North of Spain itinerary. Day 9-10: Burgos and way back

These are the chronicles of my road trip through the north of Spain with my cousins in the Spring Break of 2019. It is a 11 day itinerary that spanned from the French Basque Country to Asturias, including the way from and to Barcelona (where I currently live). This post is about our last two days, which mainly consisted on our way back to Barcelona. We split the trip in two so we didn’t have to drive for so long in a single day. We left Oviedo with a heavy heart, knowing that our trip was coming to an end. To cheer up, we decided to stop in Burgos for the day and stay the night again in Calatayud before our last drive to Barcelona.

This was my road trip team (I’m the one on the front left)

Day 9-10: Burgos and way back

1. Burgos

Our first stop was the Castilian city of Burgos, a town in northwest Castilla y León which was once the capital of the Kingdom of Castile.

Burgos is marked by medieval architecture, and the most iconic landmark in the city is, without a doubt, the Burgos Cathedral. The cathedral can be seen from most of the city, since it is its tallest building.

This Gothic cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and it began to be built in the beginning of the 13th century but it stopped for two centuries before it resumed construction. During this time it gained all of the flamboyant embellishments (some of which are of Renaissance and Baroque styles) that make it so characteristic.

The old city, formerly walled, style preserves the entry gates of the city in the form of a dozen arches, the most spectacular one being the Arch of Santa María, granting entry to the city through the bridge with the same name.

You can have a walk in the small city center, organized around the cathedral and the Plaza Mayor, the main square in the city.

Food in Burgos

But the best thing to do in Burgos, without a doubt, is eating! Burgos is home of one of the two kinds of blood sausage in Spain: morcilla de Burgos, and you will find it basically everywhere in town. They are also known for their roasted lamb (asado de cordero lechal) and their fresh cheese. If you have time to sit down for longer and a fuller wallet, visit Casa Ojeda for the typical lamb. Other sit down restaurants to mention are Landa Palace, Casa Avelino, Mesón del Cid or Asador de Aranda.

If you are looking for something more informal, there is no better place than Casa Pancho, a tapas bar that is crowded and frantic but has wonderful products cooked in a simple and traditional way and with a very good price! You can also book a table and sit down to taste their lamb. My suggestion? Order a cojonuda: blood sausage with pickled bell pepper and quail egg on bread. Delicious! Other nice tapas bars include La Favorita, Gaona Jardín or Cantina del Tenorio.

We continued our journey towards Calatayud, where we met with my parents for a wonderful barbecue under the grape vines. The next day, we took advantage of the amazing prices and bought some shoes and headed back to Barcelona, tired and sad but with wonderful memories that will last for a very long time!

Closing statement

These are only the ninth and tenth day in our 10-day road trip through the north of Spain. Make sure you stay tuned for new and exciting posts about our journey.

Previous post: North of Spain route. Day 8: Oviedo

Go to route: North of Spain route: Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias

Meanwhile, you can read more about other destinations in Spain in some of our posts (check them out and you will find many subposts linked to them):

→ Top 10 things to do in Barcelona

→ ‘Game of Thrones’ locations that you can visit in Spain