# Cerca de Burgos

From Burgos you head out in a cross. To the east, Atapuerca and La Rioja with Haro, San Millán and Laguardia; to the south-east, Covarrubias, Silos and Río Lobos; to the north, Aguilar and the coast of Cantabria and Biscay; to the south, the Ribera and the Duratón.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos/getaways

## Planes de un día
- [Mina Esperanza and CAREX with children](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/family-olmos-mine-and-carex.md) (37 min en coche): The Olmos iron mine with lanterns and a boat, CAREX with fire-making and stone-carving demonstrations and lunch in Burgos, half an hour away; all with advance booking.
- [Atapuerca: sites and museum](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/trench-with-guide-and-human-evolution-museum.md) (37 min en coche): The first guided visit of the Sunday to the Railway Trench, the Museum of Human Evolution before it closes at 15:00 and lunch opposite Burgos cathedral.
- [Covarrubias and Silos: olla and Gregorian chant](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos/itineraries/covarrubias-and-silos-keep-olla-podrida-and-gregorian-chant.md) (40 min en coche): Covarrubias and its keep in the morning, olla podrida on the square, the La Yecla gorge and the Silos cloister in the afternoon, and the monks' vespers before heading home.
- [Haro: winery, grill house and Briñas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/la-rioja/haro/itineraries/station-quarter-wineries-and-lamb.md) (1 h en coche): You stroll round the Barrio de la Estación, visit Muga with a tasting, eat lamb at a grill house from 1877 and finish at La Herradura and in Briñas, beside the Ebro. 40 minutes from Logroño and Vitoria.
- [Bison, Cantamuda and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/bison-and-mountain-romanesque.md) (1 h 15 en coche): European bison with a guide first thing, the bell gable of San Salvador de Cantamuda before lunch, roast lamb in Aguilar and the afternoon in the cloister and the ROM museum of Santa María la Real.
- [Aguilar: Romanesque, rock and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/santa-maria-la-real-and-roast-lamb.md) (1 h 15 en coche): The cloister and the ROM models, the square and collegiate church of Aguilar, the rock-cut church of Olleros, Santa María de Mave and lunch at El Convento de Mave, right beside it.
- [San Millán: Yuso, winery and Cañas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/la-rioja/san-millan-de-la-cogolla/itineraries/yuso-monastery-winery-and-canas.md) (1 h 15 en coche): Tastings at a family winery in Badarán, a visit to the Yuso monastery, lunch inside it and a finish at the monastery of Cañas. Three quarters of an hour from Logroño.
- [Carraovejas, castle and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/long-tasting-castle-and-roast-lamb.md) (1 h 20 en coche): You leave the car at the hotel, taste four wines at Pago de Carraovejas, climb up to the wine castle, have lamb beside the Duratón and dine and sleep in a 1922 flour mill. Wednesday to Sunday.
- [Peñafiel: castle, lamb and winery](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/penafiel-castle-roast-lamb-and-winery.md) (1 h 20 en coche): The ship-shaped castle and the Provincial Wine Museum in the morning, the Plaza del Coso, wood-fired roast lamb and a visit with tasting at a winery in the village.
- [Laguardia, Baigorri and a night at Viura](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/glass-winery-and-sonsierra.md) (1 h 30 en coche): You arrive by bus in Laguardia, go down into its underground cellars, have lunch in Páganos, taste at the winery under Samaniego's glass cube and sleep in Villabuena. Wednesday or Thursday.
- [Laguardia: tower, calado and Riscal](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/wine-cellars-tower-and-marques-de-riscal.md) (1 h 30 en coche): You walk Laguardia inside the wall, climb the Abbey Tower, go down into a winery dug beneath the streets, eat with a view of the vineyard and taste at Marqués de Riscal. 20 minutes from Logroño.
- [Duratón Gorges: canoe and San Frutos](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-canoe-roast-lamb-and-san-frutos.md) (1 h 36 en coche): You paddle through the canyon between hundred-metre walls, eat lamb in Sepúlveda and climb to the San Frutos hermitage in the afternoon light.
- [Río Lobos: hermitage, cave and lunch in El Burgo](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/rio-lobos-canyon/itineraries/rio-lobos-canyon-hermitage-cave-and-el-burgo-de-osma.md) (1 h 39 en coche): The Casa del Parque in Ucero, the flat walk along the canyon floor to the hermitage of San Bartolomé and the Cueva Grande, and lunch at Virrey Palafox in El Burgo de Osma.
- [Alto Campoo: slopes, cocido and Fontibre](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/alto-campoo/itineraries/ski-sunday-at-alto-campoo.md) (1 h 50 en coche): You ski from 9:15 to 16:30 on Alto Campoo's 23 runs, with a €40 lift pass and rental at the resort, and on the way down you stop at the source of the Ebro in Fontibre. An hour and a quarter from Santander.
- [Liencres and Santillana: coves, dunes and cave](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/liencres-and-costa-quebrada/itineraries/coves-dunes-and-altamira-neocave.md) (1 h 55 en coche): La Arnía cove and the pinewood of the Liencres dunes in the morning, lunch in the village of Santillana and the Altamira Neocave, free on Sundays. A quarter of an hour from Santander.
- [Santoña: anchovies, harbour and boat](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/santona-and-laredo/itineraries/anchovies-museum-and-boat-to-laredo.md) (2 h en coche): You see how anchovy is made at a Santoña factory, taste another's at its museum, eat at the harbour and cross by boat to Laredo. 40 minutes from Santander and 45 from Bilbao.
- [Pedraza: village, roast and castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza/itineraries/pedraza-jail-roast-lamb-and-zuloaga-castle.md) (2 h en coche): You enter by the only gate, visit its jail, stroll the Plaza Mayor, eat roast lamb from a wood-fired oven and finish at Zuloaga's castle in the afternoon light.
- [Cabárceno: elephants, cable car and birds of prey](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/cabarceno-nature-park/itineraries/sunday-with-children-at-cabarceno.md) (2 h en coche): You drive round the elephant, giraffe and bear enclosures of a former mine, ride the cable car and watch the birds of prey swoop. A quarter of an hour from Santander and an hour and a quarter from Bilbao.
- [León: stained glass, kings and Gaudí](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/leon/itineraries/cathedral-san-isidoro-and-casa-botines.md) (2 h 1 en coche): The cathedral at 9:30, before the Masses, the Royal Pantheon, an aperitif in the Húmedo, León cooking at Casa Mando and Gaudí's Casa Botines in the afternoon.

## The N-120 towards Atapuerca and San Millán

Each road leads to a different plan. The N-120 leaves for Logroño: half an hour away are the [Atapuerca](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca) sites, at Ibeas de Juarros, and beyond, past Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the Nájera turn-off for [San Millán de la Cogolla](/en/spain/la-rioja/san-millan-de-la-cogolla). The N-I and the AP-1, on the way to Vitoria, pass beside the Olmos mine and the CAREX, and via Miranda de Ebro lead to [Haro](/en/spain/la-rioja/haro) and to [Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa](/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa). Continuing along the AP-1 and the AP-68 you reach Bilbao, the [Urdaibai](/en/spain/basque-country/urdaibai) estuary and, for two nights, the [French Basque Coast](/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast).

To the south-east, the N-234, the Soria road, leads to [Covarrubias and Silos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos), 40 minutes away, and then to Ucero and the [Río Lobos canyon](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/rio-lobos-canyon) and the pine forests of the [Laguna Negra](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/laguna-negra-and-urbion). To the south, the A-1 drops to Aranda: from there, the N-122 follows the Duero to [Peñafiel](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel), and the motorway continues towards the [Duratón](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges) and [Pedraza](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza). To the north, the N-627 climbs to [Aguilar de Campoo](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo) and the A-67 drops to Cantabria: [Alto Campoo](/en/spain/cantabria/alto-campoo), [Cabárceno](/en/spain/cantabria/cabarceno-nature-park), [Liencres](/en/spain/cantabria/liencres-and-costa-quebrada) and [Santoña](/en/spain/cantabria/santona-and-laredo).

For almost everything you need a car. The train serves other cities, Valladolid, Palencia or Madrid, but none of the plans on this page starts at a station.

## Atapuerca 37 minutes away, with children or without

**Under an hour** are the plans that leave plenty of time: the two at Atapuerca, 37 minutes away, one with [the Olmos mine and the CAREX for going with children](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/family-olmos-mine-and-carex), and Covarrubias and Silos, at 40. They are the only ones where the journey weighs less than the meal.

La Rioja and northern Palencia are **between one and one and a half hours** away: [Haro, its Barrio de la Estación and a grill house from 1877](/en/spain/la-rioja/haro/itineraries/station-quarter-wineries-and-lamb), at 60 minutes; Aguilar de Campoo, with Romanesque art or the bison, and [San Millán, Yuso and Cañas](/en/spain/la-rioja/san-millan-de-la-cogolla/itineraries/yuso-monastery-winery-and-canas), at 75; [Peñafiel, castle, roast lamb and winery](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/penafiel-castle-roast-lamb-and-winery), at 80, and Laguardia, at 90.

**Between an hour and a half and two hours** the Sunday starts early: [canoeing the Duratón and San Frutos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-canoe-roast-lamb-and-san-frutos), at 96 minutes; Río Lobos, at 99; Alto Campoo, at 110; [Liencres and Santillana](/en/spain/cantabria/liencres-and-costa-quebrada/itineraries/coves-dunes-and-altamira-neocave), at 115, and Cabárceno, Santoña and [Pedraza](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza/itineraries/pedraza-jail-roast-lamb-and-zuloaga-castle), at two hours.

**From two hours onwards** it is best to sleep away: [Santillana and Comillas](/en/spain/cantabria/santillana-del-mar/itineraries/santillana-del-mar-comillas-altamira-weekend), at 125 minutes; [Mundaka and Urdaibai](/en/spain/basque-country/urdaibai/itineraries/urdaibai-canoe-gaztelugatxe-weekend), at 135; the [Laguna Negra](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/laguna-negra-and-urbion/itineraries/night-in-soria-pine-forests-laguna-negra), at 139; [San Vicente and Comillas](/en/spain/cantabria/san-vicente-de-la-barquera/itineraries/weekend-san-vicente-de-la-barquera-and-comillas-from-oviedo), at 145; [Segovia with a balloon at dawn](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia/itineraries/segovia-balloon-at-dawn-weekend), at 155; [Llanes](/en/spain/asturias/llanes/itineraries/llanes-eastern-asturian-coast-weekend), at 160, and [Liébana and Fuente Dé](/en/spain/cantabria/liebana-and-potes/itineraries/liebana-fuente-de-weekend-la-hermida-hot-springs), a little over three hours.

## In January there are no visits to Atapuerca

In winter, the nearest snow is at [Alto Campoo](/en/spain/cantabria/alto-campoo/itineraries/ski-sunday-at-alto-campoo), 110 minutes away, best from January to March and with chains. [Cabárceno with children](/en/spain/cantabria/cabarceno-nature-park/itineraries/sunday-with-children-at-cabarceno) is open all year and from November to March admission is cheaper. In January there are no visits to the Atapuerca sites.

In spring, the Río Lobos has water: the [walk to the San Bartolomé hermitage](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/rio-lobos-canyon/itineraries/rio-lobos-canyon-hermitage-cave-and-el-burgo-de-osma) is flat, along the canyon floor, with lunch in El Burgo de Osma. It is also the season for paddling the Duratón and for [Covarrubias and Silos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos/itineraries/covarrubias-and-silos-keep-olla-podrida-and-gregorian-chant), with the monks' vespers before heading back.

The summer plan is on the coast: [Santoña, its anchovies and the boat to Laredo](/en/spain/cantabria/santona-and-laredo/itineraries/anchovies-museum-and-boat-to-laredo), better on a Saturday because the factories do not show production on Sunday, and canoeing on the Urdaibai estuary. In June, the Laguna Negra.

In autumn, the September and October grape harvest fills Haro, San Millán and [Laguardia with its cellars](/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/wine-cellars-tower-and-marques-de-riscal), 90 minutes away, and in October the poplars of Río Lobos turn yellow.

## The Trinchera at 10:00, booked by phone

- **A short Sunday:** [Atapuerca with a guide](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/trench-with-guide-and-human-evolution-museum). 37 minutes along the N-120: the first visit to the Trinchera, at 10:00 and booked by phone, and the museum before it closes at 15:00.
- **With one night:** [Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa](/en/spain/basque-country/laguardia-and-rioja-alavesa/itineraries/rioja-alavesa-wine-weekend-laguardia). An hour and a half away, to sleep inside the walls, go down to the cellars and taste at Marqués de Riscal without worrying about who is driving.
- **With two nights:** [the French Basque Coast](/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/french-basque-coast/itineraries/weekend-from-san-sebastian). Almost three hours away, to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, to climb La Rhune by rack railway, see the corniche from the boat and try surfing in Biarritz.