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Castile and Léon

Make the most of your time in Castile and Léon, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.

Dominating the north western part of Spain Castile and Leon is a land of many castles and the inspiration for much fairytale and adventure. It is Spain’s largest autonomous community covering more than 94,000 square kilometres and doubles up as one of the European Union’s most vast regions too. The area also has more medieval castles than any other European region and, further, Segovia Castle was the inspiration for film maker Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Within Castile and Leon’s borders there are 2.5 million people making it Spain’s sixth most populous division and so, relative to its size, it has much open uninhabited land. The region speaks Castilian Spanish, it claiming to be the purist form of the Spanish language.

Castile and Leon is made up of beautiful old style towns and cities as well as picturesque scenery where brown bears and the endangered Iberian lynx roam. It is home to the Douro River Basin and is bordered by mountains to the north, east and south. The Sierra de Gredos National Park also falls within its boundaries. To the region’s west lies Portugal while it also neighbours the Spanish communities of Galicia, Extremadura, Madrid, Castile La Mancha, La Rioja, Aragon, the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias. The unit itself has, in the past, been through various periods of unity and separation however now it is one entity split into nine provinces. The region’s official capital is Valladolid (please link to city guide when online) which hosts the political executive, the Junta de Castilla y Leon, and has done so since the areas Castile and Leon linked up most recently in 1983.

Dotted throughout the community there are no fewer than six UNESCO World Heritage sites, celebrating the abundance of impressive architecture in Castile and Leon. The famous Way of Saint James travels through Castile and Leon on its way to Compostela in Galicia and is another of the heritage sites.

Bringing a further sense of cultural significance and distinctiveness to the region are its various festivals which take place throughout the year. In February there is the Carnival of the Bulls which is closely followed by the Fiestas of St Agata. Semana Santa is typically celebrated in the region as it is in many other parts of Spain, while by the time the year reaches June Castilians take a risk or two by walking over hot fires in the Crossing of Fire festival. Finally, Salamanca, which is home to the country’s oldest university, celebrates in August a festival to honour the lady of the assumption.

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