# Cerca de Ávila

Ávila has three very different exits within an hour: Segovia to the north-east, El Escorial to the east, over the Malagón pass, and the Sierra de Gredos to the south. Beyond, the A-50 leads to Salamanca and the N-110 drops to the Jerte Valley.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/avila/getaways

## Planes de un día
- [Abantos: climb through the pine forest and lunch in the mountains](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/abantos-pine-forest-and-mountain-lunch.md) (55 min en coche): A mid-morning climb through the pine forest behind the monastery, lunch in a 1918 forestry house turned restaurant and a stroll round the Jardín de los Frailes.
- [El Escorial: the chestnut groves of La Herrería](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/autumn-in-la-herreria-and-el-castanar.md) (55 min en coche): An 8.6 km route through ash groves, chestnut woods and fountains of the royal forest to Philip II's Chair, a Castilian roast at an inn from 1768 and the Jardín de los Frailes. 50 minutes from Madrid.
- [El Escorial: monastery and Philip II's Chair](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/escorial-monastery-and-philip-iis-chair.md) (55 min en coche): Philip II's monastery at opening time, a Castilian lunch two streets away and the view from Philip II's Chair in the afternoon light. 50 minutes from Madrid.
- [Gredos: Laguna Grande and revolconas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-laguna-grande-and-lunch-in-hoyos-del-espino.md) (1 h en coche): A five-hour route from the Plataforma to the Laguna Grande, at the foot of the Gredos cirque, and a late lunch of revolconas and Ávila meat in Hoyos del Espino.
- [Segovia: Aqueduct, Alcázar and suckling pig](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia/itineraries/segovia-aqueduct-mint-and-roast-suckling-pig-day-trip.md) (1 h en coche): The Aqueduct before the groups, the Mint by the river, suckling pig at the Azoguejo and the afternoon for the cathedral and the Alcázar. Doable without a car, too.
- [Navacerrada: guided snowshoeing and grill in Cercedilla](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/snowshoeing-at-the-pass-from-madrid.md) (1 h 15 en coche): A morning snowshoeing through the National Park pinewoods with the pass's school, no experience needed, and a grill lunch at La Maya, in Cercedilla. It can be done by train.
- [Salamanca: the frog, the cathedrals and Bambú](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/salamanca/itineraries/university-cathedrals-and-tapas.md) (1 h 15 en coche): The University and its frog in the morning, the Plaza Mayor, tapas and grilled food at Bambú, the two cathedrals in the afternoon and the Roman Bridge before you head home.
- [La Pedriza: El Tolmo and the castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/la-pedriza/itineraries/el-tolmo-and-manzanares-castle.md) (1 h 20 en coche): Enter Canto Cochino before 10:30, climb the Autopista de La Pedriza to El Tolmo, have lunch in the square at Manzanares el Real and finish at the Mendoza castle.
- [Valdesquí: a day on the slopes and spoon dishes at Cotos](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/skiing-at-valdesqui-and-judiones.md) (1 h 25 en coche): A day on the slopes at Valdesquí, Madrid's big resort, and a spoon-dish lunch at the Venta Marcelino, on the Cotos pass. An hour from Madrid by car or on bus 691 from Moncloa.
- [Pedraza: village, roast and castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza/itineraries/pedraza-jail-roast-lamb-and-zuloaga-castle.md) (1 h 32 en coche): You enter by the only gate, visit its jail, stroll the Plaza Mayor, eat roast lamb from a wood-fired oven and finish at Zuloaga's castle in the afternoon light.
- [Rascafría: oaks and waterfall](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/lozoya-valley/itineraries/oak-woods-and-purgatorio-waterfall.md) (1 h 35 en coche): A half-day among oaks and Ávila cattle along the Aguilón river to the Purgatorio waterfall, mountain-village lunch on the edge of Rascafría and the Giner de los Ríos arboretum at dusk.
- [Peñalara: glacial lake and monastery](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/lozoya-valley/itineraries/penalara-laguna-grande-roast-lunch-in-rascafria-and-el-paular.md) (1 h 35 en coche): An easy route to the Peñalara glacial cirque before the visitor quota fills, a roast-house lunch in Rascafría and the El Paular charterhouse in the afternoon.
- [Los Pilones and the Caozo waterfall](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/jerte-valley/itineraries/jerte-valley-los-pilones-and-caozo-waterfall.md) (1 h 50 en coche): A morning walk to the granite pools of Los Pilones, Sunday lunch in Valdastillas and, in the afternoon, the Caozo waterfall among terraced cherry orchards.
- [Carraovejas, castle and roast lamb](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/long-tasting-castle-and-roast-lamb.md) (1 h 50 en coche): You leave the car at the hotel, taste four wines at Pago de Carraovejas, climb up to the wine castle, have lamb beside the Duratón and dine and sleep in a 1922 flour mill. Wednesday to Sunday.
- [Peñafiel: castle, lamb and winery](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/penafiel/itineraries/penafiel-castle-roast-lamb-and-winery.md) (1 h 50 en coche): The ship-shaped castle and the Provincial Wine Museum in the morning, the Plaza del Coso, wood-fired roast lamb and a visit with tasting at a winery in the village.
- [Alcalá: university, Cervantes and Romans](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/alcala-de-henares/itineraries/university-cervantes-and-complutum-from-madrid.md) (1 h 55 en coche): A guided visit to Cisneros' university, Calle Mayor to Cervantes' birthplace, a Cervantes-themed lunch at the Hostería and the Roman city of Complutum in the afternoon.
- [Vía Verde by bike and the Jewish quarter](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/hervas-and-the-ambroz-valley/itineraries/greenway-by-bike-and-nardi.md) (2 h 2 en coche): You are driven up to Béjar and ride 23 km down the old railway to Hervás; you eat in the village and in the afternoon stroll the Jewish quarter to the Fuente Chiquita bridge.

## Over the Malagón pass, the short way to El Escorial

Ávila is at the junction of four roads, and each one leads to a different kind of plan. To the east, the AP-51 joins the AP-6 at Villacastín and the Sierra de Guadarrama: the Navacerrada pass, Valdesquí, [La Pedriza](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/la-pedriza) and the [Lozoya valley](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/lozoya-valley). For [El Escorial](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial) there is a shorter way, the Malagón pass road, which enters through the Abantos pine forest. To the north-east, the N-110 crosses the plain to [Segovia](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia) in an hour and continues towards [Pedraza](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/pedraza).

To the west, the A-50 takes you to [Salamanca](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/salamanca) in an hour and a quarter. To the south leaves the N-502, the road to the [Sierra de Gredos](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos): on the north face you reach Hoyos del Espino and the Plataforma, where the Laguna Grande route starts; over the Puerto del Pico you drop to the south face, with Arenas de San Pedro and the Cuevas del Águila. To the south-west, the N-110 continues via El Barco de Ávila to the [Jerte Valley](/en/spain/extremadura/jerte-valley) and Plasencia.

Without a car, the Renfe station is a short walk from the old town. The Madrid train stops at El Escorial, so you can see the monastery in a day without driving, and there is also a train to Salamanca. Gredos and the Jerte, in practice, call for a car.

## A five-hour route at the foot of the Gredos cirque

**In an hour or less** there are three Sunday plans: El Escorial (55 minutes), with the monastery, the La Herrería woods and the Abantos pine forest; Segovia (60), with the Aqueduct, the Casa de Moneda and the Alcázar, and the Laguna Grande de Gredos (60), a five-hour route at the foot of the cirque.

**Between one and one and a half hours** is the other face of Guadarrama and a city: the Navacerrada pass and Salamanca (75 minutes), La Pedriza (80) and Valdesquí (85).

A little further, **between an hour and a half and two hours**, are Pedraza (92 minutes), Peñalara and Rascafría (95), and, at 110, Peñafiel and the Jerte Valley. Alcalá de Henares is at 115 and Aranjuez and Chinchón at two hours, better with a night: [Aranjuez and Chinchón for a weekend](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/aranjuez/itineraries/aranjuez-chinchon-weekend).

Past **two hours**, the trip divides between Hervás (122 minutes), which still fits into a Sunday, and the weekends: [Sepúlveda and the Duratón canyon](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-weekend-sepulveda), at two hours; [La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/la-alberca/itineraries/la-alberca-sierra-de-francia-weekend), at two hours twenty, and [Monfragüe and its birds](/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-birdwatching-weekend-from-madrid), at two hours forty-five.

## Ávila is cold and the snow is an hour and a quarter away

In winter Ávila is cold, and the snow is an hour and a quarter away: the [morning snowshoeing at Navacerrada](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/snowshoeing-at-the-pass-from-madrid), the [ski day at Valdesquí](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/skiing-at-valdesqui-and-judiones) or the [snow weekend in Cercedilla](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/navacerrada-pass-and-cercedilla/itineraries/ski-and-snowshoeing-near-madrid-navacerrada), from December to March and with chains. Segovia and Salamanca, with plenty to see indoors, work in any month.

In spring, between the end of March and mid-April, the cherry trees blossom in the Jerte Valley, and the [Caozo waterfall](/en/spain/extremadura/jerte-valley/itineraries/jerte-valley-los-pilones-and-caozo-waterfall) runs between white orchards. It is also the season for [Monfragüe](/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-birdwatching-weekend-from-madrid) and its birds.

In summer Gredos rules. The [Laguna Grande](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-laguna-grande-and-lunch-in-hoyos-del-espino) is the June and July route, with access to the Plataforma regulated at weekends, and [two nights in the sierra](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-weekend-from-madrid-laguna-grande) let you add the south face. In June and July, the Pilones of the Jerte are good for a swim. La Pedriza is not recommended in July and August.

In autumn, the nearest forest is [La Herrería and El Castañar](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/autumn-in-la-herreria-and-el-castanar), 55 minutes away, in October and November. Further off, the chestnut trees of [Hervás](/en/spain/extremadura/hervas-and-the-ambroz-valley/itineraries/greenway-by-bike-and-nardi), with the Vía Verde by bike from Béjar during the Otoño Mágico of the Ambroz Valley, and the [oak woods of Rascafría](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/lozoya-valley/itineraries/oak-woods-and-purgatorio-waterfall).

## El Escorial by train and the Silla de Felipe II in the afternoon

- **Without a car, in a day:** [El Escorial, the monastery and the Silla de Felipe II](/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/escorial-monastery-and-philip-iis-chair). Train to El Escorial, the monastery at opening time, Castilian lunch and the view from the Silla in the afternoon.
- **An hour away, along the N-110:** [Segovia on a Sunday](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/segovia/itineraries/segovia-aqueduct-mint-and-roast-suckling-pig-day-trip). The Aqueduct before the groups, the Casa de Moneda by the river, suckling pig in the Azoguejo and the Alcázar in the afternoon.
- **To the west:** [Salamanca](/en/spain/castile-and-leon/salamanca/itineraries/university-cathedrals-and-tapas). An hour and a quarter along the A-50, the University in the morning, tapas in the Plaza Mayor, the two cathedrals in the afternoon and the Roman Bridge before returning.