Zamora - Salamanca - Ciudad Rodrigo

Route: Leon - Zamora - Salamanca - Ciudad Rodrigo - Leon
Duration: 12 h
The firs stop in our tour will be at Zamora . Wandering through Zamora is like turning the clock back to the 12th century. This stunning city in eastern Spain boasts more than a dozen Romanesque churches, making it a veritable open-air museum. We will start from the  front of the city's cathedral, an architectural masterpiece of vaults, turrets and domes. Admire the church of San Pedro y San Ildefonso, thought to be built atop a Visigoth temple. The views from the castle are breathtaking, so climb the ramparts for a panoramic photo. The excursion will lead you to the top of steep Calle Balborraz and let you window-shop your way down. Don't miss the graceful stone bridge that spans the Duoro river. When hunger strikes, adventurous eaters can try Bacalao a la Tranca, salted codfish, while tapas lovers should order pincho moruno, grilled pork in herbs. Our next stop will be at Salamanca. Discover the most important monuments in Salamanca during this tour.You will immerse yourself in the artistic, historical center of Salamanca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the interiors of monuments where illustrious professors like Fray Luis de León, Francisco de Vitoria, and Miguel de Unamuno left their mark. Begin your unforgettable experience at the Casa de Las Conchas (Shell House). Visit its patio and find out why there are so many shells, then observe the front of the Clerecia Church and the Pontifical University of Salamanca. Continue to Plaza Anaya and go inside Anaya Palace, if it's open. Tour the insides of both the Old and New Cathedrals, too. Then it's the turn of the Univerity of Salamanca with its Escuela Menores courtyard and beautiful Sky of Salamanca painting. After this, make your next stop at the Escuela Mayores courtyard. Admire its richly ornamented, plateresque facade then enter the building. End your tour at the beautiful and thriving Plaza Mayor, one of the reasons that Salamanca is a World Heritage city. Our last stop will be at Ciudad Rodrigo which is a perfectly located getaway destination with tons to see and do. The architecture and history of the town are two of the main attractions which serve as reminders of the city's turbulent past. Originally inhabited by Neolithic Settlers and later Vettones, Romans, Moors and Christians, Ciudad Rodrigo's strategic position on the Spain-Portugal border means it is was of great importance in the Peninsular war. France took the city in 1810 and two years later it was violently seized by the British. A wander round the tiny winding streets to take in some of the beautiful Renaissance Mansions is a great pleasure in itself. You will see the enormous 12th century walls which surround it, the Plaza Mayor as one of their most vivid memories of Ciudad Rodrigo - and that fact that it is very very pretty, the Cathedral of Santa Maria is another landmark - an eclectic mish mash of styles and add-ons from between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Renaissance Mansions which are scattered around the city centre are truly beautiful, in particular, the Palacio de Moctezuma which is also the Casa Municipal de Cultura. After the visit we will return to Leon.
Price: Per person