Zamora

Have a picture of you taken at the statue of local hero Viriato in Viriathus Square, near the Parador. Pretend to or sit on the ram /tup or carnero below.

The Miradores situated on the historic centre provide an excellent spot for photographers wanting to take their own postcard-quality picture of the Roman Bridge. Another must-spot for picture taking is the River Walk, with some of the best views of popular monuments like the Cathedral or the Bridge.

Pretend to be a local and get some fresh air, play basketball or ride your bike at Bosque de Valorio Valorio Woods. The Burgos-native naturalist Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente is remembered with a statue in the small pond.

The combination of Castile-Leon's reputation for pure Spanish and nearby Salamanca's reputation of learning due to its respected university, makes Zamora an excellent place to inmmerse yourself in the culture and improve your Spanish. A little fluency in Spanish will get you a long way, as you should only expect English in tourist places like the Parador and other 4-star hotels. If you're eating out, fitting a basic Spanish-English dictionary into your bag would be an excellent idea.