Castilla y León Tour IC2
Burgos – León – Salamanca – Segovia
Based on 14 nights self-drive independent tour in Spain
Marriage of the ancient kingdoms of Castile and León, Spain’s largest community – the combined size of Scotland and Wales – is yours to discover. You’ll find a rich heritage with magnificent cathedral cities & ancient universities, immense wildernesses and rolling vineyards fed by the Rio Duero as it cuts the region in two on its way to Portugal and the Atlantic.
Due to Madrid´s multiple connections with the rest of the world, this tour can be adapted to include the Spanish capital as part of the package. Countless monuments, renowned museums, art galleries, theatres and a varied offer of good restaurants, lively bars and night clubs, you will definitely get amazed by its infinite charms. Don´t hesitate to consult us.
- Tour Highlights:
- 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca, Burgos & León
- 13 wine denominations including Ribera de Duero
- Madrid – history, art, gastronomy and entertainment in Spain´s capital
- The ‘Way of St James’ & the Via de Plata
- Prehistoric heritage from Atapuerca to Siega Verde
- Las Medulas, Sierra de Gredos, Sierra de Francia & Guadarrama
£1475 p/p
* Indicative mid-season price for 14 nights (including car hire – flights not included) in our suggested hotels. Ferry-drive based on 2 people from £1625 p.p. for 14 nights.
Day 1 & 2 – Burgos
- Essential stop on the Camino de Santiago
- Truly awesome cathedral, recently restored
- The city of El Cid Campeador
- Bustling old town; lively bars & restaurants
- Spain’s best lamb & delicious black pudding
- Atapuerca & the Museum of Human Evolution
Day 3 & 4 – León
- Crossroads of Camino de Santiago and Via de Plata
- Cathedral of Santa Maria – beautiful stained glass
- Tapas in ‘la Zona Humeda’ in Leon old-town
- The true Holy Grail? In the Colegiata de San Isidoro
- Lovely Astorga with its Gaudi palace
Day 5 & 6 – El Bierzo & Las Médulas
- Las Médulas – extraordinary red-rock landscape formed by Roman mining
- El Bierzo, lost in time, steeped in history
- Wines, peppers cured meats & so much more
- Ponferrada with its Knights Templar castle
- Historic Villafranca del Bierzo, right on the Camino
Day 7 & 8 – Salamanca
- Salamanca – truly monumental university city
- Toro, Rueda & Sierra de Salamanca wines
- Delicious jamon from Guijuelo
- Historic Tordesillas, Toro & Zamora
- Cruise on the river in the Arribes del Duero
- Sierra de Francia & villages of Las Batuecas
Day 9 & 10 – Sierra de Gredos & Ávila
- Gredos mountains rising to 2500m at Pico Almanzór
- Astronomy & stargazing in this Dark-Sky location
- Trekking, climbing, birdwatching, horseriding…
- Ávila with its magnificent walls, a World Heritage Site
- Walk the Puerto del Pico Roman way
Day 11 & 12 – Segovia & Sierra de Guadarrama
- Segovia – World Heritage Site – Roman Aquaduct, Moorish Alcazar, Cathedral and large Jewish Quarter
- Sierra de Guadarrama National Park
- Sepúlveda & Hoces del Duratón Nature Park
- Medieval Pedraza & Cuellar
- La Granja de San Ildelfonso – the Spanish Versailles
Day 13 & 14 – Ribera del Duero
- The ‘Golden Mile’ – legendary wine route including Vega Sicilia
- Castle, wine museum and historic town of Peñafiel
- Cycle or wander along the banks of the Duero river
- Historic Lerma and the old part of Valladolid
- Traditional gastronomy with delicious roast lamb
The itinerary includes the following:
- Accommodation in our listed hotels – 2 sharing 1 std. double ensuite, B&B
- Economy 4dr car hire
- or ferry crossings with Brittany Ferries (car + 2 berth interior cabin)
- Guide book to Spain
- Personal Travel App including highlights, weather forecast and restaurant suggestions for all areas en-route
- Instructions to find all accommodation
Not included:
- Flights – but we are able to advise
- One-way car hire charges, where applicable (see your quote email)
- The following car hire extras – these can be added at pick-up point
- extra driver
- child seats
- GPS
- Garage parking where applicable (mostly city stops) – please ask us about parking charges
Getting there
A circular itinerary, this route is best enjoyed flying into Madrid or any of the northern airports (Bilbao, Santander or Asturias) – or sailing in to Bilbao or Santander (Plymouth or Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries).
– the best flight options are:
To / from Madrid
- Gatwick & Edinburgh with Easyjet
- Heathrow with Iberia-BA
- Stansted, Manchester & Birmingham with Ryanair
- Dublin with Aer Lingus
NB There are many connections with Madrid. Please call us for help and advice if you don’t see you nearest airport here:
To airports in the North
- Stansted: Santander with Ryanair / Bilbao with Easyjet
- Gatwick: Bilbao with Vueling-BA
- Bristol: Bilbao with Easyjet
- Dublin: Santander with Ryanair / Bilbao with Aer Lingus
- Manchester: Bilbao with Easyjet
- Edinburgh; Santander with Ryanair / Bilbao with Easyjet
Flights are not included
Getting around
For passengers travelling by air we will include a hire car as part of the package. Normally we include a 4 door economy class car but please let us know if you would like something different.
Should you prefer to come by ferry we can adapt the itinerary to suit We can include ferry travel at advantageous rates
We had a hire car to travel to seven different locations, a mixture of big cities and beautiful countryside.
We enjoyed the different experiences and learnt a great deal about that part of Spain.
We were also fortunate with the weather which was mostly fine although cold at night being early May.
