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What to Do in Palencia: Las Tuerces, Aguilar de Campoo & the Most Underrated Province in Spain

Oct 2
5 min read

Updated: Oct 4

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Palencia province is the most consistently underrated destination in Castilla y León. The province itself is a long rectangle of high meseta that most people drive through on the way to somewhere else — and the towns of Las Tuerces and Aguilar de Campoo sit at its northern edge, where the flat plateau breaks into the limestone canyons and karst country of the Montaña Palentina.

Las Tuerces is a karst landscape of limestone formations that rise from the flat fields like something between Stonehenge and a ruined city — columns, arches, balanced boulders, and narrow canyons produced by differential erosion over millions of years. Aguilar de Campoo is a medieval town on a reservoir below a ruined castle, with the most complete set of Romanesque churches in the province. May brings wildflowers to the limestone and emptiness to both places.

Best for First-Timers: Las Tuerces Guided Geological Walk

The Las Tuerces circular trail takes 2–3 hours through the limestone formations — named rocks (the Cathedral, the Turtle, the Dromedary) that give you the scale of the erosion and the imagination that local naming conventions applied to it. A guided walk adds the geology (Cretaceous limestone, differential erosion, the specific conditions that produced this density of karst formation in a small area) and the flora (the rock rose, thyme, and lavender that colonise the limestone in May give the landscape a scent as well as a colour).

Las Tuerces is entirely free to visit and well-marked. The guided format is valuable for the geology and the spring botany rather than for navigation.

Best for Families & Kids: Aguilar de Campoo — Medieval Town, Castle & Reservoir

Aguilar de Campoo sits on the Aguilar reservoir with the ruins of a 14th-century castle on the hill above the old town and the Romanesque monastery of Santa María la Real on the reservoir shore. The monastery has been restored by the Fundación Santa María la Real — a remarkable project in which the monastery was rescued from ruin and now operates as a cultural centre, hotel, and the headquarters of one of Spain's most active Romanesque heritage organizations.

For families: the castle ruins are climbable (free), the monastery visit covers 12th-century Romanesque in excellent condition, and the reservoir provides kayak rental from the waterfront. The town itself is compact, has good restaurants, and is entirely unaffected by tourism. A genuinely pleasant base for a night or two.

Best if You Only Have a Few Hours: Palencia Cathedral — The Unknown Gothic Masterpiece

The Palencia Cathedral — known among Spanish art historians as the Bella Desconocida, the Beautiful Unknown — is a 14th–16th century Gothic cathedral that contains an extraordinary collection of Flemish altarpieces, a El Greco, a sculpture by Gregorio Fernández, and a Romanesque crypt beneath the Gothic nave. It's genuinely one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Spain and almost entirely unvisited by international tourists.

The guided tour (Palencia city is 45km from Aguilar de Campoo) covers the cathedral and the museum collection. Combined with lunch in one of the city's canal-side bars — Palencia has a canal running through the centre — this is a half-day that most visitors to Castilla y León never know to do.

Most Unique: Romanesque Route — Twelve Churches in the Mountain Villages

The Montaña Palentina has the highest density of Romanesque churches per square kilometre of any region in Spain — over 50 churches in a relatively small area, many in villages of fewer than 100 inhabitants, most in excellent condition. The guided Romanesque route covers the key churches (San Juan Bautista in Moarves de Ojeda with its extraordinary carved portal frieze; Santa Eufemia de Cozuelos; San Pelayo in Perazancas) in a day and connects them to the broader Romanesque tradition of the pilgrimage routes.

This is a genuinely specialist experience — the kind that rewards anyone seriously interested in medieval art, architecture, or the history of the Camino de Santiago regional routes. The guides who work this territory know the churches and the iconographic programmes.

Best Guided Experience: Palencia & Las Tuerces Full Day from Burgos or Valladolid

Palencia is 45km from Burgos and 50km from Valladolid — well within day trip range from either. A full day from Burgos covers Las Tuerces in the morning (2 hours), lunch in Aguilar de Campoo, and the castle and monastery in the afternoon. From Valladolid, add Palencia cathedral to the day. The combination of the karst landscape and the Romanesque architecture gives you a version of Castilla y León that is genuinely different from the well-worn cathedral cities.

Looking for Somewhere to Stay?

Aguilar de Campoo has the right combination of location and accommodation for exploring the Montaña Palentina — the monastery hotel (Santa María la Real) is the most atmospheric option. Palencia city has more infrastructure if you're using it as a base for the province. Browse hotels in Palencia →

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