‘An intense magnet for those who do not deprive themselves of history, art and gastronomy. These are 7 essential plans to get to know Burgos. ’
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A CITY ON A HUMAN SCALE
Burgos meets with high marks the expectations of any traveler who wants to enjoy a quiet and unforgettable experience. In the Castilian capital a human scale continues to reign that allows you to approach without stress and walking to all its monuments and unique corners. From strolling in the shadow of its famous Gothic Cathedral, to touring one of the most interesting urban sections of the Camino de Santiago. You can also go up to the viewpoint of the Castle to enjoy the best views of the city or share the memory of El Cid Campeador.
In addition, nature lovers are lucky as the parks and malls that festoon the banks of the Arlanzón invite you to a series of walks that culminate in the other essential landmarks of the city: Las Huelgas, the Cartuja de Miraflores and the Museo de la Human evolution.
An intense magnet for those who do not deprive themselves of history, art and gastronomy. An amalgam between the gothic and dazzlingly modernist architecture also evidenced through a traditional gastronomic offer, but also fresh and brand new.
1. Feel the strength of the cathedral
The Burgos Cathedral has so much aesthetic force that like a magnet it attracts the eyes of all visitors. And no one is indifferent to this great temple, which is considered one of the pinnacles of European Gothic art, boasts of being a World Heritage Site and is about to celebrate 800 years of existence. The city will celebrate in style the 8th centenary of the laying of the first stone in 1221. Still, you can enjoy the various commemorative acts such as concerts, exhibitions and literary talks.
Considered one of the summits of European Gothic art, the tour of the Cathedral begins in the diaphanous Plaza del Rey San Fernando, from which the best panoramic view of its southern façade is contemplated. We can sit on one of its wooden benches and delight in the insurmountable play of volumes between the towers, topped by some pointed spiers, the long central nave, the already Renaissance dome and the elegant gable of the Sarmental.
The set has a Latin cross plan with three naves, a marked transept and ambulatory at the head. To this primitive Gothic design from the beginning of the 13th century, with clear French influences, a series of funeral chapels were added, financed by different clerics and nobles.
Entering the cathedral is an intense and joyous aesthetic experience for travelers. Thanks to the restorations of the last years, the interior shows off in all its splendor the harmonious combination of architectural structures and decorative elements incorporated over time into the initial Gothic factory.
There is so much accumulated beauty that it is difficult to focus your gaze on a single focus of interest.
But there are some key points that nobody can miss. The first and most outstanding is the Cimborio draft that rises above the cruise. Under its starry dome rest the remains of the most noted local hero: Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar. Then, it is mandatory to look back at the Renaissance Golden Staircase by Diego de Siloé and be amazed by the small but magnificent Gothic chapel of Santa Ana. Turning around the ambulatory, it is necessary to stop the march before another wonder of Spanish art: the Chapel of the Constables.
In this cathedral within the Cathedral, designed by Simón de Colonia at the end of the 15th century, they were buried, in a showy Carrara marble tomb, which were powerful representatives of the King of Castile.
To finish you have to enjoy the colorful cloister and the luxurious treasures of the Cathedral Museum. And let no one forget, since before going outside again it is obligatory to comply with the rite of every good tourist: listening to the hours and seeing the old clock of the Flycatcher open its mouth.
Golden Staircase by Diego de Siloé
BURGOS CATHEDRAL · Plaza de Santa María, s / n, Burgos · cathedralofburgos.es ·
2. Royal monasteries among trees
Joined together by the leafy and longitudinal parks that escort the citizen section of the Arlanzón river —El Parral, La Isla, La Quinta and Fuente del Prior—, two of the essential monuments to understand Burgos art and history stand out: Las Huelgas Reales and the Charterhouse of Miraflores. What a priori may seem inconvenient to be a little away from the urban center becomes a stimulus for walkers or bicycle lovers.
Monastery of Santa María la Real de las Hueglas
The Las Huelgas Reales Monastery was founded in 1187 by King Alfonso VIII to house within its walls the Royal Pantheon of its illustrious lineage. The originality of this Cistercian monastery lies in the fact that inside it the most typical elements of Christian art coexist in harmony. With some of the buildings with the clearest Muslim roots preserved in Spain. His artistic interest is concentrated in the church, in the chapter room and in the chapels of Santiago and La Asunción. Its Museum of Rich Fabrics, one of the most important and most original in the world, preserves a luxurious collection of clothing from the 12th and 14th centuries.
Royal Charterhouse of Miraflores
La Cartuja de Miraflores is one of the most interesting monuments of the European Gothic end. Its church was built as a pantheon for King Juan II of Castilla. Juan de Colonia began in 1454 the construction of this masterpiece financed by Queen Elizabeth the Catholic. In which the most important artists of the time worked: Simón de Colonia, Gil de Siloé, Juan de Flandes and Pedro Berruguete among others. In addition to the Carthusian asceticism that permeates everything, the magnificent main altarpiece and the royal tombs sculpted by the brilliant Gil de Siloé attract attention.
MONASTERIO DE LAS HUELGAS · Plaza Compás, s / n, 09001 Burgos · monasteryoflashuelgas.org
CARTUJA DE MIRAFLORES · Highway of Fuentes Blancas, Km 3.5, Burgos · www.cartujadeburgos.org
3. Being a pilgrim for a day
Burgos is one of the fundamental milestones to understand the peninsular layout of the Camino de Santiago. The passage of this Jacobean pilgrimage route marked the history and urban development of the city for several hundred years.
The street and the church of San Lesmes, the Arco de San Juan and its bridge.
All its religious institutions, including its Cathedral, revolved around pilgrims. In addition, its 35 hospitals made the city of Arlanzón the most hospitable in Europe.
Without having to get to Santiago, in Burgos you can make one of the most interesting urban sections of the entire Jacobean route. The ideal place to start is the Plaza de San Juan, a large urban space that opens to the Monastery of San Juan and the Church of San Lesmes, a notable example of Burgos Gothic from the end of the 15th century.
After crossing the medieval bridge over the Vena river, the San Juan arch allows you to line up the long street of the same name. Following the Jacobean shells and along Calle de Avellanos, you reach the street and the church of San Gil. In the latter, visit the Chapel of the Nativity, an architectural jewel built in the mid-16th century by Juan de Matienzo.
The Camino continues along Calle Fernán González, passes the pilgrims’ hostel, one of the best and most modern in Europe, and allows you to enjoy one of the most unusual perspectives of the Cathedral. After leaving behind the Cathedral and the church of San Nicolás de Bari, an unavoidable visit, if only to admire its beautiful Renaissance altarpiece carved in stone, the work of the late fifteenth century by Simón de Colonia.
The Arco de San Gil was one of the gates of the city wall on the north side of it.
The Jacobean Route passes near the arch of Fernán González, the monument to the Empecinado and the Solar del Cid. The Mudejar arch of San Martín allows you to leave the old and walled part of the city and begin the descent to the Malatos bridge and the Arlanzón river. Through the shady Parral park it is easy to locate the chapel of San Amaro and the renowned Hospital del Rey.
Detail view of Calle Avellanos, one of the sections of the Camino de Santiago as it passes through Burgos.
MONASTERIO DE SAN JUAN · Plaza San Juan, s / n, Burgos ·
SAN LESMES ABAD PARISH · Plaza San Juan, s / n, Burgos ·
CHURCH OF SAN GIL ABAD · Calle San Gil, 12, Burgos ·
CHURCH OF SAN NICOLÁS DE BARI · Calle de Fernán González, Burgos · www.aytoburgos.es ·
EL SOLAR DEL CID · Calle de Fernán González, 95, Burgos · www.aytoburgos.es ·
ARCO DE SAN MARTÍN · Calle Francisco Salinas, 2, Burgos
HOSPITAL DEL REYHospital del Rey, s / n, 09001 Burgos
4. In the footsteps of El Cid
In Burgos, the pulse of El Cid Campeador, the most famous character in all its history, continues to beat with intensity. The city is full of Cidiano landmarks – collected on a marked route – that recall the presence, legendary or real, of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar. Among them all stand out the Solar del Cid, the church of Santa Águeda, the Cathedral – in which her remains are buried and her famous chest and the earnest letter of her marriage to Doña Jimena are preserved -, the arch of Santa María, the monument on the Arlanzón glera, the San Pablo bridge and the equestrian statue that presides over the Plaza del Cid. Crossing the aforementioned bridge, it is easy to get to the most interesting Burgos Museum, where the mythical and daily Tizona sword is kept.
Not far away are Vivar del Cid and the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña. In the latter, the cidiana footprint can be traced in the so-called doña Jimena tower, in the supposed burial of Babieca – the most famous horse of the Campeador – and in the baroque chapel that housed, until its transfer to Burgos in the 19th century, the mortal remains of the hero.
Bronze equestrian statue of El Cid was sculpted by Juan Cristóbal González Quesada
BRIDGE OF SAN PABLO · Bridge of San Pablo, Burgos ·
BURGOS MUSEUM · Calle Calera. 25 y Calle Miranda, 13, Burgos · www.museodeburgos.com ·
MONASTERIO SAN PEDRO CARDEÑA · San Pedro Cardeña, Castrillo del Val · www.monasteriosanpedrodecardena.com ·
5. Feeling Burgos in Burgos
The best way to feel Burgos in Burgos is to walk quietly along the Paseo del Espolón. Starting next to the Arco de Santa María —another monumental icon of the city and one of the twelve gates that gave access to the city in the Middle Ages—. You have to know how to linger between the rows of intertwined plane trees that scallop its main platform. Look and be seen, as it has been done continuously in its 200-year history.
Between beautiful modernist houses and passing by the classicist building of the Consulate of the Sea, the Espolón allows you to look out onto the Plaza Mayor and deviate to the Casa del Cordón, the gothic palace where the Catholic Monarchs received Columbus after one of his trips to America .
But Burgos is also a clear culinary benchmark in the country and the passion for gastronomy that is perceived in the city is known to all. It has been part of the network of Creative Cities in the gastronomic field since 2015. After having been the first Spanish Capital of Gastronomy in 2013 and promoter of the European Network of “Gastronomic Cities”.
Paseo del Espolón the Arch of Santa María
The people of Burgos love to enjoy this vital preamble, between lunch and dinner, where they stop to savor life. The aperitif hour is part of the pulse of the social life of this beautiful city, of its lively streets and squares and is, at the same time, a tribute to the palate.
Roast suckling lamb, blood sausage and fresh cheese form the traditional triad for restoration. But at the same time, he enjoys creative and fun culinary art, wanting to give a return to tradition. In fact, the project called Humanos Human Engines ’places the city as the World Laboratory of Gastronomic Evolution. Its objective is to provide a solution to one of humanity’s main challenges in this century, such as improving health and the species through food.
PASEO DEL ESPOLÓN · Paseo del Espolón, s / n, Burgos ·
ARCO DE SANTA MARÍA · Plaza Rey San Fernando, s / n, Burgos · www.aytoburgos.es ·
CONSULATE OF THE SEA, Paseo Espolón, 14, Burgos ·
PLAZA MAYOR BURGOS, Plaza Mayor, s / n, Burgos · www.aytoburgos.es ·
CASA DEL CORDÓN, Freedom Square, s / n · portal.cajadeburgos.com/cultura ·
6. The city at your feet
Every self-respecting medieval city has a castle that dominates it from the top. Burgos is no exception and today its historic fortress has become a privileged viewpoint to enjoy the best possible views. In addition, and if we start from the modern pilgrim hostel, an elevator and two escalators will help us to overcome the existing unevenness.
After passing through the CAB -the Burgos Center for Contemporary Art, a modern cube that stands out from among the popular farmhouse and from whose terrace you can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the city- and later by the Church of San Esteban, a staircase shaded by a dense tree mass allows easy access to the entrance to the quarterdeck and the Mirador del Castillo. If inside the first one we can venture through the galleries of the deepest medieval well in Europe, from the second one can enjoy priceless prospects.
Views of the city from the Mirador del Castillo
It is worth stopping and enjoying the best views of the city and all its scenic surroundings. If the Cathedral and the church of San Esteban stand out in the first place, in the background you can see the almost always snowy peaks of the Sierra de la Demanda, where the Arlanzón river has its sources.
The hours of sunset are usually preferred, but if you really want to live an unforgettable experience you have to go to Burgos on a snowy day. To avoid the problems of the roads, the ideal is to get on a train or a bus line – Burgos is very well connected. And enjoy a city that has made its well-known winter weather an effective advertising slogan: “Burgos, it won’t leave you cold.” The panoramic view of its Cathedral from the top of the Mirador del Castillo and wrapped in a white cloak is unrepeatable. And to warm up, a roast lamb or a comforting spoon dish in one of its most classic restaurants.
7. Get to know our ancestors
The Museum of Human Evolution has become a scientific and tourist benchmark of international importance. Anyone interested in the origin and evolution of man must visit this innovative exhibition area, to be thrilled by the original fossils found in the Atapuerca sites. At the MEH we will come face to face with the remains of our most remote European ancestors.
Two pedestrian ramps — outlined by a garden that 
recreates the natural ecosystems of the Sierra de Atapuerca— allow you to ascend to the museum entrance. From the top you can see an unprecedented panoramic view of the lush banks of the Arlanzón and the old town of the city presided over by the unmistakable volumes of the Cathedral. The first thing that surprises the Museum of Human Evolution is its ability to recreate a huge and diaphanous interior space. With many possibilities to become an icon of Spanish contemporary architecture, Juan Navarro Baldeweg’s project manages to multiply the scales and make the visitor feel immersed in a wide and elaborate museum environment.
In the most outstanding place of the museum and recreating the magic of the sites, the original fossils of the hominids of the Sierra de Atapuerca are exposed. From the remains of Homo antecessor, a new species more than a million years old and considered the first European, to the numerous finds of Homo heidelbergensis located in the Sima de los Huesos. Among which stands out the skull nº 5, also known as “Miguelón”.
Museum of Human Evolution
FIELDS OF ATAPUERCA. Logroño Highway, Km 44, Ibeas de Juarros, Burgos ·
EVOLUTION MUSEUM. Paseo Sierra de Atapuerca, s / n, Burgos · www.museoevolucionhumana.com ·
· Visit the website of the Tierra magazine to read articles like this and many more. ·
· Plans not to miss ·
Tags: Architecture, burgos, Cartuja, Cathedral, burgos cathedral, espolon, monastery, nature, plans, plans in burgos, Routes, Santa María, tourism
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