The Caminos Naturales del Románico Palentino combine cultural heritage with environmental and landscape values in the northwest of the province of Palencia. There is also the city’s history, an extensive canal and natural areas with very different features. When planning your trip, it is worth first deciding which of these sides of Palencia interests you most.

Romanesque heritage on three routes

The main route, the Ruta del Carbón de Cok, is 66 kilometres long. It leads to the first foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains in the Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina Nature Park. Two additional routes, 14 and 22.5 kilometres long, offer further opportunities to explore Palencia’s Romanesque heritage: one runs from Santibáñez de Ecla to Payo de Ojeda, and the other from Cozuelos de Ojeda to Dehesa de Montejo.

The route lengths and endpoints provide a clear starting point for comparison: the main route is longer, while each of the additional routes connects two named places. This lets you choose a route based on its sections and destinations. Together, these trails bring heritage and landscape into focus, although not all sections necessarily have the same character.

The Canal de Castilla and ways to explore it

At 207 kilometres long and divided into three major sections, the Canal de Castilla is a destination in its own right. You can explore it by boat, bicycle, on horseback or on foot. These options offer different ways to experience the canal: by taking a boat trip or travelling actively on land. The canal’s length and layout are on a different scale from the individual Romanesque heritage routes.

The landscape also offers specific points of interest. The Roblón de Estalaya is a sessile oak (Quercus petraea), 17 metres tall and with a circumference of around 10.6 metres. The Pinar de Velilla is considered the only native pine forest in the local mountain landscape. A well-marked and signposted trail through the pine forest ends at two viewpoints overlooking Pico Espigüete, Peña Lampa and the Compuerto Reservoir.

City history and Roman mosaics

The Conjunto Histórico de Palencia offers a glimpse into the city’s long history. Its historic fabric reflects protohistoric origins as well as Roman and medieval periods. It also bears the marks of the centuries from the 16th to the 18th and the far-reaching changes of the 20th century. From the hilltop at Cristo del Otero, visitors can see Palencia and its monuments.

The Villa Romana La Olmeda offers another way to explore the past. It has an exceptionally extensive collection of mosaics from a private Roman building; the mosaics cover the floors of several rooms. Those interested in Roman remains will find a different focus here than on the Romanesque routes: one perspective takes you along trails and through places, while the other reveals the decoration of a Roman building.

Natural areas and birdwatching

Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina is of great ecological, landscape, faunal and botanical importance. The area is a refuge for the endangered brown bear. The Casa del Parque Natural Montaña Palentina provides information about the nature area and its official trail network; check opening arrangements before visiting.

At the Casa del Parque de la Nava y Campos de Palencia, five interactive rooms illustrate the lagoon’s natural environment and the region’s cultural heritage. Screens enable visitors to watch birds in the wetland live. The Casa Museo de la Laguna de Boada explains the biological importance of wetlands as well as the fauna and flora of the lagoons; audiovisual monitors show birds at the lagoon in real time.

The Cueva de los Franceses, near Revilla de Pomar, is considered the only cave open to visitors in the province of Palencia. It is temporarily closed for adaptation and improvement works. Check whether the works have been completed before planning a visit. The cave remains an interesting option to consider, but visiting it currently depends on its reopening.

Plan the rest of your trip around the places you actually want to visit. This allows you to account for different travel interests without assuming that the sights mentioned form a single route.

Discover more destinations

Venta De Baños, Saldaña, Palencia, Osorno, Magaz De Pisuerga, Dueñas, Cervera De Pisuerga, Aguilar De Campoo, Ampudia, Frómista, Marcilla De Campos, Pedraza De Campos, Salinas De Pisuerga, Villalcázar De La Sirga, Villada, Carrión De Los Condes, Guardo, La Serna, Guaza De Campos, Villamuriel De Cerrato, Población De Campos, Villarmentero De Campos, Cardeñosa De Volpejera, Lomas, Villoldo, Villodrigo, Monzón De Campos, Moratinos, Brañosera, Támara De Campos, La Vid Y Barrios, Loma De Ucieza, Velilla Del Río Carrión, Berzosilla, Vallejo De Orbó, Paredes De Nava, Pomar De Valdivia, Quintanilla De Las Torres, Cordovilla La Real, Cantoral De La Peña, Herrera De Valdecañas, Santibañez De La Peña, Camasobres, Villanueva De Arriba, Mudá, Valberzoso, Cevico De La Torre, Villaherreros, Valenoso, Torquemada, Santa María De Redondo, Tarilonte De La Peña, Dehesa De Montejo, Astudillo, Melgar De Yuso, Triollo, Quintanilla De Onsoña, Valoria Del Alcor, San Cebrián De Mudá, Boadilla del Camino, Villacibio, Itero de la Vega, Barruelo de Santullán, Alar del Rey, Baltanás, Herrera de Pisuerga, Ribas de Campos, Amayuelas de Abajo, Ledigos, Barrios de la Vega, Palenzuela, Pino del Río, Villovieco, Matalbaniega, Prádanos de Ojeda, Polentinos, Barrio de San Pedro, Santa Olaja de la Vega, Cordovilla de Aguilar, Calzada de los Molinos, Vidrieros, Villorquite del Páramo, Villarramiel, Husillos, Las Heras de la Peña

For the broader travel overview: Castile and León.