Daytripping to Medieval-Walled Ávila, Spain
The medieval walls You need a good five to seven days to fully explore the Spanish capital of Madrid : its world-class art museums, neighborhoods, sprawling public parks, and historic bars and restaurants . But you’d arguably need another week just to check out the World Heritage Sites that circle the capital, all no more than an hourlong train ride away. Monumental cities like Segovia and Toledo guard Madrid’s northern and southern borders, while El Escorial and Alcalá de Henares attest to the region’s royal and educational heritage. West of Madrid on the other side of the Guadarrama Mountains lies a city that is still completely surrounded by its original medieval walls: Ávila. North side of the walls Spain’s first Gothic cathedral Rugged granite construction When I daytripped here on my way back home from Salamanca , I was so short on time that I unfortunately wasn’t able to walk around on top of the murallas , the old city walls. I did get to check out the cath...