Do you like train routesOf course, they're great. The train is brilliant; after flying, it's the best means of transportation for traveling long or medium distances. And if you have a high-speed train, even better.
Today, lThe best cities to discover from Barcelona and Madrid.
Best cities to discover from Madrid
BIRD, Spanish High Speed is the high-speed train service that you can take advantage of for tourism within Spain, operating since 1992.
Thus, by high-speed train and by no more than two and a half hours You reach many cities, such as AranjuezIt is just 32 minutes from the Spanish capital and was founded in the mid-XNUMXth century as a retreat for King Philip II.
Today, Aranjuez is World Heritage for its architectural treasures. To begin with, for its Royal Palace, with its Versailles gardens, but also for the Tagus and Jarama rivers, or its hills and nature reserves, parks, palaces, bullring, churches and old hydraulic works.
On our list of The best cities to discover from Madrid contribute Avila, a special destination for lovers of the medievalYou arrive in Ávila in a hour and 16 minutes by train.
Ávila It is located on the banks of the Adaja River and its history has Roman, Visigothic and Muslim chapters. With the Reconquista, Ávila and other cities received migrants and fortifications, among them the magnificent wall that we see today.
You wake up in Madrid, have breakfast, and within an hour and a half you'll be strolling through medieval Ávila. You'll see some remains of Roman entrances in the medieval gates and the beautiful bridges over the rivers, also Roman.
You must visit the Site of the Great Market Square, pre-Roman and Roman, the tanneries of the Arrabal de Segundo, former leather tannery, and the Dolmen of the Prado de las Cruces, from the Neolithic.
Then, obviously, there is beautiful and ancient churches, many, palaces, residential houses and mansionsA visit to the tourist office will help you organize your itinerary easily.
And of course, if you don't have much time, what you absolutely cannot miss is the walk along the Walls of Ávila,the best preserved in all of Spain: approximately 2516 meters in perimeter, 2500 battlements, an average height of 12 meters and nine gates.
Salamanca remains on our list of The best cities to discover from MadridThe high-speed train connects Madrid with Salamanca in one hour and 36 minutes.
Salamanca is 2700 years old. Its history dates back to the Iron AgeFor this very reason, many peoples have passed through this territory, each leaving their mark.
She is known for its university, founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, the first in Europe with the title itself of university, but since 1988 the historic center is World Heritage for the value and beauty of its buildings.
The two cathedrals are an example, but also the Convent of San Esteban, the Escuelas Mayores, the so-called Casa de las Conchas, the Convent of Las Claras, that of Las Dueñas and many churches, chapels and squares.
Do not forget to visit the Miguel de Unamuno House Museum, from the 18th century, the most important buildings of the university and some elegant and old colleges that are a beauty. It adds mansions and palaces, each with its own style but all old, and obviously the Alcazar of Salamanca, medieval walls and the bridge of Roman origin.
You'll fall in love with Salamanca. Naturally, there are many other destinations you can visit by train from Madrid: Toledo, Segovia, Cuenca, Seville.
Best cities to discover from Barcelona
Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, is a wonderful region with many attractions you can visit by train, whether it's natural beauty, historic cities or towns, or outdoor activities.
One doesn't stay long in Barcelona, so one day one has to take the train and do some sightseeing. day tripDo you like medieval times? Well, our list of the best cities to discover by train from Barcelona begins with Vic.
Vic has a great medieval charm, even has a annual medieval festival for the most fantastic. Vic is at one hour and 18 minutes from Plaza Cataluña station.
The history of Vic dates back to an ancient Roman city destroyed by the Muslims. The survivors refounded it under the name of Vicus AusonensisVich, Vic, and history continues. So, the best thing about Vic is its history and the traces of that history in its urban landscape.
Vic is tiny, barely 45 thousand inhabitants, so in a single day you can visit it, especially because the best is in the historical CenterYou can take advantage of the tour of the Tourist Office: the Plaza Mayor, with its porticos, the Casa Comella, with its decorated façade depicting the seasons, and the 14th-century Town Hall building.
There is also the San Pedro Cathedral, other churches, the Episcopal palace, the Masferrer House, elegant mansion, the ancient Roman Temple, the picturesque Queralt Bridge and 14th century walls, For example.
You can choose what to visit from all of this and add a museum. And yes, yes, you can't leave without eating some of their famous sausages (longaniza and fuet).
In our article on train routes It's the turn of Montserrat, maybe One of the most popular day trips from BarcelonaBy train you arrive super fast because it is only 30 minutes, and you will be able to discover the Montserrat Massif.
Here you can visit the Benedictine monastery and the convent of San Benito. Yes, it is a spiritual destiny, as history tells us, the image of the Virgin was found here, in the Santa Cova, a dark-colored wooden carving from the end of the 12th century.
Finally, we can name Girona, whose historic center is also beautiful and very famous. The heart of the old town It is the Roman city of Girona, and around it unfolds the Carolingian wall that can and should be traveled.
You can also learn about some of the houses that picturesquely hang over the Oñar River, el medieval Jewish quarter, with its alleys, the Rambla de la Libertad, the Arab baths, the bridges, the beautiful Santa Catalina Hospital with its most beautiful pharmacy, the 19th century flour mill or the old post office building from the beginning of the 20th century.
Also, as we said in the case of cities to discover by train from Madrid, the same is true of Barcelona: there are many other destinations. The train will take you everywhere, so I hope you know how to take advantage of it.