3 Best Sights in Siguenza, Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha

This enchanting castle overlooking wild hilly countryside from above Sigüenza is now a parador; non-guests can visit the dining room and common areas. The structure was founded by the Romans and rebuilt at various later periods. Most of the current building was erected in the 14th century, when it became a residence for the queen of Castile, Doña Blanca de Borbón, who was banished here by her husband, Pedro the Cruel. During the Spanish Civil War the castle was the scene of fierce battles, and much of the structure was destroyed. The lobby has an exhibit on the subsequent restoration with photographs of the bomb damage. If you have a half-hour to spare, there's a lovely walking path around the hilltop castle with a 360-degree view of the city and countryside below.

Begun around 1150 and completed in the 16th century, Sigüenza's cathedral combines Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture. Wander from the late-Gothic cloister to a room lined with 17th-century Flemish tapestries, then onto the north transept, housing the 15th-century plateresque tomb of Dom Fadrique of Portugal. The Chapel of the Doncel (to the right of the sanctuary) contains Don Martín Vázquez de Arca's tomb, commissioned by Queen Isabel, to whom Don Martín served as doncel (page) before an untimely death at the gates of Granada in 1486. In a refurbished early-19th-century house next to the cathedral's west facade, the small Diocesan Museum has a prehistoric section and religious art from the 12th to 18th century. It also runs the weekend tours of the burial chambers (catacombs) under the cathedral—a spooky favorite for kids.

The south side of the cathedral overlooks this harmonious arcaded Renaissance square that hosts a medieval market on weekends.