# Sigüenza

A medieval town of rust-coloured stone between a castle-parador and a fortress cathedral, an hour and a half from Madrid. What to see, where to eat on a Sunday and how to get there.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castilla-la-mancha/siguenza · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Sigüenza is a small town of rust-coloured stone that runs downhill from a castle to a cathedral. At the top, the bishops' castle, now a Parador. At the bottom, the Cathedral of Santa María, fortress-like from outside and, inside, home to the tomb of the Doncel, a knight reading as he reclines on his sepulchre. Between the two lie medieval streets, small squares and Romanesque churches. You can see it on foot in a day, and it is an hour and a half from Madrid, a short detour off the A-2.

## How do you get there from Madrid and Guadalajara?

By car, along the A-2. From Madrid you leave at kilometre 104 and drive 25 km along the CM-1101: about 130 km and a little under an hour and a half. From Guadalajara it is about 75 km and some 55 minutes. From Zaragoza, take the A-2 as far as Alcolea del Pinar, then 20 km along the CM-110. From Soria it is around an hour by road.

Without a car, regional trains from Madrid-Chamartín stop at Sigüenza. The station is at the end of the Paseo de la Alameda, in the lower part of town, and from there you walk up to the old town. On some Saturdays in spring and autumn the Tren Medieval also runs, with actors on board and a guided visit included; Renfe publishes the dates for each season.

## Where to park?

At the top, next to the castle. At the end of Calle Valencia there is free car parking; in the Plaza del Castillo, regulated parking is paid for with the Telepark app. From there you walk down to the cathedral along Calle Mayor without needing the car again. If you would rather not drive into the old town, there is more room in the lower part, near the Alameda.

## How much time do you need?

A full day. In the morning, the guided visit to the castle and the medieval town, or a self-guided walk from the Plaza Mayor up to the castle; lunch at midday; in the afternoon, the cathedral and the Diocesan Museum. With a night you can add the Casa del Doncel, the church of Santiago and a side trip to the Barranco del Río Dulce Natural Park, beside Pelegrina, a few kilometres away, with its limestone gorges.

## A Sunday in Sigüenza

Sunday works well. The cathedral is open from 10:30 to 19:30 with no midday closure, and the Casa del Doncel and the church of Santiago are both open in the morning, with a joint ticket of €4. Start at the top: park by the castle, have a coffee in the Parador café and walk down through the little square of La Cárcel and San Vicente to Santiago and the Casa del Doncel. For lunch, the Asador Medieval or nöla, with a booking. In the afternoon, the cathedral with its Doncel and the Diocesan Museum, which opens from 16:00 to 19:00. The tourist office, in the Plaza Mayor, closes at 14:00 on Sundays, so call in during the morning to pick up a map.

## What is there to eat?

Cooking from La Alcarria and the sierra: roast lamb, kid and suckling pig, migas, cured meats and cheeses. The roasts must be ordered in advance at the asadores. For a special meal, Sigüenza has chef-led restaurants such as El Doncel.

## When to go?

Spring and autumn are the best seasons. Sigüenza stands at more than a thousand metres, so summer is bearable and winter is very cold. In summer there are fiestas and medieval days, and in spring and autumn the Tren Medieval runs on some Saturdays.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Unusual places to stay in Spain
- Cerca: Monasterio de Piedra (a 73.3 km), Madrid's Sierra Norte: Patones, Buitrago and the Montejo Beech Forest (a 83.6 km), Río Lobos Canyon (a 83.9 km), Alcalá de Henares: university, Cervantes and Complutum (a 89.0 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Sigüenza Cathedral and the Doncel** (1 h 30 · Everyone · Desde 10 € per person): The cathedral of Santa María, both fortress and church, presides over Sigüenza's Plaza Mayor. Inside is the city's best-known sculpture: the tomb of the Doncel, Martín Vázquez de Arce, who reads a book reclining on his elbow, in his chapel. The visit goes together with the Diocesan Museum of Ancient Art, across the square, and can be done self-guided in an hour and a half.
The Doncel and his chapel
The Doncel's chapel occupies the southern end of the transept. You enter through a Renaissance doorway from the early 16th century, with Plateresque work and an Adoration of the Magi by Francisco de Baeza; the grille is by Juan Francés, from 1526 to 1532. Several members of the Vázquez de Arce family are buried inside: the Doncel's grandparents in two niches, his parents in a large central mausoleum and, on the wall, the tomb of Martín Vázquez de Arce himself, commander of the Order of Santiago, who died in the war of Granada at only twenty-five. Above the figure is an epitaph in Gothic lettering telling how he died. The cathedral presents it as the supreme sculpture of Spanish late Gothic.
What else to see
The cloister, late Gothic, was built in the early 16th century and has wings of 40 metres, with seven large windows in each and a Renaissance wellhead in the middle of the garden. In one of its chapels, that of the Conception, completed in 1509, hangs El Greco's Annunciation. Next to the cloister is the cathedral museum, with a room of historic flags that the cathedral links to Francis Drake's expeditions and sixteen restored 17th-century Flemish tapestries on Pallas Athena and the founding of Rome. The cathedral also highlights an Immaculate Conception by Zurbarán and some frescoes brought from the church of Atance, and includes a virtual reality experience of medieval Sigüenza. The tourist office recommends not missing the Sacristía Mayor de las Cabezas and the altar of Santa Librada.
In the Diocesan Museum of Ancient Art there are works by Morales, Zurbarán or Salzillo, and three models showing how the cathedral building changed over time.
Tickets and hours
The joint ticket to the cathedral and the Diocesan Museum costs €10 general; €9 for over-65s and people with a disability of 33 to 65%; €7 for young people aged 12 to 18, students up to 25 and large families; and €5 for groups of 15 or more. Free entry for under-12s, residents of Sigüenza and people with a disability of more than 65%. Tickets are bought at catedralsiguenza.es or at the ticket office.
The cathedral is open Monday to Friday from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:30, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 to 19:30 without a midday closure. The last entry is at 13:30 and at 18:30, and the hours may change because of religious events. The museum is open every day from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00. On Saturdays and Sundays, at 11:30, 12:30 and 17:30, there is also a half-hour guided visit to the cathedral's necropolis, from the 12th to 14th centuries, for €3 extra; book at the ticket office.
If you prefer a guide, Sigüenza Visitas Guiadas goes into the cathedral Monday to Friday. When you come out, go up Calle Mayor to the castle or visit the Casa del Doncel, where his family lived.
- **Walk from the Plaza Mayor to the castle along Calle Mayor** (1 h · Families · Self-guided · free): Sigüenza is read from the bottom up. You start in the Renaissance Plaza Mayor, with its arcades facing the cathedral, and climb up Calle Mayor, the Puerta del Sol, the Plazuela de la Cárcel and the Plazuela de San Vicente to the castle, which crowns the city. It is a short but steady climb. The tourist office, in the Plaza Mayor, gives out a tourist map and another for children.
The Plaza Mayor
The square was not always there. At the end of the 15th century, Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza, who was bishop of Sigüenza, had part of the wall knocked down to open a square in front of the cathedral's south façade, so that it could be seen better. It was the first example of Renaissance town planning in the city. Today it is the centre of life in Sigüenza: on one side the cathedral, on the other the arcades and, on the corner, the tourist office.
The climb through the medieval town
From the square Calle Mayor begins, where the Romanesque church of Santiago stands. At the top you enter medieval Sigüenza, the part that stretches between the cathedral and the castle, of narrow, winding streets that here are called travesañas. Christian, Jewish and Muslim merchants and craftsmen lived in them, and in the late Middle Ages there was a Jewish quarter and a Moorish quarter.
Along the way there are remains of the two medieval walls. The Puerta del Sol, on the eastern side, began as a simple gap in the Romanesque wall, of the 12th and 13th centuries; if you go out through it to the Paseo de la Ronda you will see the rest of that wall climbing up to the castle. On the Travesaña Alta two squares open out: the Plazuela de la Cárcel, overlooked by the old town hall, and that of San Vicente or del Doncel, with the house of Martín Vázquez de Arce's family and the Romanesque church of San Vicente.
The castle
At the top, the castle was a Muslim alcazaba that the bishops, lords of the city since Bishop Bernardo de Agén reconquered it in 1124, turned into their residence. Today it is a Parador. You can see the parade ground: access to the café is free and the courtyard is open Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 13:00, unless the Parador closes it for an event. There is free parking at the end of Calle Valencia, next to the castle, in case you prefer to drive up and walk down.
If you go on a Sunday, have a drink in the café and walk back down through the streets of the Travesaña. Allow an hour at a leisurely pace. Sigüenza was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1965, and since then it has been known as the City of the Doncel.
To round off
On the way you can go into the Casa del Doncel, La Plazuela and Santiago with a joint ticket, or do this same route with the guided monument tour, which starts at the castle and goes down to the square. At the bottom the cathedral and the Doncel await you.
- **Guided tour of the castle, the medieval town and the church of Santiago** (1 h 45 · Everyone; free for children · Desde 12 € per person): Two official Sigüenza guides take the group round the upper part of the city. You start at the castle, the former palace of the bishops and now a Parador, with its parade ground and, if the Parador allows, its halls. You go down alleys and small squares, such as the Plazuela de la Cárcel, to the San Vicente doorway, the Plazuela of the Casa del Doncel and the church of Santiago, where you enter the province's Romanesque interpretation centre. It ends along Calle Mayor and the Puerta del Sol in the Plaza Mayor, at the company's office, which has a small shop and a space devoted to local produce.
Time and price
It leaves at 11:00, and on Saturdays also at 17:30; on other days, enquire. It costs €12, €7 for ages 12 to 16 and children do not pay; you pay at the end, in cash or by card. It lasts an hour and three quarters and a minimum of five people is needed. It includes entry to the church of Santiago, but not the cathedral. The meeting point is the main gate of the castle, beneath the two flag towers. There is free parking at the end of Calle Valencia, next to the castle; in the Plaza del Castillo parking is regulated and paid for with the Telepark app.
With the cathedral
Monday to Friday, the same company also offers the cathedral with a guide, at 12:55, just after the city tour: the Doncel chapel with its famous tomb, the Sacristía Mayor with its vault, the altarpiece of Santa Librada, the trascoro, the ambulatory, the choir and the high altar. It costs €12, €8 for ages 12 to 16, and is free for children.
If you want both one after the other, there is a combined tour Monday to Friday, from 11:00 to 14:00, which joins monumental Sigüenza with the cathedral and the Diocesan Museum, with tickets included: €22, €14 for ages 12 to 16 and free for children. Inside the cathedral you listen to the guide through an audio system that must be returned at the end.
Tips
Bring warm clothes, especially in winter: Sigüenza is at 998 metres above sea level. The monuments have some steps and the city is cobbled, although the route is level and downhill; for the combined tour, the company describes it as wheelchair accessible, with some stairs in the castle and three at the entrance of Santiago. Go to the toilet beforehand, because there are no stops for this during the tour. You may take photos, without flash in the cathedral, but not film video. Pets can join the city tour, but are not allowed in the castle-parador or the cathedral.
The company's office is at Calle Cardenal Mendoza 5, about 50 metres from the cathedral, and is open Tuesday to Sunday, except Sunday afternoon. If you prefer to go on your own, the walk from the Plaza Mayor to the castle covers the same route in reverse, and the joint ticket to the Casa del Doncel, La Plazuela and Santiago costs €4.
- **Casa del Doncel, La Plazuela and the church of Santiago** (1 h 30 · Everyone · Desde 4 € per person): A joint ticket of €4, for a self-guided visit, opens three buildings in the upper part of Sigüenza: the Casa del Doncel, the Gothic house of the family of the knight whose tomb is in the cathedral; the Centro de Arte La Plazuela, with the Antonio Pérez collection; and the Romanesque church of Santiago, which houses the province's Romanesque interpretation centre. All three are in medieval Sigüenza, between the castle and the cathedral, a few minutes' walk from each other.
The three buildings
The Casa del Doncel presides over the Plazuela de San Vicente, also called the Plaza del Doncel, on the Travesaña Alta. It was the family home of Martín Vázquez de Arce, the young knight of the Order of Santiago who died in the war of Granada and whose funerary statue is the jewel of the cathedral. Seeing where he lived helps you understand the tomb. On the same Travesaña is the Romanesque church of San Vicente, with a distinctive doorway.
The Centro de Arte La Plazuela is one of the venues of the Antonio Pérez Foundation, whose main centre is in Cuenca, and is in the Plazuela de la Cárcel, the one overlooked by the city's old town hall. It holds part of the collector's contemporary art collection. If you only want to see that, the foundation charges €3 for general admission.
The Romanesque church of Santiago is on Calle Mayor. Inside is the provincial interpretation centre for Romanesque art, which explains the churches in this style scattered across Guadalajara.
Hours: careful, they do not coincide
The Casa del Doncel opens in the mornings, from 10:00 to 14:00, and closes Monday and Tuesday. La Plazuela opens in the afternoons and closes Monday, Tuesday and Sunday afternoon: from October to April, 16:00 to 18:00 (Fridays until 20:00 and Saturdays until 19:00); from May to September, 17:00 to 19:00, with the same extension on Fridays and Saturdays. Santiago opens on Friday afternoons, all day Saturday and Sunday mornings: from October to April, Fridays 16:30 to 19:30, Saturdays 11:30 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 19:30, and Sundays 11:30 to 14:00; from May to September, the afternoons run from 17:00 to 20:00.
In practice, only on Friday and Saturday can you see all three on the same day: the Casa del Doncel in the morning and La Plazuela and Santiago in the afternoon; on Saturday, Santiago also opens in the morning. On Sunday morning the Casa del Doncel and Santiago coincide. Hours change with the season: confirm them at the tourist office, in the Plaza Mayor.
How to fit it in
Allow an hour and a half for all three. You can go up from the Plaza Mayor along Calle Mayor, go into Santiago, continue to the Plazuela de la Cárcel and the Plaza del Doncel and finish at the castle, which is now a Parador. It is the same route as the walk from the Plaza Mayor to the castle. If you prefer to have it explained to you, the guided monument tour passes by the Casa del Doncel and goes into Santiago. And do not leave without seeing the tomb in the cathedral.
- **Medieval Train from Madrid** (11 h 30 · Families): The Medieval Train is a Renfe tourist train that leaves Madrid-Chamartín in the morning, stops at Alcalá de Henares and Guadalajara and reaches Sigüenza before midday. It has run since 2005 and only on some Saturdays in spring and autumn. In November 2026, Madrid Tourism listed the new season as to be confirmed: check dates and prices on the Renfe website before planning.
The journey
When you board the train, a procession of medieval characters welcomes you. During the journey, of a little over an hour and a half, there is theatre, magic tricks and medieval music, and Sigüenza sweets are handed out: the tourist office mentions the truffles from the Poor Clares and the doncelitos from Pastelería Venus. It is an excursion designed for families.
For reference, in the 2024 season the train left Chamartín at 10:00, passed Alcalá at 10:28 and Guadalajara at 10:48, and reached Sigüenza at 11:37. The return left at 19:45 and reached Chamartín at 21:24. Times may change from one year to the next.
The day in Sigüenza
On arrival, council guides in period dress take the group through the old town: the Plaza Mayor, the Romanesque churches, the Casa del Doncel and the church of Santiago, with the Romanesque interpretation centre, the castle parade ground and the medieval city. After that there is free time for lunch and strolling; you have almost eight hours in the city. In 2024, the ticket gave a 10% discount on à la carte dishes at some of the town's restaurants.
The guided tour does not include the cathedral, but the tourist office recommends devoting the afternoon to it: the cathedral and the Doncel hold the chapel with the famous tomb, El Greco's Annunciation and the cloister tapestries, and are visited together with the Diocesan Museum. On train days there are medieval stalls in the Plaza Mayor, and before the return the council gives travellers a small gift.
Prices and sales
In 2024, the return ticket cost €45 for adults and €20 for under-14s; under-4s without a seat did not pay. It included the journey with actors and tasting, the guided tour of the old town and participation in prize draws on the journey. It was sold at stations with advance sales, travel agencies, by phone on 912 320 320 and on the Renfe website. Prices for the coming season have not been published.
If it does not match your date
Sigüenza has a train from Madrid all year round, so you can make the same excursion on your own and join the guided monument tour, which covers the castle, the medieval town and Santiago.

## Dónde comer
- **Asador Medieval** (Restaurant, Sigüenza, €€). Qué pedir: The Doña Blanca menu (€35.50) with Sigüenza migas and suckling pig; à la carte, oven-roast shoulder of milk-fed lamb (€31.50) and costrada seguntina for dessert
- **El Doncel** (Restaurant, Sigüenza, €€€€). Qué pedir: The Esencia y Sabor menu (€92) if it is your first time; the Gastronómico (€128) for a long meal; add the board of six cheeses (€15)
- **nöla** (Restaurant, Sigüenza, €€€). Qué pedir: The tradition and flavour menu (€42.70) with the roe deer pâté en croûte and the boned lamb; à la carte, the wild boar meatballs in pepitoria (€19.80)

## By car: Along the A-2, with a short detour
Sigüenza is a short detour off the A-2: from Madrid you leave at kilometre 104 and drive 25 km along the CM-1101; from Zaragoza, at Alcolea del Pinar, 20 km. Once there, park and walk: the old town is small and steep.
Presupuesto orientativo: 65–120 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel El Doncel** (Hotel): The house
El Doncel is a three-star hotel with a restaurant on the Paseo de la Alameda, the tree-lined avenue in the lower part of Sigüenza. It occupies an 18th-century manor house that the family bought in 1970 and in which, in 1973, it opened a two-star hostal of that name. Since 2001 it has been run by the brothers Enrique and Eduardo, the fourth generation of hoteliers; in 2020 a complete refurbishment turned the hostal into a three-star hotel and redesigned the restaurant.
The rooms
The hotel's website speaks of 14 rooms, refurbished while keeping the stone character of the building; Sigüenza tourist office gives it 43 beds. All have a full bathroom with hairdryer, air conditioning, plasma TV, wifi and a bonnell spring mattress, with anti-mite bedding and pillows. The most special is an attic suite with views of the Alameda and Calle San Roque, with large, open spaces.
Check-in is from 14:00 to 23:00 and check-out before 12:00. You pay at the hotel, with a card as guarantee, and cancellation is free up to two days before arrival; after that the first night is charged. Pets are not accepted. The website does not publish prices or give details of breakfast or parking.
The same house also has the La Alacena suites, booked separately, and the Finca del Obispo for events.
The restaurant
It is the main reason to sleep here. The El Doncel restaurant has had a Michelin star since 2017, the first in the province of Guadalajara, and two Repsol Suns since 2016. Chef Enrique Pérez makes the menus to his taste according to the market, with his own sourdough bread, and the sommelier Andrei Popa suggests the pairings.
There are two menus: Esencia y Sabor, with four starters, a fish, a meat, a pre-dessert and dessert, at €92, and the Gastronómico menu, with ten savoury courses, at €128; both with VAT and without drinks, and with an optional board of six cheeses at €15. Dining and going up to your room saves you the road.
Without a car
If you arrive by train from Madrid, the train to Sigüenza leaves you at the station, at the end of the same Alameda: you can walk with your suitcase. From the hotel you walk up in a few minutes to the cathedral and the Doncel and to the Plaza Mayor and Calle Mayor, and the Casa del Doncel can also be visited on foot. Some Saturdays in spring and autumn the medieval train arrives, with troubadours and a guided tour.
- **Parador de Sigüenza** (Hotel): A night inside the castle
The Parador occupies the castle that dominates Sigüenza from the top of the old town. It is a 12th-century fortress built on an Arab alcazaba, where kings, cardinals and, for centuries, the bishops of the city lived. You enter through the cobbled parade ground, surrounded by galleries, and inside are still the 13th-century Romanesque chapel, stone halls such as the Throne Room and the dining room under vaults.
There are three types of room: standard double, superior double and junior suite. Many have a wooden balcony, and from those facing the city you see the rooftops descending towards the cathedral. If you want that view, ask for it when you book.
The rooms have air conditioning, minibar, a safe big enough for a laptop and free wifi. There is a lift and room service. Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out at 12:00.
With children, by car and without a dog
With small children, the cot is free up to age 2 subject to availability, and breakfast is half price up to 12. The chain has a children's menu and options for coeliacs. The courtyard and stone corridors can be explored as another visit.
It is easy to reach by car. From Madrid, take the A-2 to kilometre 104 and then 23 km on a minor road; from Zaragoza, by the Alcolea del Pinar turn-off, 20 km. Madrid is about 130 km away. To go up to the castle you cross the old town along narrow streets; at the top, the Parador has free outdoor parking and charging for electric cars.
Sigüenza is not among the Paradores that accept pets, so a dog cannot stay here. The Parador does not appear on the chain's list of seasonal closures.
Dining in the castle and walking down to the city
The restaurant serves Castilian-La Mancha cooking: meat roasts and migas, served in the vaulted dining room. The Parador organises astrotourism activities and suggests arriving from Madrid on the Medieval Train, which runs on some Saturdays in spring and autumn and includes a guided tour of the city.
On foot, in about ten minutes downhill, you are at the cathedral and the Doncel; on the way you pass Calle Mayor and the Plaza Mayor. By car, the Barranco del Río Dulce Natural Park is 7 km away, Medinaceli 20 and Atienza 31.
- **Posada Los Cuatro Caños** (Country house): A 19th-century farmhouse in the Arrabal
Los Cuatro Caños is a former 19th-century farmhouse in Sigüenza's Arrabal district, next to the Portal Mayor, restored without hiding what it had: stone walls, sandstone pillars, wood and wrought iron. It is on Calle Valencia 16, the street that climbs towards the castle, next to the Cuatro Caños fountain that gives it its name. The castle, the cathedral and the centre can be explored on foot from the door.
The house has 500 m² on three floors. Downstairs are the communal areas: a lounge with a fireplace, reading corners, games and television. The two upper floors are for the rooms. The tourist office gives it 17 beds.
Eight rooms named after streets
All are outward-facing and carry the name of a nearby street or place. Three are special, with their own fireplace and a small sitting area: Travesaña Baja, on the first floor, and Travesaña Alta and Castillejos, on the second. The other five are doubles: Herreros, Arcedianos and Villegas on the first floor; Portal Mayor and Sinagoga on the second. Some of those on Calle Valencia look onto the fountain.
Each room has heating, air conditioning, television, free wifi, a private bathroom with shower, a hairdryer and, on the bedside table, a kettle with herbal teas.
The website does not publish prices, whether breakfast is offered, check-in and check-out times, or what happens with dogs or children: ask on 607 083 188 or at info@loscuatrocanos.es, or look in its online booking engine.
Car parked and train uphill
At the end of Calle Valencia, next to the castle, there is free parking. If you arrive by train from Madrid, the station is in the lower part: you walk up through the Alameda and the old town, uphill, in a few minutes.
From here the guided tour of the castle and the medieval town starts almost at the door, and the Asador Medieval is on the Portal Mayor itself. The castle and Doncel Sunday can be done entirely on foot.

## Car-free: By regional train, unhurried
Sigüenza has a station with regional trains from Madrid-Chamartín, and everything you visit is within walking distance of it. Some Saturdays in spring and autumn, the Medieval Train makes the journey part of the excursion.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel El Doncel** (Hotel): The house
El Doncel is a three-star hotel with a restaurant on the Paseo de la Alameda, the tree-lined avenue in the lower part of Sigüenza. It occupies an 18th-century manor house that the family bought in 1970 and in which, in 1973, it opened a two-star hostal of that name. Since 2001 it has been run by the brothers Enrique and Eduardo, the fourth generation of hoteliers; in 2020 a complete refurbishment turned the hostal into a three-star hotel and redesigned the restaurant.
The rooms
The hotel's website speaks of 14 rooms, refurbished while keeping the stone character of the building; Sigüenza tourist office gives it 43 beds. All have a full bathroom with hairdryer, air conditioning, plasma TV, wifi and a bonnell spring mattress, with anti-mite bedding and pillows. The most special is an attic suite with views of the Alameda and Calle San Roque, with large, open spaces.
Check-in is from 14:00 to 23:00 and check-out before 12:00. You pay at the hotel, with a card as guarantee, and cancellation is free up to two days before arrival; after that the first night is charged. Pets are not accepted. The website does not publish prices or give details of breakfast or parking.
The same house also has the La Alacena suites, booked separately, and the Finca del Obispo for events.
The restaurant
It is the main reason to sleep here. The El Doncel restaurant has had a Michelin star since 2017, the first in the province of Guadalajara, and two Repsol Suns since 2016. Chef Enrique Pérez makes the menus to his taste according to the market, with his own sourdough bread, and the sommelier Andrei Popa suggests the pairings.
There are two menus: Esencia y Sabor, with four starters, a fish, a meat, a pre-dessert and dessert, at €92, and the Gastronómico menu, with ten savoury courses, at €128; both with VAT and without drinks, and with an optional board of six cheeses at €15. Dining and going up to your room saves you the road.
Without a car
If you arrive by train from Madrid, the train to Sigüenza leaves you at the station, at the end of the same Alameda: you can walk with your suitcase. From the hotel you walk up in a few minutes to the cathedral and the Doncel and to the Plaza Mayor and Calle Mayor, and the Casa del Doncel can also be visited on foot. Some Saturdays in spring and autumn the medieval train arrives, with troubadours and a guided tour.
- **Posada Los Cuatro Caños** (Country house): A 19th-century farmhouse in the Arrabal
Los Cuatro Caños is a former 19th-century farmhouse in Sigüenza's Arrabal district, next to the Portal Mayor, restored without hiding what it had: stone walls, sandstone pillars, wood and wrought iron. It is on Calle Valencia 16, the street that climbs towards the castle, next to the Cuatro Caños fountain that gives it its name. The castle, the cathedral and the centre can be explored on foot from the door.
The house has 500 m² on three floors. Downstairs are the communal areas: a lounge with a fireplace, reading corners, games and television. The two upper floors are for the rooms. The tourist office gives it 17 beds.
Eight rooms named after streets
All are outward-facing and carry the name of a nearby street or place. Three are special, with their own fireplace and a small sitting area: Travesaña Baja, on the first floor, and Travesaña Alta and Castillejos, on the second. The other five are doubles: Herreros, Arcedianos and Villegas on the first floor; Portal Mayor and Sinagoga on the second. Some of those on Calle Valencia look onto the fountain.
Each room has heating, air conditioning, television, free wifi, a private bathroom with shower, a hairdryer and, on the bedside table, a kettle with herbal teas.
The website does not publish prices, whether breakfast is offered, check-in and check-out times, or what happens with dogs or children: ask on 607 083 188 or at info@loscuatrocanos.es, or look in its online booking engine.
Car parked and train uphill
At the end of Calle Valencia, next to the castle, there is free parking. If you arrive by train from Madrid, the station is in the lower part: you walk up through the Alameda and the old town, uphill, in a few minutes.
From here the guided tour of the castle and the medieval town starts almost at the door, and the Asador Medieval is on the Portal Mayor itself. The castle and Doncel Sunday can be done entirely on foot.
### Servicios
- **Regional train from Madrid-Chamartín**: Renfe regional trains that stop at Sigüenza · station at the end of the Paseo de la Alameda

## As a family: A real castle and a train with troubadours

Sigüenza is small and can be seen on foot in a morning, which makes it easy with children. The castle and the story of the knight who reads on his tomb usually work well.

### What works best
The guided tour of the castle and the medieval town: children do not pay

The walk from the Plaza Mayor to the castle, with the tourist office's children's map

The Medieval Train, on its season Saturdays

### Where to sleep
Parador de Sigüenza: sleeping in a castle

### Where to eat
Asador Medieval: roasts and migas

### Good to know
The climb to the castle is short but steep: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair

The Medieval Train only runs some Saturdays in spring and autumn

### Qué hacer as a family
- Walk from the Plaza Mayor to the castle along Calle Mayor
- Guided tour of the castle, the medieval town and the church of Santiago
- Medieval Train from Madrid

## Consejos

### Park at the top and walk down
The town is best done downhill, from the castle to the cathedral.

### Fit your timings together
The Casa del Doncel is open only in the mornings and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; the church of Santiago is open from Friday to Sunday.

### Order the roast
Suckling pig and kid must be ordered in advance.

### Bring a coat outside summer
Mornings are cold for most of the year.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### What is there to see in Sigüenza in a day?
The cathedral with the tomb of the Doncel, the castle-parador, the Plaza Mayor, Calle Mayor, the Casa del Doncel and the church of Santiago.

### How much does Sigüenza cathedral cost?
€8 for general admission including the Diocesan Museum and an audioguide; €7 for pensioners.

### Can you get to Sigüenza by train?
Yes, on a regional train from Madrid-Chamartín. The station is a few minutes' walk from the centre.

### What is the Tren Medieval?
A Renfe tourist train that leaves Madrid on some Saturdays in spring and autumn, with actors on board and a guided visit in Sigüenza.

### Where can you park in Sigüenza?
At the end of Calle Valencia, by the castle, there is free parking; in the Plaza del Castillo it is regulated.

### Can you visit the castle?
It is a Parador. The café is open to everyone and the parade ground is open Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 13:00, except during events.