Viewpoint Trail

An exceptional way to explore Sepúlveda is through its viewpoints; from there, you can enjoy the various panoramic views Sepúlveda has to offer and discover the gorges of the Duratón River, Sepúlveda’s Romanesque architecture, its most iconic buildings, its gates, and its natural and man-made walls, the varying heights, volumes, and colors, structures and landscapes—and, depending on the time of day, the most beautiful of sunsets.

We’ll start at Plaza del Trigo, where the Tourist Office is located. From there, we’ll head to the Lope Tablada de Diego Viewpoint; to get there, we’ll cross the Plaza Mayor and take Subida a la Picota Street until we reach this beautiful viewpoint. From there, we return to the Plaza Mayor but via the upper street, known as Calle de los Arévacos. We continue down the street until we reach Plaza de las Siete Llaves, where we take the path leading to the Church of San Bartolomé—the path that takes us to Calle de El Diablillo, named in honor of one of Sepúlveda’s most charming traditions. We’ll descend the stairs until we reach San Bartolomé Street, where we’ll turn left to find a Renaissance-style cross next to a beautiful flight of steps that we’ll take down until we reach the Plaza Mayor once again.

Once back at the Plaza Mayor and facing the clock, we continue down the street on the right—Calle de la Barbacana—one of Sepúlveda’s most unique streets, where you can admire one of the best-preserved sections of the city wall.

We follow the street until we reach one of the gates in the city wall, the Ecce Homo or Azogue Gate, which we’ll pass through to head toward the Virgen de la Peña Viewpoint, thus entering the walled enclosure—an area we won’t leave until the end of the tour. After passing through the gate, we continue along Calle de los Santos Justo y Pastor. At the end of the street, we come to a street that climbs to the left and another that continues straight between two houses; we take the latter, Calle Comandante Cristóbal, to the church of Nuestra Señora la Virgen de la Peña. Once there, we head behind the church, where our next viewpoint is located. This is a special viewpoint from which we can enjoy the first gorges of the Duratón River and, at the same time, the natural wall upon which the town stands. In fact, from this vantage point, you can see one of the gates in the wall—the Puerta de la Fuerza—in the distance, and at the top of the hill, known as Somosierra, the cemetery, which was once the San Cristóbal Hospital.

After a few minutes, we’ll continue our route and head to the Mirador del Salvador, located at one of the highest points in the town. To get there, we’ll pass in front of the church again and take Calle Comandante Cristóbal once more, but this time we won’t need to go all the way to the end of the street, since we’ll take the street that branches off to the right—specifically, Travesía de los Francos. Once we’ve climbed the stairs, we’ll continue straight ahead and then turn left, that is, along Calle de El Corpus, and climb up to the Church of El Salvador, reaching this stunning viewpoint where you can understand why Sepúlveda was built here and also see with your own eyes how the gorges begin to emerge and take on life and form.

After enjoying these beautiful views, we’ll continue down the main flight of stairs, which will lead us to our next destination, the Mirador de Santiago. We’ll walk down Subida a El Salvador Street, and at the bottom of the stairs, we’ll turn right onto Fernán González Street. At the end of the stairs, we continue straight down one of the town’s most picturesque and important streets, Conde de Sepúlveda Street, which we’ll follow until we reach the Church of Santiago, home to the Duratón River Gorges Park. We recommend stopping to admire its beautiful Mudejar apse. From there, we’ll cross the street and then the highway to reach a small viewpoint offering one of the most beautiful panoramic views of Sepúlveda.

After taking a beautiful photo, it’s time to return to our starting point, the Sepúlveda Tourist Office. From the viewpoint, we take the main street, Calle de los Fueros, which leads us to Plaza del Trigo—the starting point of the route and the spot where we must imagine ourselves leaving the walled enclosure once again, since this is where the Arco de la Villa once stood, though it no longer exists today. But we must make two essential stops. One near the Plaza de Santiago, where you can enjoy one of the most beautiful natural views; we’ve named this spot the Mirador del Caslilla, since from here you can take in the Caslilla River gorge and a landscape that changes color every day; the other upon reaching Plaza del Trigo, a viewpoint from which you can