Discover Ciudad Rodrigo – Fortresses, Culture and the Águeda

Carnaval del Toro is a five-day festival in Ciudad Rodrigo in which bulls, costumes, music and celebrations come together in the streets. The festival includes bull events in the streets and in a specially constructed arena, as well as other events in the streets of Ciudad Rodrigo. At the entrance to the city stand the Tres Columnas, preserved monuments from the Roman era.

Culture

The oldest enclosure of Ciudad Rodrigo’s city walls dates from the second half of the 12th century. In the 18th century, the fortifications were modernized with loopholes, moats, guardhouses, bastions and ravelins. Their characteristic star shape was based on the modern bastioned system developed by the French engineer Vauban. The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Santa María began in the 12th century as a fortified church and was completed in the following century in the Gothic style.

The Museo catedralicio y diocesano displays prehistoric objects, architectural elements from the cathedral, liturgical objects, a 12th-century bishop’s staff, a collection of processional crosses and Isabel la Católica’s breviary. The guardhouse at Puerta del Conde, which is open to visitors, houses the Centro de Interpretación de Fortificaciones. The Museo del Orinal comprises more than 1,350 pieces from 29 nationalities and is considered the only museum of its kind in Spain. The Castillo de Enrique II de Trastámara was built in the 14th century on the city’s highest and steepest terrain; its keep consists of two cubic structures. Since 1931, the Castillo de Enrique II de Trastámara has been a Parador Nacional. The Palacio de los Águila houses the permanent exhibition “Ciudad Rodrigo en la Guerra de la Independencia: Wellington frente a Napoleón”.

Other places: Villoria, Monleras, Guijo De Ávila, El Payo, Serradilla Del Arroyo, Puerto De Béjar, Cereceda De La Sierra and Linares De Riofrío.

Trails and Experiences

The Ruta de las seis puertas is an easy 2.2-kilometre circular walk through Ciudad Rodrigo’s defensive system. The route includes gates, moats, glacis, ravelins and guardhouses. The Ruta de la naturaleza offers two easy hikes along the Águeda: one approximately 3.1-kilometre route to El Paraje and a longer route of around 10 kilometres to the Monasterio de la Caridad. The different route lengths make it easier to assess the trails.

The Adarve, the path along the city walls, is accessible along a large part of the wall perimeter and offers views of the surrounding area as well as the historic positions of the French besiegers from 1810 and the British from 1812. Observaciones Andrómeda offers educational astronomical observations with Starlight astronomy guides and two powerful telescopes. Visitors can observe the Moon, planets, other bodies in the Solar System and deep-sky objects.

When comparing holiday apartments in Ciudad Rodrigo, check the travel dates, the apartment or room category and the cancellation conditions on the listing pages. These three details enable a consistent comparison of different options for the planned travel dates and the selected stay.

Nature

The area along the Águeda River is particularly suitable around La Pesquera and El Picón for various sports and leisure activities in the river surroundings. Parque de La Glorieta has a children’s play area and was traditionally a venue for performances and concerts, such as those held at the Templete de La Glorieta.

The Siega Verde archaeological zone lies on the Águeda approximately 15 kilometres downstream from Ciudad Rodrigo and was declared a World Heritage Site on 1 August 2010 as an extension of the Archaeological Park in the Côa Valley. Alder, ash and poplar trees, among others, grow along the banks of the Águeda. Various waterfowl live there, including herons, mallards, grey wagtails, kingfishers, spoonbills and ibises, as well as amphibians, reptiles and mammals such as otters; fish such as barbels and pike are found in the waters.

For the overarching travel overview: Salamanca.