Plaza Mayor de Ciudad Real

Ciudad Real is a city of 75,000 people (2018) in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and capital of the province of La Mancha, made famous by Cervantes, whose literary anti-hero Don Quixote wanders the local plains, tilting at windmills.

Get in

By train

Frequent trains run to and from Madrid and less frequently to Almagro. There is direct connection by bullet train (AVE) with Madrid.

• 1 Ciudad Real railway station. (updated Dec 2020)

By bus

A few buses a day run to and from Madrid, Almagro, Jaén and Valdepenas.

See

The Gate of Toledo, part of the ancient town walls

• The Plaza Mayor sits in the centre of Ciudad Real. Today, only two parts of the wall that surrounded the city in medieval times remain standing, including the Toledo Gate.
• The Mudejar (Arab) Puerta de Toledo from the former city walls.
• The Don Quixote Museum, next to Parque de Gasset.
• The Iglesia de Santiago is the most beautiful and oldest church in Ciudad Real. It was built at the end of the 13th century in romanic style. Its style is Gothic. It is decorated with gothic paintings and with seven-headed dragons, the ceiling is decorated with stones forming eight pointed stars.
• The gothic Iglesia San Pedro, built in the 14th and 15th centuries. Its style is Gothic, and it houses the tomb of Chantre de Coca, confessor and chaplain of the Catholic Monarchs.
• The Museo Elisa Cendreros exhibits an old collection of fans and carved wood.
• The Ermita de Alarcos is the oldest church in Ciudad Real.
• Ciudad Real Cathedral, built in the 16th century, has the second-largest nave in Spain and a magnificent Baroque altarpiece.

Do

• One of the most popular festivals in the city is La Pandorga, which takes place July 30 and 31. On the last day of the month the festival honours its patroness, La Virgen del Prado. The usual attire of the participants consists of jeans, a white shirt, and the traditional handkerchief.

Drink

Tapas bars are plentiful near the Plaza San Francisco, Plaza del Torreon, and Plaza Mayor, serving regional specialties (pisto manchego) and national favourites (tortilla espanola). Thursday through Saturday nights, the Plaza del Torreon fills with young people drinking the hours away until the discos open around 03:00.

Sleep

• NH Ciudad Real, Avenida Alarcos 25, ☏ +34 92 6610800. In the heart of the city, this hotel is close to the cathedral and city hall. 
• 1 Hotel Manzanares, Carretera Valencia S/N 13200 Manzanares, ☏ +34 92 6610800. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 12:30. In the centre of eastern Ciudad Real. €40-84. 

Cope

Consulates

• Romania, Calle Mata 37, ☏ +34 926 226 825, ciudadreal@mae.ro. (updated Dec 2021)