Palencia

Essential

The Carrión River crosses the vast plain of Tierra de Campos before reaching Palencia. The city lived its period of greatest splendor in the Middle Ages. During the reign of Alfonso VIII it was a royal residence and in 1208 Palencia lived one of its most exceptional episodes, the foundation of the first Spanish university. As if it were a watchtower, the imposing sculpture of Cristo del Otero watches over the city from its 20 meters high and dominates the area from one of the hills that surround the capital. Calle Mayor is the backbone of the city, an artery that, from its adjacent avenues, opens up to essential places and corners such as the Cathedral, the Church of San Miguel, the convents of Claras and San Francisco or the parks of the Salón and the Huerta de Guadián. Don't forget to enjoy its museums and its transcendental religious art.