The Silver Route

The 'Ruta de la Plata' is a legendary trade route along which the Romans transported their silver. An adventurous trip from the north to the south of Spain, past ancient cities and landscapes dotted with olive groves and orange trees.

Your tour starts in the bustling, monumental university city of Salamanca, including an exclusive visit to the Monastery of San Esteban. From here, you will continue south via the colourful "city of storks" Plasencia and Cáceres with its historic city centre classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

From some of the country's most beautiful squares to the imposing monastery where Columbus came to pray, there is a lot to discover along the way. The Silver Route ends in Seville, with a flamenco show, an initiation of 'Iberian Ham Cutting' or a visit to the world-famous Alcázar.

Day 1: Departure to Madrid / Salamanca

Your journey starts with a drive to Salamanca, a charming university city. You will stay two nights at Palacio de San Esteban.

Day 2: Salamanca

Monumental Salamanca stretches from the Roman Bridge to the Puerta de Zamora. Palaces and religious buildings frame the district around the renowned university, with its magnificent plateresque façade. With its many café terraces, the Plaza Mayor buzzes with life.

Day 3: Salamanca - Plasencia - Cáceres

A detour to Béjar, a pretty village at the foot of the Sierra de Béjar, and a stop in the charming village of Candelario are worthwhile before reaching Extremadura's regional capital, Plasencia. The city has a fortified historic centre and a striking cathedral, and it is given a colourful touch by the many flocks of storks that nest on roofs, towers and antennas here. Afterwards, make sure to visit Cáceres with its particularly beautiful historic centre, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site! Visiting Cáceres is a truly unique experience: you walk past Gothic- and Renaissance-style houses and palaces next to Arabic walls and mighty towers.

Day 4: Trujillo - Guadalupe

This day you can choose between visiting Trujillo or Guadalupe or maybe you like to do both? Trujillo's original Plaza Mayor is one of the most beautiful squares in Spain. The many capital buildings here were built in the 16th and 17th centuries by wealthy 'Indianos' after their return from America. When you venture down the road to Guadalupe, an unexpected encounter awaits you: at 650 m altitude looms the imposing monastery with battlements and turrets, built here after an image of Mary was found nearby. Columbus too came here to pray to the holy virgin before he undertook his long journeys! At the foot of the pilgrimage site is the unremarkable, charming village of Guadalupe.

Day 5: Cáceres - Mérida - Zafra - Seville

Via Mérida, where you can admire numerous monuments from Roman times at the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, to Zafra, where the Plaza Grande and the Plaza Chica form a harmonious whole due to their pretty houses with arcades. Fuente de Cantos is 25 km away with the house/museum of Francisco de Zurbarán. Afterwards, you drive on to Seville.

Day 6 & 7: Seville

Enjoy a guided visit to Seville, where you will be introduced to the mix of colours, hot-bloodedness and atmosphere that characterises Seville. You'll stroll through typical city neighbourhoods, such as the Barrio de Santa Cruz. Experience an authentic flamenco show in the purest Andalusian style or follow an introduction to 'Iberian Ham Cutting'. The Alcázar, an eclectic building complex that bears traces of many centuries, gives you the impression of entering a Moroccan palace. However, the Alcázar, as you see it today, is essentially a structure from Christian times.