← Maratón de Don Benito·1 night

Trujillo: The Conquistadors' Town

One night in a granite hill town whose palaces were paid for by the conquest of the Americas, around a vast sloping Plaza Mayor, on the road back to Madrid.

Duration1 night
TransitCar, about 1 hour north of Don Benito
DepartsDon Benito

After the Maratón de Don Benito: Trujillo

The Route: Don Benito → Trujillo → Madrid-Barajas Airport Logistics: Hire car north to Trujillo, then the A-5 motorway to Madrid for the flight home. Marathon Month: February Duration: 1 night

Don Benito ──(about 1 hr by car)──> Trujillo
                                        │
      Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) ◄──(about 2 hrs 45 mins by car, A-5)──┘

The Maratón de Don Benito sits in the Vegas Altas, and most UK runners fly home from Madrid. Trujillo lies on the way, an hour north across the plain, and it makes a good single night before the long drive.

February in Trujillo is cold at night and bright by day, with afternoons usually around 12 to 15°C. The storks that nest on its towers are often back by the end of the month.

Trujillo is best reached by hire car. Buses link it with Madrid and Cáceres, but connections from Don Benito are poor.

Night One: Trujillo

Trujillo was the home town of Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Inca empire, and of several of his companions. The fortunes they brought back built the stone palaces around the Plaza Mayor, one of the largest in Spain. The square slopes, but gently, and its arcades give shelter and seats. A bronze equestrian statue of Pizarro stands in one corner, below the church of San Martín. The palaces around the square, including the Palacio de la Conquista with its corner balcony carved with the faces of Pizarro's family, are best seen from the arcades with a coffee.

The old town climbs from the square up to the castle on the granite hilltop, a steep walk on cobbles. A road reaches the castle by car, which is the answer the day after a marathon. From its walls the plain stretches in every direction.

Where to stay. The Parador de Trujillo is in the sixteenth-century convent of Santa Clara, a few minutes' walk from the square, with rooms around the cloister. The NH Collection Palacio de Santa Marta is in a palace on the Plaza Mayor itself.

Where to eat. Restaurante Corral del Rey, just off the Plaza Mayor, serves Extremaduran roasts, Iberian pork and local cheeses. Torta del Casar, a soft sheep's cheese eaten with a spoon, and migas turn up on most menus.

Getting to Madrid-Barajas Airport

Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) is about 2 hours 45 minutes from Trujillo on the A-5 motorway. Drop the hire car at the terminal. Allow extra time for Madrid traffic on the approach.