Parador de Zamora

Know the environment

Zamora is a municipality and city located in the northwestern part of the central Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of the province of the same name. The city's old quarter is considered an area of artistic and historical importance. The core of the city is elongated and largely surrounded by walls, extending along the northern banks of the Douro River. These characteristics have led Zamora to be known as the "well enclosed."

Highlights include its many Romanesque buildings. Considered "the Romanesque City," it has 23 religious buildings and 14 churches in the old quarter, making Zamora the city with the largest number of the finest Romanesque religious structures in Europe. Its major historical landmarks include the cathedral, castle, city walls, a bridge, two palaces and nine stately homes, as well as a number of modernist buildings.

What to see

  • Cathedral, castle and Romanesque churches
  • Museums: Holy Week, Ethnographic, Diocesan and Provincial
  • Arribes del Duero Nature Reserve and Sanabria Lake
  • Toro wineries and artisan cheese makers

What to do

The surrounding area offers a number of places of interest, including La Hiniesta (9 km), home to a church with Gothic images; Campillo (20 km); and Toro (33 km), with Stª María La Mayor Collegiate Church. You will also find incredibly beautiful spots such as Sanabria Lake (100 km) and Arribes del Duero Nature Reserve (50 km).

Expert's recommendation

  • Active and Nature Tourism
Tour the spectacular canyons of the Arribes del Duero Nature Reserve that link Spain and Portugal on board a sightseeing boat. Learn all about the typical flora and fauna of this well-known nature reserve. Or plan a getaway to Sanabria Lake, where you can discover a nature reserve with the largest glacial lake on the Iberian Peninsula aboard a unique boat, the first solar/wind-powered catamaran in the world.
  • Culinary Tourism
This is the perfect opportunity to learn about the cheesemaking process from start to finish. Pay a visit to shepherd Iván's sheep farm, where you can take a short course on artisanal cheesemaking methods. Or tour Quesería la Antigua, where you will learn about cheese cutting, with a guided tasting of the products prepared at this facility. You will even have the chance to sample the famous chickpeas from Fuentesaúco. Or visit some of the wineries located in the Toro designation of origin, which offer tastings and the chance to purchase their famous wines.
  • Cultural Tourism
Zamora is an extraordinary city, almost a museum in itself. Visitors can also enjoy several museums, each unique and highly interesting.
Our recommendations: Museo de Semana Santa (Holy Week Museum, declared an International Tourist Attraction), Museo Etnográfico de Castilla y León (Castile-Leon Ethnographic Museum, one-of-a-kind in Europe), Museo de la Catedral (Cathedral Museum, with an extremely valuable collection of Flemish tapestries), Museo Arqueológico Provincial (Provincial Archaeological Museum, which takes visitors on a step-by-step tour of the city's origins) and Baltasar Lobo Museum (local sculptor, contemporary and friend of Picasso).