Understand
[edit]Gold was mined here in a small way by the Iberocelts; when the Romans heard about it they barged in and grabbed the territory, and it became the main source in their far-flung empire. Also here were copper and iron, less spectacular but steady paying industry, and ancient iron propped up the town bridge to create Pons Ferrata. Mining, quarrying, tunneling and associated works created a strange convulsed Mars-scape especially to the west around Las Médulas. This lasted right into modern times, with tungsten a late product to make hard steel. Most of the ore was taken to the coast, where metal-bashing towns such as Bilbao could import coal (lacking in Spain) to power steel furnaces. The mines became uneconomic in the 1980s and Ponferrada fell on hard times, before reinventing itself through service industry, a campus of León university, and pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Get in
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By plane best choice is usually Madrid-Barajas (MAD IATA) for its range of flights and good onward transport.
León (LEN) is closer but only has flights from Barcelona, though these connect with others. Santiago (SCQ) has a better choice.
By train two services a day run from Madrid Chamartin with a change at León. One is direct, taking 4 hr 15 min via Segovia Guiomar, Valladolid Campo Grande, Palencia, León and Astorga.
A daily train from Barcelona takes 9 hr 30 min via Lleida, Zaragoza, Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Burgos, Palencia, León and Astorga. It continues west to Ourense and Vigo.
A couple of regional trains ply between León and Ponferrada, taking two hours, so altogether there are four services per day.
1 Estación de Tren is central, fronting south onto Av de Ferrocarril. The limited traffic means few facilities.
By bus Alsa runs from Madrid Estación Sur six times a day and once overnight, taking five hours via Madrid Moncloa and Astorga. Some start from Madrid Airport.
2 Bus Station is 1 km north of town centre. Like the railway station, it's mostly empty with few facilities.
Get around
[edit]Town is reasonably compact and walkable. You need wheels for outlying sights such as Las Médulas.
SMT operate eight city bus routes.
See
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- 1 Ponferrada Castle (Castillo de los Templarios), Gil y Carrasco 1, ☏ +34 987 402244. Tu-Su 10:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00. The present castle is from 1440 so although it's named for the Knights Templar, that Order had been dissolved in 1312 after falling out with the King of France. By the 18th century the castle had lost its importance and was dilapidated, to the discomfort of occupying French troops during the Napoleonic wars. It was a ruin until reconstruction from 1924. Adult €6, conc €4, under-14 free.
- Old Castle (Castillo Viejo) is the predecessor built by the Knights Templar from 1178, just north of where the main castle now stands. In that period they still had their original role of protecting pilgrims to the Holy Land.
- Basílica de la Virgen de la Encina, Plaza Virgen de la Encina (east side of castle), ☏ +34 987 411978. Built from 1573 in fits and starts over a century, this church was never the seat of a bishop but became a stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago. The effigy of the Virgen de La Encina was installed in 1908 - "Encina" means the oak from which it supposedly sprang fully-formed, like a cuckoo from a Swiss clock, when the Knights were chopping timber to build the Old Castle.
- 2 Plaza Ayuntamiento is the pedestrianised main square. It's mostly modern, but along the south side is the 17th century town hall. C Reloj leads off through the arch of a clock tower towards the Old Castle and remnants of the town's medieval walls.
- El Bierzo Museum, Reloj 5 (50 m southwest of main square), ☏ +34 987 414141. Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-19:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Exhibiting the region's prehistory and history. Adult €6, conc €4.
- Radio Museum, Gil y Carrasco 7 (west side of Basilica), ☏ +34 987 456262. Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-19:00, Su 10:00-14:00. History of radio and the journalist Luis del Olmo (b 1937), only in Spanish. Adult €3.
- Railway Museum, Av de los Escritores (100 m north of railway station), ☏ +34 987 405738. Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Small collection of locomotives and rolling stock, all static. Adult €3.
- 3 Energy Museum (La Fábrica de Luz), Libertad 46, ☏ +34 987 400800. Tu-Su 10:30-17:30. The story of Ponferrada's mining and industry, housed in a former power station. Adult €12, under-14 free.
- 4 Torre de la Rosaleda is a striking office block off Av Cuidad de Bérgida the northwest city. It's 107 m tall, built 2006-09.
- 5 Santo Tomás de las Ollas was a 10th century hermitage: ollas were the local pottery. You should find a sign saying who's got the key.
- 6 Santa María de Vizbayo is Romanesque, built in the 11th century. Use the car park 200 m further south and don't obstruct the narrow lane.
Further out
[edit]- 7 Church of Santiago was built in 937 AD in Mozarabic style, part of a long-gone monastic complex. It's in the village of Peñalba de Santiago 24 km south of town, open W-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:30-20:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Park at the north end of the village and don't try to scrape a car through these alleys.
- 8 Las Médulas
25 km southwest of town are a strange landscape where gold was mined during the Roman era, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Do
[edit]- Camino de Santiago is nearing its end here. The usual route starts from St Jean Pied de Port south of Bayonne, and pilgrims hike 20-30 km a day. Day 24 brings you from Foncebadón to Ponferrada (27 km), Day 25 is onward to Villafranca (22 km); Day 33 is journey's end in Santiago.
- Teatro Bergidum is 100 m northeast of main square at Ancha 15.
- Cinema: Cines La Dehesa is on Av de la Constitución near the sports stadium.
- Football: SD Ponferradina play soccer in Primera Federación, the third tier. Their home ground Estadio El Toralín (capacity 8400) is on Av de la Constitución 1 km north of town centre.
- Auditorio Municipal is an outdoor amphitheatre on María Eugenia Milleret, 500 m southwest of the railway station.
Buy
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- Lots of small central supermarkets, typically open M-Sa 09:00-21:00.
Eat
[edit]Restaurants lie in a strip from the castle north east through main square. They include Doce Torres, Bodega de Godiva, Muna, El Bodegón, Pizzeria Trastevere, La Violeta, 7 Sillas, La Destilería and El Otro.
Drink
[edit]- A block east of the restaurant strip, these include La Skina, La Quimera, La Obrera and Coherencia.
- Ponferrada is near vineyards in the Castile & León wine growing region.
Sleep
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- 1 Hostal Nirvana, Lago de Carucedo 12, ☏ +34 987 410761. Simple but clean friendly place near bus station. B&B double €45.
- 2 Hotel Ponferrada Plaza, Av de los Escritores 6, ☏ +34 987 406171. Simple efficient hotel with underground parking. B&B double €55.
- 3 Hotel Temple, Av Portugal 2, ☏ +34 987 410058. They're trying for a Knights Templar theme, as if an old suit of armour would do that. Most visitors have a comfy stay but some are assailed by bed bugs, for a more authentic medieval experience. B&B double €70.
- Hotel Aroi Ponferrada, Marcelo Macías 4 (200 m northeast of railway station), ☏ +34 987 409427. Mixed reviews for welcome and cleanliness. B&B double €70.
- 4 AC Hotel Ponferrada, Av Astorga 2, ☏ +34 987 409973. Bland hotel (affiliated to Marriott) east edge of town, handy for Camino walkers. B&B double €80.
- 5 Hostal Río Selmo, Río Selmo 22, ☏ +34 987 402665. Clean friendly hostel east edge of town, most rooms spacious. B&B double €70.
Connect
[edit]As of Jan 2025, Ponferrada and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from MasMovil, Movistar and Orange.
Go next
[edit]- Astorga east has a fine collection of churches in a mix of styles.
- León further east is the regional capital, with a wealth of museums, churches and other attractions.
- Santiago de Compostela is a must-see. It's 200 km west, nine days if you hike or two hours if you drive.