WHEN Brits are thinking of heading to Spain, places like Ibiza and Malaga often crop up.
But when it comes to a city break, Zamora is set to be the next big thing.
It is home to just 60,000 locals, but is often overlooked by tourists.
The city, found on the north bank of the Douro River is close to the Portugal border.
As a medieval walled city, you can expect beautiful churches and buildings too.
It’s main attraction is the Zamora Cathedral, although there are lots of other churches and museums to explore.
Summer festivals include the San Pedro fiesta in June with street markets and dancing.
While you can dine on paella, some of the more popular dishes are have trout and cod, and even frogs legs.
Make sure to try the local Zamorano cheese to, made from raw sheep milk.
The best place to grab them all is the Mercado de Abastos, a “buzzin” food market.
David Moralejo, head of content at Condé Nast Traveler Spain, explained why he thinks it’s going to be the next big thing.
He explained: “Reasons to visit are not lacking: we are talking about the city with the most Romanesque churches in all of Europe (24 exactly) all of them built around the 12th and 13th centuries.
“No matter when you visit, be sure to taste the city’s traditional food, like the not well-known arroz a la zamorana, rice cooked with meat, ham and finished in the oven.
“And a secret: Zamora boasts of one of the best orchards of Spain, and its tomatoes are from another world; sample good wines from the famous Toro wineries, where LVMH is the owner of Numanthia.”
Other tourists who have visited have raved about it too
One person said it was a pretty “off the beaten path” city with “very few tourists and low prices”.
Others said it was small enough that you don’t need a car and to just “walk and enjoy the Old Town”.
A third simply said: “Underestimated and so much worth a visit.”
To get there it takes just over 2hr30 from Madrid, or one hour from Salamanca.
But it is about to get much easier to visit, with a new high speed train from Madrid taking just over an hour.
And if you fancy staying there are a number of hotels to try, including NH Hotel and AC Hotel which start from £68 a night.
In the mean time, here’s a Spanish city which has been named the country’s happiest.
Otherwise here is how to do a weekend break in Barcelona.
