Castilla y León

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Beautiful view of Cathedral of Salamanca, Castilla y Leon region, Spain.

@bluejayphoto/iStock

Overview

If you're looking for a window on the Spanish soul, head to Castilla y León. This is Spain without the stereotypes: with vast plains, spectacular mountain peaks and evocative medieval towns and villages. Experience fabled cities like Salamanca, with its lively student population, and Segovia, famed for a fairy-tale fortress that inspired Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty castle. The multiturreted walls of Ávila have similar magical appeal, while the lofty cathedrals of León and Burgos are among Europe's most impressive. As with most of Spain, food here is an agreeable obsession, promising the country's best jamón (cured ham), roast lamb and suckling pig.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Burgos Cathedral - Spain

    Catedral

    Burgos

    This Unesco World Heritage–listed cathedral, once a former modest Romanesque church, is a masterpiece. Work began on a grander scale in 1221; remarkably,…

  • Cathedral of San Antolin in Palencia, Spain.

    Catedral

    Castilla y León

    The sober exterior of this vast house of worship (one of the largest in Castilla) belies the extraordinary riches within – it's widely known as 'La Bella…

  • The Alcazar

    Alcázar

    Segovia

    Rapunzel towers, turrets topped with slate witches' hats and a deep moat at its base make the Alcázar a prototypical fairy-tale castle – so much so that…

  • Interior of the Villa Romana La Olmeda.

    Villa Romana La Olmeda

    Castilla y León

    Villa Romana La Olmeda contains some of the most beautiful remnants of a Roman villa anywhere on the Iberian Peninsula. The villa was built around the 1st…

  • Las Médulas Gold Mines

    Las Médulas Gold Mines

    Castilla y León

    The ancient Roman goldmines at Las Médulas, about 20km southwest of Ponferrada, once served as the main source of gold for the entire Roman Empire – the…

  • The hermitage of San Saturio, on the banks of the Douro River in Soria, Spain.

    Ermita de San Saturio

    Castilla y León

    A lovely 2.3km riverside walk south from the Monasterio de San Juan de Duero will take you past the 13th-century church of the former Knights Templar, the…

  • Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos, Spain.

    Museo de la Evolución Humana

    Burgos

    This exceptional museum just across the river from the old quarter is a marvellously told story of human evolution. The basement exhibitions on Atapuerca …

  • Catedral

    Catedral

    León

    León's 13th-century cathedral, with its soaring towers, flying buttresses and breathtaking interior, is the city's spiritual heart. Whether spotlit by…

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Plan with a local

Articles

Latest stories from Castilla y León

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Segovia, Spain, cityscape panorama with Segovia Cathedral at the top, churches, medieval architecture, residential buildings city walls and mountains in the background.

Architecture

Spain's heartland is the perfect road trip

Feb 25, 2020 • 6 min read

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