Ciudad Rodrigo brings together Roman remains, city fortifications expanded over centuries, and paths along the Águeda. When planning your stay, you can focus on architecture and history, collections and exhibitions, or walks and nature. The sights offer different perspectives on the city, from the Tres Columnas at the entrance to the fortifications and the river area.
City walls and paths through the fortifications
The oldest enclosure of the city walls dates back to the second half of the 12th century. In the 18th century, the fortifications were modernized with loopholes, moats, guardhouses, bastions and ravelins. This gave them their characteristic star shape, modeled on the modern bastion system of the French engineer Vauban. The complex therefore reflects both medieval and later military construction.
The Adarve, the path along the city walls, is accessible along much of the wall’s perimeter. From there, you can look out over the surrounding area and the historic positions of the French besiegers in 1810 and the British in 1812. At the Puerta del Conde, a guardhouse open to visitors houses the Centro de Interpretación de Fortificaciones. If you want to see the fortifications from more than just the walls, the Ruta de las seis puertas is a 2.2-kilometer circular route through the defensive system. It includes gates, moats, glacis, ravelins and guardhouses, among other features, and is considered an easy route.
Another choice of route leads along the Águeda: the Ruta de la naturaleza offers two easy hikes, one about 3.1 kilometers long to El Paraje and a longer one of around 10 kilometers to the Monasterio de la Caridad. Depending on your interests, you can choose between a shorter circuit through the fortifications and longer routes along the river.
Roman remains, church architecture and the castle
The Tres Columnas are surviving monuments from the Roman period at the entrance to Ciudad Rodrigo. The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Santa María tells the story of a later phase of construction: work began in the 12th century on the church, which also served as a fortress, and it was completed in the Gothic style in the following century. At the Castillo de Enrique II de Trastámara, architectural history meets its present-day use as accommodation. The castle was built in the 14th century on the highest and steepest ground in the city; its keep consists of two cubic structures. It has been a Parador Nacional since 1931.
The collections also offer different points of interest. The Museo catedralicio y diocesano displays prehistoric objects, architectural elements from the cathedral and liturgical objects. These include a 12th-century bishop’s staff, a collection of processional crosses and the breviary of Isabel la Católica. The Museo del Orinal contains more than 1,350 pieces from 29 nationalities and is considered the only museum of its kind in Spain. The permanent exhibition “Ciudad Rodrigo en la Guerra de la Independencia: Wellington frente a Napoleón” is housed in the Palacio de los Águila.
Festivals, starry skies and riverside scenery
The Carnaval del Toro is a five-day festival that brings together bulls, costumes, music and street celebrations. The program includes bull events in the streets and in a purpose-built arena, as well as other events in the city’s streets. Specific program items vary from one edition to the next, so check the dates and program for the edition taking place before your trip.
For a different view of the surrounding area, Observaciones Andrómeda offers educational astronomy observations with Starlight astronomy guides and two powerful telescopes. They allow you to observe the Moon, planets, other bodies in the solar system and deep-sky objects. Along the Águeda, meanwhile, the river area is particularly well suited to a range of sports and leisure activities around La Pesquera and El Picón. Alders, ash trees and poplars are among the species that grow on the riverbanks. Wildlife includes herons, mallards, wagtails, kingfishers, spoonbills and ibises, as well as amphibians, reptiles, otters and fish such as barbels and pike.
Parque de La Glorieta has a children’s play area and has traditionally been a venue for performances and concerts, for example at the Templete de La Glorieta. Another spot of scenic and archaeological interest is the Siega Verde area on the Águeda, about 15 kilometers downstream from Ciudad Rodrigo. On August 1, 2010, it was declared a World Heritage Site as an extension of the Archaeological Park in the Côa Valley.
Discover more destinations: La Peña, Huerta, San Pedro Del Valle, Berrocal De Salvatierra, Peñaranda De Bracamonte, Barbalos, Pastores, Monsagro.
For the broader travel overview: Salamanca.
