Burgos

Introduction

Burgos, Espanha

© Oscarfireman

Burgos is a city that lies on the river Arlanzon, about 210 kilometres north of Madrid. It is mostly famous for its Gothic cathedral, which dominates the old town. Burgos is the capital of the province of Burgos, which lies in the region of Castile and León.

Sights and Activities

• The Cathedral

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

In 2008 the airport of Burgos (RGS) was opened to commercial flights. Until then it had been a military airport. At the moment Iberia has flights to Barcelona and Paris (Orly).

By Train

Burgos is connected to the rest of the country by the rail network of Renfe. The AVE connections make Burgos easy and fast to reach from several major Spanish cities. From Madrid a trip takes 1 h 30 min and from Barcelona 3 h 30 min. Towns closer to Burgos like Valladolid and Vitoria-Gasteiz can be reached in 30 minutes, while a trip to or from Bilbao or León takes 1 hour.

For information check the website of Renfe

By Car

From Madrid, you can simply take the A-1 motorway to reach Burgos. From Burgos the A-1 goes to the north-east towards Victoria-Gasteiz. From León you can take the A-231, and from Valladolid and Palencia the A-62

Getting Around

By Car

Transportation by private car in Burgos is not difficult. Although looking for a place to park in the city centre can be very time consuming unless you park in private car parks.

By Public Transport

Burgos has an extensive system of city buses, which you can ride for just 85 cents. You can buy the ticket on board.

By Foot

Walking is the best option to visit the main attractions of the city, but there are some places of interest you can take public transportation or rent a bike to get there.

By Bike

Bicycle is a good option for visiting all attractions of the city. Burgos has a very good bicycle lane that connects several points of the town. Also there is a bicibur public rental service for bikes. The terrain is relatively flat, and riding along the rivers or in Fuentes Blancas is an easy way to see the sights.

Sleep

Upscale

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet is widely available within Spain. Most airports have wifi-zones and in most towns there are internet cafés or shops where you can use internet for a fixed price. Wi-Fi points in bars and cafeterias are available after ordering, and most hotels offer Wi-Fi connection in common areas for their guests.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international access code for Spain is +34. The emergency number for police, ambulance and the fire brigade is 112.

In cities you can find plenty of public phones, and 'locutorios'. The latter are small shops where you can use the phone and use internet. Most of them also sell prepaid cards for mobile telephones. These shops are used a lot by foreigners to call to their mother country.

The main mobile network operators in Spain are Yoigo, Vodafone, Movistar and Orange, as in most of Europe voice and data coverage is generally good in urban areas however it can be patchy in rural locations. Cheap mobile phones (less than €50) with some pre-paid minutes are sold at FNAC or any phone operator's shop (Vodafone, Movistar, Orange). Topping-up is then done by buying scratch cards from the small stores, supermarkets, vending points (often found in tobacco shops) or kiosks.

Post

If you want to post a card, you can head to the post office (Correos). The Spanish post is not yet as efficient as colleagues in other countries so receiving a card can take a bit longer than the number of days that it should take. On the website of Correos, you can find the locations of nearby post offices.
Post offices are generally open from 8:30am to 2:00pm, although times will vary according to the size of the city/town and the main post offices might be open until the early evening. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12 noon. When posting a letter, look for a yellow box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why tobacco shops sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages. Standard letters/postcards of up to 20 grams sent within Spain are €0.34. However, non-standard letters/postcards of up to 20g are €0.39. Letters/postcards of 20 to 50 grams are €0.45. In the case of international shipping, the price is €0.64 to most countries within Europe for standard envelopes (letters/postcards) up to 20g, for a few European countries and outside Europe it is €0.78. If you want to send a package you are probably better off with a private courier company like TNT, DHL or UPS, as they offer quick and reliable services against competitive prices.

External Links