Church in Alcala de Henares
Also known as Catedral Magistral de los Santos Niños Justo y Pastor
FreeCosts nothing to visit.
One of only two churches in the world to hold the title “Magistral,” a rank that once required all its canons to hold a doctoral degree. The other is in Leuven, Belgium. This late Gothic church sits on the Plaza de los Santos Niños in the heart of Alcala de Henares, a short walk from the University of Alcala and the arcaded Calle Mayor of Alcala de Henares. It was rebuilt under Cardinal Cisneros, the founder of the university, around the turn of the sixteenth century, and restored after damage in the Spanish Civil War. Entry to the church is free, which makes it an easy stop on a budget day trip from Madrid. The only paid extra is the optional bell tower climb, where you get a close look at the storks nesting on the old town rooftops. Combine it with a free stroll down Calle Mayor and the visit barely touches a travel budget.
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Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
A massive fortified palace that served as the seat of the Archbishops of Toledo, the most powerful churchmen in Spain. This is the building where Columbus had his first audience with the Catholic Monarchs in 1486 to argue for his voyage west.
One of the longest arcaded streets in Spain, running through the heart of the old town of Alcala de Henares. Free to walk, lined with shops and cafes under its continuous portico, it is the natural corridor between the city's main sights.
Reconstructed house on the Calle Mayor where Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, was born in 1547, now a museum recreating a 16th-century Castilian home. Entry is free, which makes it one of the best-value literary sites in Spain and an easy stop on a budget day trip from Madrid to Alcala de Henares.
University chapel inside the Cisnerian block of the University of Alcala, known for a Mudejar coffered ceiling and the marble tomb of Cardinal Cisneros, the man who founded the university in 1499. It is one of the most ornate interiors in Alcala de Henares and is normally seen as part of the university guided tour rather than as a free standalone stop.
Complutum is the open-air ruin of the Roman city that grew where Alcala de Henares stands today, with an excavated forum, public baths, and townhouses whose mosaic floors still survive in the open. Entry is free, and the regional train from Madrid puts it within easy reach, which makes it one of the cheapest serious Roman sites in central Spain.
A cloistered convent in the historic centre of Alcala de Henares, part of the dense set of convents and monasteries that fill the UNESCO old town.
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The whole of Alcala de Henares