Located in Castile and Leon, this historic city has a 16th-century Plaza Mayor, Gothic churches, and a former royal palace. Local tapas bars serve regional wines and traditional food.
Valladolid, the capital of Castile and León region in northwestern Spain, was once Spain's capital city. In the Plaza Mayor, you can sit at a café surrounded by red-brick 16th-century buildings. Visit the National Sculpture Museum to see detailed wooden religious sculptures by Alonso Berruguete, walk through Campo Grande park where peacocks roam freely, or stop at a traditional restaurant to taste lechazo - baby lamb roasted in wood ovens.
Getting to Valladolid
The high-speed AVE train connects Madrid to Valladolid in under an hour, making it an easy day trip from the capital. Villanubla Airport, located 15 minutes from the city center, serves domestic flights and some European destinations. Regular bus services connect Valladolid with major Spanish cities.
Walking Through the Old Town
The Plaza Mayor sits at the center of Valladolid's old town, with red-brick buildings and symmetrical 16th-century architecture. The nearby streets lead to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, an unfinished work by Juan de Herrera from 1582. At the Palace of Santa Cruz, Spain's first Renaissance building, you can walk through the university corridors and see the original 15th-century stonework.
Museums and Cultural Sites
The National Sculpture Museum contains more than 1,500 sculptures and 1,200 paintings dating from the Middle Ages through the 19th century. You'll find detailed wooden sculptures by Alonso Berruguete and religious art collected from former convents across Spain. At the Casa de Cervantes, you can see the rooms where the author lived in the early 1600s, including his writing desk.
Food and Wine Experience
Try lechazo at local restaurants - baby lamb cooked for hours in wood ovens and served with fresh salad. Four wine regions surround the city: Rueda, Ribera del Duero, Toro, and Cigales, each producing their own wine varieties. During the annual Pincho de Oro competition, bars create unique tapas using local ingredients.
Parks and Urban Spaces
Campo Grande park covers 100,000 square meters in the city center, with tree-lined paths, flower beds, and fountains. Peacocks walk freely throughout the park. Along the Pisuerga River, you'll find the urban beach Playa de las Moreras, where locals gather during summer months.
Cultural Events
During Holy Week, 21 religious brotherhoods walk through the streets carrying baroque sculptures in silent processions with traditional music. The Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci), running since 1956, focuses on independent and art house films from around the world.
Day Trips
You can visit medieval castles in the surrounding province, including Peñafiel and Torrelobatón. Take a wine tour through Ribera del Duero to see centuries-old wineries and stone villages. In nearby Tordesillas, walk through the royal palace rooms where Spanish monarchs signed historic treaties.
