Walls of Ávila

Two and a half kilometres of intact 11th-century walls — the finest in Spain

The walls of Ávila are the defining feature of the city and among the best-preserved medieval fortifications in the world. Completed in the late 11th century, the circuit runs 2.5 kilometres around the entire old town, with 88 semicircular towers and nine gates. The granite construction is remarkably intact — repairs have been made over the centuries but the basic fabric is original. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

Two sections of the walls are open for walking along the top: a northern section accessible from the Puerta del Alcázar and a southern section from near the Puerta del Rastro. The northern walk offers the best views of the city interior and toward the Gredos mountains. At night, the walls are illuminated and particularly atmospheric — the complete circuit viewed from outside the Puerta de San Vicente gives the best single-viewpoint impression of the full scale of the fortification.

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A story
The walls were built between 1090 and 1099 under the orders of Alfonso VI to repopulate and defend a frontier city recently recaptured from the Moors. They were built in nine years — an extraordinary rate — using stone from earlier Roman fortifications. The granite blocks in the lower sections are Roman originals; the upper courses are medieval. The apse of the cathedral is built directly into the eastern wall, making it both church and fortress.