A list of 9 things what to do in Avila Spain

What to do in Avila Spain

Now that we live in the mainland of Spain it´s so much easier to see more places and the best part is that some of these places we can see without booking any flights or hotels because they are manageable in a day. So was the case with Ávila… 🔊 Listen to this Post

Ávila is 108 km from Madrid centre and is mostly known for its intact medieval city walls which are 2.5km in length. It was named a world heritage site in 1985. The Old Town is a mix between Jewish, Muslim and Christian architecture. The medieval walls have 88 sirens and 9 gates. The most famous of these are probably Puerta de San Vicente and Puerta de Alcazar.

Here is a list of 9 things what to do in Avila Spain

The Medieval Walls

Ávila is best known for its intact medieval city walls which have long sections atop the walls that are walkable. Apparently they are a beautiful sight at night because they are illuminated at night but unfortunately it was just too cold for us to wait until it was dark…

Los Cuatro Postes

“The Four Posts” is 1.5km outside the walled city of Ávila. A cross covered by a four-posted canopy marks the spot where, at age seven, St. Teresa’s uncle stopped her from running off with her brother to seek martyrdom in battle with the Moors. It provides amazing views of the town’s famous medieval walls.

Plaza Mercado Chico

This square began to form at the dawn of the re-population of Ávila at the end of the XI century and here you can also find the Town Hall of Ávila. This is where we found pastelería (bakery) Muñoz Iselma and tried one of their yemas (small orange balls served in white confectionery paper and are made to honor Teresa of Ávila). They are often refered to as Yemas de Santa Teresa (english: Yolks of Saint Teresa) or Yemas de Ávila (english: Yolks of Ávila). They can be bought throughout Spain, but typically are connected with Ávila.

Ávila Cathedral

The Cathedral of Ávila is a Romanesque and Gothic Catholic church and was planned as a cathedral-fortress.

Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás

This Gothic style monastery is located in the city of Ávila and was founded in 1480 by a treasurer of the Catholic King, Hernán Núñez de Arnalte. Work began on it in 1482 under the direction of Martín de Solórzano and lasted until 1493.

Church of San Juan Bautista Ávila

A temple of Romanesque origin which was renovated at the beginning of the XVI century in Gothic style with evident Renaissance influences.

Puerta del Alcázar

Also known as ´Puerta del Mercado Grande´is one of the nine gates of the walls of Ávila and is located in the Plaza de Santa Teresa on the opposite side of the church of San Pedro.

Tourist Train

Unfortunaely the line was too long for us to take the tourist train in Ávila but it´s definitely a good option because it can be quite a distance to walk to all the tourist attractions.

Tip: Buy your ticket before because we heard the conductor say that whoever bought their ticket ahead of time got to go on first.

Chuchi

We also tried mini coffee and chocolate eclairs at Chuchi (visit my Instagram feed to see some video clips of this balery under my ´highlights´ section called Foodspots Spain) which were really good .