for the feedback.
Lincasanova - anything in particular you would recommend we see, while in Merida and Caceres?
Thanks.

i am in chicago right now and will check out the maps when i get home next week for you.

a walk through historic caceres is pleasant. try to find out some history beforehand. we spent a lot of time relaxing in the main square over tapas and coffee after our intense stroll..

the roman ruins, and later the new archeology museum by moneo, great spanish architect,( also did addition to the prado and has several buildings here in the USA) were the highlights of our merida stopover.

we didn't have time for our next planned stop.. guadalupe. but i hear it is worth the extension.

You will enjoy the thread O'Reilly (Ger) posted about Caceres and Merida. It inspired me to add Caceres to our trip to Spain last fall, and I'm so glad we did, because Caceres was my favorite city in Spain.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Merida. Drat!

What a goofball! I forgot to post the link to Ger's report!

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34486795

As already stated, it's not wise to leave your car loaded with luggage while you're out touring around. It's really not that far from Merida back to Cáceres. It's a great place and the old city is worth as much time as you can spend in a day.

That said, if you want to take the chance and park for the day while you explore the city, and all of your luggage fits neatly into the trunk of the car, then there are a couple of underground parking garages along Paseo de Cánovas where you can put the car. Just make sure that you back into a parking stall, up against the wall, so that no one can get into your trunk if they should happen to try. It's not the best advice, but it's something we do from time to time, depending on the circumstances.

If you happen to have the time, and want to dine at one of the best restaurants in all of Spain, often referred to as one of the 10 best in all of Europe, which is saying a lot, then don’t pass up the chance to have lunch at Atrio, a 2-star Michelin restaurant located at Avenida de España, 30. Don’t expect lunch before 2 pm, when it opens. 3 pm is better.

Thanks again for the feedback and suggestions. Enjoyed reading the trip report from O'Reilly. Both Merida and Caceres sound great, and yet very different from each other. I guess we'll decide about the driving vs. parking when we get there. Thanks Robert2523 for the parking suggestions. You actually reminded me of a funny story(though not funny at the time). We arrived in Manchester some years ago, and had rented a car to travel through England and Wales. The car was parked head-in, up against a guard rail, in one of those indoor 6-story parking garages. I had to back the car up(to avoid going through the guard rail and crashing)and out of the spot. Problem was, I could not figure out how to put the car in reverse(standard transmision)! Every time I thought I finally had it in reverse and stepped on the gas, it lunged forward a bit. I was running out of room to go forward, so I couldn't really afford many more errors! Any my wife was starting to have serious doubts about my ability to get us out of the parking garage, much less navigate us through 2 countries! I finally got out of the car and sheepishly asked some fellow how to get the car in reverse. After he stopped laughing, he showed me(push the button DOWN, while shifting into reverse)the proper technique, my wife got back into the car(she had gotten out a little earlier, concerned about the possibility of dying), and we were finally on our way to Liverpool - after only a few hours(I exaggerate, but not by much!)in the garage!
By the way, England and Wales were fantastic.
Larz
PS: In writing this, I wonder if I had tried to put the car in neutral and PUSH it out. I don't recall. Perhaps I feared that would look even more absurd!