What to do · Ávila
Walking the Wall Walkway of Ávila
Information
- From
- €8 per person
- Duration
- 1 h 30
- Season
- All year; closed on Mondays in winter
- Who it's for
- Everyone; there are steps
You can walk along the top of Ávila's city wall, on the wall walkway, for much of its perimeter. It is 2,516 metres long, with 87 towers (it had 88; one was demolished in the 16th century to build the chapel of San Segundo) and encloses 33 hectares. Excavations show an enclosure with the same layout since the 1st century; what you are walking on is the wall rebuilt under Alfonso VI and reinforced by Alfonso VIII, with sections about 3 metres thick and 12 high on average on the east side, with a tower roughly every 20 metres. It became a National Monument in 1884, and in 1985 UNESCO declared the old city and its churches outside the walls a World Heritage Site.
Four stretches and three ways up
The wall walkway is not a closed circuit: you walk it in stretches. The open stretches are Puerta del Alcázar, Carnicerías, Arco del Carmen and Puente del Adaja, and you climb up via the Casa de las Carnicerías, the Puerta del Alcázar or the Puerta del Puente. The Alcázar stretch, on the east side, is the cathedral one and the closest to Plaza de Santa Teresa; the Puente one is on the west side, over the River Adaja.
Allow an hour and a half to walk the stretches without hurrying. You go up by steps and the walkway has uneven levels: with small children, hold their hands and leave the pushchair behind.
Hours: summer, winter and Mondays
- 27 March to 24 October: every day from 10:00 to 20:00. In July and August some entrances stay open later: Carnicerías and El Carmen until 22:00 and the Puerta del Puente until 21:00, except Wednesdays and Thursdays, which close at 20:00.
- 25 October to 26 March: from 10:00 to 18:00, and closed on Mondays, except some bank holiday or long-weekend Mondays.
- Christmas: 24 and 31 December, from 10:00 to 15:00; closed on 25 December and on 1 and 6 January.
The last entry is 45 minutes before closing; at the Puerta del Alcázar, 30.
Admission and audioguide
General admission costs €8 and the reduced rate €5. You buy it on the wall ticket website, at the entrances themselves or at the Visitor Reception Centre at Avenida de Madrid, 39. It is also included in the ÁvilaCard, which is valid for 48 hours and gives one entry per monument. There is an audioguide in seven languages and a version designed for children.
Before and after the walkway
On coming down at the Puerta del Alcázar you have the cathedral in front of you, whose apse is also a tower of the wall. For the photo of the whole wall, cross the Adaja to the Cuatro Postes. And for a meal without going far, the Puerta del Alcázar restaurant is next to the gate of the same name.
Tips
- In winter, never on a Monday From late October to late March the wall is closed on Mondays that are not public holidays.
- July evenings In July and August, Carnicerías and El Carmen are open until 22:00 almost every day: it is the hour when the walkway is cool.
- Go back to the Cuatro Postes at dusk The lit-up wall can be seen in full from there.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to go up the wall?
€8 general admission and €5 reduced.
Can you walk all of it?
No: it is walked in stretches, for much of its perimeter, with ways up at Carnicerías, the Puerta del Alcázar and the Puerta del Puente.
How long does it take?
About an hour and a half for the open stretches.
Is it open on Mondays?
In summer, yes. In winter it is closed on Mondays, except on some public holidays.
Is there an audioguide?
Yes, in seven languages and with a version for children.
Can you go up with a pushchair or wheelchair?
The ways up are by steps. Ávila Turismo publishes an accessibility document: check it beforehand or call 920 354 005.
As a familyWith teenagers
