Zamora is a beautiful medieval city on the Duero river. There are countless interesting sites in Zamora, the most important ones include:

• Calle Balborraz (Balborraz street) is lined by beautiful buildings.
• City walls consist of three walled enclosures that were constructed in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries respectively. Each time the city expanded, a new city wall had to be erected.
• Medieval Castle of Zamora.
• Palacio de los Condes de Alba y Aliste was built in 1459 by the first Count of Alva y Aliste. It has a beautiful patio and staircase decorated with carvings by artists from Lombardy.

There are 24 Romanesque churches in Zamora, all of which date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The most interesting ones include:

• The magnificent Cathedral took only 23 years to build, despite of its enormous size.
• The small Church of San Claudio de Olivares (12th century) has a single nave with a presbytery and a semicircular apse. The columns of the nave have beautiful carvings.
• The Church of San Isidoroz (12th century) also has one nave and a square major chapel. The exterior features two ogival arcades with archivolts.
• The Church of San Juan de Puerta Nueva (12th century) features a circular stained-glass window, which is the symbol of Zamora.
• The Church of San Pedro y San Ildefonso dates from 11th century. It is probably built on top of a Visigothic temple. It was reformed in Romanesque style in the 12th–13th centuries, but in the 15th and 18th centuries it was renovated extensively, so not much remains of the original church. It has a single nave with cross vaults.
• The Church of Santa María la Nueva (12th century). The baptistery dates from the 13th century.
• The Church of Santa María Magdalena's southern façade was built in Romanesque style in the 13th century.
• The Church of Santiago de los Caballeros was built in the 11th century, outside the city walls. El Cid was knighted there.
• The Church of Santiago El Burgo has a Romanesque southern façade from the 12th century.

Zamora boasts several interesting museums. The Museo de Semana Santa de Zamora is opposite the Church of Santa María la Nueva. The museum is dedicated to the ceremonies that are celebrated during Semana Santa de Zamora (Easter). The museum has a large collection of pasos, which are the large figures that are carried through the streets in the Easter procession. Each cofradía (brotherhood) has its own pasos. The Museo de Zamora has archeological exhibitions and chronological displays on Zamora's history. The items and models range from the region's prehistoric inhabitants to Roman and modern times.

Around Zamora are also several places of interest. The Arcenillas church has some 15th-century panels. The Gothic Hiniesta church features nice sculptures and murals. The Church of San Pedro de la Nave is located in the village of El Campillo, some 12 km (7.5 mi) away. It was founded in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 12th century. It is one of the three best-preserved Visigothic churches in Spain. It was originally sited on the banks of the Esla river, but from 1930 to 1932 the church was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt at its current location to avoid it being submerged when the Ricobayo dam was built, creating a reservoir.

The largest lake in Spain is Lago de Sanabria. It is the only Spanish lake of glacial origin.

There are many hotels and restaurants on Zamora. The city is in Castilla y León, 215 km northwest of Madrid and has good rail and road connections to most other cities in Spain.

Zamora ©Roy Digital Design

Aerial view ©Roy Digital Design