# Ciudad Rodrigo

Walls you can walk along the top of, the cathedral with the marks of the 1812 siege, the castle and farinato: what to see in Ciudad Rodrigo in a day.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/ciudad-rodrigo · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Ciudad Rodrigo is the last Castilian city before Portugal, 25 km from the border. That is why it was a fortress town: bastions, moats and ravelins were added to the medieval wall in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the whole complex has survived intact to this day. Inside there is a cathedral with its cloister, a 14th-century castle converted into a Parador, an arcaded Plaza Mayor and a dozen Renaissance palaces. In the war against Napoleon it was besieged twice, by the French in 1810 and by Wellington's British in 1812, and the impact marks can still be seen on the cathedral tower. It makes a full day from Salamanca, and the most satisfying plan for an autumn Sunday.

## How do you get there?

From Salamanca, take the A-62 towards Portugal, about 90 km in an hour. From Zamora, about 150 km in a little over an hour and a half; from Ávila or Cáceres, a little over two hours. Park outside the walled enclosure, on the esplanade by the wall, and enter on foot through the Puerta del Conde or the Puerta del Sol: inside, the streets are narrow.

## What to see in a day

Start with the cathedral, which opens at 11:00. Admission, with an audio guide, costs €8, and from Monday to Thursday between 11:00 and 11:30 it is free. From Friday to Sunday there are guided visits to the bell tower at 13:30 and 17:30, for €4.50. Continue through the old town: the Plaza Mayor and the Casa Consistorial, the Moctezuma palace with its free exhibition on Wellington and Napoleon, and the streets of palaces.

After lunch, climb up to the adarve (the wall walk) and go right round the city along the top of the wall: it is free and takes an hour, with the Águeda valley on one side. At the Puerta del Conde, the Fortificaciones de la Frontera centre explains the fortress town; the same €5 ticket also gets you into the Museo del Orinal, in Plaza de Herrasti. Finish at the castle of Enrique II: for €2 you can climb the keep and stroll through the Parador gardens.

## How much time do you need?

One day is enough for everything above without rushing. With one night, sleep at the Parador and the next day continue to the Sierra de Francia, less than an hour away: La Alberca is the natural next stop. From Ciudad Rodrigo you can also reach the Real Fuerte de la Concepción, in Aldea del Obispo, in a short drive, though it is currently closed temporarily.

## When to go

Spring and autumn are the best times: the adarve has no shade and in summer midday is hot. In February the Carnaval del Toro takes place, with bull runs, capeas and the Plaza Mayor closed off with barriers: it is the city's big festival and it fills up, so if you are not going for it, choose another date. In winter it is dry and cold, but the cathedral and the visitor centres open every day.

## Eating in Ciudad Rodrigo

The city's dish is farinato, a sausage of bread, lard and paprika that is fried and eaten with eggs. Also Guijuelo ham, morucha beef and Iberian pork. The Parador restaurant, inside the castle, cooks traditional Charro dishes and opens every day at lunchtime. In the Plaza Mayor, the Bar Castilla is good for a coffee or some raciones between visits; it does not publish its opening hours, so call ahead.

## Where to stay in Ciudad Rodrigo

The Parador, in the castle of Enrique II, above the river, has a park and play area for children and a restaurant open every day.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia (a 38.0 km), Hervás and the Ambroz Valley (a 67.7 km), Jerte Valley (a 75.5 km), Salamanca (a 83.9 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Cathedral of Santa María, Museum and Bell Tower** (1 h 30 · Everyone · €8 with audio guide · reduced €6–7 · free Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 11:30 · guided tower €5.50 · cathedral, tower and sacristy €14): The cathedral of Santa María is at the top of the city, between the Plaza de San Salvador and the Plaza de Herrasti, where its address is. It was begun as a fortress-church at the end of the 12th century, at the end of the reign of Ferdinand II of León or the beginning of that of Alfonso IX, with a Romanesque Latin-cross plan and three apses, and was closed with Gothic vaults in the 13th and 14th centuries. It has been a national monument since 1889. The ticket includes the museum and the cloister, with an audio guide, and the visit takes an hour and a half.
What to see
Start outside. The Puerta de las Cadenas, on the south side, has over the arch five sculptures from the early 13th century, the Saviour and four apostles, and above it a gallery of twelve Gothic Old Testament figures from around 1230. On the west, under the tower, the Pórtico del Perdón or de la Gloria, with the Coronation of the Virgin in the tympanum. On the north, the Puerta de Amayuelas or del Enlosado, with a 14th-century rose window. The tower and the west facade, by Juan de Sagarbinaga, date from 1764 to 1772 and were badly damaged in the War of Independence: the marks of the bombs can still be seen.
Inside, the choir is the great piece: 72 walnut stalls in two rows carved by the workshop of Rodrigo Alemán between 1502 and 1507. The main chapel was rebuilt in the 16th century to plans by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, of 1540, and the Pilar chapel is from 1748 to 1753. The cloister mixes two periods: the west and south galleries are Gothic, from the 14th century, and the other two, Plateresque, were built between 1526 and 1539 with Pedro de Güemes; part of its sculpture was redone by J. Tarabella in 1911.
Opening hours and tickets
It is open every day from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00; admission and sales end half an hour earlier, and the visit may be limited by services. General admission costs €8 with audio guide; €7 for over-65s and pensioners; €6 for young people aged 12 to 18, students and large families; €5 in groups of more than 15. From Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 11:30 it is free, except on public holidays and their eves, without audio guide.
Guided visits and tower
From Friday to Sunday there are guided visits: the sacristy at 12:00 and 16:15, the cathedral at 12:30 and 16:30, with an audiovisual on the portico, and the bell tower at 13:30 and 17:30. On the cathedral's website, the cathedral guided visit costs €10, the tower €5.50, cathedral with tower or with sacristy €12 and all three €14; they ask for a minimum of five people. Book on 923 48 14 24, on 656 44 62 57 or at catedralciudadrodrigo@artisplendore.com, and tickets are bought on its website.
When you leave, the Plaza Mayor is a few minutes away and the wall walk passes right beside it.
- **The Wall Walk of Ciudad Rodrigo** (1 h · Everyone; no railing on some stretches · Free): Ciudad Rodrigo keeps its whole enclosure: the medieval wall and, outside it, the bastions, moats and ravelins added for the war with Portugal. You can walk along the top, on the wall walk, round the city, with the Águeda valley on one side and the rooftops and the cathedral on the other. It is free and takes an hour at a leisurely pace. The town council proposes it as an easy walk along the complete circuit of the fortification.
A little history
The oldest wall, the one you see from inside the city, is from the second half of the 12th century and was ordered by Ferdinand II of León during the resettlement. After the war with Portugal of 1641 a second outer enclosure was built, which disappeared at the start of the 18th century. Then the medieval wall was adapted to artillery: it was lowered, its battlements removed, gun embrasures opened and moats, sentry boxes, bastions and ravelins built. From this comes the city's star shape, following Vauban's model. In 1812, in the fighting between the French and the English, the small breach beside the Puerta de Amayuelas was opened, where General Robert Craufurd died.
The gates
There were nine between gates and postern gates, and six remain. From the castle, they are the Colada, the most direct to the river and the bridge, restored in the 1990s; the Sancti Spiritus, perhaps opened in the 16th century; the Amayuelas, enlarged in 1954 and called the Puerta Nueva since then; the Conde, on the north stretch, which linked with the San Francisco suburb; the Sol, to the east, restored in 1970; and the Santiago, to the south, whose restoration of 2002 brought old moats to light. The Puerta del Rey is bricked up.
How to do it
You climb up by several ramps and staircases beside the gates; the most practical is the one at the Puerta del Conde, where the fortifications interpretation centre is, which is worth seeing first to understand what you are walking on. The town council has published seven podcasts on the wall, the guardhouses, the barracks, the cathedral and the breaches, the castle and the San Francisco suburb, to listen to as you walk. Some stretches have no parapet: with small children, hold their hand, and with a dog, keep it on a lead.
You can go all the way round or do just one stretch and go down to see the castle of Enrique II or the cathedral up close, which still shows the wounds of the War of Independence. To go down to the Águeda and the Puente Mayor, of Roman origin, leave by the Puerta de la Colada.
- **Border Fortifications Centre and Chamber Pot Museum** (1 h 30 · Families · €5 joint ticket · reduced €2.50 · under 10s free): A €5 ticket opens three sites run by the town council: the Border Fortifications Interpretation Centre, the San Cayetano exhibition centre, with the Chamber Pot Museum (Museo del Orinal), and the remains of the convent of San Francisco. Together they explain, on the one hand, why Ciudad Rodrigo was a fortress town facing Portugal and, on the other, a collection which the museum itself presents as among the most curious in the world. Allow an hour and a half for the first two.
The border fortifications
The centre occupies the old guardhouses of the Puerta del Conde and the Puerta de San Pelayo, in the wall itself. With panels, models, plans and weapons it tells the history of the castles and walls of the border between Salamanca and Portugal, from the hill fort of Yecla de Yeltes to the castle of San Felices de los Gallegos, and dwells above all on the Ciudad Rodrigo enclosure. The medieval wall, from the second half of the 12th century, was ordered by Ferdinand II of León. After the war with Portugal of 1641 an outer wall was added, and at the start of the 18th century, after the War of the Spanish Succession, the medieval one was lowered and reinforced with moats, bastions, ravelins and sentry boxes, giving the city its star-shaped plan in the manner of Vauban. The tour ends in the San Pelayo guardhouse with an audiovisual on how border fortifications evolved. There are guided visits at 11:00, 13:00, 16:30 and 18:00, with booking on 664 346 580 or 923 498 400.
The Chamber Pot Museum
On the Plaza de Herrasti, the San Cayetano exhibition centre holds more than 1,350 chamber pots from 29 nationalities collected by José María del Arco, "Pesetos", a native of Ciudad Rodrigo who sought them in antique shops, hospitals and flea markets around half the world. The oldest is Roman, from the 2nd century. There are ones of ceramic, brass, clay, wood, porcelain, aluminium, glass and iron, some with gold or silver inlay, and also "dompedros", pieces of fine-wood furniture, such as cupboards or chairs, that hid the chamber pot inside. The collection was exhibited in Spain and Portugal in 1991 and opened as a museum in 2006, with Las Edades del Hombre in Ciudad Rodrigo. In the same building are the Museo del Tamborilero (Drummer Museum), the exhibition "Tamboril y gaita" (tabor and pipe) and the old science laboratory.
Opening hours and prices
The fortifications and San Cayetano are open every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:30, with last entry a quarter of an hour earlier. The remains of the convent of San Francisco, in the suburb of the same name, are open from 10:00 to 11:30 and from 16:00 to 17:30; in November they close on the 4th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th and 26th, and on Monday afternoons they are free. The joint ticket costs €5; reduced, for pensioners, students and groups of 20, €2.50; under-10s do not pay. Hours change with the season, so confirm at the tourist office or at ofiturismo@aytociudadrodrigo.es.
With children, the Chamber Pot Museum usually raises a smile, and the models of the fortifications help to understand what you later walk on along the wall walk. The Moctezuma palace, with the exhibition on the sieges of 1810 and 1812, completes the military history.
- **Moctezuma Palace: Wellington against Napoleon** (45 min · Adults and teenagers · Free): The Moctezuma palace, also called the Cornejo or de la Tierra palace, is at Plaza del Conde 2. It is a building from the late 16th or early 17th century, in a sober Herrerian style; in the entrance hall an inscription recalls that it was the Casa de la Tierra or de los Sexmeros. In 1928 it became a secondary school, and since 1984, when the king and queen opened it, it has been the Casa Municipal de la Cultura. Inside it holds the permanent exhibition "Ciudad Rodrigo in the War of Independence. Wellington against Napoleon", free, which takes about 45 minutes to see.
The exhibition
It tells the story of the years 1810 to 1812, when the city was on the front line of the War of Independence: the French siege of 1810 and the British one of 1812, with which the Duke of Wellington's allied army recovered the town. The pieces are from the collection of J. R. Cid: historical documents, weapons, military maps, portraits and letters. The town council recalls a curious detail: the name of Ciudad Rodrigo appears on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, something it presents as a mistake by Napoleon, who underestimated the Spanish guerrilla and Wellington's allied troops. The building also has a large room for temporary exhibitions.
Opening hours and guided visits
It is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:30 to 20:30, and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 20:00. Admission is free. On Saturday and Sunday there are guided visits to the exhibition at 12:30 and 18:00. For questions, the phone number is 923 461 862, and the municipal tourist office gives information on 664 346 580 or at ofiturismo@aytociudadrodrigo.es.
How to fit it into the visit
The Plaza del Conde is in the old town, a few minutes from the Plaza Mayor; on the same square is the Montarco palace, from the late 15th century, which was General Herrasti's headquarters during the War of Independence and whose patio can be seen on Tuesday from 10:00 to 12:00. To continue with military history, the Puerta del Conde and the fortifications centre explain what the besieged fortress town was like, and on the wall walk you pass beside the small breach of 1812, near the Puerta de Amayuelas. In the cathedral, the tower keeps the marks of the bombs of that war.
It is a visit for teenagers and adults with an interest in history; with small children, it helps to go on the weekend guided visit or to call first at the models in the fortifications centre.
- **Keep of the Castle of Enrique II** (30 min · Everyone · €2 · €5 with wine and tapa · free on Mondays until 15:00): The castle of Ciudad Rodrigo was built by Henry II of Trastámara in the 14th century, after his war against Peter I the Cruel, whom the city had supported. It occupies the highest and steepest part of the walled enclosure, above a gorge of the River Águeda, which serves as its natural defence. In the 1920s it was a museum and a hotel, and since 1931 it has been a Parador Nacional. Without staying there you can climb the keep and stroll in the gardens: it is a short visit, of half an hour, with views over the river and the old town.
What you see
The keep has two cubic sections one above the other; the upper one is smaller and more modern. From the top you see the River Águeda, the Puente Mayor, of Roman origin, with the arches on the city side designed in the 18th century by Juan de Sagarbinaga, and the valley that opens towards Portugal. Inland, the rooftops of the old town and the cathedral tower. Close to the castle opens the Puerta de la Colada, restored in the 1990s, the city's most direct access to the river and the bridge.
Price and conditions
The climb up the keep and a stroll through the gardens cost €2; for €5 you also get a glass of wine and a tapa. On Mondays admission is free until 15:00. No fixed visiting hours are published: conditions are checked at the Parador's reception, at Plaza del Castillo 1, or on 923 460 150 and at ciudadrodrigo@parador.es. As it is a working hotel, access may depend on what is on that day; ask before you go up.
Getting there
The castle is at the top of the walled enclosure, above the river, on the Plaza del Castillo. From the Plaza Mayor you walk there in a few minutes through the streets of the old town. The keep is reached by a staircase; with children, take them by the hand at the top. If you are spending the day, the tourist office at Plaza Mayor 27 gives the opening times of the other monuments.
To combine with
From the castle you can continue along the wall walk, which circles the city with views of the river. The cathedral is a few minutes away and the Plaza Mayor in the centre. If you want to eat without moving, the Parador restaurant is in the castle itself, and if you want to sleep inside, the Parador de Ciudad Rodrigo.
- **Plaza Mayor, Casa Consistorial and the Old Town Palaces** (1 h · Everyone · Free): The Plaza Mayor is the centre of Ciudad Rodrigo, where the market used to be held and the notaries used to meet, and it is the setting for the Carnaval del Toro, in February, when it is closed off with barriers for the bull runs. From it starts an hour's walk, free and on the flat, past the palaces of the old town. It can be done with a dog on a lead, and almost everything is seen from the street.
The square and the Casa Consistorial
The church of San Juan once stood in the square, and in its cloister the council met before the present town hall, of the 16th century, was built. Its Renaissance facade has two galleries of three basket-handle arches, decorated with medallions and figures from Antiquity, and in the tower on the right are the coats of arms of Charles V, of the city and of the corregidor of the time. It was restored in 1904 by Joaquín de Vargas, who removed the third storey and the Baroque bell gable and added a wing to the south. In the upper gallery there are free exhibitions, Monday to Saturday from 9:30 to 13:45 and from 16:00 to 18:45, and Sunday from 9:30 to 13:45; at present, the poster competition for Carnival 2027 and the photography show "Comercios antiguos de Ciudad Rodrigo" (old shops of Ciudad Rodrigo). The municipal tourist office is on the same square, at number 27.
The palaces of the old town
From the square, continue along Calle de San Juan to the Casa de los Vázquez, at number 12. It was built by the Vázquez family in the early 16th century, with a Gothic alfiz over the door; José Manuel Sánchez-Arjona redid the interior in neo-medieval, neo-Renaissance and neo-Moorish styles around the second decade of the 20th century, and Alfonso XIII slept there in 1928. Since 1944 it has been the post office headquarters, and the lobby can be seen on working weekdays from 8:30 to 14:30.
On the Plaza del Conde is the Montarco palace, from the late 15th century, with a Gothic door flanked by two spiral columns topped with lions; its patio can be seen on Tuesday from 10:00 to 12:00. On the same square, the Moctezuma palace, a cultural centre with the War of Independence exhibition. The palace of the Águila or del Príncipe, from the 16th and 17th centuries, with coats of arms between a lion and an eagle and a Plateresque patio, is temporarily closed. The episcopal palace, at Calle Díez Taravilla 15, opens its patio Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, from 11:30 to 13:30. In the old town there are also the Casa de la Cadena, Plateresque, with a chain carved into the door frame, and the palace of the first Marquis of Cerralbo, from the 16th century.
The Carnaval del Toro
It is the city's big festival, in February, with bull runs and the Plaza Mayor closed off with barriers. If you want to see it, check dates and programme on its official website, carnavaldeltoro.es, and book accommodation early.
When you finish, the cathedral and the wall walk are a few minutes away. To eat on the same square, under the arcades, there is the Bar Castilla restaurant.

## Dónde comer
- **Parador de Ciudad Rodrigo Restaurant** (Restaurant, Ciudad Rodrigo, €€€). Qué pedir: farinato with eggs, the Ciudad Rodrigo dish, and then morucha beef or Iberian pork.
- **Bar Castilla Restaurant** (Bar, Ciudad Rodrigo, €€). Qué pedir: some raciones on the square, with farinato if they have it.

## As a family: Walls to Walk Along the Top and a Castle with a Garden

Ciudad Rodrigo is a walled city that you walk along the top of: that alone hooks children. Under-10s do not pay at the municipal centres and almost everything is close by.

### What works best
The wall walk, with the bastions and the river view

The Chamber Pot Museum, which makes people of any age laugh

The castle tower, €2, with gardens

The fortifications centre, with guided visits four times a day

### Where to stay
Parador de Ciudad Rodrigo, with a park and a private play area

### Eating
The Parador restaurant, with eggs and farinato to share

### Worth knowing
Some stretches of the wall walk have no parapet: hold hands with little ones

At Carnival, with the bull runs of the Carnaval del Toro, the Plaza Mayor is not for small children

### Qué hacer as a family
- Cathedral of Santa María, Museum and Bell Tower
- The Wall Walk of Ciudad Rodrigo
- Border Fortifications Centre and Chamber Pot Museum
- Keep of the Castle of Enrique II
- Plaza Mayor, Casa Consistorial and the Old Town Palaces

## Consejos

### Enter the cathedral free on weekdays
From Monday to Thursday, 11:00 to 11:30, admission is free, except on public holidays.

### One ticket, two museums
The Fortificaciones and the Museo del Orinal can be seen on the same €5 ticket; under-10s go free.

### Climb the tower at the weekend
Guided visits to the bell tower run from Friday to Sunday, at 13:30 and 17:30.

### Watch the adarve with children
There are stretches without a parapet: hold their hands.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Can you walk along the walls of Ciudad Rodrigo?
Yes, the adarve goes all round the city and is free. You climb up by ramps and stairs next to the gates.

### How much does the cathedral cost?
€8 with an audio guide, €6 or €7 reduced, and free from Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 11:30.

### What is the Carnaval del Toro?
Ciudad Rodrigo's main festival, in February, with bull runs and capeas in the Plaza Mayor.

### What do you eat in Ciudad Rodrigo?
Farinato with eggs, Guijuelo ham, morucha beef and Iberian pork.

### How long does it take from Salamanca?
An hour along the A-62, about 90 km.

### Where can you park?
Outside the wall, on the esplanades by the gates, and enter on foot.