World Heritage cities you would love to visit II

In a recent post we were talking about some of the most amazing Heritage of Humanity cities in Spain. In order to provide you with the whole information you need to know, we are now completing the list with the 8 missing cities, probably as interesting and beautiful as the other ones. After reading the whole list you will be able to select which ones you want to visit, if you don’t have the chance to visit them all. Come with us in this wonderful tour!

Alcalá de Henares

This beautiful city takes us back to the Golden Age, one of the richest moments lived in Spain. In Alcalá de Henares this epoch had its zenith in the mid XVI century, as there lived during that time the important writer Miguel de Cervantes. If you visit this city you will have the feeling that you are in that world of chivalry full of art and mystery. Because of the rich history of this locality, there are many literature museums; Roman archeological sites; the “corral de comedias” (the oldest stage in Europe still used); its famous university where artists like Lope de Vega and Quevedo studied; and many spectacles like “The Night of San Juan” to enjoy the theatre as if you were in the Renaissance times. Alcalá de Henares is a XXI century city designed for the literature lovers, for those who want to feel the romanticism of the past.

Plaza Cervantes de Alcalá de Henares

Ávila

As in many other cities we have already talked about, in Ávila dwelled different cultures: Jews, Muslims and Christians. Indeed, this city is a member of the network of Jewish Quarters in Spain, which provides it with the great protection it needs due to the beauty of its streets and the merge between nature and civilization. Ávila is considered the highest city in Spain and it is surrounded by a big fortress that in the past was used as a main defensive mechanism. Nowadays the city of Ávila can be enjoyed inside and outside of its walls, visiting its palaces, temples, convents, houses and what is more, trying its delicious gastronomy. Furthermore, if you have the possibility, we recommend you to hire a touristic guide around the city, so you can have the chance to visit its most important buildings, but also to get to know its most amazing and enigmatic legends and stories.

Panorámica de la fortaleza de Ávila

Cáceres

There are many characteristics that have made from this city to be considered a Heritage of Humanity one. These are the legacies left by its Prehistoric past, Roman epoch, Middle Ages, Modern and Contemporary times. In this way, visiting Cáceres is like making a trip around the history that goes from the beginnings of humanity until the consolidation of our days, as we can see in the heritage left by Romans, Almohades, Jews, Portuguese, Castilians… The most amazing particularity in Cáceres is its Monumental City, where you can go inside through a Roman door or a Baroque one, and where you can visit its Mayor Square, its Jewries and its Almohade towers. One particular characteristic in Cáceres is its peculiar architecture that varies depending on the place of the city; made of stone and latticework of wood in the Jerte Valley and made of masonry in the Ambroz Valley. Today we can also enjoy its Visual Arts building, its Ibero-American Art fair “Foro Sur”, its famous music Festival “WOMAD” or its Medieval Market, one of the most important in the whole world. Cáceres is without any doubt a city to enjoy staring at any detail and becoming like this part of its wonderful landscape.

Plaza Mayor de Cáceres

Ibiza

The island city of Ibiza (Eivisa in Catalonia) was established in 654 b.C. by the Phoenicians. Its Punic epoch provided this city with a big classic heritage mixed at the same time with the Muslim tradition, as they invaded it coming from Al-Andalus. The most remarkable characteristic of Ibiza is its Renaissance fortress that surrounds the old city where you can find the Almudayna Cathedral and Castle; a fortress built by the occidental culture and considered indeed one of the best preserved in the world. In this city there are three main places of some of its most important epochs that you cannot miss, these are: the Puig des Molins Punic necropolis, the sea barriers of posidonia and the Phoenician town of sa Caleta. Ibiza is a polyvalent city where you can rest, go to some of the best parties in Spain, visit emblematic buildings, try its delicious gastronomy, learn about its history and enjoy as you have ever enjoyed before.

Ciudades españolas patrimonio de la humandidad
Panorámica de Ibiza

Salamanca

Architecture, literature and arts are the main characteristics that consolidate this city since its beginnings. It is a city considered Heritage of Humanity in Spain, but it is as well considered the European Culture capital. The legacy left in Salamanca is purely Renaissance, and it was the home of important humanists like Luis de León or Francisco de Vitoria. This is the reason why here you can find the remainders of houses, convents, palaces and squares, dating its most rich time of history. Among the most amazing spots, Salamanca has cathedrals, its Anaya palace, its Shells House, and obviously its famous University of Salamanca, the first and eldest in Spain and the fifth in Europe. This last concept places Salamanca as a university city, as currently it receives thousands of students from Spain and from all over the world.

Universidad de Salamanca

San Cristóbal de la Laguna

This time in the Canary Islands, San Cristobal de la Laguna, in the island of Tenerife, is a city that will make you fall in love from the first moment you visit it. Its streets, its old houses and its small palaces are proofs of the beauties that brought the XV century preserved until our days, letting us imagine how impressive this city had to be in its historic peak. The places you must visit in San Cristobal de la Laguna are, among many of them, the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios Church-Cathedral, its Saint Francisco sanctuary, the Salazar House with its particular gargoyles and the Nava and Lecarno palaces. All these places are reminders of the Gothic, Flamenco, Baroque and Neoclassic arts. In this way, San Cristobal de la Laguna is a gorgeous city to enjoy its nature, its architectonic and artistic diversity and its great gastronomic variety.

Ciudades españolas patrimonio de la humandidad
San Cristóbal de la Laguna

Segovia

Segovia is one of those cities where you can feel the nature of its past times no matter where you look at. From royal personalities like Alfonso X and Isabel la Católica, mystic people like San Juan de la Cruz and Teresa de Jesus, to warriors like Fernán García and writers like Antonio Machado, left their important and corresponding legacy. In Segovia it is a must to visit its famous Roman Aqueduct that goes through the ancient medieval houses still preserved, but you should also visit its alcazar, its Romanic churches, its palaces and the surroundings of these ones. Segovia is nowadays at the same time, a city full of festivals that promote arts and music. In Segovia you can enjoy in its best restaurants its delicious gastronomy, famous because of its roasts. It is a city that will catch you from the first moment, willing for you to visit it as many times as you can.

Panorámica de Segovia

Úbeda

Like Salamanca, Úbeda is especially a Renaissance city, stucked in time to let us see the wonders of the past still preserved today. In Úbeda you have to visit its palaces and towers from the bourgeoisie, churches, sanctuaries and its streets that have reminders of all the cultures that lived in them. Nevertheless, walking around Úbeda is like walking back to the history of time, from prehistory to contemporary days, being able to stare at the most amazing Arab, Gothic and Baroque styles. If you visit Úbeda you have to go to its Vázquez de Molina square, in the South of the city, considered one of the most beautiful squares in Spain.

This city, province of Jaen, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, is without any doubt, the best way to finish with this list of wonderful places to visit at least once in your life; Heritage of Humanity cities that help the traveler to discover how the past can still live in our present days and make us to dream awake about the history of Spain.

Ciudades españolas patrimonio de la humandidad
Iglesia de Santa María en Úbeda.

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