Castile and León is Spain's largest autonomous community, bigger than Portugal, and one of the richest in the world in historic and artistic heritage: it has eight UNESCO sites and hundreds of castles, Romanesque churches and monasteries. It occupies the northern part of the Meseta, crossed by the Duero river, with a continental climate of cold winters and hot summers. This is where the kingdoms of Castile and León were born, the historic heart of Spain and the Castilian language.
Art cities
- Salamanca, with its university founded in 1218, one of Europe's oldest, Spain's most beautiful Plaza Mayor and two cathedrals, all in golden stone.
- Segovia, with its mighty Roman aqueduct, a fairy-tale Alcázar and famous roast suckling pig.
- Ávila, enclosed by intact medieval walls with 87 towers, city of St Teresa.
- Burgos, with one of Europe's most beautiful Gothic cathedrals and the tomb of El Cid (see the legend of El Cid).
- León, with its cathedral's extraordinary stained glass and the basilica of San Isidoro, called the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque.
- Valladolid, seat of the regional government, with the National Sculpture Museum and Cervantes's house.
- Zamora, city of Romanesque, with over twenty medieval churches; Palencia, with its cathedral "the unknown beauty"; Soria, sung by Antonio Machado.
Among the loveliest villages are Ciudad Rodrigo, Astorga with its Gaudí palace, La Alberca, Pedraza, Covarrubias, Lerma, Medina del Campo and Sepúlveda.
The Way of St James and landscapes
The French Way of St James crosses the region from Burgos to León and Astorga and on to the Bierzo, through the Meseta, one of the most moving stretches of the pilgrimage (see Santiago de Compostela). The region also has extraordinary natural landscapes: Las Médulas, ancient Roman gold mines turned into a landscape of red rocks, a UNESCO site; the Sierra de Gredos; the Leonese Picos de Europa; the Río Lobos canyon; and the archaeological site of Atapuerca, where the oldest human remains in western Europe have been found.
Castles and wines
The region takes its name from the castles built during the Reconquest: among the most spectacular are Coca, Peñafiel, Medina del Campo and the Templar castle of Ponferrada. Along the Duero some of Spain's best red wines are made, with the Ribera del Duero and Toro appellations and the white Rueda (see Spanish wines). Food features roast lamb (lechazo) and suckling pig (cochinillo), pulses, cured meats such as León's cecina and chorizo, and Burgos morcilla.
Getting there
High-speed trains link Madrid with Segovia, Valladolid, León, Zamora and Burgos in an hour or so; Salamanca and Ávila can be reached by train and bus. Below you will find a map of our guides and the municipalities by province.
Destinations on the map
Guides to the community
Astorga
A small walled town where the French Way and the Vía de la Plata meet, with a fairy-tale palace by Gaudí and a long chocolate tradition.
Burgos
One of Europe's finest Gothic cathedrals, El Cid's tomb and, a few kilometres away, the remains of the first Europeans: Burgos is the heart…
Ciudad Rodrigo
An intact fortified town on the Portuguese border, with a fine cathedral and a unique carnival devoted to bulls.
León
A cathedral of light, the pantheon of medieval kings and a quarter where every drink comes with a tapa: León is one of northern Spain's…
Palencia
A quiet city on the Carrión river with a huge, little-known cathedral, the gateway to one of Europe's richest Romanesque regions.
Salamanca
The golden city of Villamayor stone, home to one of Europe's oldest universities and one of Spain's most beautiful squares.
Segovia
A two-thousand-year-old Roman aqueduct, a fairy-tale castle and a Gothic cathedral on a hill between two rivers: Segovia is an unmissable…
Soria
A quiet little city on the Duero, sung by poets, with unique Romanesque cloisters and wild nature all around.
Valladolid
An elegant, lively city, once capital of Spain, with the country's most important sculpture museum and a Holy Week of extraordinary…
Zamora
A quiet city on the Duero with over twenty Romanesque churches, a cathedral with a Byzantine-style dome and one of Spain's most moving Holy…
Ávila
Europe's best-preserved walled city, over a thousand metres high, birthplace of the mystic St Teresa.
Municipalities, province by province
- Municipalities of the province of Burgos (5)
- Municipalities of the province of León (11)
- Municipalities of the province of Palencia (5)
- Municipalities of the province of Salamanca (10)
- Municipalities of the province of Segovia (5)
- Municipalities of the province of Soria (3)
- Municipalities of the province of Valladolid (13)
- Municipalities of the province of Zamora (3)
- Municipalities of the province of Ávila (6)