# A weekend in Covarrubias and Silos, an hour from Burgos A night opposite the Silos monastery to hear vespers without watching the clock, Covarrubias and its olla podrida, La Yecla and a ferrata or a guided route through the juniper woods. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos/itineraries/covarrubias-silos-gregorian-chant-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Covarrubias and Santo Domingo de Silos 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. ## El plan ### Saturday · 10:30 · Covarrubias 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. ### Saturday · 14:00 · Olla podrida at Casa Galín On Plaza de Doña Urraca: olla podrida with red beans, roast lamb and wine from the Arlanza D.O. Book. ### Saturday · 16:30 · San 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. ### Saturday · 19:00 · Vespers 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. ### Saturday · 21:00 · Dinner 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 · 10:00 · Ferrata or a route through the juniper woods The Arauzo de Miel via ferrata or the guided route from Hortigüela, booked beforehand with Pedrete Guiados. ### Sunday · 12:00 · Mass 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. ### Sunday · 16:00 · Cloister and La Yecla The Romanesque cloister, the pharmacy and the museum, €4. Then the La Yecla walkways, 3 km away, before heading home. ## Un consejo más 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. ## Cuándo no ir 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. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### 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. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Rural Covarrubias**: The Hotel Rural Covarrubias is a local family's big old house, converted into a small three-star hotel that opened on 1 April 2022. It is on Calle Viña Vieja, a two-minute walk from the historic centre: close enough to do everything on foot and far enough not to hear the square at night. Covarrubias lies inside the Sabinares del Arlanza-La Yecla Natural Park, and the hotel presents itself as a base for exploring it. Eight rooms, one adapted It has eight rooms, doubles or triples, for 18 people in all. Some rooms have a double bed and others two beds; all have air conditioning, heating, fibre wifi and a hairdryer in the bathroom. One of them has the room and bathroom adapted for people with reduced mobility. The hotel serves breakfast. Pool, garden and free parking In summer there is a pool and a green area with a garden. In front of the hotel there is a small free private car park and, about a hundred metres away, an electric-car charging point. In Covarrubias, where the old town is not made for cars, sleeping with your car parked at the door is a comfort. From the door On foot, in two or three minutes, you reach Plaza de Doña Urraca, the collegiate church of San Cosme and San Damián and the tower. By car, the ruins of San Pedro de Arlanza and the Visigothic chapel of Quintanilla de las Viñas are about twenty minutes away; Santo Domingo de Silos is half an hour, and Burgos about 30 or 40 minutes. For a meal in the village, Casa Galín, on the square, serves the olla podrida of Covarrubias and a menu of the day at €17.80. Cycling and walking routes The owners know the area and advise on mountain bike routes, from tracks without much climbing to technical trails, and on walks in the natural park. If you prefer a guide, the guided walk through the Arlanza juniper woods starts in Hortigüela, a few kilometres away. Two phone numbers and an email By phone or WhatsApp on 667 602 084 or 637 844 830, or at info@hotelcovarrubias.com; the website advertises its best price for direct bookings. It does not publish a pet policy or check-in and check-out times: ask when you book. - **Hotel Nuevo Arlanza**: The Nuevo Arlanza is at number 11 Plaza de Doña Urraca, the main square of Covarrubias, the one with the town hall and the timber-framed houses all around. It is a refurbished three-star hotel belonging to the Amcotur Group, with 45 rooms and a restaurant for a hundred people. All of Covarrubias on foot From the door you can walk in two or three minutes to the collegiate church of San Cosme and San Damián, with the tombs of Fernán González and Princess Kristina of Norway, and to the Fernán González tower, beside the river. For what lies outside the village you need a car: the ruins of San Pedro de Arlanza, the Visigothic chapel of Quintanilla de las Viñas, about twenty minutes away, and Santo Domingo de Silos, half an hour. Forty-five rooms, mostly doubles Of the 45 rooms, most are doubles; there are also two quadruples, two triples and three singles. All have a full bathroom, wifi, a plasma television, heating and air conditioning. The decor blends rural Castilian style with practicality, with nods to the village's medieval atmosphere. There are only a few quadruples and triples: if you are travelling as a family, book them early. A restaurant for a hundred The hotel dining room seats about a hundred and cooks local food: Burgos lamb, blood sausage, seasonal mushrooms, trout and wines from the area, which is the D.O. Arlanza. The hotel also organises medieval dinners and family and corporate celebrations. The website does not publish a menu, prices or hours; if you want an alternative on the same square, Casa Galín serves the olla podrida of Covarrubias. Booking and parking A booking made on its website is normally paid for at the hotel; the card only serves as a guarantee, except on prepaid or non-refundable rates, which cannot be cancelled. A confirmation email follows. The website does not publish prices, check-in and check-out times, pet policy or whether it has its own car park: ask on 947 400 511. The old town of Covarrubias is small, with narrow streets: leave your car in the car parks on the outskirts, beside the river Arlanza, and walk into the square. - **Hotel Tres Coronas de Silos**, desde 99 € / night: The Tres Coronas is a stone manor house on the Plaza Mayor of Santo Domingo de Silos, the village of the Romanesque cloister and Gregorian chant, about 55 km south of Burgos. It has 15 rooms and a grill with a wood-fired oven, and from the door to the monastery church it is a couple of minutes' walk. The staircase up to the rooms already sets the mood of another era. On the square, two minutes from vespers Sleeping on the Plaza Mayor lets you do what a day trip does not: stay for vespers with Gregorian chant in the evening, have dinner without a car and enter the cloister on the first visit of the morning. The Yecla gorge is a few minutes away by car. Fifteen outward-facing doubles All 15 rooms are doubles, all outward-facing, and some have views of the square. Six have a double bed and in four others an extra bed can be added for a third person. All have a full bathroom, television, telephone, internet, hairdryer and central heating. Published prices The hotel publishes its rates, VAT included and subject to change: Standard double, outward-facing, Castilian style: €99 to €139 a night. Premium double, with breakfast: €155 to €175. Cot or extra bed: €25. Breakfast: €12.50 per person. Half board, with drinks: €90 per person per day; full board, €110. Weekend package: two people, two nights, four breakfasts and four dinners, two of them tasting dinners of local food with its Gin Silos, for €395. January to March, with a minimum of three nights, there is a lower price per person per day. Reception from 8:00 to 24:00 Reception is open from 8:00 to midnight and closed from 0:00 to 8:00: if you are going to arrive late, let them know beforehand. The bar and dining room are accessible to people with reduced mobility. The Asador Casa Emeterio, on the ground floor, makes wood-fired roast lamb its signature dish, with an average price of about €26. Via Covarrubias or via Lerma From Burgos, take the N-234 and the BU-901 via Covarrubias, or the A-1 to Lerma, 30 km from Silos. From Aranda de Duero it is 41 km along the BU-910. From Madrid, Bilbao, Valladolid or Santander you can get there in under two hours, according to the hotel. - **Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos**: The Hotel Santo Domingo de Silos stands right opposite the monastery walls: you step out of the door and the entrance to the cloister and the church where vespers are sung is in front of you. It is run by a family, has a stone manor-house façade and, inside, wooden staircases and beams and labyrinthine corridors. Silos is on the Way of El Cid and the Castilian Language Route, about 55 km from Burgos. Three hotels in one: guesthouse, three-star and extension The house brings together three types of room under one roof: Guesthouse: simple, inexpensive rooms. Three-star hotel: the main part; some rooms have a hot tub. Extension: the most complete rooms, all with a hot tub. Each room has its own decor, with wood and natural light; many keep old washstands as ornaments, and the attic rooms have sloping beams and skylights. In the booking system they are chosen as standard or premium. If you want your window to face the monastery, ask when you book. Apartments and houses for families For those who prefer to cook or are travelling in a group, the hotel rents apartments in a new rustic building next to the hotel, with a shared pool, and four rural houses, some traditional in style and others more modern, with the hotel's services close at hand. If you cancel an apartment booking, they charge the first night, but keep it for you to use within a year. Café, dining room and garage The café is the centre of the house and is open to the public, with tapas, raciones and sandwiches. The hotel restaurant serves Burgos cooking with wood-fired roasts (€28.50 per person for lamb, kid or suckling pig) and menus at €29 and €42. It has its own garage and car park and a reception with tourist information. What to do from here The cloister and the vespers with Gregorian chant are at the door. By car, the Yecla gorge is a few minutes away and Covarrubias half an hour; Lerma is about 30 km. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times, the price of breakfast or the pet policy: ask on 947 39 00 53, by WhatsApp on 947 92 64 09 or at reservas@hotelsantodomingodesilos.com.