Heritage Cities Route 2025

Sunday

We begin our itinerary in the monumental imperial city whose Parador, of Mudejar inspiration and located in an old country house, offers from the other bank of the Tagus the best panoramic view of the also known as the City of the Three Cultures. With the title of World Heritage City and Cultural Asset, Toledo stands on a hill surrounded by the Tagus River. Its most emblematic monuments stand out in its skyline: the imposing Alcazar, witness to the most recent history, the masterful Primate Cathedral in the centre of its historic quarter, the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, the Bisagra Gate and its bridges, the synagogues and mosques, the numerous monuments, the museums and a stroll through its parks and gardens. Also not to be missed are the Plaza de Zocodover and the Church of Santo Tomé, which houses the famous painting by El Greco, ‘The Burial of Count Orgaz’. The capital of La Mancha has enough attractions to occupy us all day, but the lighting up of its historic buildings is another of its charms. There is the possibility of taking night tours of the mysterious Toledo or the Templars or strolling through the streets aimlessly, enjoying the atmosphere and its historic centre, one of the most impressive in the country. If you already know the city or have the time, we recommend the Puy du Fou theme park, an impressive show in which you will relive 1,500 years of Spanish history and culture with an audiovisual montage that will leave you speechless. At the Parador’s restaurant, enjoy the unique recipes of Toledo’s consistent and tasty gastronomy, which draws its inspiration from its hunting and shepherding culture. You must try a partridgea la toledana, a Manchego cheese board or marzipan, three of the city’s star products.

Monday

From the lands of Castile-La Mancha we arrive at Alcalá de Henares, the birthplace of Cervantes. Beautiful in its streets, palaces, convents and civil buildings, it always invites you to discover its University (in 1499 Cardinal Cisneros founded the first ex-novo university campus in the world) and the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, the Plaza de Cervantes, the ruins of Santa María de la Mayor, the collegiate streets of Santa Ursula and Escritorios, the Magisterial Cathedral Church of Saints Justo and Pastor, the Roman mosaics of the Regional Archaeological Museum... Don’t forget to take a stroll along the busy Calle Mayor - the longest street with arcades in Spain - where the birthplace of the illustrious author of Don Quixote stands and enjoy its shops and tapas bars, or visit the Corral de Comedias, a unique building as it is the oldest in Spain and conserves important original construction elements. You should keep an eye on your diary because Alcalá considered the City of Arts and Letters, offers a wide range of quality leisure possibilities, which are diversified in a wide range of cultural and tourist activities that may coincide with your dates. In Alcalá de Henares you must try typical dishes of Castilian-Manchegan cuisine with culinary allusions to Don Quixote at the Hostería del Estudiante, a unique 16th-century setting and one of the oldest Parador establishments, and another of the places where the cult of tapas is worshipped. If you are travelling with children, a recommended visit is the Europa Park in Torrejón de Ardoz, with scale replicas of 18 European monuments. Once you have seen everything the city has to offer, we recommend excursions to two charming spots steeped in history: the picturesque village of Chinchón, where the other Madrid Parador is located, and the Royal Site of Aranjuez, declared a World Heritage Cultural Landscape by Unesco.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Without stopping in Madrid, we reach Segovia, one of the most monumental cities in Spain. It will surprise you at every turn with its unrivalled historical and artistic heritage. Its imposing aqueduct will remind you of the power of Rome; its cathedral, the Alcázar, with its moat and drawbridge entrance, or the medieval walls - the only ones in a city that remain complete along with those of Lugo and Avila - will remind you of a splendid past. Churches such as San Esteban, San Justo, San Martín and San Millán will take you back to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque. To savour the city, you must wander through the streets, eat tapas in its bars - which, as in Salamanca, are offered free of charge - and treat yourself to some beans and a crispy suckling pig roasted in the wood-fired oven of the Parador while enjoying the monumental skyline of the city. In the surrounding area, don’t forget to visit the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso (18th century), with its splendid Versaillesque gardens and the play of water in its fountains in summer, where another spectacular Parador awaits you, and the Palace of Riofrío, which houses the Hunting Museum and Rubens and Velázquez paintings and is surrounded by a forest with fallow deer and deer in the wild.

Thursday

We end the trip in the mystical and monumental Avila with its perfect wall with 88 towers and nine gates, some as beautiful as those of the Alcazar and San Vicente. It is home to an impressive heritage that includes the fortified Cathedral of San Salvador (begun in the 11th century), the Cathedral Museum, the Convent of Santa Teresa (17th century) and a host of Renaissance palaces and Romanesque churches. You will love strolling along the ramparts of the city walls and getting lost in the streets of its historic quarter, filled with charming squares, streets and corners. A World Cultural Heritage city where everything is reminiscent of the saint, who has also given her name to her most famous sweet: the yemas de Santa Teresa (Santa Teresa’s egg yolks). If you want to enjoy the best panoramic view of the city, you have to walk up to the Cuatro Postes shrine at sunset. The photo is worth it! And as man does not live by stones alone, treat your body to some beans from Barco de Ávila, some patatas revolconas con torreznos (spicy potatoes with pork scratchings) or try a 100% black Avila breed veal cutlet.