Situated in the Lácara-Los Baldíos area, very close to the Portuguese border, Alburquerque makes for a great day trip from Badajoz. This ham-producing town features a large Gothic quarter, churches aplenty and Castillo de Luna, one of the best medieval castles in Extremadura.
This article includes a general overview, practical information and tips to help you plan your trip to Alburquerque and make the most of your visit to Castillo de Luna.
Table of contents
About Castillo de Luna
Due to Alburquerque’s strategic location, this thirteenth-century castle played an important role throughout the centuries during a number of wars with the Portuguese. It’s named after Álvaro de Luna, a nobleman and royal favourite of King John II of Castile who was awarded the county of Alburquerque and commissioned a series of renovation and building works, such as the construction of the keep. A bastioned enclosure was added later, in the eighteenth century, when Alburquerque was under Portuguese rule.
In more recent times, there was a controversial development project to turn the bastioned enclosure into a hotel, which involved building a concrete tower and a huge glass walkway into the walls. Works started in 2008 and stopped three years later, after numerous complaints by heritage organisations and associations. The castle remained closed to the public for six years.
Castillo de Luna looms large on a rocky hilltop and its imposing figure can be seen from a distance – if you’re driving on the EX-110 northbound, you’ll start seeing the castle at the Puerto de los Conejeros, over seven kilometres away from Alburquerque.
Castillo de Luna today
A general lack of funding for the maintenance, repair and promotion of the castle over the past two decades is the main reason behind its current poor state of conservation. And Alburquerque being my family’s hometown, the decline of Castillo de Luna, a Cultural Heritage Site, is particularly painful to watch.
Some areas have been closed off, including the towers and the bridge, and signs of deterioration and abandonment are visible throughout. Guided tours have not been available for years. The castle is definitely worth visiting in any case, and I hope that by raising enough awareness and encouraging others to visit, something eventually changes and the restoration funds it desperately needs finally arrive.
Visiting Castillo de Luna
The local tourist office has not been offering the (formerly compulsory) guided tour in Spanish for several years now. At the moment, the only option is to visit the castle on your own with a little printout you get at the on-site office. This is not an accessible sight.
The castle is free to visit during the opening hours mentioned below. If you’re in town, it’s worth popping by the Tourist Information Centre by the main square to make sure there’s no last-minute changes before making your way up to the castle.
Tourist Information Centre (Oficina de Turismo)
Location: Plaza de España, s/n
Opening times: (autumn-winter) Monday-Sunday from 10.30am to 1.30pm, and from 4pm to 6.30pm; (spring-summer) Monday-Sunday from 10.30am to 1.30pm, and from 5pm to 7.30pm.
Contact details: (landline) +34 924 40 12 02; (mobile) +34 604 42 96 80; (email) [email protected] and [email protected]; (Facebook) @oitalburquerque; (Instagram) @turismo_de_alburquerque
When to go: I have visited this castle many times at different times of the year. In winter, as long as the day is not wet or too cloudy, the views of and from the castle are the best. The landscape will be dry and yellow in summer and early autumn, and it will likely be too bright to take good pictures (as you can tell from some of the pictures in this article). That said, if you’re travelling Extremadura during the summer, you might want to visit Alburquerque during its Festival Medieval in mid-August, when the town is liveliest and locals throw themselves into historical re-enactments including a parade, a wedding, and a knights battle.
How to get to Castillo de Luna
Where is Alburquerque
Alburquerque is a town situated in the Lácara-Los Baldíos area, by the Sierra de San Pedro, in Badajoz province. It lies only 14km to the east of the Portuguese border, can be reached in forty minutes by car from Badajoz and is also one hour away from both Mérida and Cáceres.
Parking in Alburquerque
Generally speaking, finding a free parking spot anywhere near the town centre is incredibly difficult. Your best shot is either the stretch of Avenida Pablo Lapeña between the Iglesia de San Mateo and Paseo de las Laderas, or anywhere along Avenida de Aurelio Cabrera. But you’ll be lucky to find a spot even there. Otherwise, you might need look for a parking spot in a residential area on the western or northern edge of town.
Walking up to Castillo de Luna
The entrance to the castle is accessed from a path starting in Calle Cárcel. To reach the castle on foot for the centre of Alburquerque, you’ll need to cross the Gothic Quarter (Villa Adentro), accessible from any side street off Avenida Aurelio Cabrera or via one of the gates (Puerta de la Villa, or Puerta de Valencia). This area is very steep, so wear comfortable shoes.
Castillo de Luna: highlights
Inside the castle
Bailey: a wedge-shaped courtyard protected by two elevated terraces, it was home to the stables and the church.
Iglesia Santa María del Castillo: a three-naved church displaying late Romanesque and Gothic elements.
Terraces: playing an important defensive role of the bailey, the two elevated terraces offer fantastic views to the south (plains) and to the north (the town of Alburquerque). The sloped surface of the northern terrace (pictured) allowed the collection of rainwater into a cistern.
Plaza Alta: a second, smaller courtyard beyond the bailey. This was home to the castle governor’s chambers, the granary and the bakery.
Towers and drawbridge: a five-sided tower is connected to the keep with a drawbridge which guaranteed that, in the event of an attack, the keep would remain isolated. Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to walk up to the towers or along the drawbridge. The only room available to view is the kitchen – a rather unusual pyramidal room with exposed brick in the keep.
Outside the castle
To truly appreciate this castle, I recommend seeing it from several different spots, namely:
Calle Cárcel. From the little esplanade outside Santa María del Mercado church you can see the whole profile of the castle and also the bastioned enclosure (where the hotel was supposed to go).
Paseo de las Laderas. From this promenade, skirting round the southern side of the castle, you’ll be able to easily spot the details of the keep and the five-sided tower.
City walls. Climb up the stairs by the Puerta de Valencia city gate and along the wall past the Torre de la Horca for a fantastic view of the castle and the hill it sits atop, with Alburquerque to the left, and the promenade and a vast expanse to the right.
Bear in mind that the battlement is missing in a large part of the wall, meaning you’ll be walking on top of the wall with nowhere to hold onto. Do not walk this far if it’s wet or windy. And definitely do not walk this far if you have (even a slight) fear of heights.
The views from Castillo de Luna
This is the view to the west you get from Torre de la Horca in November.
To the west
And these are the views to the north, east and south you get from the castle in August.
To the north
To the east
To the south
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Irene Corchado Resmella
Hi! I’m Irene (/ee-REH-neh/). Long since settled in the UK, I explore my Spanish home region of Extremadura with an inquisitive mind, a sharp eye, and the duality that comes with being both a local and a visitor. Then I write about it here to help you discover this beautiful yet overlooked part of Spain. If you have any questions after reading this article, submit a comment below! Read more about me.
