My boyfriend surprised me with a trip to Ávila a place, to be honest, that I didn’t know until existed until we went. Only an hour and 10 minutes outside of Madrid center, it is a great place to go for a day trip or if you are passing through on your way in or out of Madrid.
Why Ávila?
Unbeknownst to me at the time, this is one of the six World Heritage Sites in Spain. A key point of interest here is that the city is enclosed by 12th century medieval walls that spans over 2.5km long (1.5 miles) with one of its most famous and oldest gothic cathedrals the cathedral of San Salvador integrated to it.
What to do in Ávila?
The wall: We spent the day walking the entire walkable portion of the wall (roughly half its circumference). And honestly by accident… We began at Gate of El Alcazar to check out the views above and followed a few other tourists further down and before we knew it, we were a quarter way through the wall. Since it is on a high plateau, it was easy to get distracted by the breathtaking and endless views when you walk the wall.
Churches that are outside of the wall:
- Basilica de San Vicente near the Puerta de San Vincente
- Convento de Santa Teresa opposite of the Puerta de la Santa
- Real Monasterio de Santo Tomas where Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabel would summer
- Mirador de los Cuatro Postes (Viewpoint of the Four Posts) – amazing place for scenic views
Have you been to Ávila? What was your impression? We skipped the museum and a few other things and let me know if we missed out!