Ponferrada

Ponferrada is the capital of the Bierzo and the largest city between León and Santiago. The Castillo de los Templarios — one of the largest and best-preserved Templar castles in Europe — dominates the old quarter from its hilltop position above the Río Sil.

The castle is enormous: multiple towers, a double curtain wall, and an interior that gives a genuine sense of Templar power and ambition. It was built in the 12th century, expanded in the 13th, and largely abandoned after the Templar dissolution in 1312. Admission is charged and the visit takes at least an hour. The Templar library inside has excellent exhibitions on the order's history.

The old quarter below the castle has narrow streets, the Basílica de la Encina (patron of the Bierzo, with a Romanesque-Gothic interior), and a pleasant river walk along the Sil. The Museo del Bierzo in the old prison provides regional context.

The modern city sprawls around the old core. Full services: hospital, pharmacies, outdoor shops, supermarkets, bus and train station. Multiple albergues and hotels. The restaurant scene is improving — look for Bierzo dishes: botillo (a smoked meat stew), pimientos del Bierzo, and empanada.