Avila, a little town surrounded by nature. Avila, a fortress that treasures amazing beauties. Avila, a windy destination. As you may have guessed yet, our “Travel” column will bring us to Avila, the “Town of Stones and Saints” and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We cannot wait to discover this fortified city with you!
Our trip can wait some minutes, though. Before leaving Madrid to Avila, helpMadrid has some suggestions for you! Even if you may love travelling alone, discovering new places with some friends can turn a trip into an amazing and unforgettable adventure. A good way to find new travel mates is by living in a shared flat. According to our experiences, the people who share the flat with you will become your best friends and you will experience many things together. A good way to connect is travelling: we did it several times and it has been amazing and unforgettable. We have so many memories… even going back to our shared flat after a trip has been amazing. Talking about the funny things about the trip? Priceless. Believe us when we say that a shared flat is more than accommodation.
Moreover, shared flats are cheaper. This means more money to enjoy Madrid; this means more money to travel. Actually, this means an entertaining adventure in Avila. Back to our topic, then. This format is still new, therefore, we have decided to explain you the structure of this blog post. As the one we have edited for Toledo (If you have not read it, this is the link), we have divided our “journey” into three sections. The first one suggests you the quicker way to reach Avila. The second is the itinerary where we suggest you all the places that you must visit in Avila. The third one is the tasty paragraph. Besides some typical dishes, we suggest you some restaurants where you can have lunch.
We guess that we are ready to go. Backpacker mode on!
HOW TO REACH AVILA
How to reach Avila? Easy Peasy, Lemon squeezy. Kidding aside, reaching this fortified city is easy even if you do not own a car. Maybe it is even easier because you do not have to park and you cannot get lost ahahah. The very first thing you have to do is checking the timetable. Once you know the time departure of the train, you can plan the displacements: the train to Avila runs from Chamartín Train Station.
ITINERARY
Here we go! We are in the train, ready to take pictures of a new Spanish pretty little town. Once you arrive at the station, you will be a bit disoriented, but follow Google maps and everything will be like a walk in the park! The first stop of our itinerary is the Romanesque Basilica de San Vicente. Visit the church and follow the itinerary suggested by the audio-guide: you will love the impressive portals and the cenotaph of the martyrs.
After this visit, you can enter the old city and walk through its streets, discovering secret corners, little shops, tenth of churches and beautiful buildings. Once you have enjoyed the old city and the Saint Peter church, you can have a break, eat something tasty and drink a good coffee.
In order to digest the big traditional lunch, walk along the city walls until the Iglesia-convento de Santa Teresa. This church was built in the 17th century on the site where Santa Teresa, the most important personality of Avila, was supposedly born. The walk must go on and will lead you to the viewpoint Las 4 Postas (our itineraries always include a viewpoint ahahah). Enjoy the view of the city and rest a bit… After you have taken all the necessary selfies, go back to the city by the dirt road and have a look at the pretty mill.
Cross the river, reach the Puerta del Carmen and, before entering in the fortified city, enjoy the landscape for the last time. Get around Avila, discover little shops and reach the Plaza Mercado Chico. It is finally time to visit the Cathedral, one of the most beautiful one that we have ever visited in Spain and the main attraction of the little town. The Cathedral of Avila is one of the two first Gothic cathedrals in Spain and it will astound you.
It is time to go back to Madrid. Enjoy the walls view one last time and reach the train station... The capital is waiting for you!
TASTY SUGGESTIONS
What should we taste in Avila? Useless to say, the Chuleton de Ávila is a “must taste”. The high quality local meet is one of the strengths of the gastronomical environment of this little town. If you are not into meat, you can order the delicious Judías del Barco. Other savoury dishes? There you go! Garlic soup, pickled trout and cuchifrito will be in the menu of many restaurants. Got a sweet tooth? Well, taste the Yemas, small pastries made of egg yolks and sugar.
Restaurants: Bar Restaurante Los Reales, Siglodoce, El Viejo Marquès.
We cannot wait to visit Avila again. The cathedral, the mill, the viewpoint… We have such great memories that we are getting emotional ahahah. It is always hard to describe beauty. Nonetheless, we have tried to convey it in our blog and we will keep writing blog posts about travels.
Madrid is gorgeous and you will never get bored there. Anyway, helpMadrid wishes to make you discover Spain and all the pretty towns close to the Spanish capital. This is the reason why we decided to begin this new column. We have written about Madrid and the many ways to enjoy it for months. Now, it is time to go further and get the most out of your stay abroad.
Dear travellers, it is time to plan our trip to Avila. We must say goodbye, but we will be back soon with another amazing day trip around Madrid.
XOXO
helpMadrid exploring team
P.S. If you visit Avila, tag us on your Instagram stories! @help_accommodation.