Day Trips from Salamanca

I would add Zamora to the options.

And whilst it is one on your places "regardless", I'd remove Valladolid. It isn't that special. I'd skip it. Leon is a slightly longer drive, but still under your 2 hour limit, and is magnificently better than Valladolid which is rather boring.

Think about Burgos, as well. El Cid is buried in the cathedral.

If going to Ávila, you can skip Béjar. The Medieval walls aren’t much different. I found the town confusing to drive in and honestly, couldn’t wait to leave. Near Béjar is El Barco de Ávila. It has a castle one can walk around the exterior of and a nice Medieval bridge.

La Alberca and Mogarraz are great to visit and we thoroughly enjoyed visiting them. They are only a few miles from each other. Between Béjar and Plasencia, Hervás was nice to walk around although it has no must see sights. The Jewish area and Puente del Lugar were the highlights.

In that same area is Granadilla and its castle. The residents were forced to abandon the village when a nearby dam was created, but not allowed to return when it was known the waters were not going to flood it. The castle is only one tower but affords a good view of the area. One can walk along the walls and through the village that is now a school. Plan your trip because it closes for a few hours in the afternoon.

For a village with unique city walls, visit Galisteo. Unlike most town walls, its walls are made from river stone. One can walk the walls. There are no railings going up the stairs to the walls. There’s nothing special about the town itself.

If you’re a Saint Teresa of Ávila fan, her tomb is in Alba de Tormes at Convento y Basílica de la Anunciación, MM Carmelitas. There was an article on her today and findings from when her tomb was opened last year. It was an interesting read.

I agree that Zamora should be added to the list and to skip Valladolid. Further away is León and Puebla de Sanabria. Puebla de Sanabria has a nice small castle, an old church and village plaza. It’s nice to wander around.

In addition to Cáceres are Trujillo and Guadalupe. Guadalupe has the UNESCO monastery. Trujillo has the main plaza and large castle. Both may be too far away for a day trip.

If you’re short on time you could drop Ciudad Rodrigo. It has no wow sites. If you do make it there however, visit the Parador that is the old castle and climb to the top of the tower. It affords a great view of the surrounding countryside.

There is free parking in all the small towns and villages I mentioned, as well as Cáceres, Trujillo, and Plasencia, but you should look up the lots ahead of time.

I also agree with skipping Valladolid.

My grandmother was born in La Alberca in 1914, so I am especially happy that you are planning to visit this beautiful village (which I only visited once) and the vicinity... once a place of deep poverty, and now charmingly forgotten by time. It is small, and so is Mogarraz: you could swing by Ciudad Rodrigo if time allows afterwards. It is not a must-see, but it is a very pleasant town.

Another vote for Zamora here, also nearby Toro.

@brad - thanks for the Toro suggestion. It looks like a nice town to walk around for a couple hours. I’ve been to both Zamora and Tordesillas, but have never driven on the road between the two. It’s now on my to visit list.

Hi guys, thanks for the tips! I'll take everyone's suggestion and substitute Valladolid with Zamora. Alba de Tormes seems like a good pair with Avila, the Basilica museum looks pretty good! Wish I was able to fit in Puebla de Sanabria, looks great, but it may be too far after everything else.

It was 2007 when we visited Alba de Tormes. The small museum was interesting and was my first exposure to relics (heart, finger, arm, etc.) of different people. At that time no photographs were allowed.

As Ávila can be seen in a few hours, it would be easy to visit both Ávila and Alba de Tormes on the same day. At Ávila, one gets a good view of the walls from Cuatro Postes overlook. If wanting to visit the Church & birthplace of Saint Teresa of Jesus check its hours. When we were in Ávila last year it was closed the day we were there.

Of the small towns you listed, our favorite was Mogarraz with the portraits of former residents on the sides of houses. We spent close to 2 hours there that included a snack at a bar on the main plaza. We spent slightly less time in La Alberca. For a sense of timing, we visited El Barco de Ávila, Béjar, Mogarraz, and La Alberca on the same day en route between Ávila and Ciudad Rodrigo.