For all of you who are thinking of enjoying a week-end trip somewhere nice and close to Madrid, I recommend going to Ávila and Salamanca. Courtney did a post about Salamanca with good tips to prepare you trip, so I will focus on how you could organize a great week-end trip in Ávila and Salamanca with lots of photos.
Ávila and Salamanca are two medieval towns west of Madrid. You can reach both by bus, car or train. I recommend going by car if you have 3 days and thus could go and visit at the same time the quaint villages of “la Sierra de Gredos”.
In a nutshell, here’s the program I recommend for a weekend.
Saturday – Avila and Arrival at Salamanca:
- Rent a car, take the train or the bus and go to Ávila to arrive there before lunch, or “la Comida”. Ávila is fortress city known for its amazing meat: the “Chuletón de Ávila”, or “T-Bone steak of Ávila”.
- Lunch: I recommend El Torreón, C/ TOSTADO, 1, 05001, Ávila, 920 21 31 71 . Do order the “Chuletón de Ávila” and the typical “Patatas Revolconas”.
- To help the lunch go down, go round the town and up Avíla walls
- Wait for the sun to set, and see the amazing walls by night, when they are much more impressive. I do think also that a medieval town has to be seen also at night, since the atmosphere is then so different.
- Head towards Salamanca for a late diner or tapas on the Plaza Mayor, with a few tapas and ham at any packed bar you see, or I recommend the “Café Real” for their “pinchos morunos”.
- Feel the party atmosphere of this town ful of university students.
Sunday: Tour Salamanca
- Tour the town, following a route which whill go through at least the University, the old and new cathedral (do take the “Ieronomous” path which will take you up both catedrals for a splendid view, the Plaza Mayor, las “Conchas”. For more details, see Courtney’s post
- Pause and/or lunch with a “cañas” and ham (speciality of the Salamanca region)
If you have more time, there are charming little villages and trekking to do around in the Gredos mountains.
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