Sightseeing in Valladolid - what to see. Complete travel guide

Once Valladolid was the capital of Spain; today this is a large industrial center that doesn’t stop surprising its guests by wonderful architecture and hospitable atmosphere.

Santiago Street is considered the center of the city. If you take a walk along it, you can reach Mayor Square. All most beautiful buildings of the city are located around the square or nearby it. The city hall is also situated nearby and a famous Valle Market occupies the opposite side. You won’t even notice how quickly the day passes away if you dedicate it to observation of the local places of interest. The square has many sights and trading centers that feature wide choice of various goods and souvenirs. Cozy cafes and wonderfully calm atmosphere will help you to relax and forget about stressful urban life. The local cathedral is considered one of main cultural sights of the city. The building of the cathedral started in 1582 and it’s not finished even now. Today the large building of the cathedral is partially in use as in its halls you can see several exhibitions and the main relic – a massive altar designed in baroque style. Nearby the cathedral you will find the Santa Maria de Antigua church and the Royal Palace of Pimentel that is now used as the residence of the Valladolid’s government. The National Museum of Sculpture is known as the most popular and widely visited museum in Valladolid. The museum exhibits a large collection of wooden sculptures. It’s worth mentioning that the building itself is a real piece of art. Its walls and ceilings are decorated with hand-made stone carving and magnificent frescos.

One more interesting square is called Universidad, and it is named so because on this square is located the building of the local university founded over 500 years ago. The façade of the university is decorated with symbols showing power and importance of different sciences. Opposite to the university is situated Santa Crus School – one more old and beautiful building decorated with stone carvings. There is a small chapel in the inner garden of the school.

Among the religious sights, it is worth noting the ancient monastery of St. Benedict, as well as the church of the same name situated on its territory. The monastery was founded in 1390, and the beautiful Gothic Church was in the early 16th century. Many of the decoration items of the Church that can be seen today have been within its walls from the moment of its opening. Here, an ancient altar, old wooden seats, and many other interesting elements of decoration were preserved. Recently a part of the greatest building of the monastery was converted to an art Museum, today it presents interesting paintings and sculptures of contemporary artists. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The city has one of the most interesting Science Museums in the world, which will be very interesting to visit with the whole family. This Museum is a state-of-the-art planetarium, one of the most advanced and beautiful on the planet. Also, there are special rooms for younger visitors here, where children in a play form, are offered to get acquainted with the basics of different Sciences and to learn a lot about the world. The Museum is divided into several thematic halls, one of the most interesting is considered to be the Hall of water, and also the Hall of discoveries.

One of the most picturesque places in the city is the Campo Grande Park, the largest park of Valladolid. The area of this Park is approximately 11.5 hectares and it is located close to the city centre and railway station. The very first park in this place was founded in 1787, and today, the luxurious park amazes with a variety of exotic plants and flowers. In the warm season, it is always decorated with interesting landscape compositions. In the park you can see interesting structures and ornaments everywhere. Several ancient dovecotes, as well as very beautiful old fountains were preserved here.

One of the most unusual sights of Valladolid is the Home of Christopher Columbus. According to one of the legends, it was in this old house that the great discoverer died in 1506. However, this legend is not confirmed by any historical data. Today, in the historic building, which was built over 500 years ago, a collection of historical documents and maps, old books on navigation and nautical instruments that were used on ships hundreds of years ago are kept. Of special interest are models of old ships collected in the Museum.