12 Essentials: what to see and do in Valladolid city in 1 or 2 days

La city ​​of Valladolid It is undoubtedly an excellent destination for a weekend getaway.

Its great monumental heritage, the result of its political, economic and cultural importance over the centuries, makes it a good option when thinking about a tourism trip.

The current capital of Castile and Leon went with Philip III, the capital of Spain, and had previously been the headquarters of the Castilian courts.

Heritage of those times preserves an incredible amount of palaces, churches and convents, some of real interest.

It also has several important museums. Some of them are among the best in their field in all of Europe.

La gastronomy It is another of the attractions of the city ​​of Valladolid and also of his province.

Apart from conventional restaurants where the lamb It is one of the unavoidable options, the Castilian-Leonese capital is famous for the tapas culture, in which it competes with other cities.

The best to see and visit in Valladolid

For a first approximation to Valladolid we have chosen 12 essential visits, to which many others should be added, especially in the chapter of palaces, churches and museums.

Another option to take into account is that Valladolid It is the main setting of the novel The heretic, Miguel Delibes placeholder image, and a well-marked route indicates the main places that appear reflected in its pages.

Plaza Mayor of Valladolid

The place occupied by Plaza Mayor has always been important in history of Valladolid. Popular markets, court ceremonies and the most lavish shows were organized here.

 

The current layout has its origins in the reconstruction after the fire of 1561 that devastated part of the city.

It was the first main square that was designed as a closed, regular space with arcades, a model that was later copied in cities such as Madrid y Salamanca.

 

The building that attracts the most attention is the Town Hall, which is much later since it dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, which you will see has French influences.

Opposite is the Zorrilla Theater, from the 19th century, whose façade is completely hidden as if it were a residential building.

La Plaza Mayor  It has remained the center of social and cultural activity for centuries and is always very lively.

Streets with arcades in Valladolid

In around the Plaza Mayor there are some streets and squares which are worth walking for a while.

La Platerías street It is the best known, but there are also other very interesting ones; get out of Ochavo Square, with a curious octagonal plan.

Notable arcade that allow you to walk through the streets, visiting the shops in the area, protected from the rain and extreme cold or heat.

Very close is the Golden Fountain in which different figures represent different jobs.

Valladolid Cathedral

As normally happens, Cathedral It is one of the most outstanding buildings in the city.

Curiously, it was never completed, with approximately half of the initial project missing.

In fact, it has a single tower that can be accessed by elevator to enjoy the views from the top.

Most of its design is by the famous architect Juan de Herrera, one of the highest representatives of the Renacimiento and which gave name to herrerian style.

However, as the works took so long, the influence of the Baroque.

Attached to the complex are the ruins of an old collegiate church of romantic style.

Church of Santa María de la Antigua in Valladolid

La church of Antigua, as it is known, is the memory of one of the first constructions in Valladolid.

Nothing remains of the primitive church that he ordered to be built Pedro Ansúrez in the 11th or 12th century.

The oldest parts preserved today are the bell tower and porticoed gallery.

Both are excellent examples of the romanesque architecture and one of the best examples of this style in Castilla y León.

In fact his Bell tower, at 55 meters, is one of the highest in romantic style in all Spain.

The rest of the set is already Gothic style, modified with the renovations that have been carried out over the centuries.

Palace of Santa Cruz in Valladolid

El Santa Cruz palace is first Renaissance construction in Spain. It is even said to be the oldest in this style outside of Italy.

It was ordered to be built by Cardinal Mendoza, the first promoter of this artistic form in the Peninsula.

The most spectacular thing is the plateresque cover, highly influenced by the Italian architecture of the moment.

Although the building is fundamentally Renaissance, it has some Gothic traces, the style in which it began to be built, plus some neoclassical additions, such as balconies, made in later renovations.

The interior is well worth a visit, with a patio that is one of the best examples of Renaissance style that can be found.

There are also two corners that should not be missed.

On one side is the Historical library, an impressive collection of works ranging from the 15th to the 19th century, which also highlights the baroque furniture.

A surprise when visiting this impressive renaissance monument is to find the Arellano Alonso Museum of African Art which shows a large collection of pieces from different countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Plaza de San Pablo in Valladolid

This square is one of the more interesting places all Valladolid and it can be said that it is one of the most historic complexes in all of Spain.

If the Plaza Mayor It was always the center of the popular life of the city, that of San Pablo It was the axis of courtly life.

Overlooking this square are the Royal Palace, residence of monarchs throughout the centuries when they passed through Valladolid, and place where he was born Philip IV.

On the other side of the square appears the Pimentel Palace, which is no less historically important than the previous one.

was born here Felipe II and highlights the curious plateresque window in the corner, which gives a curious appearance to its facades.

But the most spectacular building in the square is the St. Paul's Church, with one of the most beautiful facades in the entire Peninsula.

It is like a stone altarpiece that was completed at different times and where there are many details that refer to history, politics and religion.

National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid

This museum is exceptional, it is one of the best in Europe in its field, and surely the best for its collection of polychrome wood works.

Here the work of the most prominent artists is represented, such as beruguete, Juan de Juni, Gregory Fernandez and so many others.

Altogether it has more than 3.000 works from the XNUMXth to XNUMXth centuries, as well as good copies from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The works shown are exceptional, but the building that houses them is not far behind in importance.

This is the St. Gregory's College, which shows one of the most beautiful facades of all the buildings in the city.

This is only the main headquarters of the museum since part of its collections are located in the palace of Count Gondomar (known as the House of the Sun) And the Villena palace.

This museum is located right next to the St. Paul's Square.

Here you have the information with schedules and prices of the National Museum of Sculpture of Valladolid.

Monastery of San Benito in Valladolid

the immense Saint Benedict Monastery was the most important of the benedictine order. Its large dimensions tell us about the power and influence it had.

El portico which occupies the main facade, through which you access the interior of the church, is very peculiar but you have to know that it was originally much higher.

The two upper bodies were demolished because they threatened ruin.

Attached to the church is the monastery that is organized around three cloisters; one of them is known as Herrerian Courtyard, which now hosts a spanish contemporary art museum.

House of Cervantes in Valladolid

Of the many places where he lived Cervantes throughout his life, the House of Cervantes Museum in Valladolid It is the only original that is preserved in Spain.

He probably wrote part of it in it. Quijote and some Exemplary novels.

The items seen during the visit are not original to the house, but they are authentic and belong to the same period.

A curious detail is that it is known with certainty that the writer lived in this house because that is how it appears in the file opened for the investigation of a murder, a matter in which Cervantes testified as a witness.

The Campo Grande in Valladolid

El Campo Grande is main park in the center of Valladolid, an oasis of greenery that encourages you to discover it calmly.

With more than 10 hectares of extension, you can discover ponds, paths, monumental fountains and a very varied vegetation that makes it a kind of Botanical Garden.

There are almost 100 different species of trees, and many specimens have a sign that identifies them.

One of the most attractive curiosities is the presence of Peacocks that roam freely through the park. Being used to people, they do not show shyness and can be seen up close.

The park has a triangular surface.

Zorrilla Square in Valladolid

In one of its corners is the Zorrilla Square, where the imposing building of the Knight Academy, which imitates the great palaces of the Renaissance.

Inside there is a military themed museum, and among its pieces stands out a Enigma machine, those that were used in the Second World War for document encryption.

Oriental Museum of Valladolid

Next to Campo Grande is the Oriental Museum of ValladolidLocated in the Royal College of the Augustinian Fathers.

It is a huge building located in the Filipino walk, which defines one of the sides of the park.

The Augustinians had a great presence in the Philippines from the moment of the conquest, and the missionaries who were destined for that archipelago studied at this school in Valladolid.

So that they could become familiar with the different cultures that they were going to find in the eastern end of Asia, in their rooms they began to accumulate objects of ethnographic value, maps, works of art and all types of documentation that would serve for their preparation.

Its funds form, without a doubt, the best collection of oriental art in all of Spain and one of the best in Europe.

Map: how to get to Valladolid city

The city of Valladolid is located just over two hours north by car from Madrid.