# A weekend in Burgos and Atapuerca, an hour and a half from Valladolid

On Saturday, the cathedral, the upper town and the castle of Burgos with wood-roasted lamb; on Sunday, the Atapuerca Trench with a guide and the fossils at the Museum of Human Evolution.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos/itineraries/night-with-atapuerca-from-valladolid · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Burgos

Burgos and Atapuerca are two trips that are better understood together: one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Europe and, 15 km away, the trench where some of the oldest human remains in Europe were found. With one night in Burgos there is time for everything without rushing. Burgos is an hour and a half from Valladolid, an hour from Palencia, an hour and a half from Vitoria and Logroño and under two hours from Bilbao and León.

## Where to sleep?

In Burgos, to have everything within walking distance. The abba Burgos, below the castle and 300 metres from the cathedral, has an indoor pool, its own car park and accepts dogs up to 20 kg. The Silken Gran Teatro, by the river, has parking in the building. The Hotel Centro Los Braseros, on Avenida del Cid, is the simple option. If you are a group, in Ibeas de Juarros, next to the CAYAC, the Casa Rural Camino Blanco is rented whole for 16 people.

## How is Atapuerca organised?

The sites can only be visited with a booking and a guide, leaving from the CAYAC in Ibeas de Juarros. On Sunday there are departures at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00 from February to December, except January. Take the 10:00 one and leave the museum for midday: on Sunday it closes at 15:00.

## Getting around

In Burgos, on foot. For Atapuerca, by car: Burgos to Ibeas de Juarros, about 15 km and 20 minutes along the N-120. You get to the CAYAC by car and the visit continues from there.

## El plan

### Saturday · 10:00 · The cathedral
Two hours for the Condestable chapel, the Golden Staircase, the Papamoscas and the Cid. €11, buy online.

### Saturday · 12:15 · San Nicolás, San Gil and the castle
The merchants' churches with the €7 combined ticket and the climb to the castle, free, with the medieval well and the viewpoint.

### Saturday · 14:30 · Lamb at Casa Ojeda
Suckling lamb roasted in a wood oven, in a clay dish, opposite the Casa del Cordón. Book ahead.

### Saturday · 17:30 · Espolón and Plaza Mayor
The Arco de Santa María, the walk along the Arlanzón and the Plaza Mayor. If you have an afternoon to spare, the Cartuja de Miraflores opens until 18:00.

### Saturday · 21:00 · Tapas in the centre
Around the cathedral and the Plaza Mayor; the bar at Puerta Real is open until 23:30.

### Sunday · 10:00 · The Atapuerca Trench
Guided departure from the CAYAC in Ibeas, 20 minutes away: Sima del Elefante, Galería and Gran Dolina. €8, with prior booking.

### Sunday · 12:15 · The Museum of Human Evolution
Back in Burgos, the original fossils and the reconstructions. €6; closes at 15:00.

### Sunday · 14:30 · Lunch at Puerta Real
Opposite the Puerta del Sarmental; on Sunday it is open until 17:30.

## Un consejo más

Bring a coat and comfortable footwear for the Trench: it is an hour and three-quarters outdoors, in the sierra.

## Cuándo no ir

January, with no visits to the sites, and Monday, when the sites, the museum and Las Huelgas are closed.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Valladolid?
An hour and a half to Burgos along the A-62, and twenty minutes more to Atapuerca.

### Do I need to book Atapuerca?
Yes, always, by phone on 947 421 000 or by email. There are no online sales.

### How much does the weekend cost?
Between €130 and €220 per person with one hotel night, two meals and the tickets.

### Can I do it with children?
Yes: the castle is free, the cathedral costs €3 for ages 8 to 18 and under-8s do not pay at Atapuerca or the museum.

### Where to park?
At the hotel: the abba Burgos and the Silken Gran Teatro have their own car parks.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **abba Burgos Hotel**: The abba Burgos occupies the former Seminario Mayor (major seminary), a large building on Calle Fernán González, the street along which the Camino de Santiago crosses the upper part of Burgos. It is between the cathedral, about 300 metres away, and the Castle park, which begins practically behind it. It is a four-star hotel with an indoor pool, sauna, gym and its own car park.
The cathedral five minutes away, the castle behind
To see Burgos on foot, you walk down Fernán González to the cathedral in five minutes, and from the other side you climb to the castle and its viewpoint through the park. The Rosa de Lima train station is about 4 km away and the airport about 7 km: in both cases, take a taxi.
Five types of room

abba: 25 m², two 1.05 m beds or one of 1.50 or 1.80 m, for two people.
abba Premium: 25 to 27 m², same beds and with a private terrace or garden. It is the one to ask for if you want to go outside.
Junior Suite: 38 m², up to four people.
abba Family 3 and Family 4: 28 to 32 m², with one or two extra beds, for families of three or four.

Cots are available on request, subject to availability: ask reception before you arrive, on 947 00 11 00. The whole hotel is smoke-free.
Pool, breakfast and abba mia
The heated indoor pool, the sauna and the gym are for guests only; the website does not publish their opening hours, so ask when you arrive. Breakfast is a buffet with a corner for special diets, and the hotel restaurant, abba mia, adapts dishes to intolerances if you let them know.
Car, electric charging and dog
The private car park costs €21 a day and has two charging points for electric cars. Dogs up to 20 kg are accepted; the website does not publish the supplement.
Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
- **Hotel Silken Gran Teatro Burgos**: The Silken Gran Teatro is at Avenida del Arlanzón 8, on the south bank of the river, and keeps the facade of the former Gran Teatro de Burgos; inside everything is new and of contemporary lines. It is a four-star with parking in the building itself, a gym and a bar with a rooftop terrace, and its great asset is what you see from the exterior rooms: the river, the Museum of Human Evolution and the cathedral.
The other side of the Santa María bridge
You cross the Arlanzón by the Santa María bridge, pass under the arch and you are on the Plaza del Rey San Fernando, in front of the cathedral: about five minutes' walk. Opposite the hotel, across the river, is the Museum of Human Evolution, the gateway to Atapuerca, and a few minutes away the Palacio de Congresos and the Auditorium. The airport is about fourteen minutes away by taxi.
Five types of room
The rooms are Confort, Silken Club, Première and Terrace Room, and there is a Confort with an extra bed for a third person. All are soundproofed and decorated with nods to the old theatre. If you want views, ask for an exterior room: those facing the avenue look onto the river, the museum and the cathedral. Some allow early check-in or later check-out if you ask, and if you book on its website late check-out depends on availability.
La Tramoya, on weekdays
The restaurant La Tramoya serves market cooking with a contemporary menu and is only open Monday to Friday: lunch from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinner from 20:30 to 23:00. There is no restaurant service at weekends, so on Saturday and Sunday cross to the old town: Puerta Real, opposite the cathedral, is open on Sunday at midday.
The buffet breakfast is served every day at La Tramoya: from 7:00 to 10:30 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:30 at weekends and public holidays. The bar-café is open many hours and has a rooftop terrace with views over the city.
Car, gym and accessibility
The car park is in the same building, paid and subject to availability. On the sixth floor there is a small, well-equipped gym, free for guests. The hotel has the TUR4all accessible tourism label; ask about adapted rooms when you book.
Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00.
- **Hotel Centro Los Braseros**: Hotel Centro Los Braseros is at Avenida del Cid 2 bis, on the east side of central Burgos, about five minutes from the cathedral and eight from the bus station. It is a simple three-star with functional rooms, its own grill restaurant on the ground floor and parking, a useful combination if you arrive by car and want to dine without going out again.
Between the Casa del Cordón and the station
The hotel is on the edge of the old town, about four hundred metres from the Casa del Cordón: on foot you reach the Plaza Mayor, the Espolón and the cathedral in a few minutes. Opposite the Casa del Cordón is Casa Ojeda, the eating house from 1912, for a Burgos meal outside the hotel.
Rooms
There are four types: double for single use, double, double with extra bed and superior. The doubles and the superior have air conditioning, parquet floors, flat-screen television, bath with shower and hairdryer; wifi is free in all of them. The website does not give the number of rooms or the rates: the price appears when you book, and if you book on its website they offer late check-out subject to availability.
Breakfast and the Los Braseros grill
Breakfast is served every day from 7:00 to 10:00, a full one, with pastries, bread, cold cuts, fruit and coffee; if you need gluten-free options, ask beforehand.
The Los Braseros restaurant, open to non-guests too, serves lunch from 13:30 to 15:30 and dinner from 20:00 to 22:30. Its cooking revolves around chargrilled meats, with dishes to share and gluten-free options if you let them know. It has several set menus, including the Menú Tierra del Cid and the Menú Huérmeces, as well as an à la carte menu and a menu of the day.
Car and dog
The private car park costs €15 a night, cannot be booked and depends on there being space when you arrive. Dogs are welcome with a supplement of €15 a night, paid at the hotel; they go in rooms on the third and fifth floors, and if you leave the dog alone, tell reception, because the cleaning staff do not enter with it inside.
Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.