Castilla y Leon travel guide
Castilla y León is a region with much to offer. This huge area north and west of Madrid is bordered by Portugal and the Cantabrian mountains behind the Costa Verde.
Avila, birthplace of Saint Teresa, has magnificently preserved Roman walls while Salamanca is home to one of the world’s oldest and best universities. León, with its ultra-modern Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, and Burgos are both noted for their impressive religious buildings whereas Ciudad Rodrigo was the site of an important battle during the War of Independence. The regional capital, Valladolid, has a lively nightlife and some good museums; it was here that Christopher Columbus died in 1506. Segovia, with its Roman remains and fairytale Alcázar, is a must-see.
Places to visit in Castilla y Leon
ávila, the highest city on the peninsula
This medieval walled city is the highest one in Spain. Read more about Avila…
Burgos, crossroads for a thousand years
Site of the third-largest cathedral in Spain and erstwhile home of Spanish national folk hero, El Cid, Burgos has been a crossroads on the high plains of Old Castile for around 1,000 years. Read more about Burgos…
The university town of Salamanca
The historic city of Salamanca, famed for its esteemed university, is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Read more about Salamanca…
The aqueduct at Segovia
Of all the cities in Castile, unspoiled, medieval Segovia may be the one whose charms are most evident at first sight. Read more about Segovia…
Valladolid
Between the 12th and 17th centuries, Valladolid was the home and birthplace of Castilian kings including Felipe II and Felipe IV; capital of the empire during the reigns of Felipe II and Felipe III; the place where Fernando wed Isabel in 1469, thus marrying the kingdoms of Aragón, Catalunya, Naples, Castile and León into a united Spain; home to Cervantes and Christopher Columbus and, in 1809, headquarters for Napoleon. The city is now a sprawling industrial centre with only an austere cathedral and two fine churches – San Pablo to the north of the centre and its neighbour the Colegio de San Gregorio – as oustanding monuments. The latter houses the excellent Museo Nacional de Escultura (www.mecd.gob.es/mnescultura), which is a crash course on the Spanish Renaissance. In its bid to improve its cultural standing, the city has also opened museums of contemporary art and sciencededicated to contemporary Spanish art and Christopher Columbus, who died in the city.
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