Discover Lerma: Ducal Palace, Plaza Mayor and the Arlanza

Lerma is situated on a hill above the valley of the Arlanza River. Those exploring the town can focus on different aspects, including architectural history, nature by the river and regional specialities. These topics can be considered separately when planning your own trip, without prescribing a set order.

Culture

Lerma’s Ducal Palace was built in the 17th century on the site of a medieval castle. The building has four towers with slate roofs. Covering almost 7,000 square metres, Lerma’s Plaza Mayor is one of the largest squares in Spain.

Construction of the Collegiate Church of San Pedro began in 1613. The church has a hall layout with three naves. It contains an organ dating from 1616, made by Diego Quijano.

The Pasadizo del Duque is the only surviving section of the covered galleries that connected the Ducal Palace with Lerma’s churches and monasteries in the 17th century. The Pasadizo del Duque contains an audiovisual installation with information about the Duke of Lerma and his era.

Those who prefer to explore culture through architectural forms, dates and named places can assign different importance to these levels. Your own planning can focus on individual details or combine several topics, without requiring a particular order. Dates and place names can be just as important as the visible architectural forms.

Nature

Lerma is one of the access points to the protected Sabinares del Arlanza-La Yecla nature park. From Lerma, short hikes and walks along the Arlanza riverside landscape are possible.

The named natural features can be clearly distinguished when planning: the nature park represents the protected landscape, the riverside landscape the connection with the river, and hikes and walks different forms of activity. You can consider these focuses individually and determine the desired amount of nature alongside the cultural topics, without setting a fixed daily itinerary. The short hike and the walk can be understood as differently named forms of movement.

When comparing holiday apartments in Lerma, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions on the respective offer pages. This information belongs to the practical side of planning; the emphasis remains up to you and can be guided by culture, nature or regional specialities. No fixed order is necessary for this.

Regional specialities

Bizcochos de Lerma are made by several companies. At the Monasterio de Lerma, personalised wine tastings are offered in the monastery cellar upon request.

Both references present regional specialities as an independent topic. Pastries and wine can be considered separately from architecture and landscape when planning your trip.

Other destination pages

Other destination pages: Buniel, Canicosa De La Sierra, Castrojeriz, Salazar, Villamartín De Villadiego, Busto De Bureba, Aranda De Duero, Sasamón

For the higher-level travel overview: Burgos.