Valladolid is one of the most ancient and exciting places in Spain. Once upon a time, this city was the capital of the country, and even today you can meet the remains of mighty fortresses and towers. Today, however, Valladolid has become a fairly serious industrial city, and in it you will be fascinated not only by the historical part, but also by modern architecture. If you want to spend an unforgettable weekend in one of the most interesting places on the Iberian Peninsula, feel free to go to a tour operator with a clear requirement: Valladolid (Spain). You will hear only positive reviews about this city, and if you dare to go there on vacation, make sure of this pleasant fact. So what to see in the Spanish city of Valladolid? Read about it later.
Valladolid - a tourist center?
On the other hand, you may be embarrassed by the fact that few people actually know about Valladolid. This city does not have such a well-known tourist center as Madrid or Barcelona, it is rarely mentioned in the news. For example, recently the Valladolid Cup of Spain - Tenerife has attracted attention of him, that is, one of the matches of the country's football cup, where a game between the local team and representatives of our ancient residence of the kings took place on one of the Canary Islands. Valladolidites, by the way, lost.
In addition, you can learn a lot about the city if you are interested in the history of the sunny Iberian Peninsula. So, it was here that the residence of the kings of Castile, the heart of the Kingdom of Spain, was located for four centuries from the thirteenth century to the seventeenth. Accordingly, the remains of great culture and history simply fill the streets of Valladolid, not leaving indifferent to more than one curious tourist in the world. Even though there is no halo of tourist Mecca, this place attracts the attention of many travelers. If you do not know where to go, then this place will be a very good choice, and you will be able to brag to your friends for a long time that you have been to this city.
Where to stay?
So, vacation. You arrived at the final destination of the ticket indicating: Valladolid (Spain). The sights of the city will, however, not be your first travel destination, you should first settle in one of the many hotels. The latter, by the way, for every taste and thickness of the wallet: from expensive five-star establishments that repeat the atmosphere of the enchanting Spanish Middle Ages, to small and cozy rooms where anyone who does not have such a lot of money with them can stay.
Valladolid (Spain): Description
When you figured out where to settle down, you should proceed directly to exploring the city. For lovers of more measured tourist vacations, there is a whole series of excursions during which they will tell you and show everything about the sights of Valladolid, but you need to pay for it. Often this makes economical tourists give up excursions, so we will try to help you in exploring the city by telling basic information about it. In addition, independent discoveries are always much more pleasant and better remembered than what any guide will tell you.
City center
The center of Valladolid is located on Santiago Street, walks along it will lead you to Mayor Square. Here, most of the administrative and city-wide buildings are located - the city hall, opposite the Val market. The square itself is surrounded by many buildings with beautiful arches, and this place can be called the starting point for any tourist. Often, the first day of travel is completely spent on considering the architecture of the city center, buying souvenirs and visiting the shopping arcade. Nearby, right at hand, are the most comfortable cafes where you can relax for a while from the bustle of the city.
Cathedrals, churches and palaces
If you figured out the city center, you can move on. One of the main and most important sights of Valladolid can be considered the Cathedral. This cultural and religious value began to be built back in 1582, more than four hundred years ago, and has not been fully completed to this day. Having entered this huge building, you can walk inside several exhibition halls of the city museum located directly in the cathedral, examine, for example, many valuable relics, which include a large stone altar. It has not only religious value, but also cultural value - made in the Baroque style, this altar attracts the attention of many professional art historians, not to mention tourists. Near the cathedral is the church of Santa Maria la Antigua, as well as the old palace of Pimentel, the former residence of the kings, and today the government is located there.
National Museum of Sculpture
The imagination of tens of thousands of tourists cannot fail to capture the pinnacle of architectural creativity - the National Museum of Sculpture. The building itself is already a masterpiece: unimaginable frescoes, many walls and ceilings decorated with hand- carved stone - together with the high severity of the walls, more reminiscent of a fortress, not a museum building. Inside, there are no less impressive collections of wooden sculptures, as well as frequently changing expositions, which will be interesting to see for anyone visiting Valladolid.
Universities and schools
Another noteworthy building worth seeing is Universidad. Valladolid (Spain), whose photo of attractions is presented in the article, is also famous for such monuments as the National Museum of Sculpture and the Cathedral, so do not miss the opportunity to see everything with your own eyes. Tourists and a guide lead along the same route, telling in detail about all the sights. So, Universidad, as you can understand, even without knowing Spanish at all, is an ancient university building. It was discovered more than five hundred years ago, and like any old monumental building, it attracts the attention of travelers. The facade of the building is decorated with symbols of sciences, thereby giving it an extraordinary medieval poetry. Directly opposite the university, the Santa Cruz School is located, like all the old buildings in the city - it is decorated with unique stone carvings.
Legacy of Castile
It is in Valladolid that a tourist can feel the depth and originality of the culture of Castile, the medieval severity of fortresses and Catholic cathedrals, see the unique and exciting stone paintings on most of the old buildings that excite the imagination of any traveler. The Valladolid people themselves are very sensitive to their cultural heritage, preserving some of the city corners since the time of the early Middle Ages. Small, narrow streets seem to carry us into chivalrous novels, and the baroque-style buildings , which are breathtaking for people who are used to the gray landscapes of the panel neighborhoods, will become a kind of revelation from above. Excursions in the city are carried out mainly along the same route as the sequence with which we described the sights of the city. And besides this there is something to see, the historical center of the city is literally dotted with large medieval mansions. There are more than a dozen magnificent churches and huge castles.