The Walk of the Roman Citizen
Introduction
Mérida, as Emerita Augusta, was the Roman capital of the Lusitania province, geographically important as the best place to cross the River Guadiana. The Roman bridge and city were built to last and we can still see impressive evidence of that two millennia later. Visigoth remains are mostly in museums but they are quite beautiful. The Moors left an outstanding fortress designed to defend the bridge over the River Guadiana. The Christians have left impressive churches, but only one palace from Renaissance times. Mérida was chosen to be the capital of Extremadura in 1983. Ten years later it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historical sights are spread out over the city and they are very impressive. However, I’ve resisted the urge to write superlative adjectives because you can fill them in for yourself as you walk. All the numbered sights on the map for this walk have information boards in English (except the Visigoth Museum). For the enthusiast, multi-tickets can be bought from the ticket office next to the entrance to the theatre, to see six monuments.
The walk can be extended by including The Walk of the Two Bridges, a loop around the modern Lusitania bridge and returning by the Roman bridge. That walk is especially enjoyable in the autumn when the trees turn red, or the winter, when the Guadiana is high and the wintering birds live in the reeds on the central island.
Mérida has a train and bus station. If arriving by train start the walk at the Church of Santa Eulalia. (5) If arriving by bus start at the western end of the Lusitania bridge. (10) If arriving by car, park in one of three places on the route; Calle Cabo Verde (paying), Calle Atarazanas (paying) or Calle Anas (free). Wherever you park you can start the walk at that point as the route is circular.
In August Mérida hosts the world-famous Classical Theatre month and the Roman theatre closes early to prepare for performances.
The Walk of the Roman Citizen (green dotted line on map)
Start: the car park in Calle Cabo Verde
Finish: the car park in Calle Cabo Verde
Time: 3 hours excluding visiting monuments and museums
Distance: 8.00km
Elevation: high: 234m, low 210m
Difficulty: low
Route: circular — map by Gisela Radant Wood
The Walk of the Two Bridges (purple dotted line on map)
Start: Calle de Anas (by the slope to the River Guadiana)
Finish: the eastern end of the Roman Bridge by the Alcazaba
Time: 1.5 hours excluding visiting monuments and museums
Distance: 3.50km
Elevation: high: 234m, low 210m
Difficulty: low
Route: circular — map by Gisela Radant Wood
Directions
Numbers refer to the numbers on the map.
Start at the car park in Calle Cabo Verde easily reached from the direction of the E-90/A5 by following the pink signs for the Theatre and Amphitheatre. The modern building to the right as you leave the car park on foot houses exhibitions relating to the city, a café and toilets. On leaving the building turn right to walk up Calle Cabo Verde. Ignore all junctions to arrive at a roundabout with a statue and a small park, to the right and across the road. At the roundabout turn right. To the right, beyond the fence, is the Casa del Anfiteatro. (1) The road comes to an open square. On the left, behind the hedge is the Roman theatre and amphitheatre. (2) Right, is the entrance to the Casa del Anfiteatro. Walk across the square. The ticket office is just beyond the joint entrance for the theatre and amphitheatre which is on the left. Prepare to be amazed and allow at least an hour, maybe more.
On leaving the theatre walk ahead and cross the road. The tourist train stop is on the left and the Roman Museum (3) is right. Walk ahead down Calle José Ramón Melida. Pass equally nice cafés on the left. Turn right immediately after the museum down a few steps into Travestia del Museo. Walk ahead, ignoring all junctions. Come to a T junction, turn right, then first left. Within 50m on the left is the site of the Roman Snow Wells. (4) The site has a walkway into it and it’s free. Come out from the site turn left and continue straight down the road. At the crossroads walk ahead. At the junction, cross the road, left, and enter the park. Walk diagonally through the park, direction left. Leave the park and turn left on the Avenida de Extremadura. Ahead is the Church of Santa Eulalia. (5) Eulalia is the Patron Saint of Mérida.
Follow the road to opposite the church and use the crossing to reach the church. Just outside the church is the Temple of Marte. After visiting the church and grounds leave by the main entrance, cross the road by the crossing, turn left a few metres, and turn right to walk up Rambla Martir Santa Eulalia. Ignore all junctions but cross the road to walk in the small park on the left. At the top of the park pass a statue of Santa Eulalia, left, cross the road ahead and come to an open space with a statue, fountain, pond and building with clock tower. This is the start of the main shopping area. Turn first left up a short hill, into Calle José Ramón Melida. Do not take any junctions but walk ahead. The museum will come into view once more. At the pink directional signs on the left, turn right into Calle Sagasta. Pass nice cafés and restaurants and ignore all junctions.
After about 200m, on the right, there is a Sacred Site in the City Centre (6) with the ruins of a lovely temple once attributed to Diana. Latest thinking is that the building may not, after all, be a temple and may not be dedicated to Diana either but it is pretty nice, none-the-less. Continue down the same street. Within 150m, also on the right, is an architectural time-capsule known as The Forum. It encompasses Roman, Visigoth, Moorish and Renaissance features all within the same building. (7) It is worth exploring properly — there are good information boards in English — and you can walk all around.
To visit Mitre House (8) turn left up Calle de los Maestros and, ignoring all junctions walk up to the bullring. Turn right to walk around the bullring to find the house behind. On leaving the house pass the bullring on the right to walk all the way down Calle Oviedo to the T junction with Calle Atarazanas. Turn left to pass the car park on the right and an alternative place to start the walk. With the car park on the right, follow the road as it bears left. This road leads to free car parking stretching all along Calle Anas ahead. Just as the road bears left, on the right is a zig-zag ramp that drops down to the pretty tree-filled parks, the Guadiana and the Roman bridge. (9) Take the ramp.
For walkers doing the Walk of the Two Bridges (purple dotted line on map) turn right at the bottom of the ramp, walk straight ahead on the path, under the Roman bridge to arrive at the modern Lusitania bridge. Walk up to road level, negotiate the crossings at the roundabout and turn left to take the footpath over the bridge. This part of the walk gives excellent views of the full length of the Roman bridge. Once over the Lusitania bridge, turn left into the park, walk with the Guadiana on the left to come to the Roman bridge. Turn left on to the bridge and walk towards the Alcazaba. (10)
For walkers not doing the extra circuit, turn left at the bottom of the ramp and turn right immediately to cross a part of the river on a footbridge. Over the footbridge turn right, choose a path through the park and walk towards the Roman bridge. Come to a ramp leading up to the bridge. Take the ramp, turn right on the bridge and walk to the Alcazaba. On the approach to the Alcazaba the entrance is on the right. To the left is a roundabout with a copy of the famous statue of Romulus, Remus and the She-Wolf. With the Alcazaba on the right walk up the road. Pass a small park, right, with a monument to all the sister cities of Mérida in the world. At a slender Y junction ignore the left road and walk ahead to come to a fountain and gardens. Turn right to continue to walk around the Alcazaba and explore the walls. Retrace steps to come back past the fountain on the right. Cross the road and enter the main square, the Plaza de España, ahead. (11) This is a good place to stop for a drink.
The square is pretty but not Roman. However, the north-west side has some notable buildings. On the far left is the Co-cathedral de Santa María. (12) To the right of the church is the only palace left in Mérida, the Mendoza Palace. It is now a hotel. (13) You can go inside and look at the entrance patio and its lovely, original granite features. Leave the square by walking around the hotel restaurant and turning left down Calle Santa Julia. Walk straight down this road, ignore the little turning left and come to the former Church of Santa Clara which now houses the Visigoth Museum. (14) Leave the museum and walk straight ahead down the small road. At a crossroads, right goes towards the shops, ahead goes to the empty Convent of Immaculate Conception and left is the magnificent Trajan Arch. (15) There is an amazing tapas restaurant to the right of the arch and I can recommend it highly! Walk under the arch. This is now part of the famous Via de la Plata, Way of St. James.
Turn right into Plaza de la Constitución. On the opposite side of the square is the former Convent Hospital of Jesus of Nazareth (16) with its historical gardens, now a Parador. Leave the square on the left down Travestia de Almendralejo. At the T junction go across the road. Turn right to look the facade of the Church of Our Lady of Carmen, left. (17) With your back to the church, turn right into Calle Almendralejo and, ignoring junctions, walk ahead. On the left is an on-going archeological excavation. At a Y junction go right down Calle Calvario. Walk all the way down, then up this tree-lined street ignoring junctions. Pass a tiny shrine on the left to Santa María Virgen de la Amargura. Just after the shrine, also left, is the Monumental Fountain. (18) This is followed by a site explaining how Romans brought water here from Proserpina. (19) There is also an information board and map showing various routes relating to the Roman waters: ‘The Walk of the Waters’.
Reach a crossroads. Go straight on towards the railway line that can be seen ahead. At the T junction with the main road and the railway turn right to cross the road by the crossing. Turn right to take the footpath down to use the underpass to go below the railway to come out into a park with, on the right, the fabulous Aqueduct de Milagros, (20) which brought water from Proserpina to the city. Explore the area. Cross the River Albarregas by using the small Roman bridge (21) on the left, or use the bridge beyond the aqueduct. In any event, cross the river, turn right and walk along the footpath through the park with the river on the right.
Come to a main road. Use the crossing to walk straight ahead into another park. Keep walking ahead to reach the Rabo de Buey-San Lázaro Aqueduct (22). This is much longer than the previous aqueduct but not so high. Cross another road and explore the area. The aqueduct is solidly built and has an arch for traffic and another for pedestrians. Walk through the pedestrian arch and after 50m turn right on to a path. On the left is open ground but on the right is the aqueduct. Follow the path. At the river turn left, then right, across a blue bridge over the river. Once over the bridge turn right to walk back to the aqueduct. At the aqueduct turn left and walk all the way up the path with the aqueduct on the right. At the junction with a main road there is an excavation of Thermal Sites. (23)
Turn left and after 50m use the crossing to cross the road and continue left to find the Roman Circus (24) on the right within 100m. Leaving the circus, turn left and walk along the left side of the road. Ignore the junction, left, but walk ahead to cross under the railway line by using the underpass. Turn first left after the underpass. Cross the road. Turn left again then first right to come to the bottom of Calle Cabo Verde and the car park is within 100m.
For those of you wanting a personal guide I can recommend Juan Luis Lara, who is an Official Guide for the Extremadura Tourist Board AND speaks good, understandable English. He has a website devoted to Mérida: http://www.conocemerida.es
Mérida, as Emerita Augusta, was the Roman capital of the Lusitania province, geographically important as the best place to cross the River Guadiana. The Roman bridge and city were built to last and we can still see impressive evidence of that two millennia later. Visigoth remains are mostly in museums but they are quite beautiful. The Moors left an outstanding fortress designed to defend the bridge over the River Guadiana. The Christians have left impressive churches, but only one palace from Renaissance times. Mérida was chosen to be the capital of Extremadura in 1983. Ten years later it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historical sights are spread out over the city and they are very impressive. However, I’ve resisted the urge to write superlative adjectives because you can fill them in for yourself as you walk. All the numbered sights on the map for this walk have information boards in English (except the Visigoth Museum). For the enthusiast, multi-tickets can be bought from the ticket office next to the entrance to the theatre, to see six monuments.
The walk can be extended by including The Walk of the Two Bridges, a loop around the modern Lusitania bridge and returning by the Roman bridge. That walk is especially enjoyable in the autumn when the trees turn red, or the winter, when the Guadiana is high and the wintering birds live in the reeds on the central island.
Mérida has a train and bus station. If arriving by train start the walk at the Church of Santa Eulalia. (5) If arriving by bus start at the western end of the Lusitania bridge. (10) If arriving by car, park in one of three places on the route; Calle Cabo Verde (paying), Calle Atarazanas (paying) or Calle Anas (free). Wherever you park you can start the walk at that point as the route is circular.
In August Mérida hosts the world-famous Classical Theatre month and the Roman theatre closes early to prepare for performances.
The Walk of the Roman Citizen (green dotted line on map)
Start: the car park in Calle Cabo Verde
Finish: the car park in Calle Cabo Verde
Time: 3 hours excluding visiting monuments and museums
Distance: 8.00km
Elevation: high: 234m, low 210m
Difficulty: low
Route: circular — map by Gisela Radant Wood
The Walk of the Two Bridges (purple dotted line on map)
Start: Calle de Anas (by the slope to the River Guadiana)
Finish: the eastern end of the Roman Bridge by the Alcazaba
Time: 1.5 hours excluding visiting monuments and museums
Distance: 3.50km
Elevation: high: 234m, low 210m
Difficulty: low
Route: circular — map by Gisela Radant Wood
Directions
Numbers refer to the numbers on the map.
Start at the car park in Calle Cabo Verde easily reached from the direction of the E-90/A5 by following the pink signs for the Theatre and Amphitheatre. The modern building to the right as you leave the car park on foot houses exhibitions relating to the city, a café and toilets. On leaving the building turn right to walk up Calle Cabo Verde. Ignore all junctions to arrive at a roundabout with a statue and a small park, to the right and across the road. At the roundabout turn right. To the right, beyond the fence, is the Casa del Anfiteatro. (1) The road comes to an open square. On the left, behind the hedge is the Roman theatre and amphitheatre. (2) Right, is the entrance to the Casa del Anfiteatro. Walk across the square. The ticket office is just beyond the joint entrance for the theatre and amphitheatre which is on the left. Prepare to be amazed and allow at least an hour, maybe more.
On leaving the theatre walk ahead and cross the road. The tourist train stop is on the left and the Roman Museum (3) is right. Walk ahead down Calle José Ramón Melida. Pass equally nice cafés on the left. Turn right immediately after the museum down a few steps into Travestia del Museo. Walk ahead, ignoring all junctions. Come to a T junction, turn right, then first left. Within 50m on the left is the site of the Roman Snow Wells. (4) The site has a walkway into it and it’s free. Come out from the site turn left and continue straight down the road. At the crossroads walk ahead. At the junction, cross the road, left, and enter the park. Walk diagonally through the park, direction left. Leave the park and turn left on the Avenida de Extremadura. Ahead is the Church of Santa Eulalia. (5) Eulalia is the Patron Saint of Mérida.
Follow the road to opposite the church and use the crossing to reach the church. Just outside the church is the Temple of Marte. After visiting the church and grounds leave by the main entrance, cross the road by the crossing, turn left a few metres, and turn right to walk up Rambla Martir Santa Eulalia. Ignore all junctions but cross the road to walk in the small park on the left. At the top of the park pass a statue of Santa Eulalia, left, cross the road ahead and come to an open space with a statue, fountain, pond and building with clock tower. This is the start of the main shopping area. Turn first left up a short hill, into Calle José Ramón Melida. Do not take any junctions but walk ahead. The museum will come into view once more. At the pink directional signs on the left, turn right into Calle Sagasta. Pass nice cafés and restaurants and ignore all junctions.
After about 200m, on the right, there is a Sacred Site in the City Centre (6) with the ruins of a lovely temple once attributed to Diana. Latest thinking is that the building may not, after all, be a temple and may not be dedicated to Diana either but it is pretty nice, none-the-less. Continue down the same street. Within 150m, also on the right, is an architectural time-capsule known as The Forum. It encompasses Roman, Visigoth, Moorish and Renaissance features all within the same building. (7) It is worth exploring properly — there are good information boards in English — and you can walk all around.
To visit Mitre House (8) turn left up Calle de los Maestros and, ignoring all junctions walk up to the bullring. Turn right to walk around the bullring to find the house behind. On leaving the house pass the bullring on the right to walk all the way down Calle Oviedo to the T junction with Calle Atarazanas. Turn left to pass the car park on the right and an alternative place to start the walk. With the car park on the right, follow the road as it bears left. This road leads to free car parking stretching all along Calle Anas ahead. Just as the road bears left, on the right is a zig-zag ramp that drops down to the pretty tree-filled parks, the Guadiana and the Roman bridge. (9) Take the ramp.
For walkers doing the Walk of the Two Bridges (purple dotted line on map) turn right at the bottom of the ramp, walk straight ahead on the path, under the Roman bridge to arrive at the modern Lusitania bridge. Walk up to road level, negotiate the crossings at the roundabout and turn left to take the footpath over the bridge. This part of the walk gives excellent views of the full length of the Roman bridge. Once over the Lusitania bridge, turn left into the park, walk with the Guadiana on the left to come to the Roman bridge. Turn left on to the bridge and walk towards the Alcazaba. (10)
For walkers not doing the extra circuit, turn left at the bottom of the ramp and turn right immediately to cross a part of the river on a footbridge. Over the footbridge turn right, choose a path through the park and walk towards the Roman bridge. Come to a ramp leading up to the bridge. Take the ramp, turn right on the bridge and walk to the Alcazaba. On the approach to the Alcazaba the entrance is on the right. To the left is a roundabout with a copy of the famous statue of Romulus, Remus and the She-Wolf. With the Alcazaba on the right walk up the road. Pass a small park, right, with a monument to all the sister cities of Mérida in the world. At a slender Y junction ignore the left road and walk ahead to come to a fountain and gardens. Turn right to continue to walk around the Alcazaba and explore the walls. Retrace steps to come back past the fountain on the right. Cross the road and enter the main square, the Plaza de España, ahead. (11) This is a good place to stop for a drink.
The square is pretty but not Roman. However, the north-west side has some notable buildings. On the far left is the Co-cathedral de Santa María. (12) To the right of the church is the only palace left in Mérida, the Mendoza Palace. It is now a hotel. (13) You can go inside and look at the entrance patio and its lovely, original granite features. Leave the square by walking around the hotel restaurant and turning left down Calle Santa Julia. Walk straight down this road, ignore the little turning left and come to the former Church of Santa Clara which now houses the Visigoth Museum. (14) Leave the museum and walk straight ahead down the small road. At a crossroads, right goes towards the shops, ahead goes to the empty Convent of Immaculate Conception and left is the magnificent Trajan Arch. (15) There is an amazing tapas restaurant to the right of the arch and I can recommend it highly! Walk under the arch. This is now part of the famous Via de la Plata, Way of St. James.
Turn right into Plaza de la Constitución. On the opposite side of the square is the former Convent Hospital of Jesus of Nazareth (16) with its historical gardens, now a Parador. Leave the square on the left down Travestia de Almendralejo. At the T junction go across the road. Turn right to look the facade of the Church of Our Lady of Carmen, left. (17) With your back to the church, turn right into Calle Almendralejo and, ignoring junctions, walk ahead. On the left is an on-going archeological excavation. At a Y junction go right down Calle Calvario. Walk all the way down, then up this tree-lined street ignoring junctions. Pass a tiny shrine on the left to Santa María Virgen de la Amargura. Just after the shrine, also left, is the Monumental Fountain. (18) This is followed by a site explaining how Romans brought water here from Proserpina. (19) There is also an information board and map showing various routes relating to the Roman waters: ‘The Walk of the Waters’.
Reach a crossroads. Go straight on towards the railway line that can be seen ahead. At the T junction with the main road and the railway turn right to cross the road by the crossing. Turn right to take the footpath down to use the underpass to go below the railway to come out into a park with, on the right, the fabulous Aqueduct de Milagros, (20) which brought water from Proserpina to the city. Explore the area. Cross the River Albarregas by using the small Roman bridge (21) on the left, or use the bridge beyond the aqueduct. In any event, cross the river, turn right and walk along the footpath through the park with the river on the right.
Come to a main road. Use the crossing to walk straight ahead into another park. Keep walking ahead to reach the Rabo de Buey-San Lázaro Aqueduct (22). This is much longer than the previous aqueduct but not so high. Cross another road and explore the area. The aqueduct is solidly built and has an arch for traffic and another for pedestrians. Walk through the pedestrian arch and after 50m turn right on to a path. On the left is open ground but on the right is the aqueduct. Follow the path. At the river turn left, then right, across a blue bridge over the river. Once over the bridge turn right to walk back to the aqueduct. At the aqueduct turn left and walk all the way up the path with the aqueduct on the right. At the junction with a main road there is an excavation of Thermal Sites. (23)
Turn left and after 50m use the crossing to cross the road and continue left to find the Roman Circus (24) on the right within 100m. Leaving the circus, turn left and walk along the left side of the road. Ignore the junction, left, but walk ahead to cross under the railway line by using the underpass. Turn first left after the underpass. Cross the road. Turn left again then first right to come to the bottom of Calle Cabo Verde and the car park is within 100m.
For those of you wanting a personal guide I can recommend Juan Luis Lara, who is an Official Guide for the Extremadura Tourist Board AND speaks good, understandable English. He has a website devoted to Mérida: http://www.conocemerida.es