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ABOUT THE TRIP AND TRANSPORTATION
The trip from our high school (IES Al-iscar, Villanueva del Ariscal, Seville) to Merida (Badajoz, Paseo de Roma s/n) takes around 2 hours and 15 minutes and covers a total distance of 191 km, of which 166km are on the highway (A66, until the exit 626: West Merida). Our starting point is barely 4 km from this exit, which equals to 10 minutes more or less.
For the arrival, the acces to Paseo de Roma (the Capitoline Wolf’s roundabout) by the Puente de Lusitania happens to be specially convenient for the circulation of the bus and for its passengers: there is also a bus stop nearby that allows the maneuver and makes it just as easy to leave.
ANIMADVERTITE!
I. We recommend leaving around 7 a.m. (with previous authorization from the transportation company) and this is by far the best option because:
It guarantees the best use of the route, allowing us to maintain the original established schedule.
We avoid traffic jams.
The students can rest during the time we spend on the bus.
II. In any case, we recommend maintaining certain margins to avoid any unexpected delays. Our schedule is flexible enough and it allows us to make different readjustments (which in the worst scenario may result in skipping a visit or activity).
ANIMADVERTITE!
I. Transport companies often have very strict schedules, therefore the hour chosen to take off will influence in the hour chosen to go back and will limitate the possibility of displacement around the city. It is substantially relevant to have the conditions of the company figured out beforehand to avoid unpleasant surprises.
II. Our itinerary counts on visiting, not only the archeological sites in the very core of the city, but also two archeological emplacements in the outskirts (The Roman Circus and Casa del Mitreo) that are 2km apart from each other, which is around 60 minutes walking round trip (this walk can take much longer with a group of around 50 students). Because of this it is of vital importance to set the pick up and arrival in the different points with the company to avoid any complications once there.
As a departing point, the Roman Circus (Juan Carlos I / Avenue) offers, as a culmination of the visit, an unforgettable farewell and, from a merely pragmatic point of view, an easy solution for leaving the city: the road, wide and with enough space for the bus to pick us up, has, through large avenues (Reina Sofia and Ruta de la Plata) direct connection with the highway.
According to the circumstances and depending on different readjustments of the route, another possibility for the pick up could be the area behind the Theater-Amphitheater (del Estudiante / Avenue).
This avenue offers easy parking for buses and, as an additional park, it is easily reached from the city center and its main archeological area.
ABOUT DATES AND WEATHER
This guide has two different points of view, from different dates and therefore different weathers.
In it we had a fieldwork carried out by a team of teachers during the beginning of February; and after that the main experience itself with our students, carried out in the last days of May.
It may look like April is the most convenient month to go on this trip.
The outing fits perfectly in the calendar (taking into account Holy Week and Feria in Seville’s case) and the weather seems perfect for it.
However, if this itinerary aspires to reach its full potential and to become an unique an authentic experience both for students and teachers, May is the time when Merida simply becomes…Rome.
The city, in order to celebrate its milenary past, reshapes itself into what it used to be with Emerita Ludica.
ANIMADVERTITE!
I. Until March 31st winter’s schedule is current: visits finish between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Access to the monuments is officially allowed until 15 minutes before closure.
I CAME BACK ON NOVEMBER 10TH 2026 AND I ASSURE YOU THE LOUDSPEAKERS WORK PERFECTLY FINE TO INFORM OF IMMINENT CLOSURE. PERHAPS EVEN A LITTLE EARLIER…
II. From April 1st, according to the summer schedule, visits finish at 9 p.m. and access to the archeological sites is allowed until 30 minutes before this time.
ANIMADVERTITE!
I. To enjoy this visit the most we suggest making it coincide with Emerita Ludica.
But we also warn you:
The festival’s schedule and activities will influence the trip. For example:
Visiting schedules of different archeological sites will beaffected. Keep in mind that they can even be closed -the MNAR- or they can have a restricted access, such as the Theater, Roman Circus, etc. This will force a necessary readjustment of the activities planned or the route you follow.
La oferta de actividades e iniciativas culturales de Emerita Ludica os obligará a reelaborar convenientemente la propuesta inicial de itinerario si queréis conciliar vuestros intereses concretos con la experiencia propuesta por la ciudad. The different activities offered will force you to modify the order or items of your itinerary if you want to match your interests to the possibilities Emerita Ludica offers. Think of your students, this is a last effort that can really make a difference.
Tiendas y restaurantes alterarán sus horarios habituales de apertura o presentarán un nivel de ocupación elevado (asunto especialmente sensible para los alumnos). Shops, restaurants and other establishments may alter their opening hours or present a high occupation (this is particularly relevant for students).
The celebration attracts a great amount of attention and therefore the streets will surely be busy, never being too suffocating. However if you look for a calmer option or the busy streets worry you (especially when the students have sparse time to roam around freely), maybe Emerita Ludica isn’t the best moment for you to visit.
Our experience in this regard, after the inevitable initial hiccups (the very Consortium of the Monumental City of Mérida or the Tourism Department may tell you one thing and the exact opposite within 24 hours regarding schedules and procedures — homo sum…), has been highly satisfactory. In fact, the students (always appreciative) will ask to repeat the experience and even improve upon it.
II. The visit during the Roman celebrations counts with a special advantage from a practical point of view too: every archeological site offers free entry to those wearing Roman garments. The amount saved is particularly tempting (the deuces fee for students from outside of Extremadura is around 8.50€) and it is also an unique opportunity for students, which allows a great variety of didactic activities to carry out through the months before the trip.
DON’T SAY “I’M WEARING A COSTUME”: FEEL ROMAN FOR A DAY, PREPARE YOUR INDUMENTA AND LIVE THE EXPERIENCE, AND WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT SAY “I AM MYSELF AND MY LEARNING EXPERIENCE”.
III. The MNAR, recently opened for visitors after its latest reforms, closes one local festive day a year. In 2025 this happened precisely on May 22nd, the most important day of its festivities.
THE STAFF OF THE MUSEUM RECENTLY CONFIRMED THAT IT WILL BE OPEN THIS 21ST OF MAY 2026, LOCAL FESTIVE DAY AND MAIN DATE DURING THIS FESTIVAL.
IV. Don’t forget that the month of May in Extremadura (and we are used to high temperatures in Seville) can result throughly hot. The exhibitions, colors and photographs of your students can be affected by the visit that takes place mostly outdoors (such as archeological sites). One must be realistic when planning the itinerary and keep this in mind. For us its always prefearable to leave some monument without visiting than exposing the group to conditions that in the end could ruin the experience.
ABOUT PRICES AND FEES
Acording to data collected in 2025, a bus with 55 seats would be around 750 euros for a round trip Seville-Merida.
The same trip with a 36 seat bus would be around 720 euros, this data clearly shows that when possible it is more convinient to hire the first option and try to bring more students along, which would make the price lower around 7 euros per student.
Furthermore, a 71 seat bus hired in the same conditions would be 970 euros, which, if filled, would come around as the same amount as the 55 seat bus per student.
When talking about the rates stablished by the Consorcio de la Ciudad Monumental de Merida for visiting its most relevant monuments, our itinerary recommends the Conjunction Monumental without guide. There are reduced fees 8.5 euros for minors between ages 13 and 17 (both included), those who own a youth or a student card (the later only until being 25 years old), people older than 65 or pensionists, large families, and teachers that accompany students from outside Extremadura (only EU residents).
ANIMADVERTITE!
Though the MNAR contemplates different fees for its visits, nowadays and as its web informs, the entry is always free for minors, students between ages 18 and 25, and teaching staff duly accredited.
In any case, and outside this special arrangement, admission to the MNAR is always free for visitors under 18, students between 18 and 25 years of age, and duly accredited teaching staff.
Our planing does not contemplate any other mandatory expenses than those already mentioned. So, as you may gather, the cost per student doesn’t even reach 25 euros. A price more than acceptable for such an interesting and full of opportunities activity, both for teachers and students.
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