# A weekend at Lake Sanabria, an hour from Zamora Two nights in Puebla de Sanabria to climb to the glacial lagoons, see wolves at Robledo, walk to a waterfall and eat on the Plaza Mayor. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake/itineraries/sanabria-lake-weekend-from-zamora · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Lake Sanabria and Puebla de Sanabria Sanabria is a little over an hour from Zamora and an hour and a half from Ourense or León, and it has enough for a whole weekend without repeating yourself: a medieval town with a castle, the biggest glacial lake in the Peninsula, mountain lagoons you can drive up to, a centre where you can see wolves and half-day trails among oaks and hollies. Sleep in Puebla and get around by car: everything is less than half an hour away. ## Where to sleep AccommodationWhereFor whom Parador de Puebla de SanabriaLower part of the town, with parkingFamilies: seasonal pool, playground, padel Posada Real La CarteríaInside the town, on the RúaCouples: eight rooms, sauna, dining rooms in wine cellars Motorhome areaEl Pinar sports area, 800 m awayMotorhomes: €5 for 24 hours The Parador closes from 3 January to 1 March 2027. ## If you walk more Swap Sunday for the Sotillo waterfall: a 6 km circuit with 400 m of ascent from Sotillo de Sanabria, three hours, among hollies. Or on Saturday, the lake and monks trail: 12 km along the shore and San Martín de Castañeda. For the strongest, from the Laguna de los Peces the route to Peña Trevinca starts, 2,172 m and ten hours: never in fog. ## In summer The plan turns into a lake plan: the beaches of Arenales de Vigo, El Folgoso, Custa Llago and Viquiella in the morning, trails first thing or last. The castle opens in summer from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00, and the Park House every day. The Helios catamaran was in the shipyard in autumn 2026: check before you go. ## El plan ### Friday · 19:00 · Arrival and a walk round the town Leave the car below, beside the Tera, and walk up to the Plaza Mayor at dusk. Dinner at La Cartería, in its wine cellars dug into the slate, or at La Posada, which serves dinner by reservation from 20:30 to 21:15. ### Saturday · 10:00 · Laguna de los Peces and Laguna de las Yeguas Drive up via San Martín de Castañeda, stopping at the lake viewpoints, to the Laguna de los Peces car park. From there, trail 9: 6 km of easy walking to the Laguna de las Yeguas, about two hours. ### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch at La Posada Broad beans and a Sanabria beef T-bone on the Plaza Mayor. The second sitting starts at 15:15. ### Saturday · 16:30 · Monastery of San Martín de Castañeda The Romanesque church and its exhibition, for €1, and the lake at your feet. If you have light to spare, go down to the shore at Custa Llago or El Folgoso. ### Sunday · 10:00 · Iberian Wolf Centre, in Robledo Two guided hours, booked and paid online. Arrive 15 minutes before your time. ### Sunday · 12:30 · Puebla castle Climb the keep before lunch. The joint ticket costs €4. ### Sunday · 14:00 · Lunch and the drive back Lunch at the Parador, with parking next door, and back to Zamora in mid-afternoon. ## Un consejo más Book the Wolf Centre as soon as you decide on the trip: visits run in sittings and you can't get in without a booking. ## Cuándo no ir Summer long weekends if you want calm: the lake fills up and the narrow road to the Laguna de los Peces jams. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Zamora? A little over an hour by car on the A-66 and A-52 to Puebla de Sanabria. ### How much does the weekend cost? It depends mainly on the accommodation. Tickets are cheap: castle €4, monastery €1, Park House €1 and Wolf Centre €8. ### Is it a good plan with children? Yes: castle, wolves, a lagoon you reach on a flat walk and, in summer, a beach. The Parador has a playground and a pool. ### And in winter? The town and the castle, yes. The road to the Laguna de los Peces may have snow, and the monastery is closed from 1 January to 8 February. ### Do I need a car? Yes. The lake, San Martín de Castañeda, the lagoons and Robledo are on different roads, with no practical transport between them. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Parador de Puebla de Sanabria**: The Parador de Puebla de Sanabria is a stone building from the mid-20th century, built for the old State Roadside Inns Network, on Avenida del Lago, in the lower part of the town. It is not a monument like other Paradores: its strengths are the garden, the pool and the setting, with the medieval town above and the Lake Sanabria Natural Park, the largest glacial lake in the peninsula, about 12 km away. Avenue below, castle above From the Parador you walk up to the medieval old town, on the hill surrounded by the rivers Tera and Castro: the Plaza Mayor, the Azogue church and the castle, whose keep houses the fortifications interpretation centre and gives the best views of the surroundings. By car, the lake and its beaches are about fifteen minutes away. On the A-52, it lies between Madrid and Vigo, with exits 79 and 85. Forty-two rooms There are 42 rooms of four types: standard double, superior double, junior suite and accessible double. They have flat-screen television, minibar, a safe with room for a laptop and air conditioning, and you can order breakfast in the room. The hotel has a lift, free wifi and laundry and ironing service. Rates are on the Paradores website, room only, with breakfast or half board. Garden, pool and padel for the children The building is surrounded by a large garden with a seasonal outdoor pool, playground and padel court, and inside there is a children's games room. With small children, they have somewhere to run around without leaving the hotel. Car, bike and electric charging There is free outdoor parking and, for a fee, covered parking and a garage. It has an electric-car charging point and is set up for cycle tourists. The dining room of habones and octopus The restaurant serves Sanabrian cooking, with Castilian, Galician and Portuguese influence: habones, trout, Sanabrian-style octopus, Zamora cheeses, local cured meats and soupy venison rice. Breakfast is from 8:00 to 11:00. In winter, lunches from 13:30 to 15:30 and dinners from 20:30 to 23:00; in summer, from 13:30 to 16:00 and from 21:00 to 23:30. The café is open from 11:00 until 23:30, or until midnight in summer. Winter closure The Parador closes from 3 January to 1 March 2027. - **Posada Real La Cartería**: La Cartería is a Posada Real on the Rúa, the street that climbs through the historic centre of Puebla de Sanabria, tucked inside the walls of the castle of the Counts of Benavente and looking out over the River Tera. The building dates from the 18th century: it was the house where the Cistercian monks of San Martín de Castañeda collected the tithes and later the region's post office, which is where the name comes from. Inside the walls, above the Tera Sleeping here means having the medieval town at your door: the castle, the cobbled streets, the Plaza Mayor and the Giants and Big-Heads Museum are a few steps away, and at night you do not need to take the car. The lake is about 12 km away. You get here by the A-52: exit 79 coming from Madrid and 85 coming from Galicia; from Portugal, via Calabor or Rihonor de Castilla. Eight rooms, five of them suites There are three standard doubles and five suites, one of them a family suite. The adobe, stone and wood walls sit alongside designer furniture. Number 1 has a gallery over the Tera; 5 and 8 are in the attic, with a large bed beneath the roof's structure of poles and reed lath. All have television and minibar, and wifi is free throughout the house. Bookings are made through the booking engine on its website. Sauna, Turkish bath and library The inn has a wellness area with gym, sauna, Turkish bath and Scotch shower. There are two guest lounges with a reading area, television and a computer with internet, and a terrace towards the wall. Eating in cellars cut into the slate The dining rooms are former medieval cellars cut into the slate on which the town sits. The cooking is home-style and local: habones, beef, Tera trout, and also mushrooms, game and more modern dishes, with wines mostly from the Duero. For something light, the café serves tostas by the fireplace, with views of the river. If you prefer to eat out, La Posada, on the Plaza Mayor, has habones and Sanabrian beef chuletón. Excursions from the Rúa By car, the lake and monks trail and the monastery of San Martín de Castañeda, the very one that collected tithes here, are about twenty minutes away. In September and October, the deer rut in the Sierra de la Culebra is about 40 minutes away.