Castile takes its name from its castles. In the Middle Ages it was the frontier between the Christian kingdoms of the north and al-Andalus, and its hills filled with fortresses, towers and walls. When the frontier moved south, the castles became palaces of powerful nobles, prisons for kings, settings for intrigues and for marriages that changed the history of Europe. Today Spain has thousands of castles, and Castile has some of the most spectacular, in red brick, golden stone or granite, perched on rocks among wheat fields and vineyards.
This six-day itinerary starts in Madrid and crosses Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha: the Mendoza castle at Manzanares el Real, the Alcázar of Segovia, the brick castle of Coca, the ship-shaped fortress of Peñafiel among the vineyards of the Ribera del Duero, the Castillo de la Mota at Medina del Campo, the walls of Ávila and the castle parador of Sigüenza. You sleep in medieval towns and eat suckling pig, roast lamb and red wine.
- Manzanares el Real: the Mendoza castle
- Segovia: the Alcázar and the aqueduct
- Coca: the brick castle
- Cuéllar: the dukes' castle
- Peñafiel: the wine castle
- Medina del Campo: the Castillo de la Mota
- Ávila: the walls
- Sigüenza: the castle parador
The land of castles
In the 9th and 10th centuries the Duero valley was a no man's land between the kingdom of León and the Caliphate of Córdoba. To defend and resettle it, Christian counts and kings built towers and fortresses, and the region took the name Castilla, "land of castles". As the Reconquista advanced, many castles lost their military role and were turned into residences by great nobles such as the Mendozas and the Fonsecas, who in the 15th century built true fortified palaces, often in brick, in the Mudéjar style. It was in this land that in 1469 Isabella of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragon, uniting the two crowns and preparing the birth of modern Spain. See the history of Spain and the Reconquista.
- 900The Duero valley fills with frontier towers
- 1085Alfonso VI conquers Toledo
- 1090Work on Ávila's walls begins, according to tradition
- 1469Isabella and Ferdinand marry in Valladolid
- 1474Isabella is proclaimed queen in Segovia
- 1475Building of the castle of Manzanares el Real begins
- 1504Isabella dies in Medina del Campo
- 1862A fire destroys the interiors of the Alcázar of Segovia
Day 1: Manzanares el Real and Segovia
Leave Madrid heading north and in three quarters of an hour you reach Manzanares el Real, at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, home to the 15th-century Mendoza castle, the best preserved in the Madrid region: a fairy-tale castle with round towers, a Gothic gallery and a stone loggia, on the edge of a reservoir, with the granite mountains of La Pedriza behind.
Cross the sierra and in an hour you reach Segovia. Your first encounter is with the Roman aqueduct, almost thirty metres high, built of granite blocks without mortar. At sunset walk through the upper town to the cathedral, the last great Gothic cathedral in Spain, known as "the lady of cathedrals". In the evening eat cochinillo asado, roast suckling pig, so tender that the waiter cuts it with the edge of a plate. See Segovia.
Where to stay: in Segovia, for two nights.
Day 2: the Alcázar of Segovia
The Alcázar of Segovia, on the tip of a rock between two rivers, is one of the most photographed castles in the world, with the tower of John II and its slate spires: it is said to have inspired the castle in Disney's Snow White. It was one of the favourite residences of the kings of Castile, and from its gates Isabella went out in 1474 to be proclaimed queen. After the fire of 1862 the interiors were rebuilt, with the Hall of Kings, the Throne Room and the Galley Room, and gilded Mudéjar-style ceilings. Climb the tower for the view over the town and countryside. In the afternoon visit the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, a quarter of an hour away, with its Versailles-style gardens and fountains, or walk along the Eresma river to the viewpoint beneath the Alcázar.
Day 3: Coca, Cuéllar and Peñafiel
Head north-west to Coca (three quarters of an hour), home to one of the most original castles in Spain: built at the end of the 15th century for the Fonseca family entirely of red brick, in Mudéjar style, with polygonal towers, decorated battlements and a deep moat. It is visited with a guide. Then on to Cuéllar (half an hour), with the castle of the Dukes of Alburquerque, the walls and the brick churches: at the end of August the town runs what are considered the oldest encierros, bull runs, in Spain.
In the afternoon reach Peñafiel (three quarters of an hour), in the heart of the Ribera del Duero, one of Spain's great red-wine regions. The castle, long and narrow on top of a hill, looks like a great stone ship; inside is the Provincial Wine Museum. At the foot of the castle lies the Plaza del Coso, a medieval earth square surrounded by houses with wooden balconies, where bullfights were held. Visit a Ribera winery and dine on lamb roasted in a wood oven, lechazo. See Spanish wine.
Where to stay: in Peñafiel, or in a hotel among the vineyards.
Day 4: Medina del Campo and Ávila
Drive to Medina del Campo (an hour), the town of the great 15th-century fairs, home to the Castillo de la Mota, an imposing brick fortress with a keep forty metres high. It was the prison of Cesare Borgia, who managed to escape by lowering himself from the walls on a rope. In the royal palace on the square Isabella the Catholic died in 1504.
In the afternoon reach Ávila (an hour), the town with the most complete medieval walls in Spain: two and a half kilometres of ramparts with more than eighty towers and nine gates, parts of which you can walk along. At sunset go to the Cuatro Postes viewpoint outside town to see the walls floodlit. Ávila is also the city of St Teresa, the great mystic, and you should try yemas, little egg-yolk sweets named after her. See Ávila.
Where to stay: in Ávila.
Day 5: to Sigüenza
Cross the sierra, skirt Madrid and continue to Sigüenza (about two and three quarter hours), in the province of Guadalajara. It is one of the loveliest medieval towns in Spain, with steep lanes between the cathedral, home to the famous tomb of the Doncel, a young knight killed in war and carved reading a book, and the castle at the top of the hill, built over the Arab fortress and once the bishops' residence. Today the castle is a parador, one of the state's historic hotels, and sleeping within its walls, with the courtyard and halls with fireplaces, is an unforgettable experience.
Where to stay: in Sigüenza, in the parador or a small hotel.
Day 6: Medinaceli and back
In the morning drive to Medinaceli (half an hour), a village on a plateau with a triple-arched Roman arch, the only one of its kind in Spain, and a ducal palace. Then return to Madrid (about two hours), perhaps stopping at Alcalá de Henares, Cervantes's town. See Madrid Airport.
How much it costs
| Item | Indicative cost per person |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 5 nights sharing a double room (mid-range hotels; one night in the Sigüenza parador) | €300-450 |
| Hire car for 6 days shared by two, plus fuel | €140-200 |
| Admissions (Manzanares el Real, Segovia Alcázar and cathedral, La Granja, Coca, Cuéllar, Peñafiel and wine museum, La Mota, Ávila walls, Sigüenza cathedral) and a wine tasting | €60-90 |
| Meals | €200-270 |
| Total | about €700-1,010, flights excluded |
To save money: many castles have a free day or a few free hours each week; the menú del día in the villages costs €12-16. The paradores have special offers for young people and the over-55s.
Practical information
- Opening hours: many castles close on Mondays and in the middle of the day; always check the official websites.
- Paradores: state-run hotels in historic buildings, castles, convents and palaces; book ahead for weekends.
- Climate: the Castilian plateau lies at 700-1,000 metres; even in summer the evenings are cool, and in winter it can snow.
- Children: castles with towers, walkways and suits of armour are perfect for children, and many run costumed tours.
- Documents: EU citizens only need a valid identity card. See getting around Spain.
Variations
- Belmonte and Alarcón: two great castles of La Mancha, south-east of Madrid; Alarcón has a parador above the river. See Castilla-La Mancha.
- Olite: the palace of the kings of Navarre, with its fairy-tale towers; see Navarre.
- Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo: the university city and the fortified citadel on the Portuguese border; see Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo.
- Soria and the Duero castles: Gormaz, the largest caliphal fortress in Europe; see Soria.
What to read before you go
For history, a biography of Isabella of Castile, the queen who united Spain; for medieval Spain, The Poem of the Cid, set in this very frontier land. See also Castilla y León and Gothic architecture in Spain.
Final tips
- Pace: no more than two or three castles a day; take time to enjoy the towns around them too.
- Combinations: from Sigüenza or Medinaceli you can link up with the El Cid itinerary; from Madrid with the Don Quixote itinerary.
- A tip: for the best photo of the Alcázar of Segovia, go down to the Pradera de San Marcos viewpoint by the river in the late afternoon: the castle looks like the prow of a ship above the trees.
See also our other itineraries in Spain.