Tordesillas

Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain. It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 metres. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009.

The town is famous for its festival Toro de la Vega in which a bull is slaughtered by people on horseback and on foot. Animal Rights groups have repeatedly tried to stop this from taking place.

Tordesillas is located on the Duero River, but the river is not navigable up to Tordesillas. There are excellent highway connections (a four-lane freeway) with Madrid, 182 km to the southeast, and with Salamanca, 96 km to the southwest. The provincial capital is also linked by four-lane highway. There are railroad connections with Salamanca, Ourense, Madrid, and Valladolid.

Because of its important highway connections Tordesillas has become a major transit hub. The economy is based on services — especially connected to tourism — and the agricultural production of the surrounding area. Wheat has long been the traditional agricultural product.

The town is well served by hotels with a parador, four three-star hotels, one two-star hotel, and 10 hostals and pensions. There is also a camping site. There is also an abundance of restaurants — 27 in total — with the Parador restaurant having a three fork classification. North of the town there is a fertile valley formed by the Duero, with extensive use of irrigation by central pivots.