We Visit 6 Charming Towns In Valladolid

Located in the autonomous community of Castilla y León, this province in northwestern Spain has a very long history. Related to the figures of the Catholic Monarchs, as well as Carlos I, Felipe II and Felipe III, it has several castles and fortresses. We want to visit some of the charming towns of Valladolid. There are many, this is just a small selection.

1. Villages with charm in Valladolid: Trigueros del Valle

The first of the charming towns in Valladolid that we are going to visit is located in a valley of wheat fields, hence its name, and its houses are made of stone and adobe. In addition, its wineries stand out, where Cigales wine is produced.

Within the Trigueros del Valle heritage, the castle stands out, built in the 15th century and of which the stables, the keep and part of the walls are preserved.

You should also discover the church of San Miguel Arcángel, of late Romanesque style, built in phases between the 12th and 18th centuries and with a single nave. Another jewel of the municipality is the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Virgen del Castillo, in the highest part of the town and surrounded by caves.

2. Simancas

This town is located within the Camino de Santiago and was very important during the Middle Ages. It was occupied by the army of Alfonso I in 753 and was definitively conquered by Alfonso III in 883.

The castle is its main point of interest. It was rebuilt in the 15th century on what was the old Arab fortress. Later it belonged to the Crown and was used as a state prison. Felipe II transformed it into the General Archive of the Kingdom and today it continues to exercise that function.

3. Medina del Campo

Another of the charming towns of Valladolid with a vast history that begins in the Neolithic and becomes more intense in Roman times, in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was here, in Medina del Campo, where Isabel la Católica died in 1504. 

The historical and monumental complex of the town is headed by its magnificent castle, an example of military engineering. Visiting the castle of La Mota, from the 15th century, is like taking a trip back in time.

Once in the urban area, you have to make a stop at the Collegiate Church of San Antolín, in Gothic style and with a Plateresque altarpiece inside. It is also essential to visit the Palace of the Dueñas, in a Renaissance-Plateresque style that has a beautiful cloister and was the residence of Carlos I.

4. Peñafiel

This historic town was very important for the Kingdom of Castile during the Middle Ages and its beautiful castle attests to this. The fortress, built between the 9th and 10th centuries, is shaped like a ship and today houses the Wine Museum, a product closely linked to this town.

But there are many other places of interest in Peñafiel, starting with its Plaza de El Coso and continuing through the Clock Tower, the Convent of Santa Clara, the Church of the Convent of San Pablo, the Town Hall or the Gothic bridge.

5. Tordesillas

Another of the charming towns of Valladolid and also with a long history. Here you can visit the Houses of the Treaty  to learn more about the agreement signed in 1494 by Spain and Portugal to divide the New World and the navigation areas.

You also have to visit the Plaza Mayor, from the seventeenth century and completely arcaded. The bridge, the wall, the monastery of Santa Clara (built on an old Mudejar palace by Alfonso XI of Castile) and the church of San Antolín (from the 16th century and a flamboyant Gothic chapel) are other must-see places.

6. Urueña

It offers one of the best preserved old quarters in the province, of medieval origin. In addition, it is known as the “town of the book”, due to its close relationship with the literary world and the number of bookstores that you can find in it.

The main attractions of Urueña are the wall, built in the 12th century, and the castle (square in shape and with circular towers at the corners). More places of interest are the church of Santa María del Azogue (built in the 16th century, with a single nave), the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Anunciada and the Joaquín Díaz Ethnographic Center.