Things to know before travelling to Extremadura in winter

Planning to visit Extremadura but don’t know what time of the year to go? Scared about the summer heat, but not sure about travelling to Extremadura in winter? You’ll find the answer here. Hopefully.

In this article, aimed at travellers at the trip planning stage, I share some things to bear in mind before you go and suggestions of what to see and do in Extremadura during the winter months.

Things to consider when planning a trip to Extremadura in winter

Weather

Temperatures. Winter (Dec-Feb) temperatures in Extremadura are relatively mild, but they can vary depending on the area and altitude. See some examples below:

Sunrise is relatively late, mornings and nights are chilly, but the central part of the day is certainly mild. The rather big difference between the minimum and the maximum daily temperature means that you might need different layers of clothing throughout the day.

Skies. December tends to be the cloudier month and there’s something like a fifty-fifty chance of cloudy days. But a cloudy day in Extremadura is still somewhat (or rather) bright, particularly when compared to the UK. You could say that you get dark skies only during thunderstorms and during foggy days in central Extremadura. Generally speaking, during a trip to Extremadura in winter, you can expect most days to be bright and sunny, with clear blue skies.

Rain. While late autumn and winter is the rainiest period in Extremadura, the probability of rain is still low. To give you an idea, in Mérida, you can expect 6-7 days of rain during the wettest month (December). Rain often is, however, a sudden pour lasting from a few hours to a whole day or even several days. Light showers and drizzle are not a thing here.

Fog. Some areas in central Extremadura can be very foggy in winter, when the fog doesn’t lift up at all in a day or two and visibility is extremely low. This fog affects places such as Trujillo, Miajadas and, more generally, places along the river Guadiana, such as Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena.

Sights

Generally speaking, Extremadura ranks low in terms of adequately marketing sights, which can be quite frustrating for travellers coming from more customer-focused and digitally-aware countries such as the UK (as a long-term UK-resident extremeña, I can vouch for that). Things are changing slowly as Extremadura gains more international recognition as a travel destination, but some things are still pretty common:

• Official regional or local travel websites publishing huge chunks of wiki-type of texts full of historical details about a sight, which still lack basic practical information such as opening times, how to get there, or contact details.

• Sights relying exclusively on a Facebook page (sometimes a profile) as their only online presence, yet still failing to make the basic practical information available or update their opening times.

• Last-minute changes to a sight’s opening times not being communicated anywhere online but only on a piece of paper stuck to the main door of the said sight.

• Wrong or not-updated opening times on Google.

• Having to call a number to find out basic information unavailable on their website or social media channels.

• Vague opening times, mentioning ‘summer’ or ‘winter’ opening times, without mentioning the exact dates.

• Only disclosing the opening times for the current season, making it difficult to have reliable, up-to-date information more than three months before a trip.

• Poor (and often automated) translations everywhere.

I find that winter is a particularly unreliable season to trust opening times and to confirm details. Perhaps it’s because winter is a low season and not many travellers are expected; perhaps everyone is planning their Christmas or is already off work. The truth is that, particularly before, during and after the Christmas period (which in Spain goes from 24 December to 6 January), opening times beyond those of the main sights in the main cities, are prone to last-minute changes.

Less people

Extremadura is not as popular a travel destination as other Spanish regions, but it gets its fair amount of (mainly) national travellers during the summer and around Easter. During the winter months, it’s an even less popular destination, which is an advantage when it comes to accommodation prices and availability (perhaps outside the Christmas period), and visiting the main sights.

Is winter a good time to visit Extremadura?

Deciding whether visiting Extremadura in winter is a good idea will depend on your priorities, plans and interests as a traveller.

Things to do in Extremadura in winter

Visit castles

Since visiting castles involves walking uphill, being exposed to the sun, and enjoying the views, it’s something particularly well suited for winter. You can visit at any time of the day (unlike in summer, when 12pm-6pm is such way too hot), take as long as you want walking around the castle and taking pictures. And you’re unlikely to come across more than a few other visitors (sometimes, I’m the only person visiting a castle, particularly in smaller towns and villages).

Walks

Winter is definitely my favourite season for walking in Extremadura. Mild, sunny days are best, but slightly overcast days are great, too. And, on a good winter day (picture clear, blue skies and 14 degrees), you don’t need a big jacket; for example, my usual walking attire includes a (sometimes thermal) short-sleeve T-shirt and a fleece. Don’t forget sunglasses and a cap or hat.

Sightseeing

As I mentioned above, Extremadura is not a particularly popular destination in the low season. This means that winter is the ideal time to visit the most popular sights without the crowds, particularly after the Christmas period. For example, Mérida is particularly quiet from mid-January onwards.

Winter events

While events in December and early January mostly revolve around Christmas, there are some other interesting festivals and celebrations taking place during the winter months:

Jarramplas. This is one of the most unusual festivals in Extremadura and it takes places in Piornal (Cáceres province) on 19 and 20 January. The main event of the festival involves a local resident walking the streets of the town playing a handheld drum dressed in a heavy, colourful devil-like costume while being pelted with huge turnips by locals and visitors alike.

Carnival. Badajoz celebrates one of Spain’s most important Carnival celebrations, with numerous events taking place for over a week (on 9-18 February 2025), where the main highlight is a huge parade (gran desfile). Other notable Carnival celebrations in Extremadura take place in Navalmoral de la Mata and Mérida

FIO (Extremadura Birdwatching Fair). Spain’s most relevant birdwatching fair takes place in Monfragüe National Park (Cáceres province) at the end of February. It draws visitors from all over the world, who enjoy three days of birdwatching-related events, including conferences, photo exhibitions, workshops, walking and birdwatching tours, and activities for families and children. FIO 2025 will take place on 21-23 February.

Nature

Extremadura is a great birdwatching destination all year round, but winter is the best time to see specific species, particularly common cranes. They arrive in the thousands in Extremadura from northern Europe in October-November to spend the winter in the pastureland (dehesa) and the wetlands of central Extremadura. You can spot them on the ground while driving through Vegas Altas del Guadiana or La Siberia area, or flying back to the wetlands at sunset in large flocks.

Winter is also a great time for birdwatching in different habitats: from spotting griffon vultures and Spanish imperial eagles in Monfragüe National Park, to great and little bustards in the plains, and more.

Eat seasonal winter food

Winter is the best time to try comfort, hearty dishes (followed, perhaps, by a walk). Extremadura is not short of traditional, hearty dishes, and these are only some suggestions you could try:

• Migas (fried breadcrumbs) in any of its local variations. Generally speaking, the further north you travel, the heartier the migas – from the white breadcrumbs with garlic of southern Badajoz, to the white breadcrumbs with garlic, peppers and egg of Trujillo, to La Vera-style breadcrumbs with garlic, paprika, potato, pancetta and chorizo.

• Cochifrito (fried suckling pig)

• Cabrito (roasted goat meat)

• Caldereta de cordero (lamb stew)

• Moraga de cerdo (braised pork)

• Any Ibérico pork dish

• Any Ibérico cold meats (jamón, paleta, salchichón, chorizo rojo, chorizo blanco, lomo, morcón)

• Perrunillas (traditional biscuits)