2 weeks in Castille and Leon Itinerary Review

If you can manage a visit to Las Huelgas while in Burgos, it is worth your time but you must reserve.

In León, make sure you see both the Cathedral and San Isidoro. Don't miss the Panteon de los Reyes and the Treasury (in San Isidoro). If you do both sites, you will have seen excellent examples of the Gothic and Romanesque architectural styles.

I like it...not too much movin' around. We took the bus to Astorga. Zamora is great we spent 3 nites...lots to see.
Brad

I really like the cathedrals in Burgos, Leon and Astorga. They are quite different from each other. Get the audio guides when you visit. El Cid is supposedly in the one in Burgos. In Burgos, the Evolution Museum is fantastic. Good for quite a few hours. Tapas were good here too. Leon is a party city, with lots of late night party goers roaming the streets, having fun, but being really loud until morning. Be prepared to see a lot of Camino walkers/pilgrims, in all 3 of these cities.

Since Zamora is between León and Salamanca, rather than going from León to Salamanca then backtracking for a day trip to Zamora, consider going from León to Zamora for a night, then on to Salamanca. That would save some travel time and train/bus fare.

Ciudad Rodrigo is nice enough, but has no wow sites. A good place to get a great view of the surrounding area is from the tower of the former castle, now the Parador.

I believe Ávila is on the same train line as Salamanca so it may be easier to visit as a day trip from Salamanca. You’ll know better once you check into train and bus schedules.

Edited: adding to what Pat stated, if going to Real Sitio de San Ildefonso the gardens are free to enter; it’s only the palace you need to pay to go into. I didn’t feel the price was worth the limited area of the palace one can visit. When we visited in late September 2023 the water to the garden fountains had been turned off and few flowers were in bloom, so the gardens were a let down. I’m sure they are nice when the water in flowing and there are flower and looming plants.

Here is a suggestion close to Segovia: visit the royal palace at La Granja de San Ildefonso, 12 km outside of the city. The design was modelled after Versailles. We enjoyed a typical cochinillo meal at Restaurante Casa Duque on Calle Cervantes in Segovia. On the corner of the Plaza Mayor in Segovia there is the small church of San Miguel. It was there that Isabella was proclaimed queen in 1474 so it has lots of historical significance.
Have a great trip.

Thank you all for the advice.

I second the recommendation for La Granja de San Ildefonso, and I share the same doubts about Ciudad Rodrigo. Instead of the latter, if you can find a tour to La Alberca and Mogarraz (or just La Alberca), it could be more worthwhile - they're beautiful mountain villages, very different from other places you'll have seen.

La Alberca and Mogarraz are only a few miles from each other along the same road. Both are worth visiting for an hour or two each. Each is on Spain’s list of prettiest villages and only an hour from Salamanca. Another nearby village also on the list is Miranda del Castañar. I haven’t been to it. Getting to them in a timely manner using public transportation could be an issue, but you’d need to check that.