Things to do
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Acueducto de los Milagros
Brick and granite piers stride across the Albarregas valley close to the railway station, the remains of an aqueduct that once carried water from the Proserpina reservoir. White storks nest along the tops of the arches in spring. Free and open at all hours. The riverside path beneath gives a clear view of the full run, and evening light warms the brick bands.
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Alcazaba of Mérida
Walls of reused Roman and Visigothic stone enclose this ninth-century Moorish fortress at the town end of the Roman bridge. Inside, a stair drops into a cistern that draws filtered water from the Guadiana, and the ramparts look straight along the river. Covered by the combined ticket. Take the cistern steps slowly: they are steep, narrow and often damp.
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Amphitheatre of Mérida
Gladiators and wild animals fought in this oval arena, entered through the same gate as the Roman Theatre beside it. Much of the seating has gone, which leaves the central pit cut below the arena floor plainly visible from the upper passages. Allow under an hour. Walk the vaulted outer corridors on a hot day: they give the only shade on the site, and the combined ticket covers entry.
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Arch of Trajan
Granite blocks stacked about 15 metres high form this arch, long since stripped of its marble facing. It spans a working street a few minutes on foot from the Temple of Diana, free to see at any hour. Early morning gives a clear photograph before parked cars and delivery vans fill the lane beneath it.
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Basilica of Santa Eulalia
Below the nave of this working church, a crypt reveals excavated Roman houses and the early Christian burials that gathered around the tomb of the city's martyr, Eulalia. The dig is covered by the combined ticket. Most of the visit is underground, which makes it a cool stop on a summer afternoon. Allow half an hour and check service times before entering the church above.
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Casa del Mitreo
Floor mosaics survive in this Roman house on the southern side of town, the finest a cosmic scene of rivers, winds and seasons gathered around figures of time and the sky. Walkways carry visitors above the rooms. The Columbarios funerary site a short walk away shares the same ticket. Allow under an hour for both, and come early on a summer day.
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National Museum of Roman Art
Rafael Moneo's brick building stands across the street from the theatre, its tall arched nave lined with statues, mosaics and portraits recovered from the Roman city. Below it, a crypt keeps excavated remains exactly where they were found. Pair it with the theatre on the same morning, since the museum shows much of what the open sites have lost. Tickets are sold at the museum door, apart from the monuments pass.
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Proserpina Reservoir
Summer swimmers and picnickers crowd this reservoir about 5 kilometres north of the city, held back by a Roman dam of stepped granite that still does its job. A beach area along the shore fills on hot weekends. A car or taxi is needed to get there. Come in the early evening, when the water is warm and the city is at its hottest.
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Roman Bridge
Some sixty granite arches carry this bridge across the Guadiana for close to 800 metres, and only walkers and cyclists use it today. Cross from the Alcazaba end in the late afternoon, when the low light falls on the city walls and the river islands below. Open at all hours and free. A newer road bridge downstream carries the traffic, so the crossing stays quiet.
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Roman Circus
Chariots raced around this long track on the eastern edge of town, and the line of the central spine and the seating banks can still be traced in the grass. An interpretation centre at the entrance explains the layout. Little stands upright, so it rewards visitors who have already seen the theatre. Bring water and a hat in summer, as there is no shade on the track.
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Roman Theatre
Stone tiers climb toward a two-storey stage front of marble columns and statues, raised again from fallen pieces and still used for drama every summer. Entry shares a gate with the amphitheatre next door. Arrive at opening time, before tour groups, and in July and August check the Festival of Classical Theatre programme, when night performances sell seats well ahead. Allow an hour and a half for both sites together.
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Temple of Diana
Granite columns rise between ordinary town houses a few minutes from the Plaza de España, with a Renaissance mansion built into one flank of the temple. That later house is the reason so much of the colonnade survived. Free to view from the street at any hour, and best after dark when the columns are lit. A small interpretation centre beside it is part of the combined ticket.
