Things to do in Castilla Y León
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El Grillo Azul
Vegetarian visitors to Salamanca have a treat that's rare in Castilian towns – a real-life vegetarian restaurant. It's a buzzy place with attractive blue-and-white decor and a creative menu that includes a plato degustación (€11.50): a veritable veggie feast for two with taster portions of dishes like grilled seitan or tofu, vegetable soufflé, wild mushrooms and inventive salads.
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Coffin of El Cid
High on the northwestern wall of the Capilla de Corpus Cristi, in the the catedral, is the coffin of El Cid.
Few names resonate through Spanish history quite like El Cid, the 11th-century soldier of fortune and adventurer whose story tells in microcosm the tumultuous years when Spain was divided into Muslim and Christian zones. That El Cid has become a romantic, idealised figure of history known for his unswerving loyalty and superhuman strength owes much to the way his exploits captured the popular imagination as expressed in an anonymous 12th-century epic poem and the 1961 film starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. Reality, though, presents a very different picture…
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Catedral
León’s 13th-century cathedral, with its soaring towers, flying buttresses and truly breathtaking interior, is the city’s spiritual heart. Whether spotlit by night or bathed in the glorious northern sunshine, the cathedral, arguably Spain’s premier Gothic masterpiece, exudes a glorious, almost luminous quality.
The extraordinary facade has a radiant rose window, three richly sculpted doorways and two muscular towers. After going through the main entrance, lorded over by the scene of the Last Supper, an extraordinary gallery of vidrieras (stained-glass windows) awaits. French in inspiration and mostly executed from the 13th to the 16th centuries, the windows evoke an…
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Acueducto
Segovia's most recognisable symbol is an extraordinary feat of engineering, made even more remarkable by the fact that it was first raised here by the Romans in the 1st century AD and not a drop of mortar was used to hold the whole thing together. The 728m granite block bridge you see today is made up of 163 arches.
The aqueduct was part of a complex system of aqueducts and underground canals which once brought water from the mountains 15km away, reaching as far as where the Alcázar now stands. At its highest point in Plaza del Azoguejo, it is 28m high.
Although no-one really doubts that the Romans built the aqueduct, a local legend asserts that two millennia ago a young …
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Museo del Orinal
Chamber pots, commodes, bed pans… Ciudad Rodrigo’s Museo del Orinal may be located opposite the cathedral, but its theme is definitely more down-to-earth than otherworldly. This city is home to Spain’s (possibly the world’s) only museum dedicated to the not-so-humble chamber pot (or potty, as it is known in the UK). The private collection of former local resident José Maria del Arco, the collection comprises a staggering 1300 exhibits. Originating from 27 countries, there are some truly historic pieces here, including a 12th-century Islamic version from Cordoba and some wonderful one-offs, like a 19th-century French chamber pot shaped like a bra and a Chinese example …
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Convento de San Marcos & Museo de León
More than 100m long and blessed with a glorious façade, the Convento de San Marcos has more the appearance of a palace than the pilgrim's hospital it was from 1173. The Plateresque exterior, sectioned off by slender columns and decorated with delicate medallions and friezes, dates to 1513, by which time the edifice had become a monastery of the Knights of Santiago.
Much of the former convent is now the supremely elegant parador, Hostal de San Marcos. Although you need to stay here to appreciate its full splendour, the former chapterhouse, with its splendid artesonado, and the exquisite cloister are both open to the public. The cloister is technically part of the Museo de…
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Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás
Commissioned by the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs), Fernando and Isabel, and completed in 1492, this monastery is an exquisite example of Isabelline architecture, rich in historical resonance. Three interconnected cloisters lead up to the church that contains the alabaster tomb of Don Juan, the monarchs’ only son. It is backed by an altarpiece by Pedro de Berruguete depicting scenes from the life of St Thomas Aquinas. The magnificent choir stalls, in Flemish Gothic style, are accessible from the upper level of the third cloister, the Claustro de los Reyes, so called because Fernando and Isabel often attended Mass here. It’s thought that the Grand Inquisitor Torquemad…
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Catedral
The Unesco World Heritage–listed cathedral is a masterpiece that’s probably worth the trip to Burgos on its own. It had humble origins as a modest Romanesque church, but work began on a grander scale in 1221. Remarkably, within 40 years most of the French Gothic structure that you see today had been completed. The twin towers, which went up later in the 15th century, each represent 84m of richly decorated Gothic fantasy and they’re surrounded by a sea of similarly intricate spires. Probably the most impressive of the portals is the Puerta del Sarmental, the main entrance for visitors, although the honour could also go to the Puerta de la Coronería, on the northwestern sid…
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Ávila Catedral
Ávila’s 12th-century cathedral is not just a house of worship, but also an ingenious fortress: its stout granite apse forms the central bulwark in the heavily fortified eastern wall of the town. Although the main facade hints at the cathedral’s 12th-century, Romanesque origins, the church was finished 400 years later in a predominantly Gothic style, making it the first Gothic church in Spain. The sombre grey facade betrays some unhappy 18th-century meddling in the main portal.
The interior is a different story, with playful red-and-white limestone columns along the long, narrow central nave that makes the soaring ceilings seem all the more majestic. Renaissance-era c…
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City Wall
With its eight monumental gates and 88 towers, Ávila's muralla (wall) stretches for 2.5km is one of the world's best-preserved medieval defensive perimeters. Raised to a height of 12m between the 11th and 12th centuries, on the remains of earlier efforts by the Muslims and Romans, the wall has been much restored and modified, with various Gothic and Renaissance touches and even some Roman stones re-used in the construction.
The most impressive gates, the Puerta de San Vicente and Puerta del Alcázar, are flanked by towers more than 20m high and stand on either side of the catedral's apse.
Walking along the walls affords fabulous views out over the countryside and down int…
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Atapuerca
The archeological site of Atapuerca, around 15km west of Burgos, has long excited students of early human history. But archeologists made their greatest discovery here in July 2007 when they uncovered a jawbone and teeth of what is believed to be the oldest-known European: 1.2 million years old, some 500,000 years older than any other remains discovered in Western Europe. A Unesco World Heritage–listed site, there are also remains of occupation in the area by homosapiens around 40,000 years ago and human settlements from the Neolithic age. Ceramics, cave paintings, carvings and burial sites have been discovered here, as well as evidence of cannibalism. Although Atapuerca …
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Alcázar
Rapunzel towers, turrets topped with slate witches’ hats and a deep moat at its base make the Alcázar a prototype fairy-tale castle, so much so that its design inspired Walt Disney’s vision of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Fortified since Roman days, the site takes its name from the Arabic al-qasr (fortress). It was rebuilt and expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries, but the whole lot burned down in 1862. What you see today is an evocative, over-the-top reconstruction of the original.
Highlights include the Sala de las Piñas, with its ceiling of 392 pineapple-shaped ‘stalactites’, and the Sala de Reyes, featuring a three-dimensional frieze of 52 sculptures of kings wh…
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Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor is the centrepiece of monumental Salamanca and the modern city's beating heart. Built between 1729 and 1755, Salamanca's exceptional grand square is widely considered Spain's most beautiful central plaza, particularly at night when illuminated to magical effect. Designed by Alberto Churriguera, it's a remarkably harmonious and controlled baroque display.
The medallions placed around the plaza bear the busts of famous figures (you'll even find a recently freshened-up bust of Franco in the northeastern corner), and bullfights were held here well into the 19th century; the last ceremonial corrida took place here in 1992. Its outdoor tables are a place to linger,…
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Catedral Nueva
The tower of the late Gothic Catedral Nueva lords over the centre of Salamanca, its compelling churrigueresco (ornate style of baroque) dome visible from almost every angle. It is, however, the magnificent Renaissance doorways, particularly the Puerta del Nacimiento on the western face, that stand out as one of several miracles worked in the city’s native sandstone. The Puerta de Ramos, facing Plaza Anaya, contains an encore to the ‘frog spotting’ challenge on the university facade. Look for the little astronaut and ice-cream cone chiselled into the portal by stonemasons during recent restorations.
Inside, the most notable features include the elaborate choir stalls…
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Catedral
Started in 1525 after its Romanesque predecessor had burned to the ground in the War of the Communities, Segovia’s cathedral is a final, powerful expression of Gothic architecture in Spain that took almost 200 years to complete. The austere three-nave interior is anchored by an imposing choir stall and enlivened by 20-odd chapels. One of these, the Capilla del Cristo del Consuelo, houses a magnificent Romanesque doorway preserved from the original church. The Capilla de la Piedad contains an important altarpiece by Juan de Juni, while the Capilla del Cristo Yacente and Capilla del Santísimo Sacramento are also especially beautiful. The Gothic cloister is lovely, while the…
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El Monasterio de Santo Tomás
Commissioned by the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs), Fernando and Isabel, and completed in 1492, this monastery is an exquisite example of Isabelline architecture and is rich in historical resonance. Three interconnected cloisters lead up to the church that contains the alabaster tomb of Don Juan, the monarchs' only son. It's backed by an altarpiece by Pedro de Berruguete depicting scenes from the life of St Thomas Aquinas. The magnificent choir stalls, in Flemish Gothic style, are accessible from the upper level of the third cloister, the Claustro de los Reyes, so called because Fernando and Isabel often attended Mass here. It's thought that the Grand Inquisitor Tor…
reviewed
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La Granja de San Ildefonso
It’s not hard to see why the Bourbon King Felipe V chose this site to re-create in miniature his version of Versailles, the palace of his French grandfather Louis XIV. In 1720 French architects and gardeners, together with some Italian help, began laying out the elaborate and decidedly baroque gardens in the western foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama, 12km southeast of Segovia. La Granja’s most famous for its 28 extravagant fountains, situated throughout the gardens, that depict ancient myths, such as those featuring Apollo and Diana. There is also a maze. If you time your visit for Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday at 5.30pm you can see the fountains in action (adult/ch…
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Catedral Vieja
The Catedral Vieja is adorned with an exquisite 15th-century altarpiece, with 53 panels depicting scenes from the lives of Christ and Mary, topped by a representation of the Final Judgment – it’s one of the most beautiful Renaissance altarpieces outside Italy. The cathedral was begun in 1120 and remains something of a hybrid: there are Gothic elements, while the unusual ribbed cupola, the Torre del Gallo, reflects a Byzantine influence. The cloister was largely ruined in the 1755 earthquake, but the Capilla de Anaya houses an extravagant alabaster sepulchre and one of Europe’s oldest organs, a Mudéjar work of art dating from the 16th century. The entrance is inside the Ca…
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Iglesia de la Vera Cruz
This 12-sided church is the most interesting of Segovia's churches, and one of the best-preserved of its kind in Europe. Built in the early 13th century by the Knights Templar and based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, it long housed what is said to be a piece of the Vera Cruz (True Cross), now in the nearby village church of Zamarramala (on view only at Easter). The curious two-storey chamber in the circular nave (the inner temple) is where the knights' secret rites took place and where they stood vigil over the holy relic. For fantastic views of the town and the Sierra de Guadarrama, walk uphill behind the church for approximately 1km.
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Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
León’s showpiece Museo de Arte Contemporáneo belongs to the new wave of innovative Spanish architecture. A pleasing square-and-rhombus edifice of colourful glass and steel, the museum won the Spanish architecture prize a few years back. It has been acclaimed for the 37 shades of coloured glass that adorn the facade; they were gleaned from the pixelisation of a fragment of one of the stained-glass windows in León’s cathedral.
Although the museum has a growing permanent collection, it mostly houses temporary displays of cutting-edge Spanish and international photography, video installations and other similar forms.
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Panteón Real
Attached to the Real Basílica de San Isidoro, Panteón Real houses the remaining sarcophagi, which rest with quiet dignity beneath a canopy of some of the finest Romanesque frescoes in Spain. Motif after colourful motif drenches the vaults and arches of this extraordinary hall, held aloft by marble columns with intricately carved capitals. Biblical scenes dominate and include the Annunciation, King Herod’s slaughter of the innocents, the Last Supper and a striking representation of Christ Pantocrator. The agricultural calendar on one of the arches is equally superb.
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Castillo de Burgos
Crowning the leafy hilltop Parque de Castillo are the massive fortifications of the rebuilt Castillo de Burgos. Dating from the 9th century, the castle has witnessed a turbulent history, suffering a fire in 1736 before finally being blown up by Napoleon’s retreating troops in 1813. There’s a small museum here covering the history of the town and, thanks to recent excavations, some of the original foundations of the castle are on view. Just south of the car park is a mirador (lookout), which offers fine views over the town.
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Numancia
The mainly Roman ruins of Numancia, 8km north of Soria, have a lonely, windswept aspect with little to suggest the long history of a settlement inhabited as early as the Bronze Age. Numancia proved one of the most resistant cities to Roman rule. Finally Scipio, who had crushed Carthage, starved the city into submission in 134 BC. Under Roman rule, Numancia was an important stop on the road from Caesaraugustus (Zaragoza) to Astúrica Augusta (Astorga). Now the city exists in outline only and will appeal more to budding archeologists than to casual visitors.
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Basílica de San Vicente
Much of Ávila’s religious architecture is sombre and brooding, but this graceful Romanesque church is a masterpiece of the subdued elegance of Romanesque style: a series of largely Gothic modifications in sober granite contrast with the warm sandstone of the Romanesque original. Work started in the 11th century, supposedly on the site where three martyrs – San Vicente and his sisters – were slaughtered by the Romans in the early 4th century. Their canopied cenotaph is an outstanding piece of Romanesque with nods to the Gothic; don’t forget to take a peek at the crypt.
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La Parrilla del Humedo
This place is always packed with euro-economising leonéses, here for the remarkably good house wine and accompanying free and good-size tapas; both for the bargain-basement price of €1.50. These tasty bites include fried potatoes with alioli (garlic mayonnaise) and sauteed mushrooms. Head for the dining room out back for heartier portions, including the city's fabled el morcilla de León (León-style blood sausage) or, for lightweights, a plate of tasty pimientos de padrón (small roasted peppers).
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