Lake Sanabria and the town that watches over it from its castle.

Lake Sanabria is the largest lake of glacial origin on the Iberian Peninsula, in the north-west of Zamora, surrounded by oak trees and with more than twenty lagoons in the sierra that feeds it. Fifteen minutes away, Puebla de Sanabria climbs a slate hillside up to its castle. A day is enough for the town and the shore; two, for going up to the mountain lagoons and doing a proper hike.

How do I get there from Zamora?

By the A-66 towards Benavente and the A-52 towards Ourense, to exit 79 for Puebla de Sanabria: a little over an hour. From Ourense, along the A-52 in the opposite direction, exit 85, around an hour and a half; from León, via Benavente, a little more. From Puebla to the lake it is about 15 minutes along the ZA-104, which passes the Park Visitor Centre, at the Rabanillo roundabout, and continues along the shore to Ribadelago.

Where do I park?

In Puebla, in the lower part, next to the river and the Parador. The Plaza Mayor only admits cars out of season: not at Easter, nor at weekends until 30 June, nor in July, August and September. At the lake, each beach has its car park beside the road. The Laguna de los Peces has a car park at the top, at the end of the San Martín de Castañeda road. For motorhomes there is a municipal area in Puebla, at €5 for 24 hours.

How much time do I need?

A day: the town and castle in the morning, lunch in the Plaza Mayor and the lake shore or San Martín de Castañeda in the afternoon. Two days: add the climb to the Laguna de los Peces, a route such as the Sotillo waterfall or the lake and monks path, and the Iberian Wolf Centre at Robledo, by reservation.

When should I go?

In summer the lake is a beach: Arenales de Vigo, El Folgoso, Custa Llago and Viquiella, with cold water even in August. In September and October the routes are better, with fewer people. In winter it snows in the sierra; the town, with its Christmas lighting, also has its audience. The Park Visitor Centre is open Thursday to Sunday in autumn and every day in summer.

What to see in the town

The castle of the Counts of Benavente houses the tourist office and a visitor centre; the joint ticket, with the Giants and Big-Heads museum, costs €4. Around it, the Plaza Mayor, the town hall and the church of El Azogue, and the streets that go down towards the Tera between houses with coats of arms.

What to do at the lake and in the sierra

Beside the north shore, San Martín de Castañeda looks out over the lake from above, with the Romanesque church of its Cistercian monastery. The road keeps climbing to the Laguna de los Peces, on the plateau of the Sierra Segundera, from where an easy 6 km walk leaves for the Laguna de las Yeguas. For more walking, the Junta has signposted the lake and monks path, 12 km, and the Sotillo waterfall, 6 km with 400 m of ascent among hollies. South of Puebla, at Robledo, the Iberian Wolf Centre shows wolves in large enclosures, in two-hour guided visits.

The Helios catamaran, which used to leave from Custa Llago beach, was in the shipyard in autumn 2026: ask at the Park Visitor Centre whether it is back.

Eating and sleeping

In the Plaza Mayor, La Posada serves broad beans, boletus mushrooms and Sanabria beef chuletón every day except Wednesday. The Parador has a Sanabrian-cuisine restaurant, with octopus and game. La Cartería serves meals in three cellars dug into the slate. To sleep, the Parador, with a garden and seasonal pool, or the eight rooms of La Cartería, inside the town.