Badajoz

Introduction

Narrow street of Badajoz

© edhong

Badajoz is the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in Extremadura in the southwest of Spain, close to the border with Portugal. It lies on the eastern bank of the river Guadiana. The city has about 150,000 inhabitants.

Sights and Activities

• The Alcazaba, a Moorish citadel built in the 9th century.
• Catedral metropolitana de San Juan Bautista de Badajoz
• La Giralda, a replica of the Giralda of Seville.
• Jardines de la Galera
• Museo Extremeño e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo

Weather

Badajoz has a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. Average highs from June to September are in the 30-34 °C range with nights between 15 °C and 20 °C. Occasionally, temperatures hit well over 40 °C though. Winters from December to February are around 13-14 °C during the day and around 4 °C at night. Frost and snow are possible, but not common. The average annual precipitation is around 450mm, almost all of it falling from October to early April. May to September are dry as a bone!

Getting There

By Plane

There is a small aiirport near Badajoz, which is only served by Air Nostrum, a sister company of Spain's national carrier Iberia, the only international destination served is Paris (Orly). You can also get to Cáceres from Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. An other option to go to Badajoz, or other nearby destinations in Extremadura, or across the border in Portugal is to use relatively close airports, like Seville. but in most cases it best to go via either the international airports at Madrid or Lisbon and continue by train or bus from there.

By Train

There are train connections to Badajoz. From Madrid a train travel takes around 4-5 hours. Check the Renfe website to get a precise idea about the time and expenses to travel to your destination. The duration of the trip, and the price can vary a lot, as the route is operated by a couple of companies. It is also possible to reach Badajoz by train from Portugal. The trainstation of Badajoz is in the northwestern part of the town, across the river from the town center.

By Car

Coming from Madrid the A-5 motorway is the most logical way to get to Badajoz. This motorway also passes Trujillo. If you need to get to Badajoz from Cáceres, you follow the EX-100.

By Bus

From Madrid a bus ride takes around 5 hours. Check the websites of Avanza and Alsa for time schedules and prices. The bus station in Badajoz is located just south of the city centre. It serves as a regional hub, and has a lot of destinations in the west of Spain and also into Portugal.

Sleep

Upscale

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet is widely available within Spain. Most airports have wifi-zones and in most towns there are internet cafés or shops where you can use internet for a fixed price. Wi-Fi points in bars and cafeterias are available after ordering, and most hotels offer Wi-Fi connection in common areas for their guests.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international access code for Spain is +34. The emergency number for police, ambulance and the fire brigade is 112.

In cities you can find plenty of public phones, and 'locutorios'. The latter are small shops where you can use the phone and use internet. Most of them also sell prepaid cards for mobile telephones. These shops are used a lot by foreigners to call to their mother country.

The main mobile network operators in Spain are Yoigo, Vodafone, Movistar and Orange, as in most of Europe voice and data coverage is generally good in urban areas however it can be patchy in rural locations. Cheap mobile phones (less than €50) with some pre-paid minutes are sold at FNAC or any phone operator's shop (Vodafone, Movistar, Orange). Topping-up is then done by buying scratch cards from the small stores, supermarkets, vending points (often found in tobacco shops) or kiosks.

Post

If you want to post a card, you can head to the post office (Correos). The Spanish post is not yet as efficient as colleagues in other countries so receiving a card can take a bit longer than the number of days that it should take. On the website of Correos, you can find the locations of nearby post offices.
Post offices are generally open from 8:30am to 2:00pm, although times will vary according to the size of the city/town and the main post offices might be open until the early evening. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12 noon. When posting a letter, look for a yellow box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why tobacco shops sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages. Standard letters/postcards of up to 20 grams sent within Spain are €0.34. However, non-standard letters/postcards of up to 20g are €0.39. Letters/postcards of 20 to 50 grams are €0.45. In the case of international shipping, the price is €0.64 to most countries within Europe for standard envelopes (letters/postcards) up to 20g, for a few European countries and outside Europe it is €0.78. If you want to send a package you are probably better off with a private courier company like TNT, DHL or UPS, as they offer quick and reliable services against competitive prices.

External Links

• Official Website