# Cerca de Salamanca

Salamanca is at the crossing of the Ruta de la Plata with the Portugal motorway. To the north are Zamora and Sanabria; to the south, the Sierra de Francia, Hervás and the Jerte; to the west, Ciudad Rodrigo, and to the east, Ávila and Gredos.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/salamanca/getaways

## Planes de un día
- [Zamora: Romanesque, Cuzeo and the Duero](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/zamora/itineraries/romanesque-guided-tour-cathedral-and-duero.md) (55 min en coche): The 11:00 "Romanesque Zamora" guided tour with the cathedral inside, the castle, La Culebra game and Fuentesaúco chickpeas at Cuzeo and a walk along the Duero to the Puente de Piedra.
- [Ciudad Rodrigo: walls and Parador](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/ciudad-rodrigo/itineraries/cathedral-parador-and-city-walls.md) (1 h 5 en coche): The Plaza Mayor, the cathedral and its tower, the exhibition on Wellington and Napoleon, farinato with eggs at the Parador and a circuit of the town along the wall walk.
- [La Alberca: village, portraits and summit](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/la-alberca/itineraries/la-alberca-mogarraz-and-pena-de-francia.md) (1 h 5 en coche): La Alberca first thing, the portraits on the façades of Mogarraz, mountain cooking with views and the climb to the Peña de Francia sanctuary in the afternoon.
- [Vía Verde by bike and the Jewish quarter](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/hervas-and-the-ambroz-valley/itineraries/greenway-by-bike-and-nardi.md) (1 h 14 en coche): You are driven up to Béjar and ride 23 km down the old railway to Hervás; you eat in the village and in the afternoon stroll the Jewish quarter to the Fuente Chiquita bridge.
- [Ávila: wall and Cuatro Postes](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/avila/itineraries/avila-city-walls-and-cuatro-postes-at-dusk.md) (1 h 16 en coche): You walk along the top of the city wall, see the cathedral built into it, eat El Barco beans, step into San Vicente and finish at the Cuatro Postes with the wall lit up.
- [Gredos: Laguna Grande and revolconas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-laguna-grande-and-lunch-in-hoyos-del-espino.md) (1 h 45 en coche): A five-hour route from the Plataforma to the Laguna Grande, at the foot of the Gredos cirque, and a late lunch of revolconas and Ávila meat in Hoyos del Espino.
- [Los Pilones and the Caozo waterfall](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/jerte-valley/itineraries/jerte-valley-los-pilones-and-caozo-waterfall.md) (1 h 50 en coche): A morning walk to the granite pools of Los Pilones, Sunday lunch in Valdastillas and, in the afternoon, the Caozo waterfall among terraced cherry orchards.
- [Sanabria: castle, square and lake](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake/itineraries/sanabria-puebla-castle-and-monastery-by-the-lake.md) (1 h 55 en coche): The medieval village of Puebla and its castle in the morning, broad beans and Sanabria veal on the Plaza Mayor and, in the afternoon, the lake from San Martín de Castañeda.
- [Culebra: guided rut and Sanabria](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake/itineraries/saturday-of-the-rut-and-lunch-in-puebla.md) (1 h 55 en coche): The castle and old town of Puebla de Sanabria in the morning, habones and veal in the Plaza Mayor and, as evening falls, rutting stags with a Culebra guide. An hour and a quarter from Zamora.
- [Monfragüe by 4x4 with a guide](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-guided-4x4-and-roast-lunch.md) (1 h 57 en coche): Four hours in an off-road vehicle with an authorised guide along the tracks and dehesas of Monfragüe, the Salto del Gitano and a wood-fired roast before heading home.
- [Monfragüe by car: vultures and castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-salto-del-gitano-castle-and-portilla-del-tietar.md) (1 h 57 en coche): A morning at the Salto del Gitano and the castle tower, lunch with a view in Torrejón el Rubio and an afternoon at the Tiétar viewpoints. All beside the car and free.
- [Carraovejas, castle and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/long-tasting-castle-and-roast-lamb.md) (2 h 15 en coche): You leave the car at the hotel, taste four wines at Pago de Carraovejas, climb up to the wine castle, have lamb beside the Duratón and dine and sleep in a 1922 flour mill. Wednesday to Sunday.
- [Cáceres: towers, palace and cistern](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/caceres/itineraries/bujaco-golfines-and-cistern.md) (2 h 21 en coche): The Torre de Bujaco, the Golfines de Abajo palace with a guide, the cistern at the Museo de Cáceres and lunch at the parador; an afternoon of squares and churches.
- [Cáceres and Trujillo: King's Landing and Casterly Rock](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/caceres/itineraries/kings-landing-and-casterly-rock.md) (2 h 21 en coche): A free film tour through the Cáceres of Euron Greyjoy, the Plaza de Santa María and San Jorge, Extremaduran lunch and, in the afternoon, Casterly Rock at Trujillo castle.

## Two motorways cross and share out almost everything

Two motorways cross at Salamanca and share out almost all the routes. The A-66, the Ruta de la Plata, climbs north to [Zamora](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/zamora) and Benavente, where the A-52 continues to [Sanabria lake](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake); to the south it drops via Béjar to [Hervás](/en/spain/extremadura/hervas-and-the-ambroz-valley) and Plasencia, the gateway to the [Jerte Valley](/en/spain/extremadura/jerte-valley) and [Monfragüe](/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague). The A-62 leaves for Portugal and in about 90 km reaches [Ciudad Rodrigo](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/ciudad-rodrigo). The A-50 goes east, to [Ávila](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/avila), and via El Barco de Ávila you reach the [Sierra de Gredos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos). The Sierra de Francia has no motorway: you go via Vecinos and Tamames, about 75 km to [La Alberca](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/la-alberca).

Without a car there is little, but there is something. The medium-distance trains to Madrid stop at Ávila. To La Alberca a scheduled bus runs on Sundays, leaving the Salamanca station at 10:00 and returning in the afternoon; Mogarraz and the Peña de Francia have no bus that day, so without a car you stay in the village. To Hervás there is no train, and the valley buses are no use for a return trip on a Sunday.

## The 11:00 tour of Zamora's Romanesque

**Under an hour** there is only Zamora (55 minutes): the 11:00 guided tour of the Romanesque, with the cathedral inside, the castle and the Duero walk to the Stone Bridge.

The bulk of the Sundays is **between one hour and an hour and a quarter**, in three directions. To the west, Ciudad Rodrigo (65 minutes), entirely walled, with the cathedral, the Parador inside the castle and the walk round the wall walk. To the south, La Alberca (65), with Mogarraz and its portraits on the façades, and Hervás (74), with the Vía Verde de la Plata and the Jewish quarter. To the east, Ávila (76), with the wall, the cathedral built into it and the Cuatro Postes.

**Between an hour and three quarters and two hours** the day gets tight: the [Laguna Grande de Gredos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-laguna-grande-and-lunch-in-hoyos-del-espino) (105 minutes), the Jerte Valley (110), Sanabria (115), with the town of Puebla and the lake, and Monfragüe (117), seen from the viewpoints or [on a guided 4x4](/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-guided-4x4-and-roast-lunch). Several work for two nights: [Gredos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-weekend-from-madrid-laguna-grande), [Sanabria lake](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake/itineraries/sanabria-lake-weekend-from-zamora) or [the birds of Monfragüe](/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-birdwatching-weekend-from-madrid).

**From two hours** the trip calls for a night: [El Escorial, monastery and forest](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/el-escorial-monastery-and-forest-weekend) (120 minutes), [Segovia with a balloon at dawn](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia/itineraries/segovia-balloon-at-dawn-weekend) (127), [Peñafiel and the Ribera del Duero](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/penafiel-ribera-del-duero-wine-weekend) (135) and [Sepúlveda and the Duratón Gorges](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-weekend-sepulveda) (170). [Monumental Cáceres](/en/spain/extremadura/caceres/itineraries/bujaco-golfines-and-cistern), two hours twenty away, still fits into a long Sunday.

## Ciudad Rodrigo fills up at Carnival

In winter the cities work: Zamora, Ávila, with the wall open 10:00 to 18:00 and closed on Mondays from the end of October to the end of March, and Ciudad Rodrigo, except at Carnival, in February, when the bull runs fill it. For snow, the [ski and snowshoe weekend in Guadarrama](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/ski-and-snowshoeing-near-madrid-navacerrada) is two and a half hours away.

In spring, between the end of March and mid-April, the cherry trees blossom and the Caozo waterfall runs between white orchards on the [Sunday at Los Pilones](/en/spain/extremadura/jerte-valley/itineraries/jerte-valley-los-pilones-and-caozo-waterfall). From March to May the birds of Monfragüe nest, and it is a good season for La Alberca and Ciudad Rodrigo.

In summer it is best to go up or get wet. The Laguna Grande is a five-hour route to do from May to October, with access to the Plataforma regulated: arrive before nine. In June and July there is swimming at Los Pilones, and at Sanabria, beaches on the lake. Cáceres is not recommended in July and August, and at Monfragüe it is best to bring the start forward and leave the afternoon for when the sun goes down.

Autumn is the season of the southern sierra. In October and November, the golden chestnut trees of [La Alberca, Mogarraz and the Peña de Francia](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/la-alberca/itineraries/la-alberca-mogarraz-and-pena-de-francia) and the [Vía Verde by bike to Hervás](/en/spain/extremadura/hervas-and-the-ambroz-valley/itineraries/greenway-by-bike-and-nardi), with the Otoño Mágico of the Ambroz Valley. From mid-September to mid-October, the [rut in the Sierra de la Culebra](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake/itineraries/saturday-of-the-rut-and-lunch-in-puebla), with a guide and the date fixed beforehand.

## The Ciudad Rodrigo cathedral tower at 13:30

- **Under an hour:** [Romanesque Zamora on a Sunday](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/zamora/itineraries/romanesque-guided-tour-cathedral-and-duero). The 11:00 guided tour with the cathedral, the castle, Zamoran cooking and the Duero to the Stone Bridge.
- **Towards the border:** [Ciudad Rodrigo, cathedral, Parador and wall](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/ciudad-rodrigo/itineraries/cathedral-parador-and-city-walls). An hour along the A-62, the cathedral tower at 13:30 and the walk round the wall walk at dusk.
- **With two nights:** [La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/la-alberca/itineraries/la-alberca-sierra-de-francia-weekend). An hour away, to go down to Las Batuecas, climb the Peña de Francia and eat patatas meneás.