# A weekend in Aguilar de Campoo: Romanesque, Las Loras and bison, an hour and a quarter from Burgos and Santander Saturday of Romanesque and rock between Olleros, Mave and the monastery of Santa María la Real, a night at the monastery inn and Sunday of European bison and the Cantamuda bell gable. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/aguilar-de-campoo-romanesque-and-bison-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Aguilar de Campoo and the Romanesque of Palencia Aguilar de Campoo can be seen in a day, but the Romanesque of northern Palencia is spread across small villages with short opening hours, and with one night everything fits without rushing: Saturday, the day when the churches open morning and afternoon, and Sunday for the bison, which can only be visited in the morning. Aguilar is a little over an hour from Palencia, about 75 minutes from Burgos and Santander, an hour and three-quarters from Valladolid and about four hours from Madrid via the A-1 and Burgos or via the A-6 and Palencia. ## Where to sleep? AccommodationWhereWho for Posada Santa María la RealIn the monastery, on the way out towards CerveraSleeping in the Romanesque complex, with a dog Hotel ValentínAvenida de Ronda, a hundred metres from the centreGetting around the town on foot, with parking Albergue GoinaSan Cebrián de Mudá, next to the reserveGroups and families, a step from the bison The inn has 22 double rooms, a garden and parking, and accepts dogs according to the official tourism listing. The Valentín has 50 rooms, a 24-hour reception and a 10% discount if you book on its website. ## What to do On Saturday, the KARST centre explains the Las Loras geopark before you go down to the rock-cut chapel of Olleros, carved into the crag, and to Santa María de Mave. In the afternoon, the cloister and the models at the ROM in Santa María la Real and Aguilar's square and castle. On Sunday, the guided visit to the European bison at San Cebrián de Mudá, on foot, by bike, in a 4x4 or in a horse-drawn trap, and the collegiate church of San Salvador de Cantamuda, with its mountain bell gable. ## Getting around By car: there is no other way to link these villages. Aguilar to Olleros, 6 km; Olleros to Mave, about 3; Aguilar to San Cebrián de Mudá, about 20 minutes; San Cebrián to Cantamuda, about 35. Park outside Aguilar's centre, next to the Paseo de la Cascajera. ## El plan ### Saturday · 10:30 · KARST centre The Las Loras geopark's visitor house, in Aguilar: how Las Tuerces and Covalagua were formed. 45 minutes, €1. At weekends it opens in the morning. ### Saturday · 11:30 · Olleros and Mave The church hewn into the rock at Olleros de Pisuerga and, a few kilometres down, Santa María de Mave. On Saturday they open from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:30; €2 each. ### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch at El Convento de Mave Next to the church in Mave. Roast lechazo to order, Pisuerga trout or stewed lamb. Open from late March to October; outside those dates, eat at La Posada by Seasons, in the monastery. ### Saturday · 16:30 · Santa María la Real and the ROM Romanesque cloister and models of the district's churches. Self-guided visit €4.50, guided €7.50. Then leave your bags at the inn, which is in the same complex. ### Saturday · 18:00 · The square and Santa Cecilia The arcaded Plaza de España, the collegiate church of San Miguel and the Romanesque church of Santa Cecilia, which on Saturday opens in the afternoon until 18:30. Climb to the castle if there is light left. ### Saturday · 21:00 · Casual dinner at the Valentín The Valentín's café serves casual dinners on Fridays and Saturdays: raciones, combination plates and pan dishes. ### Sunday · 10:00 · The bison 20 minutes away, in San Cebrián de Mudá. A two-hour guided visit; on foot, €10.50, children aged 3 to 7 €5. Book on their website: in winter the last visit is at 12:30. ### Sunday · 12:40 · San Salvador de Cantamuda The most mountain-style bell gable in Palencia's Romanesque, among meadows. On Sunday it opens from 11:00 to 14:00; €2. ### Sunday · 14:30 · Lunch and the drive home Go down to Aguilar and eat at La Posada by Seasons, with a booking: wild tuna, fish and shoulder of lechazo. Then, the drive back. ## Un consejo más Do the churches on Saturday: it is the day when Olleros, Mave and Santa Cecilia also open in the afternoon. On Sunday they only open until 14:00. ## Cuándo no ir From 9 December to late January, if you want to enter the churches without an appointment: Olleros, Mave and Cantamuda close and are visited by appointment on 616 520 509, 48 hours in advance. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Madrid? About four hours by car. From Burgos or Santander, about 75 minutes; from Valladolid, an hour and three-quarters. ### Where is it best to sleep? At the Posada Santa María la Real, inside the monastery, if you want peace and quiet; at the Valentín, if you prefer to walk to the centre. ### Do I need to book the bison? Yes, on their website or by phone. In winter it only opens at weekends and on public holidays in the morning. ### How much does the weekend cost? Between €130 and €220 per person with one night in a double room, two lunches, a casual dinner and the tickets. ### Can I go with children? Yes: the bison, the church inside the rock, the castle and the ROM models work well. The reserve charges €5 for children aged 3 to 7. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Valentín**: The Hotel Valentín is at avenida de Ronda, 21, in Aguilar de Campoo, about three hundred metres from Plaza de España. It is the town's big hotel: 50 rooms in a completely renovated building, with 24-hour reception and the restaurant and café run by the same family, who have been in the village for more than sixty years. On foot to the square, by car to the mountains The location is the reason to choose it. In the evening you leave the car and walk down to the arcaded square, the collegiate church of San Miguel and the riverside walk; the tourist office, on paseo de la Cascajera, is about four hundred metres away. In the morning you set off by car towards the Montaña Palentina without crossing the old quarter: the monastery of Santa María la Real is a kilometre away, the rock-cut hermitage of Olleros about 6 km and the bison reserve in San Cebrián de Mudá about twenty minutes. Santander, Palencia, Burgos and León are an hour's drive away, according to the hotel itself. Rooms with a terrace onto the garden The 50 rooms have a full bathroom, heating and television. Some have a terrace with a view of the garden; if it matters to you, ask when booking, because not all of them have one. The website does not detail room types, extra beds or rates: the price appears when you book on its page, where they apply a 10% discount compared with other channels. Eating without going out The Valentín restaurant, in the same building, is known for its roast lechazo. The café opens at 7:30 and on Friday and Saturday evenings sets up an informal dining area, useful if you arrive late from a walk. If you prefer to eat in your room, the kitchen prepares takeaway dishes. What the website doesn't say It does not publish check-in and check-out times, nor whether dogs are admitted, nor conditions for children nor the price of breakfast. Ask on 979 12 21 25 or at reservas@hotelvalentin.com before confirming the booking. - **Posada Santa María la Real**: The Posada Santa María la Real occupies part of the monastery complex of the same name, on the way out of Aguilar de Campoo on the Cervera road, a kilometre from Plaza de España. The inn building went up in the late 18th century and preserves Romanesque elements of the monastery; in the renovation the stone, oak, brick and adobe were left exposed. The cloister and the ROM, the Romanesque centre, are a few steps away. Waking up beside the cloister Sleeping here has an advantage you notice in season: you are first at the door of the monastery and the ROM when they open, without looking for somewhere to park. From the inn, Plaza de España and the climb to the castle are about fifteen minutes' walk away, beside the Pisuerga, and by car you head straight out towards Cervera and the Montaña Palentina, the way to San Salvador de Cantamuda and the bison reserve. Twenty-two doubles The inn has 22 double rooms, 44 beds in all, with wifi, television, minibar, hairdryer and telephone. The Castilla y León tourism register classifies it as a posada and gives it the Tourism Trust Seal (Sello de Confianza Turística). Room bookings are made through its Booking page, linked from the house's website; there you see the price for each date. It has a garden and terrace, a meeting room and free parking, and accepts cards. Coffee at home, dinner at Seasons The inn's café has its own hours: in July and August, Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 15:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00; from 1 September, Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00. It closes on Tuesdays. For lunch or dinner, the house restaurant is La Posada by Seasons, with signature cooking, wild tuna and lechazo; it is booked separately, on 661 54 04 53. With a dog The official tourism listing says dogs are admitted. The conditions (surcharge, size, whether they can be left alone in the room) are not published: ask on 689 73 79 92, which also answers on WhatsApp. - **Goina Hostel, in San Cebrián de Mudá**: The Goina hostel is the former rectory of San Cebrián de Mudá, a village in the Montaña Palentina about twenty minutes by car from Aguilar de Campoo, renovated to sleep 30 people. It is run by the same project as the European bison reserve and the village's stargazing viewpoint, and is booked through them: it is the way to spend the night next to the bison rather than twenty kilometres away. The house: kitchen, dining room and four bathrooms Inside there are 30 beds, a kitchen, a sitting room and dining room with television, four toilets, heating and hot water. The website does not detail how the beds are divided or whether you need to bring sheets or a sleeping bag, nor does it publish prices: all of that is asked when booking. With the kitchen you can make your own meals: bring your shopping from Aguilar or Cervera. By size and the way it is set up, it suits groups: families travelling together, groups of friends, mountain clubs or school groups coming to the reserve. The bison, at the door The European bison reserve is in the same village. The visit lasts about two hours and is always guided, on foot, by e-bike, by four-wheel drive or in a horse-drawn carriage, and in winter also with snowshoes. On foot it costs €10.50; €5 for ages 3 to 7 and €9.50 for over-67s. In winter it is open at weekends and on public holidays, with the last departure at 12:30. Sleeping at Goina you can join the first slot without a road ahead of you. Telescopes in a former coal loading bay The other reason to stay the night is the stargazing viewpoint, a 1956 coal loading bay converted into an observatory, with a dome, 12- and 8-inch telescopes and high-magnification binoculars. The visits are at night, with a tour of the building, projections and telescope observation, and are booked in advance for groups: €15 per person for 10 to 14 people and €10 for 15 to 20. The visit includes entry to a mine, a reminder of the valley's mining past. How to book By phone, on 979 605 823 or 666 229 574, or by email to miradorsancebriandemuda@hotmail.com or bisontesancebrian@mundominer.es. If you are going to combine hostel, bison and observatory, ask for it all in the same call. For a meal on a day of walking, the Valentín restaurant in Aguilar is the nearest table among our listings.