# Cerca de Valladolid

From Valladolid you head out following the Duero and the plateau. To the east, Peñafiel and the Ribera; to the west, Zamora and Salamanca; to the south, Segovia, Guadarrama and Gredos; to the north, Burgos, Atapuerca and the Romanesque of Aguilar de Campoo.

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

## Planes de un día
- [Carraovejas, castle and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/long-tasting-castle-and-roast-lamb.md) (50 min 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.
- [Peñafiel: castle, lamb and winery](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/penafiel-castle-roast-lamb-and-winery.md) (50 min en coche): The ship-shaped castle and the Provincial Wine Museum in the morning, the Plaza del Coso, wood-fired roast lamb and a visit with tasting at a winery in the village.
- [Salamanca: the frog, the cathedrals and Bambú](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/salamanca/itineraries/university-cathedrals-and-tapas.md) (1 h 20 en coche): The University and its frog in the morning, the Plaza Mayor, tapas and grilled food at Bambú, the two cathedrals in the afternoon and the Roman Bridge before you head home.
- [Zamora: Romanesque, Cuzeo and the Duero](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/zamora/itineraries/romanesque-guided-tour-cathedral-and-duero.md) (1 h 21 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.
- [Segovia: Aqueduct, Alcázar and suckling pig](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia/itineraries/segovia-aqueduct-mint-and-roast-suckling-pig-day-trip.md) (1 h 29 en coche): The Aqueduct before the groups, the Mint by the river, suckling pig at the Azoguejo and the afternoon for the cathedral and the Alcázar. Doable without a car, too.
- [Burgos: cathedral, castle and lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos/itineraries/cathedral-castle-and-roast-lamb.md) (1 h 33 en coche): The cathedral first thing, the merchants' churches, the castle reopened in 2026 and its viewpoint, roast lamb at Casa Ojeda and a stroll along the Espolón before heading home.
- [Bison, Cantamuda and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/bison-and-mountain-romanesque.md) (1 h 40 en coche): European bison with a guide first thing, the bell gable of San Salvador de Cantamuda before lunch, roast lamb in Aguilar and the afternoon in the cloister and the ROM museum of Santa María la Real.
- [Duratón Gorges: canoe and San Frutos](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-canoe-roast-lamb-and-san-frutos.md) (1 h 40 en coche): You paddle through the canyon between hundred-metre walls, eat lamb in Sepúlveda and climb to the San Frutos hermitage in the afternoon light.
- [Aguilar: Romanesque, rock and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/santa-maria-la-real-and-roast-lamb.md) (1 h 40 en coche): The cloister and the ROM models, the square and collegiate church of Aguilar, the rock-cut church of Olleros, Santa María de Mave and lunch at El Convento de Mave, right beside it.
- [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 44 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.
- [Pedraza: village, roast and castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza/itineraries/pedraza-jail-roast-lamb-and-zuloaga-castle.md) (1 h 47 en coche): You enter by the only gate, visit its jail, stroll the Plaza Mayor, eat roast lamb from a wood-fired oven and finish at Zuloaga's castle in the afternoon light.
- [Covarrubias and Silos: olla and Gregorian chant](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos/itineraries/covarrubias-and-silos-keep-olla-podrida-and-gregorian-chant.md) (1 h 51 en coche): Covarrubias and its keep in the morning, olla podrida on the square, the La Yecla gorge and the Silos cloister in the afternoon, and the monks' vespers before heading home.
- [Mina Esperanza and CAREX with children](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/family-olmos-mine-and-carex.md) (2 h en coche): The Olmos iron mine with lanterns and a boat, CAREX with fire-making and stone-carving demonstrations and lunch in Burgos, half an hour away; all with advance booking.
- [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) (2 h 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.
- [Navacerrada: guided snowshoeing and grill in Cercedilla](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/snowshoeing-at-the-pass-from-madrid.md) (2 h en coche): A morning snowshoeing through the National Park pinewoods with the pass's school, no experience needed, and a grill lunch at La Maya, in Cercedilla. It can be done by train.
- [Atapuerca: sites and museum](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/trench-with-guide-and-human-evolution-museum.md) (2 h en coche): The first guided visit of the Sunday to the Railway Trench, the Museum of Human Evolution before it closes at 15:00 and lunch opposite Burgos cathedral.
- [Valdesquí: a day on the slopes and spoon dishes at Cotos](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/skiing-at-valdesqui-and-judiones.md) (2 h 5 en coche): A day on the slopes at Valdesquí, Madrid's big resort, and a spoon-dish lunch at the Venta Marcelino, on the Cotos pass. An hour from Madrid by car or on bus 691 from Moncloa.
- [Peñalara: glacial lake and monastery](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/lozoya-valley/itineraries/penalara-laguna-grande-roast-lunch-in-rascafria-and-el-paular.md) (2 h 10 en coche): An easy route to the Peñalara glacial cirque before the visitor quota fills, a roast-house lunch in Rascafría and the El Paular charterhouse in the afternoon.

## The N-122 follows the Duero to Peñafiel

Each road leads to a different landscape. To the east, the N-122 follows the Duero bank to [Peñafiel](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel), in the centre of the Ribera, and continues towards Aranda. To the west, the A-11 and N-122 go to [Zamora](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/zamora), and the A-62, via Tordesillas, to [Salamanca](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/salamanca). To the south, the A-601 crosses the Cuéllar pine forests to [Segovia](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia); from there you climb to the Navacerrada pass, reach [Pedraza](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza) or seek the canyon of the [Duratón Gorges](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges). To the north, the A-62 passes Palencia on the way to [Burgos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos), and from Palencia the A-67 climbs towards [Aguilar de Campoo](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo) and the Montaña Palentina. To the north-west, via the A-6 to Benavente and the A-52, is [Sanabria lake](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake).

Without a car, the clear option is Segovia: the AVE takes about half an hour and leaves you at Segovia-Guiomar, with an urban bus to the Aqueduct. There is also a train to Burgos and Salamanca, but for the villages, from Peñafiel to Sepúlveda or Covarrubias, you need a car.

## Peñafiel, the only plan with time to spare in the morning

**Under an hour** there is only Peñafiel, at 50 minutes: the castle with the Provincial Wine Museum, the Plaza del Coso, wood-oven roast lamb and a village winery with a tasting. It is the only plan with time to spare in the morning.

The three nearest stone cities are **between one and one and a half hours** away: Salamanca, at 80 minutes, with the University open on Sunday only until two; Zamora, at 81, with the 11:00 guided Romanesque tour and the cathedral inside, and Segovia, at 89.

**Between an hour and a half and two hours** is the bulk of the Sundays: [Burgos, cathedral, castle and roast lamb](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos/itineraries/cathedral-castle-and-roast-lamb), at 93 minutes; canoeing on the Duratón and the two Aguilar plans, at 100; [Ávila and its wall](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/avila/itineraries/avila-city-walls-and-cuatro-postes-at-dusk), at 104; [Pedraza, its jail and the Zuloaga castle](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza/itineraries/pedraza-jail-roast-lamb-and-zuloaga-castle), at 107, and Covarrubias and Silos, at 111. Several call for a night, and have one: [Sepúlveda and the canyon](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-weekend-sepulveda), [Aguilar with Romanesque and bison](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/aguilar-de-campoo-romanesque-and-bison-weekend) or [a night facing Silos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos/itineraries/covarrubias-silos-gregorian-chant-weekend) to hear vespers without watching the clock.

**From two hours** it is best to start early or sleep away: the [Atapuerca](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/trench-with-guide-and-human-evolution-museum) sites and the [mine and CAREX with children](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/atapuerca/itineraries/family-olmos-mine-and-carex), at 120 minutes; [El Escorial, monastery and royal forest](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/el-escorial-monastery-and-forest-weekend), at 130; La Alberca, at 145, and the [Sierra Norte of Madrid](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/sierra-norte/itineraries/sierra-norte-patones-beech-forest-buitrago), at 160.

## The nearest snow, on the other side of Segovia

In winter, the nearest snow is on the other side of Segovia, in Guadarrama: [a ski day at Valdesquí](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/skiing-at-valdesqui-and-judiones), 125 minutes away, or [guided snowshoeing at Navacerrada](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/snowshoeing-at-the-pass-from-madrid), 120, always with chains for the pass. To sleep there is the [snow weekend in Cercedilla](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/ski-and-snowshoeing-near-madrid-navacerrada). A cold Sunday without snow suits the [bison of the Montaña Palentina](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/bison-and-mountain-romanesque): in winter the reserve only opens on weekend mornings.

In spring, the Castilian countryside is green and the water runs. It is the season for [paddling the Duratón](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-canoe-roast-lamb-and-san-frutos), for [Covarrubias and the Silos cloister](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/covarrubias-and-silos/itineraries/covarrubias-and-silos-keep-olla-podrida-and-gregorian-chant) and, from the end of March, when the Mave eating house opens, for the [Romanesque of Aguilar](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/santa-maria-la-real-and-roast-lamb).

In summer it is best to go up. The [Laguna Grande de Gredos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-laguna-grande-and-lunch-in-hoyos-del-espino) is a five-hour route with access to the Plataforma regulated at weekends: 120 minutes away, you have to leave before seven. The [Peñalara lake](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/lozoya-valley/itineraries/penalara-laguna-grande-roast-lunch-in-rascafria-and-el-paular), at 130, has a quota. With two nights, [Sanabria and its glacial lagoons](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake/itineraries/sanabria-lake-weekend-from-zamora), at 125.

In autumn the grape harvest arrives in the Ribera, with [a night in Peñafiel and two wineries](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/penafiel-ribera-del-duero-wine-weekend), and from mid-September to mid-October, the [rut in Sanabria and the Sierra de la Culebra](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sanabria-lake/itineraries/sanabria-culebra-red-deer-rut-weekend).

## Burgos and Atapuerca with a night

- **Without a car, in a day:** [Segovia on a Sunday](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia/itineraries/segovia-aqueduct-mint-and-roast-suckling-pig-day-trip). A half-hour AVE, the Aqueduct before the groups, the Casa de Moneda beside the Eresma, suckling pig in the Azoguejo and the Alcázar in the afternoon.
- **With one night:** [Burgos and Atapuerca](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/burgos/itineraries/night-with-atapuerca-from-valladolid). 93 minutes along the A-62: on Saturday, the cathedral, the castle and wood-fired lamb; on Sunday, the Trinchera with a guide and the fossils at the Museum of Human Evolution.
- **With two nights:** [La Alberca and Las Batuecas](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/la-alberca/itineraries/la-alberca-sierra-de-francia-weekend). Two hours twenty-five, past Salamanca, to go down to Las Batuecas, climb the Peña de Francia and see the portraits of Mogarraz.