Ávila (pop. 50,000) is a popular retreat from Madrid summer heat and winter bustle. The city makes its name with its incredible 12th-century stone walls and as the birthplace of the mystical Santa Teresa de Jesús (1515-1582). The old city, though, is full of beautiful buildings from Spain’s glory days, and half the fun is stumbling upon half-hidden churches and palaces in a city almost totally untouched by urban grime and traffic.
Trains: Po. de la Estación, Info office open daily 7:30am-1:30pm and 3:30-9:30pm. To El Escorial (1hr.; 6-9 per day M-F 5:30am-8:15pm, Sa-Su 9:15am-10:15pm; €4.50); Madrid (1-2hr ...more
The winding old city streets meet in the Plaza del Mercado Chico inside the walls and the recently revamped Plaza de Santa Teresa just outside. Bus #1 (€0.65) departs a block from the train station towards ...more
Comfortable, affordable accommodations can be found within the city walls. True budget options are a long march down the Av. de la Juventud, about 25min. outside of the old city. Those near the cathedral ...more
Ávila is filled with sobermesones, wherevested waiters serve pricey meat dishes; variety is not Ávila’s strong suit. Fridays, the market in Pl. Mercado Chico sells produce 10am-2pm. The supermarket ...more
CATEDRAL. Begun in the late 12th century, Ávila’s is the oldest Spanish cathedral in the transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic. Look for the Altar de La Virgen de la Caridad, where 12-year-old ...more
After nightfall, the Ávila’s centro empties of its youth, as if St. Teresa’s asceticism is still too strong within the city walls for late-night revelry. The Parque San Vicente, just to the left out ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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