Palencia is the capital of the Palencia province, Castile and Leon. Palencia does not appear in the great tourist circuits of the Castilian-Leon region. It is true that it cannot be equated to the monumental splendor of Salamanca, Lion, Burgos or Segovia, nor to the museums and urban dynamism of Valladolid. But judging by the pride of its citizens, it does not seem to need much of it either. Any person from Palencia will be happy to list the records, feats and wonders that the city can boast of. And indeed, Palencia offers a series of well-preserved notable monuments: a postcard-style Calle Mayor, a large number of idyllic parks with their own personality, some culinary secrets that other more renowned cities would already like, and the image of a picturesque capital. from an eminently Castilian, contemporary and bustling province, which tries to make itself known among its older sisters.
Understand
The people of Palencia wait impatiently for the arrival of the AVE that will finally mean the burying of some train tracks that have historically divided the city in two. The high-speed train feels like a talisman of modernity that will bring Palencia closer to the country's capital and who knows what good things it may bring.
They debate incessantly on the continuous urban works and the decisions of the local politicking. They regret that the great Castilian cities take the cat to the water while Palencia seems to always stay in no man's land. Valladolid, so close and so big, makes it too much of a shadow. And their opinions are divided when contemplating the multitude of windmills that have appeared like mushrooms around the city, spoiling the views of Cristo del Otero, but at the same time providing clean and renewable energy to the future.
At the same time, the citizens of this town of 83,000 inhabitants keep to themselves, almost as if it were a secret, the quality of life of a neat, quiet, green, wealthy and gastronomic city.
It is true that the climate of Palencia is not friendly. Spring is late and treacherous. Summer is a pleasure, but it ends soon as in September the cold begins to lurk, and winter is long and severe. But that does not scare the people of Palencia, who do not forgive the Sunday walk through the Calle Mayor whether it be thunder or snow and invade the innumerable terraces that dot the city in summer.
If one takes into account that the city has an acceptable and scandalously affordable cultural offer, compared to that of the big cities, quite a few movie theaters, a movie theater, and a remarkable night scene ... what is missing? Well, maybe it's more ambition, more desire to open up to the world. A common thought is "In Palencia you live and eat well ... why do we want more?" And precisely this means that the city is not known beyond the region, that it does not have nationally renowned events and that it is still finishing its Conference Center, under construction for a few years.
In addition, the people of Palencia are getting older, they lose their young people, who have to emigrate to the big cities to have jobs that the city does not offer. Despite the fact that it has a university campus dependent on the University of Valladolid, there is no critical size of youth in the city that gives it the dynamism and freshness so necessary for the city to renew itself and receive new trends, which seem to always arrive. late. There are not too many entrepreneurs either. And this shows.
Foreign immigration has come in a trickle, and it is to be hoped that it will bring some color to a city that is perhaps too closed in on itself, absorbed in its good standard of living. Let's see what happens when the AVE arrives and that Exhibition Palace is inaugurated that few people know what it will be for, too busy enjoying the secrets of the city!
To get
Palencia is very well communicated with the surrounding cities and the rest of Spain by road and train. The closest airport is Valladolid /Villanubla, about 50 km from the city.
By car
Palencia is communicated by highway with most of the surrounding cities and well connected to the high capacity network of the State. These are the main road connections:
Highways
- A-67 Santander
- A-62 Valladolid / Madrid
- P-11 (connecting with A-62) Burgos / Bilbao / Zaragoza / Barcelona
- A-65 León / Oviedo / A Coruña
Autonomous
- C-615 Guardo / Riaño
- C-613 Sahagún / (connecting with A-213) León / Oviedo
By train
Being at the junction point of the main routes that arrive from Madrid towards the north and northwest of the country, Palencia has multiple connections with many cities in the country. Thus the frequency of trains with Valladolid and Madrid is very high.
There are also three daily trains that communicate with Barcelona, Galicia Y Asturias and a daily frequency with Alicante. Several Regional Express communicate it with Burgos, Leon and Vitoria.
The city has benefited greatly from the arrival of the AVE to Valladolid, which has meant reducing travel time to Madrid on Alvia trains by almost half. The next arrival of the AVE to Palencia, León and Burgos will further improve communications with the center and south of the peninsula.
By plane
From Villanubla airport, in Valladolid, there are 3 daily connections to Barcelona, 1 to Valencia, 1 a Paris, 1 a London and various links to Balearic Islands Y Canary Islands.
Travel
The city council of Palencia has made notable efforts in recent years to pedestrianize the urban center. While this has meant a higher quality of life and has pacified the old town, it has also been a headache for its inhabitants, who have fewer and fewer places to park. The construction of underground car parks has alleviated rather than solved the situation. The blue zone is very widespread in the city, so it is recommended, if you arrive in Palencia by car, leave it in one of the car parks, or away from the city center. It is a compact city (although long!), So it can be easily and pleasantly covered on foot.
Recently the city council has launched a bicycle rental service for the inhabitants of the city. The lack of custom and the skepticism and reluctance to change of the people of Palencia means that it has not been received, everything must be said, with great enthusiasm.
Watch
Despite the fact that most of the urban fabric of Palencia is modern, it has preserved some high-quality monuments.
Religious monuments
Cathedral of San Antolín: main monument of the city of Palencia and one of the largest cathedrals in Spain, built between the 14th and 16th centuries. National Monument since 1929.
- Main altarpiece of the cathedral of Palencia
- Tapestry of the cathedral of Palencia
- Crypt of San Antolín
- Cathedral Museum of Palencia
- The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (El Greco)
San Miguel's Church: its religious-military tower is another of the most representative icons of Palencia. Temple of the twelfth century, it is the purest expression of the primitive ogival style. Inside, there is a Christ from the 14th century, altars from the 17th and 18th centuries, one of them with a Flemish Pieta, and the Gothic mural. The legend says that the Cid Campeador was married here, but the date of construction of this temple reduces its credibility; most likely it took place in a previous temple located in this same place. Declared a National Monument in 1931.
Church of san francisco: Franciscan foundation of the thirteenth century, it underwent modifications in the sixteenth century, which altered its primitive Gothic character. It was the seat of the Cortes Generales in the 14th century and the residence of kings. Inside, its Mudejar coffered ceilings and a chapel completely covered with skulls stand out. National Monument since 1962.
Convent of San Pablo: there are small remains of the foundation of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in the 13th century. The current church dates from the 15th and 16th centuries, and the belfry on the main façade dates from the 18th century. On the outside, the apse with Renaissance windows stands out. Inside, the main altarpiece and the tombs of the Marquis of Poza stand out. Declared a National Monument in 1931.
Interior of Our Lady of the Street (La Compañía).
Christ of the Otero: key work of the Palencia sculptor Victorio Macho. Erected in 1931 on one of the hills that surround the city, it is a 30-meter-high sculpture (the second largest behind the Christ of Rio de Janeiro) that dominates the entire city and is the main symbol of the capital. Palencia.
Santa Clara Monastery: The Admirals of Castile were founders and protectors of this Gothic convent. The church dates from the 15th century, with a main altarpiece from the 18th century. The recumbent Christ stands out, a carving surrounded by mystery and legends of which it is said that it was found in the sea inside an urn and that its hair and nails grow. Unamuno dedicated a poem to him. In this convent Zorrilla placed the legend of Margarita la Turnera.
Church of the company (also called Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Calle): Jesuit church built in 1584. In it is kept the 40 cm carving of the Virgen de la Calle, patron saint of the city. It was declared a National Monument in 1982.
Hermitage of San Juan Bautista: small but beautiful Romanesque temple. Its structure was moved and rebuilt in Palencia when the town in which it was located (Villanueva del Río) was flooded by the waters of the reservoir. It is a National Monument since 1981.
Church of San Lazaro: with a late-Roman tower, the nave dates from the 16th century. In it a clear and perfect union between the Gothic and the late Romanesque is appreciated. It was originally a hospital for lepers.
Church of San Bernardo: currently only the Plateresque façade is preserved.
Church of Santa Marina: 18th century temple. Episcopal palace: the Diocesan Museum is located in this palace.
Major Seminary Convent of La Piedad: built in the 16th century, by Dominican nuns.
Convent of the Augustinian Canons: 17th century. Headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Virgen de la Piedad that parades at Easter.
Agustinas Recoletas Convent: built in the 17th century. The church, with a single nave, has a Latin cross plan, its transept stands out with a lantern dome. The barrel vault and the cupola are decorated with a good plasterwork whose design is due to Antonio de Canales.
Chapel of Solitude. Attached to the convent of San Francisco is the headquarters of the brotherhood of the same name. Its altarpiece, baroque plasterwork and its image of Nuetra Señora de la Soledad stand out, perhaps the most venerated of those that parade at Easter.
Civil monuments
- Main Street. It is the main thoroughfare of the city and the center of the commercial, administrative and cultural activity of Palencia. In this street and in its surroundings there are the most interesting civil buildings.
- Plaza Mayor and Town Hall. The Plaza Mayor was built in the seventeenth century to celebrate public festivities and the market. Three of its sides are supported and it is presided over by the Town Hall, a neoclassical construction from the 19th century.
- Palace of the Provincial Council of Palencia. Neo-Renaissance style building from 1914, designed by the architect Jerónimo Arroyo from Palencia. Its main façade and the works of Palencia artists that it houses inside stand out.
- Cordon House. A 16th century building topped with a Franciscan cord on its façade. Inside is the Provincial Archaeological Museum. It is the only Renaissance civil monument in the city.
- Bridges. Bridge of Roman origin, renovated in the 16th century. The most typical and oldest.
- Major Bridge. Stone construction from the 16th century, renovated and expanded at the end of the 18th century.
- Iron bridge. From the beginning of the 20th century.
- Villandrando School. Notable building on Calle Mayor. Designed by Jerónimo Arroyo, the ceramic that finishes off the facade by Daniel Zuloaga stands out.
- Post office building. Built in 1916 according to the project of Jacobo Romero.
- Main theater. Built in the 19th century on the model of Italian theaters. After suffering a fire in 1826, it was rebuilt and remodeled.
- IES Jorge Manrique. It is the largest institute in Palencia and on its top floor is the Jerónimo Arroyo museum.
- Food Market. The only iron and glass work in Palencia, designed by Juan Agapito Revilla, it was built in 1889.
- San Bernabé Hospital. Located in the vicinity of the Cathedral. Founded in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 15th century.
- Baroque Palace. Nobility building from the 18th century, in the Baroque style. Located on Calle Mayor.
- Casino of Palencia
- Flora Germán's house. Jerónimo Arroyo's modernist building, its viewpoints and its ovoid dome stand out notably from between the roofs of Calle Mayor.
- Council of Accounts of Castilla y León (Ramón Alonso's house). Jerónimo Arroyo building located at the confluence of Bocaplaza street with Mayor street (one of the most sophisticated areas of the city). It has two interesting towers with colored stained glass windows. In front of him is the statue to its author.
Museums
- Provincial Archaeological Museum (Cordon House)
- Contemporary Art Museum
- Jerónimo Arroyo Museum
- Victorio Macho Museum
- Footwear History Museum
- Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art
- Cathedral museum
Do
Calle Mayor de Palencia is the backbone of the capital. Most of the city's businesses and franchises are concentrated there. The tapas bars follow the same route, although sometimes you have to deviate through its intersections. It is difficult to walk through the city without going through it at some point. You have to walk through it to mingle with its inhabitants and perceive its different rhythms throughout the day: crowded and noisy at noon and in the afternoon, young and noisy on weekend nights, empty and melancholic at dawn. ..
You have to stop in the Plaza Mayor or in the Parque del Salón to take a break in any of its lively terraces and watch people go by, or in short, to enjoy the peasantry, as Josep Pla said. As a good capital of the Castilian province, in Palencia there are many dolled-up ladies who wear tailored suits, elegant men, authentic and with a colorful touch, the elderly dressed up for Sunday and the grandmothers with combed hair. And of course, the boys and girls, immaculate.
The people of Palencia boast proud of parks, and it is not for less. The city disputes with Vitoria periodically the number one position in meters of green areas per inhabitant in Spain.
An alternative route to the urban bustle will thus take us to the other backbone of the city, the Carrión River. In the north of the city, the Huertas del Obispo spill over the Carrión River, and opposite, crossing the Roman bridge of Puentecillas, is the Sotillo Park, which has large extensions of lawns, horse chestnut trees, huge conifers, and nice views of the cathedral. Then you continue along the river to the Puente Mayor. Here the traveler has two options: deviate to the right, cross the Carrión again and reach the Canal de Castilla dock or continue walking to the pedestrian bridge that will take them to the recently created Isla Dos Aguas Park, with a full lake. of swans, ducks and geese, and the presence of redwoods, beeches, sweetgum and other more mundane species. You can then continue along either bank to the charming suspension bridge, a cast iron structure from the early 20th century, and continue along Calle de Santiago Amón until you reach Paseo de la Julia.
Going out of the city to enjoy the surroundings is another good option. Just 6 kilometers away, Palencia has its own "Tibidabo" or "Casa de Campo", the Mount El Viejo. It is a large holm oak forest located on a moor in the Torozos Mountains that dominate the city on its west side. It is a very popular recreational area among the people of Palencia.
There are several points of interest: The small house (serene views over the city and the Carrión valley, protected deer reserve), The shelter (restaurant, cafeteria, terrace, swimming pool and a multitude of trails to get lost) and The big house (restaurant, cafeteria, sports facilities and many more trails). Finally, it is worth mentioning the San Juan valley, a little more remote, bucolic and desert. The best way to get to the Mount is by car. The places mentioned are between 2 and 3 kilometers apart. In summer a bus goes up every hour to the Refuge.
Pleasant routes can be made through the Mount, although it is advisable to carry a detailed map of the area. You should also check the weather forecast and bring plenty of water, despite the fact that there are scattered sources of drinking water.
To buy
The main commercial area of the city runs around Calle Mayor and its adjacent streets. There you can find most of the national and international fashion franchises, as well as boutiques with clothing from select brands, and traditional shops.
A second commercial area is around Modesto Lafuente Avenue and Casañé Street, the latter specialized in decoration and home.
To the south of the city is the Las Huertas shopping center, where there is a hypermarket.
The most typical products of Palencia used to be sheep's wool textiles. It is still possible to buy high-quality blankets at various stores and draperies.
It is also recommended to buy local gastronomic products such as Cerrato cheese, Arlanza wines or sausages such as Fuenteadrino black pudding. The local pastry is also advisable and much more diverse and surprising than what the clichés command (the typical Castilian "pasta"). Lastly, it is worth mentioning the crafts.
To eat
Gastronomy
The cuisine of Palencia uses local products from the vegetable garden of the Carrión and Pisuerga rivers, as well as lamb and various birds. Thus, it is mainly represented by roast lamb and vegetable stew. Other dishes are garlic soups, important potatoes, Castilian soup, ratatouille, lamb chops, pickled partridge, cordil and blood sausage scrambled. The popular crabs, which are cooked with a succulent tomato sauce, and trout are obtained from the rivers of the province.
As for desserts, fried milk, rice pudding, cream puff pastry, petit-suisses, and the Cazoleta de San Antolin are popular. Cerrato cheeses are also highly recommended.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the classic homemade liqueurs of sloes, walnuts, blackberries, cherries ...
Tapas
For a few years now, tapas has been gaining whole in the city, everything and it has always been present. The stops are plentiful and the food, unbeatable. You can start in the Home tasting their prawns with a gabardine or any of their batters. Then you can continue in the Pike, to try their montaditos or their stews, and continue later in the Hand and eat a good black pudding with peppers. If the visitor has the desire and stomach left, he can reach the Mussel and fill up on some different patatas bravas and different versions of the mollusk.
On a second attempt, they can visit the Parakeet, with some delicious eggs with bechamel, the Prada Butt, with its variety of tortillas, and a local institution, the restaurant The oak. Its potato omelette has been awarded 4 consecutive times as the best in Spain.
On the other hand, if the traveler visits the city during the San Antolín festivities (late August - early September), they will be able to enjoy the fair and the tapas contest that is organized in various places in the city.
Restaurants
If you prefer to have lunch or dinner sitting down, the city offers a multitude of quality restaurants:
- Pepe's Restaurant. The most popular.
- Tas Tas Restaurant. Grandes Tostas, the best in Castilla y León, according to various gastronomic critics.
- La Traserilla Restaurant
- Hotel AC Palencia
- Don Rodrigo Restaurant
- Isabel Restaurant
- La Encina Grill Restaurant. Gandora successive times of the best "Tortilla de patatas" nationwide.
- San Remo restaurant
- Los Candiles Restaurant
- Casado Restaurant
- Chapó Restaurant
- Maria Cristina Restaurant
- Casa Lucio Restaurant
When it comes to food from other countries, there is also where to choose. Italian food is represented by the Papareschi pizzeria (with a wonderful 4 seasons pizza) or the Ponte Vecchio. Chinese restaurants abound and recently one of them offers Japanese food, although in reality it is nothing more than a recycled and little achieved variation. There is also a Hindu restaurant and a Turkish one.
Drink and go out
To drink
In Palencia, wine is an institution. The wines of the Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales denominations are the order of the day in any bar or restaurant worth its salt.
It is more interesting to know that since 2007, the Palencia region of Cerrato has, together with the neighboring territories of Burgos, the D.O. Arlanza, which mainly grows Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mencia and Caubernet Sauvignon grapes.
During the tapas, the cañas, the shorts, and the clear (beer with soda) are also styled. For teetotalers, must.
Visitors will greatly enjoy ordering drinks at night in Palencia. They are cheap and huge, compared to those in big cities.
Go out
As for the night scene, it starts late, around midnight.
Palencia has two proper walking areas. The "Zone", the first, is located in several streets of the Puebla neighborhood. It is filled with an adolescent and twentysomething audience, which is distributed by bars of pachanga, commercial music and indie. To highlight the Marline, the Vatican, the Authentic, the Gomila and the one that is perhaps the most interesting, the Utopia. It should also be noted the Universonoro, an alternative and dance institution in the city, which organizes frequent concerts.
The second zone is the Seminar, more adult, and next to the homonymous building and near the Carrión river and the church of San Miguel. The heart of this is the square, where a multitude of bars, wall to wall, fill up at around 2 in the morning. All the urban tribes of Palencia, from posh to punks mix here until the bars close, around 4:30. The musical offer is varied, oscillating between the commercial and the pachanga, and the alternative and electronic.
To top off the night, the disco Chapó, where the hordes of young and not so young go when everything else closes.
Other recommendable places are the Stella (his mix of octogenarian and young audience is inimitable), the Club 38 (indefinable and essential in the city for decades, to visit at odd hours), and the Urban (mixed, elegant and festive atmosphere, until 4 in the morning).
Private parties are also organized in industrial warehouses and the like, but it is convenient to meet a local to find out where to go. The same goes for afters.
Sleep
The hotel offer in Palencia has expanded in recent years. Below are some of the hotels and hostels available:
Economic
- Hotel Monclus
Half
- Old Castile Hotel
- Hotel Rey Sancho
- Hotel Palacio Congresos
- Hotel Diana Palace
- Hotel AC Palencia
- Hotel Europa Centro
Waste
Next destination
- Valladolid - capital of the region of Castile and Leon
- Lion
- Oviedo