Palace in Caceres
Also known as Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo; Lower Golfines Palace
Partly free, partly paidSome of it costs nothing, some of it charges.
The largest noble palace in the old town of Caceres, famous for a Plateresque facade of griffins, fantastic animals, and heraldic shields that fuses Gothic and Renaissance work into one of the most striking fronts in the city. The Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand stayed here, and their coat of arms still hangs on the wall. Franco used a Golfines palace as his headquarters during the Civil War, though that was the nearby Golfines de Arriba, not this one, a mix-up the shared name invites. The budget win is that the facade sits on the open Plaza de los Golfines, free to walk up to and photograph at any hour, while a modest fee gets you inside to the coffered Salon de los Linajes. Pair it with the free walk up through the Arco de la Estrella from the Plaza Mayor de Caceres and the lanes of the Jewish Quarter of Caceres for a full old-town circuit that costs almost nothing.
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Nearby
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
The 12th-century Almohad defensive wall that rings the old town of Caceres, the structure that encloses the entire UNESCO-listed medieval quarter. Surviving stretches of the rammed-earth and stone ramparts reveal the Moorish layer beneath the later medieval cityscape, and they are free to walk and view from the surrounding streets.
18th-century arch serving as the main entrance from Plaza Mayor de Caceres into the walled medieval old town. Free to walk through at any hour, with no ticket and no gate to close.
The only surviving Roman-era gate in the walls of Caceres, set in the quieter eastern stretch of the old town near the river. Free to walk through at any time.
A Renaissance palace inside the walled old town of Caceres that now houses the Provincial Museum of Caceres. The reason to climb up here is underneath the building: an 11th-century Almohad cistern, or aljibe, with a forest of horseshoe arches and one of the best-preserved water systems of its kind anywhere in Spain.
Romanesque-origin parish church just outside the walled old town of Caceres, with a distinctive tower. Entry is free or low-cost, making it an easy addition to a budget walking route.
Gothic church at the highest point of the old town in Caceres, built on the site of the former main mosque. It stands on the Plaza de San Mateo, one of the quietest and most atmospheric squares in the walled quarter, and entry is generally free.
Working out what Caceres costs?
The whole of Caceres