Valladolid is at the heart of Castilla y León and within easy reach of some of the most rewarding small cities and wine regions in Spain. Several of the great Castilian capitals are under an hour away by train or car.
- Salamanca — under an hour west by train, the most beautiful university city in Spain
- Segovia — also a short AVE ride, for the Roman aqueduct and the Disneyish Alcázar
- Ribera del Duero — wine country starting just east of the city, with countless bodegas open for visits around Peñafiel and Pesquera
- Tordesillas — half an hour south-west; the convent where Joanna the Mad was confined, and the spot where Spain and Portugal divided the New World in 1494