Must-see attractions in Ávila

  • Los Cuatro Postes monument in Ávila.

    Los Cuatro Postes

    Ávila

    Northwest of the city, on the road to Salamanca, Los Cuatro Postes provides the best views of Ávila's walls. It also marks the place where Santa Teresa…

  • Catedral del Salvador

    Ávila

    Ávila's 12th-century cathedral is both a house of worship and an ingenious fortress: its stout granite apse forms the central bulwark in the historic city…

  • Murallas

    Ávila

    Ávila's splendid 12th-century walls stretch for 2.5km atop the remains of earlier Roman and Muslim battlements and rank among the world's best-preserved…

  • St Thomas Royal Monastery, Avila, Spain.

    Monasterio de Santo Tomás

    Ávila

    Commissioned by the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs), Fernando and Isabel, and completed in 1492, this monastery is an exquisite example of Isabelline…

  • Convento de Santa Teresa

    Ávila

    Built in 1636 around the room where Santa Teresa was born in 1515, this is the epicentre of the cult surrounding the saint. There are three attractions in…

  • Basílica de San Vicente

    Ávila

    This graceful church is a masterpiece of Romanesque simplicity: a series of largely Gothic modifications in sober granite contrasted with the warm…

  • Monasterio de la Encarnación

    Ávila

    North of the city walls, this unadorned Renaissance monastery is where Santa Teresa fully took on the monastic life and lived for 27 years. One of the…

  • Iglesia de Santo Tomé El Viejo

    Ávila

    This church dates from the 13th century, and it was from this pulpit that Santa Teresa was castigated most vehemently for her reforms. It has been…

  • Iglesia de San Pedro

    Ávila

    One of the city's prettier churches, the light, sandstone exterior of the Iglesia de San Pedro (dating from the 12th or 13th centuries) is a pleasant…

  • Iglesia de San Juan Bautista

    Ávila

    This quiet parish church dates from the 16th century and contains the font in which Santa Teresa was baptised on 4 April 1515. The church can be visited…

  • Iglesia de San Andrés

    Ávila

    North of the old city and dating from the 12th century, this is Ávila's oldest church and a fine example of Romanesque architecture, although the exterior…

  • Museo Provincial

    Ávila

    This regional museum includes local ethnographic exhibits (the 1932 photos by Albert Klemm are particularly interesting), as well as Roman artefacts and…

  • Puerta del Alcázar

    Ávila

    Access to a 300m stretch of Ávila's walls is from just inside the Puerta del Alcázar.

  • Puerta de Los Leales

    Ávila

    This old city gate is where you can access a 1300m stretch of Ávila's walls.

  • Palacio Los Serrano

    Ávila

    A cultural centre, this daringly renovated space is also used for contemporary art exhibitions.

  • Jardín de San Vicente

    Ávila

    The peaceful Jardín de San Vicente, across the road from the Basilica de San Vicente and in the shadow of the city walls, was once a Roman cemetery.

  • Convento de San José

    Ávila

    The unremarkable Convento de San José was the first convent Santa Teresa founded, in 1562. The saint herself is said to have helped build it.