Hotel Abadía de los Templarios
Why we like it: Superior four-star hotel on the outskirts of La Alberca, with spa, rooms with fireplaces and 47 duplex villas that accept pets.
From €138
View details
Duration2 nights
From Salamanca1 h by car
Best timeOctober – November, April – June
Budget€170–280 pp
Getting thereBy car
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving on Friday evening and returning on Sunday after lunch. The Park House opens Friday to Sunday: call by first thing on Saturday.
Friday
- 119:00Arrival and a walk round La Alberca
Park, drop your bag and go out into the streets in the evening light. Dinner on the Plaza Mayor.
Saturday
- 19:30Park House
On the Las Batuecas road, open Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00. A model of the sierra and the condition of the trails.
- 210:30Down to the Las Batuecas valley
On foot along the PRSA-10 (8 km, four hours, 650 m of ascent, high difficulty) or by car to the Portillo and the monastery, and a walk along the valley to the shelters with rock paintings. Stay on the path.
- 314:30Kid at La Catedral
The grill on the Plaza Mayor: La Alberca bean casserole, patatas meneás and grilled kid or roast lamb from the wood oven. Book.
- 417:30Sunset at the Peña de Francia
A little under half an hour by car to the sanctuary, above 1,700 m. The Blanca chapel, the Santiago balcony and the whole sierra at your feet. Bring a coat.
Sunday
- 110:00Mogarraz and its portraits
Ten minutes by car. Neighbours' faces on the façades. If you want to walk, the Camino del Agua: a 6 km loop, two hours.
- 212:30Miranda del Castañar
The town inside its wall, with the castle at one end. An hour.
- 314:00Lunch at the Mirasierra and the drive back
Back in Mogarraz, a dining room with views and mountain cooking. Then back to Salamanca in a little over an hour.
The Sierra de Francia asks for two nights: one for La Alberca and its streets, another for heading out into the sierra. It is an hour from Salamanca, about two from Zamora and Cáceres and three from Madrid, and in autumn, with the golden chestnut trees, it is one of the prettiest inland getaways in Spain. This plan sleeps in La Alberca and goes out each day to a different place: the Las Batuecas valley and its rock paintings on Saturday morning, the Peña de Francia at sunset, and on Sunday Mogarraz and Miranda del Castañar before lunch.
Where to sleep?
In La Alberca, to walk out and back to the Plaza Mayor. The Hotel Batuecas, the first in the village, from 1959, has private parking and suites for four. The Hotel Doña Teresa is a hundred metres from the square, with cabinet-maker's furniture and views of the Peña de Francia. If you want a spa or come with a dog, the Abadía de los Templarios, a kilometre and a half away, has villas that admit pets, a spa and activities. With a tent or motorhome, Camping Al-Bereka, two kilometres away, has bungalows and pools.
What changes with the season
In autumn, the whole plan, and if it coincides, the Magosto with chestnuts roasted in the street. In spring, water runs in the fountains and the gorges. In summer, do Las Batuecas very early and leave the Peña for the afternoon; on 15 August the village is celebrating and full. In winter, check the weather: with snow the Peña de Francia can't be climbed and the PRSA-10 is not recommended in rain.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia, 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 La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia
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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.
La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia by car
The car is the natural way to tour the sierra: La Alberca, Mogarraz, Miranda del Castañar, the Peña de Francia and the Portillo de Las Batuecas are all less than half an hour from each other. From Salamanca it is about 77 km, a little over an hour.
70–130 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Batuecas, with private parking…
- Getting aroundLeave the car outside the…
- Where to eatLa Catedral, grill on the…
- ServicesTourist office at Plaza Mayor…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Batuecas, with private parking next to the old town
- Hotel Abadía de los Templarios, with spa and villas
- Hotel Antiguas Eras, five minutes from the square
- Al-Bereka Campsite, 2 km away, with bungalows
Getting around
- Leave the car outside the old town: La Alberca's streets are stone and narrow
- The climb to the Peña de Francia has a narrow, winding last stretch
Where to eat
- La Catedral, grill on the Plaza Mayor
- Mirasierra, in Mogarraz, with views
Services
- Tourist office at Plaza Mayor 11
La Alberca without a car
There is a scheduled bus from Salamanca every day, also on Sunday, and La Alberca is toured on foot. What you cannot reach without a car is the Peña de Francia or the Las Batuecas valley, except by walking the waymarked paths that leave the village.
60–110 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Doña Teresa, a hundred…
- Getting aroundAutocares V. Cosme bus from…
- Where to eatLa Catedral, on the Plaza…
- ServicesTourist office at Plaza Mayor…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Doña Teresa, a hundred metres from the Plaza Mayor
- Hotel Batuecas, a few metres from the old town
Getting around
- Autocares V. Cosme bus from the Salamanca station
- On foot, the Camino de las Raíces (8 km) and the PRSA-10 to Las Batuecas leave from the village
Where to eat
- La Catedral, on the Plaza Mayor
Services
- Tourist office at Plaza Mayor 11
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a car
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Hotel Doña Teresa
Why we like it: Hotel in the old town of La Alberca, 100 metres from the Plaza Mayor, with cabinet-made furniture, embroidered bedspreads and views of the sierra and the Peña de Francia.
Hotel Batuecas
Why we like it: La Alberca's first hotel, opened in 1959, a few metres from the old town; 34 rooms, family junior suites, garden and private parking.
Al-Bereka Campsite
Why we like it: Campsite with apartments and bungalows 2 km from La Alberca, among oaks and chestnuts, with two pools, a playground and barbecue; pets accepted.
From €6
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Hotel Antiguas Eras
Why we like it: Three-star hotel in sierra-style architecture, surrounded by trees, a five-minute walk from the Plaza Mayor; breakfast included when booking on its website.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia
Mirasierra Restaurant
What to order: patatas meneás and limón serrano to share, and spit-roast kid or grilled morucha T-bone; ask for La Salita.
La Catedral, grill inn
What to order: grilled kid or wood-fired roast lamb shoulder; to start, the La Alberca bean casserole.
Las Bóvedas Restaurant
What to order: a wood-fired roast from the seasonal menu.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Before you leave, buy nougat, perrunillas biscuits, honey or sierra cured meats in La Alberca to take home.
We'd skip it
The PRSA-10 with small children: the return is all uphill. With them, drive down to the valley and do the accessible 1.5 km trail.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Salamanca?
A little over an hour by car, about 75 km. From Madrid, about three hours.
How much does the weekend cost?
About €170–280 per person with two nights, meals and fuel. The visits are free.
Can I bring a dog?
Yes: in the streets and on public paths, on a lead. The villas of the Abadía de los Templarios and Camping Al-Bereka admit pets.
Can the Las Batuecas paintings be seen?
Yes, from the trail that goes up the valley from the monastery, or on the PRSA-10 from La Alberca.
Do I need to book?
Accommodation in autumn and on long weekends, well ahead. Weekend meals too.