Valencia De Alcantara: Dolmens, Old Town and Nature

Valencia De Alcantara brings together megalithic remains, a medieval street layout, collections on local history and striking natural landscapes. When choosing a hotel, it helps to decide what you want to focus on during your stay: are you particularly interested in dolmens and hiking, the town’s historical themes, or a festival? The different destinations offer specific ways to explore each of these interests.

Dolmens and the medieval townscape

The dolmen complex of Valencia De Alcantara comprises a total of 45 dolmens. Originally, there may have been as many as 55: 45 refers to the total number now, while the higher figure describes a possible earlier number. The dolmens can be visited on foot or by bicycle. This connects the archaeological theme with two ways of exploring the sites.

The Gothic Quarter consists of 19 winding, narrow and well-preserved streets that are representative of the medieval townscape. The synagogue of Valencia De Alcantara was built between the 14th and 15th centuries. Together, the streets and the building’s construction period offer different ways to explore local history: an entire quarter here, a building with a specific historical date there.

Museum, history and views

The Ethnographic Museum is devoted to the culture, traditions and society of Valencia De Alcantara over the past two centuries. It has eight main rooms, each with a different thematic focus. The Interpretation Centre of the Indalecio-Hernández Foundation covers the town’s history from prehistoric times to the present. The two attractions thus differ mainly in their time span: the Interpretation Centre covers a broader historical arc, while the museum focuses on the past two centuries.

The fortress castle complements these historical themes with views of the surrounding area. From there, the views extend over Valencia De Alcantara and the landscape as far as Portugal.

Natural monument and routes

The La Data Natural Monument is located in the Tajo-Tejo Internacional Biosphere Reserve and within the Nacimiento de Río Gévora Special Protection Area for Birds. Striking granite formations with impressive shapes define the natural monument; it is also notable for its high geological and ecological value. La Data therefore offers a different focus from the town’s streets and buildings: here, the granite landscape and nature take centre stage.

The described features of two routes make them easy to compare when planning a hike. Las Lanchas is an easy, 13.4-kilometre circular route in the northwest of Valencia De Alcantara. It passes through a granite landscape with boulder fields and an area with a high concentration of dolmens. The Transfrontera hike is 24 kilometres long and has an estimated duration of six hours. Las Lanchas is therefore shorter and described as an easy circular route; the six-hour estimate applies to the Transfrontera hike.

The Ruta del Molino de la Negra is another route in Valencia De Alcantara and is listed in the Tajo-Tejo International Reserve. Together with Las Lanchas and the Transfrontera hike, it expands the selection of named routes, though the same distance details are not available for all of them.

Travel with a set date

The Celebration of the Royal Wedding takes place in late July and is recognised as a Regional Festival of Tourist Interest. If you would like to plan your trip around the celebration, check the specific dates for the year in question.

Discover more destinations: Jola, El Torno, Montehermoso, Navalmoral de la Mata, Herreruela, Villasbuenas de Gata, Caminomorisco, Losar De La Vera.

For the overview of the wider region: Cáceres.