Spain – Merida Part I (En)

We arrived in Mérida after quite a detour, as the GPS kept trying to take us under the arches of the Roman bridge, and we had to make an illegal turn to get out of there. Thankfully, other cars let us manoeuvre. We needed two days to see the city, as it has so much to offer, having been founded in the 1st century BC. Highlights include the Roman Theatre, the Roman Circus and Amphitheatre, the Roman Aqueduct, the Arch of Trajan, and the Temple of Diana, among many other monuments.

Where to stay

We stayed at the Roman Theatre motorhome site (38.919186, -6.336558 latitude, longitude), which is next to the tourist office that houses a museum and where you can buy tickets to all the monuments in Mérida. It’s a 5-minute walk from the Roman theatre and amphitheatre, as well as the Mérida Museum. The area costs €14 without electricity and €18 with electricity. We didn’t use the electricity. It has trash cans and a water filling station, and a grey and black water disposal area. When we were there, it was extremely hot, and the area has no shade, making it almost unbearable inside the motorhome without air conditioning. The best thing about the place is its location, as you’re right next to the theatre and amphitheatre and a 10-minute walk from the centre of Mérida.

What to see

Since we were next to the tourist office, we went in to ask about the prices for visiting the theatre and the amphitheatre. To our surprise, inside there was a really cool exhibit about Roman life in Mérida, where you could press a button and smell different spices and hear classical instruments.

We were told that to see the theatre and the amphitheatre, the price was €20 per person or €40 per person, and this included admission to all the city’s monuments. We didn’t want to pay, but they told us that if we looked through the holes in the hedge, we could see the ruins of the theatre and the amphitheatre, so that’s what we did. It was quite fun trying to take photos through the holes in the hedge, with Ben trying to climb the walls to get a view from above, and other people trying to imitate us!

The theatre square is really nice, with a fountain in the middle and the city’s name on it, as well as restaurants and shops selling typical local products, where we bought Iberian pork loin. The museum is located on one side of the square.

The next day, early to avoid the heat, we went to the city centre, and the first thing we saw was the Basilica of Santa Eulalia, quite impressive, but it wouldn’t be open until noon. From there, we explored the city until we reached the tourist office, a very cool building where the ONCE lottery vendor convinced us to buy a ticket for a chance to win 11 million euros, which sadly we didn’t win.

The next thing we encountered was the Temple of Imperial Cult, of which little remained due to the partial dismantling of the building after its abandonment in the 5th century. The internal structure of the podium is now visible. From there, going down a street, you reach the Arch of Trajan, a granite arch built in Roman times as a gateway to a Monumental Complex of Imperial Cult.

In the second part, you will be able to see the Co-cathedral of Mérida, the Roman bridge, and much more!