Route through Frómista and boat trip along the Canal de Castile
Frómista has historically been a crossroads: the Canal de Castilla, the Camino de Santiago, the Camino Lebaniego Castilian, etc.. Visiting Frómista and learning about its history, marveling at the Romanesque church of San Martín and sailing through wheat fields is a journey through time.
Here we propose a sightseeing tour of Frómista, which can be done on your own or guided, and a boat trip on the Canal de Castilla. If you want, from Doña Mayor we take care of booking the activities for you. If you prefer to organize it yourself, take into account the comments we make to book each activity.
Guided cultural tour in Frómista
Activity organized by the Frómista Tourist Office
Frómista has three churches of Romanesque, Gothic and late Gothic style. We begin with a visit to the municipality, also known as "Villa del Milagro". First of all, we visit the Church of San Martín de Tours or for many people San Martín de Frómista, considered one of the prototypes of European Romanesque and one of the main Romanesque churches of the Camino de Santiago. The best way to know this jewel is with a guided tour that will focus on the most interesting aspects of the church, the history of the same and its reform through a model that is inside, etc..
The visit continues in the Church of San Pedro of Gothic style of the XV and XVI. This church has a museum of sacred art where you can visit the set of 29 Hispanic-Flemish tables that corresponded to the altarpiece of St. Mary of the Castle, now installed in the museum for safety and conservation, also a large collection of chasubles, various works of goldsmithing, different carvings and sculptures of different authorship and varied styles.
We continue to the Church of St. Mary of the Castle, of late Gothic style, where there is an exhibition on the Camino de Santiago:
Vestigia, Legend of the Way is the multimedia montage incorporated into the interior of the church, which divides the church into rooms where different themes related to the French Way of St. James as it passes through the province of Palencia and especially through this town, through talking figures, images in three D and videos, giving us a relative vision of the shared history of the Camino de Santiago and the municipality of Frómista.
The visit ends here and there is free time for lunch in one of the restaurants in Frómista.
To take a guided tour of the monuments of Frómista you must book in advance by calling 672 146 994. The visits take place between 12:00h and 16:30h, except on Sunday afternoons. The tour lasts between 1.5 and 2 hours and departs from the Church of San Martin de Frómista.
If you prefer to make the visit on your own, you can buy the joint ticket for the monuments at the Church of St. Martin.
Canal de Castilla and Camino de Santiago boat trip
In the afternoon, we continue our visit to Frómista along the Santoyo - Astudillo road, some 900 metres from the centre of the town towards the Canal de Castilla. Since 1991, the Canal has been classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest as a Historic Site. It is a great work of hydraulic engineering from the 18th and 19th centuries, which was intended to facilitate the transfer of goods from the Castilian plateau to the sea, although the entire section was never completed.
In Frómista you can contemplate four communicating vessels called locks, which have an oval shape and a difference in level of almost 15 meters: the famous quadruple locks of the Canal de Castilla in Frómista. When they were in use, they were separated by gates that allowed the up and down maneuver of the barges that crossed it. These locks are named by numbers, therefore, we can differentiate the 17,18,19,20 forming the quadruple lock and continuing the towpath to the south, passing the bridge of San Telmo, we find the number 21, today covered by the national road.
On one of the sides of the Canal is located the Casa del Esclusero, former family home of the person who was in charge of the passage of the barges through the locks and performed the maneuvers of opening and closing of gates, now is a building rehabilitated as Municipal Tourist Office, which gives general information on all tourist resources in the area, as well as the province and the capital.
Juan de Homar Boat Ride, Frómista
The pier of the Juan de Homar boat is located 50 metres from the Tourist Office. This boat takes a trip along the Camino de Santiago as it passes through the province of Palencia. There are different options:
1- Return route from Frómista to the dock at Boadilla del Camino. Duration approximately 1 hour.
2- Outward route from Frómista to the stop located in Boadilla del Camino and return walking along the Camino de Santiago as a pilgrim. The return route is 4 kilometres.
3- Walking route along the Camino from Frómista to the boat stop in Boadilla del Camino and take the Juan de Homar boat to return.
It is advisable to book in advance as the capacity is limited (36 seats) and schedules vary. The telephone number for reservations at Barco Juan de Homar in Frómista is 673 36 84 86.
From Doña Mayor we recommend you to take the fabulous boat ride and also to walk a few kilometers of the Camino de Santiago to enjoy the sunset, the chirping of birds, the peace and quiet provided by the Canal de Castilla.
If you want to know the main tourist attractions of Frómista, book this getaway!
Contact with us
Receive discounts and special offers
