Astorga: a Gaudí Palace, Roman Streets and a Quiet Maragato Town

This is Astorga’s star sight: a pale, turreted palace designed by Antoni Gaudí, one of only three buildings he made outside Catalonia. Gaudí took the project on after a fire destroyed the old bishop’s palace, but he left before it was finished, so later hands completed it. Inside is the Museo de los Caminos, a museum about the Camino de Santiago, which lets you walk the whole building. 2026 marks 100 years since Gaudí’s death, with special events through the year.

Right beside the Gaudí palace stands the cathedral, begun in the 15th century and built over some 300 years. That long span shows: the main body is Gothic, the north door Renaissance, and the great front is Baroque. The ticket to the cathedral museum also gets you into the church itself, where you can see chapels, the cloister and a rich collection of religious art. The two buildings together — palace and cathedral — are the classic view of Astorga.

Astorga was Asturica Augusta, an important Roman city on the routes north and west. The Ruta Romana is a guided walk, run from the Roman Museum. It takes you to remains you cannot reach alone: the small baths, part of the forum, a fine Roman house, and a stretch of the sewers — among the best-preserved in Europe. Places are limited and you must book, so plan ahead. Some other Roman spots, like the Domus by the museum, are free to see on your own.

Astorga’s walls go back to Roman times, and several stretches survive around the old town. The best-kept sections can be seen from the Gaudí palace gardens and from the Mirador de la Vega, a small viewpoint near the Plaza Mayor that also looks out over the river valley. The Puerta Romana, a Roman gate on the edge of the old town, marks one of the historic ways in. Together they show how old Astorga really is, long before Gaudí arrived.

The Plaza Mayor sits on the old Roman forum and is the heart of town life. Its Baroque town hall carries a clock with two figures in Maragato dress, Juan Zancuda and Colasa, who strike the hour with mallets — they have done so since 1748. People gather on the hour to watch. The square is free to enjoy, with cafés under its arcades, and it makes a good place to pause between sights.

The oldest church in town sits on the small square that also holds the Roman Museum, a short walk from the Plaza Mayor. Founded in the 11th century, it has been rebuilt many times, so it mixes Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque work — the Romanesque bell tower is its oldest surviving part. It stands on the edge of the old Roman basilica, and for centuries it doubled as the town’s meeting hall: the city council gathered here until the current town hall was built. A quiet, layered stop that ties the town’s Roman and medieval stories together.

Astorga rewards slow walking. Start on the Plaza Eduardo de Castro, where the Gaudí palace and the cathedral face each other, then head to the Plaza Mayor for the town-hall clock. From there it is a short stroll to the Roman walls and the Mirador de la Vega. The centre is small and flat enough to cover on foot, and a free map from the tourist office marks the main points. Time your loop to catch a Maragato figure striking the hour.

The guided Roman walk is the one activity worth booking ahead. On your own you can only see the surface of Roman Astorga. With a guide you go inside the baths, the forum area, a grand Roman house and a length of the ancient sewers, with the history explained as you go. Groups are small and depart from the Roman Museum at set times, so reserve a place before you arrive. It turns scattered stones into a clear, human story.

The Roman Museum is the natural first stop for Astorga’s Roman side, and it sits inside a Roman building itself — “La Ergástula”, a vaulted structure that is a national monument in its own right. Inside, finds from years of digging tell the story of daily life in Asturica Augusta, from tombstones and coins to jewellery and pottery. Start here to get your bearings before the guided Ruta Romana; a combined ticket covering both the museum and the walk gives the fullest picture of Roman Astorga and usually costs less than paying separately.

The region’s signature dish is a meal in itself and worth planning a lunch around. Cocido maragato is eaten “backwards”: first the meats, then the chickpeas and vegetables, and the soup last of all. The story goes that the muleteers who once worked these roads ate the heartiest food first, in case they had to leave in a hurry. It is a big, slow lunch, so come hungry and give it time. Several town restaurants serve it — see Where to Eat below.

Astorga’s sweet side is easy to enjoy and easy to take home. The town’s mantecadas — light, buttery little cakes — carry a Protected Geographical Indication (IGP), which means only bakers in Astorga and three nearby villages may make them under that name. Local shops sell them in the traditional folded paper cases, alongside flaky hojaldres. Pair a box with a visit to the Chocolate Museum, whose shop and tasting round off the story of the town’s long chocolate trade.

Chocolate was a major trade in Astorga for centuries, and this small museum tells that story well. It sits in a fine early-20th-century mansion near the train station that once belonged to a local chocolate-maker, and its rooms are full of old machines, moulds, tins and advertising from the town’s factories. The visit is short and easy to fit in, and it ends where it should — at a shop and tasting counter, so you can try (and take home) chocolate made in Astorga and nearby. It closes on Mondays, so check the day before you plan to go.