9 Essentials: What to see and visit in Las Merindades (Burgos)

The Merindades is a county which occupies the northern end of the Burgos province, so it borders Cantabria, Vizcaya and Álava.

Its great extension and the fact that it is located in the transition zone between the northern plateau, the Ebro valley and Cantabrian mountain range, makes it offer very varied and attractive landscapes, as well as of great ecological value, which is why some of them are protected in different parks and natural monuments.

So in The Merindades find forests, gorges, caves y waterfalls.

Its history is lost in the mists of time, and in fact there are those who find in this region the origin of Castile.

Heritage of many centuries of history are its castles, manor houses, towers and bridges, as well as monasteries, churches y hermitages and of course many historic towns very attractive.

Numerous remains of prehistory megalithic remainsas dolmens.

For all this we can affirm that The Merindades It is a perfect destination for a tourism trip a weekend in spain or even for a bridge.

There are so many interesting places, there will always be many left to see, so we will surely want to return.

What to see and visit in Las Merindades north of Burgos

Below we are going to discover the main places you can visit in The Merindades, En a route through the north of Burgos.

Guareña Eye in Las Merindades (Burgos)

La Ojo Guarena cave It is one of the largest in the world since its galleries measure more than 110 kilometers distributed on different levels.

It has several entrances, different galleries and branches, and even underground lakes, and there have also been found prehistoric paintings and engravings.

The prepared visit is reduced to a minimum part of this natural framework and the rest is left for experienced speleologists, but what you can visit is truly impressive due to its dimensions.

One of its 14 entrances is occupied by the Hermitage of San Barnabas which, curiously, is dedicated to Saint Tirso.

In this rock hermitage The paintings that cover part of the walls and the ceiling stand out, in which different scenes related to the life, martyrdom and miracles of the saint are reproduced, which date from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Oña in Las Merindades (Burgos)

Oña is located next to the Sickle of the Horadada and it is another of the main surprises of travelers who travel The Merindades on primera time.

And this surprise is due to its great monumental heritage, a consequence of its long history and its importance for many centuries, especially at the time of the creation of kingdom of castile.

The most notable monument is the monastery of San Salvador which served pantheon of the counts and first kings of Castile.

In its streets we will also find emblazoned palaces and houses plus churches and many very attractive corners as traces of its medieval urban planning and its walls.

Puentedey in Las Merindades (Burgos)

bridgedey enjoy one of the most original locations that we can imagine, since it is found on a natural bridge. In fact, the name of the town means God's bridge.

In fact, below the town passes the Nela River, which has drilled a tunnel in the limestone rock, which creates a spectacular and curious picture.

This tunnel is considerably wider than the riverbed, so there is more than enough space to traverse it on the side of the stream.

Although what draws most attention is this geological curiosity, bridgedey He is also quite interested in himself, with his mansions, iglesia, Brizuela palace and mill.

San Pantaleón de Losa in Las Merindades (Burgos)

La village of San Pantaleón It is located at the foot of a huge rock formation, but what is most interesting is what we discovered above it.

It is a half Romanesque and half Gothic hermitage that adapts to the significant unevenness of the ground. Its location is one of its main attractions.

But he's not the only one. The hermitage stands out, above all, for its cover.

In it, a strange life-size figure, which has often been described as an atlantean With a pilgrim's habit, it supports a capital that is quite deteriorated, but which seems to represent a fight between a man and a lion.

That is why this character, whose lush hair stands out, has been identified with Samson.

The curious nature of its location and this enigmatic figure on the cover has always aroused curiosity and fueled numerous legends.

One of them states that in this hermitage the Holy Grail.

Cold in Las Merindades (Burgos)

A curious fact of Cold is that, with less than 300 inhabitants, it can boast of being the smallest city in Spain, since in the 15th century the king of castile gave him this title.

But today, Cold stands out for its incredible set of houses hanging from a rock. This makes the streets narrow and, above all, steep.

If this urban area with a strong medieval character is attractive, the cherry on top is the castle of the Velasco, which is at the top of the rock, and, above all, the tower of tribute that stands out with its impossible silhouette.

On the outskirts appears the gothic style bridge that crosses the Ebro river; A tower in the middle served to control the passage of people and goods and allowed the corresponding taxes to be collected.

About three kilometers from Cold, together with Nozzle, Molinar River crosses an area of gorges where is the hermitage of Santa María de la Hoz, medieval bridge and a waterfall. A good place for a walk.

Medina of Pomar in Las Merindades (Burgos)

Medina of Pomar is the main population of The Merindades and its historic center is one of the most interesting.

Walking through its streets we find numerous examples of popular architecture, very characteristic are its wooden balconies.

Churches and towers also abound.

To highlight the convento of Santa Clara with its interesting Gothic details.

Built on a high place overlooking the nearby plains, it was chosen to build the imposing castle of the Velasco, in which its two powerful square towers stand out.

Valdivielso Valley in Las Merindades (Burgos)

El Valdivieso Valley It is not as well known as other parts of The Merindades; However, it is well worth the detour, if only to find a solitary little treasure.

Is San Pedro de Tejada, church of a former monastery now gone.

is a small romanesque building, from the beginning of the 12th century that forms a very homogeneous structure, so it is assumed that it is the work of a single workshop and that it has not suffered modifications over the centuries.

It also presents a good number of sculptures on the cover, the capitals and the corbels. All this, together with the fact that it is located in a solitary enclave, makes this church very attractive.

San Pedro de Tejada It is located a short distance from the town of Puente-Arenas.

Espinosa de los Monteros in Las Merindades (Burgos)

It is surprising how many cataloged monuments there are in Espinosa de los Monteros. In the province of Burgos, only the capital has more.

Taking this information into account, it is not surprising to find so many palaces in a population that currently does not reach 2.000 inhabitants.

Among them we can mention the palaces of the Fernández-Villa, Chiloeches, de los Marquises of the Velasco Caves and the Marquis of Legarda, which have elements both renaissance as baroque.

In palaces Their towers stand out, turning them into true fortresses.

If we add to that a few towers Scattered throughout the population, we found that a good part of this heritage had a defensive nature.

Mena Valley in Las Merindades (Burgos)

El Mena Valley occupies the northern end of The Merindades and it is the only part that faces the Cantabrian Sea.

It is the part most exposed to the oceanic climate and it is noticeable in the vegetation; so it is not unusual to find leafy beech forests, making it a very appropriate area to do Hiking.

The jewels of the Mena Valley are Romanesque churches of San Lorenzo in Vallejo and Santa María de Siones.