Ponferrada sits in the Bierzo valley of northwestern Spain, the last major stop on the Camino de Santiago before pilgrims climb into the mountains of Galicia. The town takes its name from a medieval iron bridge — pons ferrata — built in the 11th century to help pilgrims cross the Sil river.
The Castillo de los Templarios is the centrepiece, an imposing fortress built between the 12th and 14th centuries to protect the pilgrim route. It is one of the largest Templar castles in Spain, with towers, battlements, and a museum inside. Below the castle, the old quarter has a handsome Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the Clock Tower, remnants of the town's prosperous past as a way station on the road to Santiago. The Basílica de la Encina and the Museo del Bierzo are both worth an hour each.
The Bierzo wine country around Ponferrada produces excellent wines — the Mencía grape thrives here — and the local cuisine, including botillo (a cured meat stew), is hearty mountain fare well suited to hungry walkers. Don't leave without visiting La Fábrica de Luz, a converted power station museum that tells the story of the Bierzo's coal-mining past.