Plaza Mayor, Casa Consistorial and the Old Town Palaces

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.