Cáceres

Arco de la Estrella at dawn, Trujillo the next day

Give Cáceres two days: the walled old town on the first, from the Arco de la Estrella past Santa María and the Torre de las Cigüeñas to the tower of San Francisco Javier, with a return after dinner for the floodlit lanes, and Trujillo or Mérida on the second.

Begin on the Plaza Mayor early and go up through the Arco de la Estrella before the tour groups arrive. Walk slowly past the Co-cathedral of Santa María, where rubbing the feet of the statue of San Pedro de Alcántara is said to bring luck in love, then on to San Mateo and the Torre de las Cigüeñas. Climb the tower of San Francisco Javier for the roofs and stork nests, and stop at the Convento de San Pablo for something sweet.

After lunch, give the afternoon to the city museum and the shaded lanes around it, then rest through the heat. Come back after dinner, when the lanes are floodlit and almost empty, and the old town looks the way it did on screen as King's Landing.

On day two, drive east to Trujillo, the hilltop home town of several conquistadors, with its arcaded square and castle, or south to Mérida for its Roman theatre. Return for a last evening on the plaza with a glass of Ribera del Guadiana.

Torta del Casar, migas and the San Pablo nuns of Cáceres

Order Torta del Casar in Cáceres, a runny sheep's cheese from a village a few kilometres north, eaten by cutting off the top and scooping it out with bread. Iberian ham from acorn-fed pigs and red peppers stuffed with fish, lamb or cornmeal are the other local orders, with a Ribera del Guadiana red.

The cheese is made in Casar de Cáceres, a village a few kilometres north. When ripe, its rind holds a runny centre, so the top is cut away and the cheese scooped out with bread. Iberian ham and cured loin from acorn-fed pigs come from the same dehesa, and red peppers stuffed with fish, lamb or cornmeal are the local hot dish.

Look for cheeses coated in paprika, which go by several names, and for migas, fried breadcrumbs with garlic and pork, when the weather turns cool. The regional red is Ribera del Guadiana.

Most restaurants sit around the Plaza Mayor, where terraces face the walls. The location is handy but the menus run to the predictable; walk a street or two back for quieter tables. Kitchens start dinner late. For something sweet, stop at the Convento de San Pablo, where the nuns sell pastries they bake themselves, and in the evening follow the students up Cuesta de Aldana to El Corral de las Cigüeñas for live music.

Storks, Semana Santa and Monfragüe vultures

Spring is the season to aim for in Cáceres, with March to May between 18°C and 25°C and white storks nesting on the towers. Semana Santa brings night processions, and autumn from late September is pleasant again. July and August average 34°C, and the city goes quiet.

The climate swings hard. July and August average 34°C highs with almost no rain, which is why so many residents leave for their home villages and the city goes quiet. Winter days are mild at 12 to 13°C in December and January, but nights are chilly, and October to December are the wettest months, each with roughly 65 to 85 mm.

Semana Santa is the big event. Processions climb through the narrow lanes of the walled town at night, and some brotherhoods carry their floats up and down steep stone stairs. Book rooms months ahead. Autumn, from late September, brings back comfortable walking weather and the students.

Cáceres also works as a base. Trujillo, birthplace of the conquistadors Francisco Pizarro and Francisco de Orellana, is about 45 minutes east by road. Monfragüe National Park, around an hour north, is one of the best places in Europe to watch griffon and black vultures circling over the Tagus gorges. Mérida's Roman theatre is under an hour south.