Palencia

城市概覽

The Romans subdued this area in the 2nd century AD and created a walled garrison town, but it was small, and their best relics lie further out in villas. The walls were reinforced in medieval times but later taken down, so nowadays you would need to join one of the guided walks from the archaeology museum to know which lumps of graffiti-spattered masonry were Roman or modern or assaulted by Napoleon. Palencia for over 1000 years was a simple market town of little military value, but after the Moors were ousted in 921 it grew into a religious centre, with its cathedral rebuilt from 1172. It's south of the main pilgrimage route to Santiago from the French border, but subsidiary routes come this way. The town industrialised from 1830 when the Palencia Basin coalfields were mined, drawing in settlers from other parts of Spain and beyond. By mid 20th century the mines and associated heavy industries were unprofitable, and only propped up by state subsidy. The European Economic Community (forerunner to the EU) banned such subsidy and exposed Palencia to the cold winds of competition, and it withered. Young people left for better opportunities elsewhere, leaving a grumpy conservative residue. The town therefore had to re-invent itself through services, education, and the knowledge economy. An earlier attempt hadn't gone well: the University of Palencia was founded around 1208 but was never viable, with patronage and prestige flowing instead to Salamanca, and it folded in the 1260s. But 20th century Spain developed a network of universidades populares - vocational and technical colleges - and Palencia acquired one. It also has a campus of Valladolid University. Palencia sits at 750 m on the Meseta Central, the plateau of northwest Spain, so winter is cold, as are spring nights, and summer is short. It can rain anytime. The tourist information centre is at Calle Mayor 31, about 50 m south of the main plaza. It's open M-Sa 09:15-14:00, 16:00-18:30, Su 09:30-14:30.

如何抵達

By plane Madrid-Barajas (MAD IATA) is usually the best airport, for its wide range of flights and good onward transport. Santander (SDR IATA) offers some flight destinations. The city of Santander has direct trains to Palencia. The Asturias airport (OVD IATA) has several flight destinations. From the airport take a bus to Oviedo and then a train to Palencia. Bilbao (BIO IATA) has quite a lot flight destinations. The city of Bilbao has trains and buses to Burgos. And from Burgos there are buses and trains to Palencia. Valladolid (VLL IATA) 60 km south and León (LEN IATA) only offer a few flight destinations.

By road From Madrid take A6 then A62 past Valladolid, 260 km. E80 runs from Burgos, A67 from Santander, and N601 / N610 from León.

By bus Four ALSA buses per day run from Madrid Estación Sur, taking 3 hr 30 min via Valladolid. Some start from Madrid Airport T4. Palencia bus station is next to the railway station.

By train Trains run every two hours from Madrid Chamartín, taking 90 min via Segovia and Valladolid. They may start from Valencia or Alicante, and continue to León, Oviedo and Gijon, or to Santander. One train a day is direct from Barcelona, taking 7 hours via Zaragoza, Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Burgos, continuing to Astorga, Ourense and Vigo, or to Santiago de Compostela and La Coruna. 1 Palencia railway station is on Plaza de Los Jardinillos, 500 m north of town centre.

當地交通

Town centre is compact and walkable. Taxi Palencia is on +34 979 707070. Palbus has six routes pottering around town and south to the university campus. June-Aug Bus 6 runs hourly to Monte el Viejo.

必看景點

A total solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 Aug 2026, starting at 20:29 and lasting 1 min 40 sec. The chances of a clear sky are 75%, but you need to find a spot with a clear view to the northwest horizon, where the sun will be setting. 1 Palencia Cathedral, Plaza de la Inmaculada, ☏ +34 979 701347. M-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-19:00, Su 10:00-13:00, 16:00-20:00. Flamboyant Gothic cathedral, built from 1321 to 1504 and dedicated to San Antolín. Highlights are the west facade, the ornate chapels especially Capella El Sagrario, the stone choir screen, the pulpit, and the 7th century crypt with the saint's relics (the only remnant of the cathedral's Visigothic predecessor). These are sure to be authentic, as St Antoninus of Pamiers was unlucky enough to be martyred in at least four different centuries (and serially butchered in 303 AD) leaving bits aplenty to go round. Adult €6, conc €5, under 12 free. (updated Nov 2024) Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, Mayor Antigua 22 (200 m north of cathedral), ☏ +34 979 706913. Su-Th 10:30-13:30, F Sa 10:30-13:30, 16:30-19:30. Housed in the episcopal palace, this has several notable works of art, including a retablo of twelve panels by Juan de Flandes, court painter to Queen Isabella I of Castile. Adult €5, conc €3, under 12 free. (updated Nov 2024) Church of San Pablo (St Paul) is on Plaza San Pablo, 300 m southwest of the railway station. It's mostly 14th-16th century. You can only admire the exterior of the associated monastery as this is still active. 2 Plaza Mayor is the main square, laid out in the 18th century. On its north side is Casa Consistorial, the Town Hall. The monument is to painter Alonso Berruguete (c 1486-1561), wrought by Victorio Macho. Church of San Francisco is a 13th century former monastery at the northeast corner of Plaza Mayor. It's open Tu-Sa 17:00-20:00. Calle Mayor is a pedestrian, 900 m street coursing from Plaza de León south past the main square to Parque del Salón de Isabel II. It's colonnaded and lined with

體驗活動

Teatro Principal is 100 m southeast of Plaza Mayor, at Burgos 3. Cinema: Cines Teatro Ortega is 200 m south of Plaza Mayor at Colón 2. Multicines Avenida is 1.5 km south at Av Valladolid 10. Sports centre: the municipal sports pavilion is on Av Obispo Barberá, on the riverbank 1 km north of the cathedral. Isla Dos Aguas complex is on the south river island, cross by C Ponce de León. There's half-a-dozen fitness centres downtown. Football: Palencia CF plays soccer in Tercera Federación, the fifth tier. Their home ground Estadio Nueva Balastera (capacity 8100) is on Lola de la Fuente, two km east of town centre. Plaza de toros, the bullring, still occasionally hosts bullfights as well as rock concerts and other exhibitions but is little used. It's on Av Campos Góticos by the inner bypass.

購物

There are a lot of supermarkets in town. The biggest in the town centre is a Carrefour Market. The biggest in Palencia is the Carrefour in the south of the town. A supermarket that is open on Sundays is Súper Agropal. Two of them are near the train station.

美食

Local specialties: chief of these is lechazo, suckling lamb roasted slowly in a wood oven and served with salad. Menestra de Verduras is mixed vegetables cooked with chopped pieces of Spanish ham, onion, garlic and spices. Sopa de ajo is a traditional winter garlic soup, made with bread mixed with paprika, water and garlic and