Hotel Rural Covarrubias
Why we like it: Family-run hotel with eight rooms in a restored manor house in Covarrubias, opened in 2022, with a pool, garden and free private parking.
Duration1 night
From Burgos40 min by car
Best timeApril – June · October
Budget€120–200 pp
Getting thereBy car
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving on Saturday morning and sleeping in Silos. Book Saturday's lunch at Casa Galín first and, if you want the ferrata or the guided route, the activity with Pedrete Guiados.
Saturday
- 110:30Covarrubias
Plaza de Doña Urraca, the collegiate church of San Cosme y San Damián (closed on Tuesdays) and the Fernán González tower, with its exhibition of siege weapons. In autumn, the tower opens at weekends from 11:30 to 14:30.
- 214:00Olla podrida at Casa Galín
On Plaza de Doña Urraca: olla podrida with red beans, roast lamb and wine from the Arlanza D.O. Book.
- 316:30San Pedro de Arlanza and the chapel of San Olav
The ruins of the monastery, in a bend of the river, free and unguided; closed on the second weekend of each month. On the way back, the Norwegian chapel of San Olav opens on Saturday afternoons, except from December to February.
- 419:00Vespers in Silos
Leave your bags at the hotel and go into the abbey church: the monks sing vespers in Gregorian chant at 19:00, and compline at 21:40.
- 521:00Dinner in Silos
At the Tres Coronas grill or the restaurant of the Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos: roasts, black pudding and Ibeas red beans.
Sunday
- 110:00Ferrata or a route through the juniper woods
The Arauzo de Miel via ferrata or the guided route from Hortigüela, booked beforehand with Pedrete Guiados.
- 212:00Mass with chant or the cloister
On Sunday, conventual mass is at 11:00 and the cloister opens from 12:00 to 13:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00. If you come from the ferrata, go in in the afternoon.
- 316:00Cloister and La Yecla
The Romanesque cloister, the pharmacy and the museum, €4. Then the La Yecla walkways, 3 km away, before heading home.
The Arlanza valley can be seen in a day, but it is understood with a night. Covarrubias and Silos are 40 minutes and an hour from Burgos, an hour and a half from Palencia and Valladolid and a little under three hours from Madrid or Bilbao. This weekend splits Saturday between Covarrubias and the ruins of San Pedro de Arlanza, sleeps in Silos to hear vespers and compline unhurried, and leaves Sunday for the cloister, La Yecla and an outdoor activity: a guided via ferrata or a route through the thousand-year-old juniper woods of the natural park.
Where to sleep?
In Silos, to have the monastery at the door. The Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos is opposite its walls, with hostel-style rooms, hotel rooms and rooms with whirlpool baths, a garage and a restaurant. The Hotel Tres Coronas, on the Plaza Mayor, has 15 rooms and a wood-fired grill restaurant. If you prefer Covarrubias, the Hotel Rural Covarrubias has eight rooms, a pool and its own parking, and the Nuevo Arlanza is on the same square.
What to do outdoors?
Two activities with a guide from Pedrete Guiados, an active tourism company in Burgos. The introductory Arauzo de Miel via ferrata, 15 km from Silos: two hours, from age 8, €25 to €60 per person depending on how many of you there are. Or the guided route through the Sabinares del Arlanza from Hortigüela: 4 km and three hours, from age 5, €18 to €25. Without a guide, the La Yecla walkways can be done in a quarter of an hour.
Getting around
By car: there is no other way to link these places. Covarrubias to Silos, about 25 minutes via San Pedro de Arlanza and Hortigüela; Silos to La Yecla, 3 km; Silos to Arauzo de Miel, about 15 km. Leave the car outside the old towns.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Covarrubias and Santo Domingo de Silos, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Covarrubias and Santo Domingo de Silos
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
By car through the Arlanza valley
Without a car this getaway does not work: Covarrubias, San Pedro de Arlanza, Silos and La Yecla are on minor roads and there is no useful bus on Sunday. With a car, everything is within half an hour of everything else. Leave the car outside the old towns and walk in.
70–130 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Rural Covarrubias, eight rooms…
- Getting aroundBurgos – Covarrubias, about 40…
- Where to eatCasa Galín, in Covarrubias, on…
- ServicesLa Yecla gorge car park…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Rural Covarrubias, eight rooms, with free private parking
- Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos, opposite the monastery, with a garage
- Hotel Nuevo Arlanza, on the square in Covarrubias
Getting around
- Burgos – Covarrubias, about 40 km and 40 minutes, leaving by the N-234 towards Soria
- Covarrubias – Silos, about 25 minutes by the BU-905, passing San Pedro de Arlanza and Hortigüela
- Silos – La Yecla, 3 km by the BU-910
Where to eat
- Casa Galín, in Covarrubias, on Sunday lunchtime
- The grill at the Tres Coronas, in Silos, with lamb from the wood-fired oven
Services
- La Yecla gorge car park, on the BU-910
- Information at the Covarrubias town hall, Monday to Friday mornings
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights1
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're driving
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Hotel Nuevo Arlanza
Why we like it: Three-star hotel on Plaza de Doña Urraca in Covarrubias, with 45 rooms in Castilian decor and a restaurant serving lamb and blood sausage.
Hotel Tres Coronas de Silos
Why we like it: Stone hotel on the Plaza Mayor of Santo Domingo de Silos, with 15 outward-facing double rooms and a grill restaurant with a wood-fired oven.
From €99
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Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos
Why we like it: Family-run hotel opposite the Silos monastery with guesthouse-style, three-star and hot-tub rooms, apartments with a pool and a garage.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Covarrubias | Timber-framed old town, tower, olla podrida | |
| Santo Domingo de Silos | Cloister, vespers, hotels opposite the monastery | |
| Hortigüela and La Yecla | Arlanza ruins, juniper woods, gorge |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Covarrubias and Santo Domingo de Silos
Casa Galín
What to order: the olla podrida, the house dish, and roast lamb as a main; or the €38.90 tasting menu.
Asador Casa Emeterio, at the Hotel Tres Coronas
What to order: the roast lamb, the speciality of the wood-fired oven.
Restaurant at the Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos
What to order: Ibeas red beans or Castilian soup, and a roast as a main; for dessert, curd cheese or rice pudding.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Bring walking boots even if you don't do the ferrata: at La Yecla the walkways and steps get wet and in winter can freeze.
We'd skip it
The second weekend of each month, if you want to get into San Pedro de Arlanza or the Visigothic chapel of Quintanilla de las Viñas: both close.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Burgos?
About 40 minutes to Covarrubias and around an hour to Silos.
Do I need to book for vespers?
No. The church is open to the public for the services; you enter in silence.
Is the ferrata for beginners?
The Arauzo de Miel one is grade K2-K3, introductory, with a guide and equipment, from age 8.
How much does the weekend cost?
Between €120 and €200 per person with one hotel night, two meals, tickets and one guided activity.
Can I go with children?
Yes: the tower, La Yecla and the cloister, free for under-12s, work well, and the juniper woods route admits children from age 5.