I refuse to pay to enter a cathedral, which seems to be norm in most of Spain. You can go in the back door and see the back of the cathedral, it is clearly a wonderful place. It is especially sad that Camino de Santiago walkers have to pay - many of whom are on a budget, and the kind of journey in which visiting these ancient pilgrim places are very important. It would be much better if they had a donation scheme. I know cathedrals cost a lot for upkeep, but the Catholic Church has no shortage of money, and the cathedrals were built to be places of prayer for all people.If a few more people refused to pay, and wrote to the relevant authorities, this might be changed.
There is so much going on in this cathedral, it's like a lesson in architectural styles from the 13th to 16th centuries (with a few 19th c changes). I was floored by the quality and bizarreness of the ornamentation, from the gothic arches to the massive retablos, gilding, statuary and much more. The only downside was that the audio guide was not that helpful. I could have used more info about the structure and less about who commissioned what. Read up beforehand.
Gobsmackingly rich in color, history gold, detail, atmosphere etcetera. Really glad I went and took my time. The English tour was helpful but left out so much dealt if aspects that I was interested in. Still v helpful tho as nothing written in English.
This cathedral is massive and super impressive from the outside, not so much from the inside. It was also FREEZING COLD inside, I was shivering! It also made me uncomfortable that you have to pay to enter...
Sometimes my wife and I get tired of visited Spain's cathedrals, which end up looking more or less the same, at least to two people who are not very into architecture. But this cathedral is worth visiting due to its size and history. The audio guide comes with the price of admission, but we ditched it soon after the tour began when we realized that it mostly just gave us decontextualized descriptions of what we were looking at. The view of the cathedral from the front is also spectacular.
The Burgos cathedral is one of the greatest cathedrals in Spain, if not more. The great restorations in the many small chapels, the crossyard and museum make it a real gem. Look for the golden stairs, imagine people waling down centuries ago and you feel yourself back in history. Take your time, its an absolute must.
I know this sounds odd, but truly spent a long time just staring at the outside of this magnificent piece of architecture, checking it out from all angles and taking dozens of photos. Once we got inside, the designated route for tourists was disconcerting and the quality of the art and sculpture disappointing. But it's still worth seeing. Hint: go after 4pm and it's free. That's what we did, so our disappointment was constrained.
The cathedral alone is worth the trip to Burgos, it is stunning.Do not pass Burgos by, you must visit this cathedral
Although we had to pay to enter this cathedral (7 Euros), it was well worth the money. The cathedral dominates the main square of Burgos, with its incredible facade and towering spires. A lot of renovation work has been done since the 1990s and inside the many chapels just went on and on. It is HUGE. There were a lot of paintings dating back to the 1500s. Some domes were painted while others were ornately decorated. There are many stained glass windows and the internal courtyard is a nice change among the masonry. I think the thing that I was most impressed with was the ornateness of the whole cathedral, both inside and out. It was beautiful but almost too much. Amazing, but overpowering as well. How they ever built such an incredible edifice is beyond my imagination!
This highly spiritual place is also an architectural and artistic masterpiece, from its sheer size, altars and very valuable religious artifacts collection. Not mentioning its historical importance throughout both Spain and the Catholic church. A must go place in Burgos. You will be impressed by its beauty and magnitude.