# A weekend in Alcalá de Henares with the Cervantes Train

Arrive on Saturday on the Cervantes Train, with actors and a guided tour, sleep in the old town and leave Sunday for the university, the house of Cervantes and Roman Alcalá.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/alcala-de-henares/itineraries/alcala-de-henares-cervantes-train-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Alcalá de Henares: university, Cervantes and Complutum

Alcalá de Henares can be seen in a day, but a weekend lets you do it unhurried and without a car. On Saturday you arrive on the Cervantes Train, a special Cercanías with actors that leaves from Atocha and includes the guided tour; on Sunday you have the university, the house of Cervantes, the archaeological museum and Complutum. The train ticket is valid for returning on any Cercanías until midnight the next day.

## Where to sleep

AccommodationTypeFor whom

Hotel Miguel de CervantesSmall hotel on Calle Imagen, doubles from €89Couples and families, with a triple room

Hotel El BedelThree stars facing the universityThose who want to wake up on Plaza de San Diego

Parador de Alcalá de HenaresFour stars in the Cisneros colleges, with a spaA special night

## Getting around

On foot through the old town and by city buses L-1A, L-1B or L-6 to Complutum. If you come by car, leave the car at the Recinto Ferial or El Silo and forget about it.

## El plan

### Saturday · 10:15 · Cervantes Train at Atocha
The welcome is next to the Cercanías customer service office; the train leaves at 10:36 and reaches Alcalá at 11:15. €22 for adults, €16 for ages 7 to 11, free for under-6s. Bought online only, up to 48 hours before.

### Saturday · 11:15 · Guided tour with actors
A tour of the monuments with the characters of Cervantes, morning and afternoon, with free time at midday.

### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch at Mesa 12 or the Hostería del Estudiante
The Hostería opens on Saturday from 13:30 to 15:30; Mesa 12, from 13:00 to 16:00.

### Saturday · 18:35 · You stay
The train returns to Atocha at 18:35, but you don't take it: dinner in the old town and sleep at the hotel.

### Sunday · 11:00 · University with a guide
The first tour on Sunday, €6. Book beforehand.

### Sunday · 12:15 · Cervantes's birthplace and the archaeological museum
Both free; the museum, on Sunday until 15:00 and with a guided tour at 13:00.

### Sunday · 16:00 · Complutum
By city bus to El Juncal; from October to April it is open from 16:00 to 18:00. Then Cercanías back to Madrid with the previous day's ticket, until 00:00.

## Un consejo más

The Cervantes Train ticket lets you return on any ordinary Cercanías until 00:00 the next day: keep it for Sunday.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Which days does the Cervantes Train run?
Saturdays in spring and autumn. In autumn 2026: 14, 21 and 28 November and 5 December.

### How much does it cost?
€22 for adults and €16 for ages 7 to 11; under-6s travel free when accompanied.

### Does it take groups?
No, only individual travellers.

### How much does the weekend cost?
Between €110 and €200 per person with train, hotel, meals and tickets.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Alcalá de Henares**: Three Cisneros colleges and a carved garden
The Parador de Alcalá de Henares opened in 2009 in three of the colleges that Cardinal Cisneros ordered built, with a 17th-century convent-college as its main piece. Outside it is historic centre; inside, contemporary design. What is most remembered is the cloister and the Jardín Tallado, and the spa, which is under the vaults of the convent's former church. It is on Calle Colegios, two minutes' walk from the university and Plaza de Cervantes, so it is the option for sleeping inside the old town with a car.
Paradores has been in Alcalá since 1930, when the Hostería del Estudiante, the network's third establishment, opened opposite.
Rooms and what they include
There are standard doubles, accessible doubles, superior doubles and junior suites. They have air conditioning, flat-screen television with Chromecast, minibar, a safe big enough for a laptop, hairdryer and a work area with internet; wifi is free, there is a lift, room service and accessibility facilities. The rate can be checked in the calendar on the Paradores website, which varies a lot between weekdays and weekends.
Spa under the church
The spa has a water circuit with separate conditions and price, and a 2026 treatment menu: a 30-minute zonal massage for €49, a 60-minute moisturising facial for €70, a 70-minute vitamin C one for €75 or a 75-minute body ritual for €109. There is also a gym, garden and a seasonal outdoor pool. Book at spa.alcala@parador.es.
Two restaurants
The Santo Tomás restaurant, in the former convent-college, serves authentic Madrid cooking with references to the Cervantes recipe book. Opposite, the Hostería del Estudiante keeps its classic menu from 1930 and adds specialities from other paradores.
Car, train and events
By car, take the A-2, exit 23 towards the historic centre; the parador has a paid garage and charging for electric cars, which counts for a lot in Alcalá's old town. Paradores places it about 20 minutes from Madrid airport and IFEMA and half an hour from Madrid. Without a car, Cercanías C-2 or C-7 to Alcalá station and about fifteen minutes' walk. It has a convention centre with five rooms and the Paraninfo hall.
At the door: the University and Calle Mayor to Plaza de Cervantes.
- **Hotel El Bedel**: On Plaza de San Diego, facing the university
El Bedel is at number 8 Plaza de San Diego, the square with the Plateresque façade of the University of Alcalá: the bedel was the employee who kept order in the classrooms, and the name is no accident. It is the hotel closest to the door of the guided university visit, and is two minutes' walk from Plaza de Cervantes and Calle Mayor. The whole old town can be covered on foot from here.
The premium double, onto the square
The room the hotel highlights is the premium double, with a double bed or twin beds, which faces Plaza de San Diego and the university; the hotel describes it as central but quiet. All have a bathroom with bath, minibar, safe, heating or air conditioning, 32-inch television, telephone and free wifi. The website does not publish how many rooms there are or the prices: ask when booking on 91 888 67 26 or at reservas@hotelelbedel.com.
Apartments on Plaza de Cervantes
The hotel also rents apartments on pedestrianised Plaza de Cervantes, about two minutes' walk away; check-in is at the hotel reception. They have a full kitchen with fridge, washing machine, oven, microwave, utensils and coffee machine (with capsules for the first night), 42-inch television, internet, bathroom with towels and amenities, iron, air conditioning and electric water heater. For families or stays of several nights they are the alternative to a room.
Services
Reception open 24 hours, room service, luggage storage, laundry and private parking a few metres from the hotel. They help you find a tourist guide. On the ground floor is the restaurant La Cátedra, with big windows onto the university, and the hotel has a terrace for a drink on the square.
The website says nothing about pets or check-in and check-out times, or whether breakfast is included: ask when booking.
By the A-2 or by Cercanías to San Diego
By car, take the A-2, exit 23; ask about the private parking when booking, because you cannot leave the car on the square. By train, Cercanías C-2 or C-7 to Alcalá de Henares and about ten minutes' walk. From the door, the University visit starts on the other side of the square.
- **Hotel Miguel de Cervantes**, desde 84 € / night: A small hotel on Calle Imagen
The Miguel de Cervantes occupies a charming building at Calle Imagen, 12, in the historic centre of Alcalá de Henares, a few steps from Calle Mayor, Cervantes's birthplace and the university. It is a small hotel, with personal service, with its own restaurant in the same building and a terrace. The tourist office also lists it as a hostal.
Four types of room
All have a private bathroom, television, hairdryer, free wifi, hot and cold air conditioning and central heating.
Single: small, with a 105 cm bed and desk, from €84 a night.
Standard double: double bed or twin beds depending on availability, with shower, from €89.
Superior double: the same, plus a small balcony, iron, coffee machine and tea tray, bathrobe, slippers and toiletries. The website does not give its from price.
Triple: three single beds, two of them convertible into a king size, and a small balcony, from €135.
The website does not give the room sizes or the policy on children or extra beds: ask on 91 883 12 77 or at hotel@hcervantes.es.
Breakfast and meals
Breakfast is a buffet. Booking on its website, the hotel advertises a 50% discount on the buffet and a best-price guarantee, and early check-in and late check-out are granted subject to availability. The restaurant Mesa 12, in the same building, serves lunches every day and dinners on Fridays and Saturdays, with a daily menu of €26 from Monday to Friday.
Car and train
The hotel does not advertise its own parking on its website: leave the car in one of the public car parks in the centre. Without a car, Cercanías C-2 or C-7 to Alcalá and about fifteen minutes' walk.
When you go out, the Cervantes Birthplace is around the corner, and Calle Mayor to Plaza de Cervantes is the walk for any hour.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Parador de Alcalá de Henares**: Three Cisneros colleges and a carved garden
The Parador de Alcalá de Henares opened in 2009 in three of the colleges that Cardinal Cisneros ordered built, with a 17th-century convent-college as its main piece. Outside it is historic centre; inside, contemporary design. What is most remembered is the cloister and the Jardín Tallado, and the spa, which is under the vaults of the convent's former church. It is on Calle Colegios, two minutes' walk from the university and Plaza de Cervantes, so it is the option for sleeping inside the old town with a car.
Paradores has been in Alcalá since 1930, when the Hostería del Estudiante, the network's third establishment, opened opposite.
Rooms and what they include
There are standard doubles, accessible doubles, superior doubles and junior suites. They have air conditioning, flat-screen television with Chromecast, minibar, a safe big enough for a laptop, hairdryer and a work area with internet; wifi is free, there is a lift, room service and accessibility facilities. The rate can be checked in the calendar on the Paradores website, which varies a lot between weekdays and weekends.
Spa under the church
The spa has a water circuit with separate conditions and price, and a 2026 treatment menu: a 30-minute zonal massage for €49, a 60-minute moisturising facial for €70, a 70-minute vitamin C one for €75 or a 75-minute body ritual for €109. There is also a gym, garden and a seasonal outdoor pool. Book at spa.alcala@parador.es.
Two restaurants
The Santo Tomás restaurant, in the former convent-college, serves authentic Madrid cooking with references to the Cervantes recipe book. Opposite, the Hostería del Estudiante keeps its classic menu from 1930 and adds specialities from other paradores.
Car, train and events
By car, take the A-2, exit 23 towards the historic centre; the parador has a paid garage and charging for electric cars, which counts for a lot in Alcalá's old town. Paradores places it about 20 minutes from Madrid airport and IFEMA and half an hour from Madrid. Without a car, Cercanías C-2 or C-7 to Alcalá station and about fifteen minutes' walk. It has a convention centre with five rooms and the Paraninfo hall.
At the door: the University and Calle Mayor to Plaza de Cervantes.
- **Hotel El Bedel**: On Plaza de San Diego, facing the university
El Bedel is at number 8 Plaza de San Diego, the square with the Plateresque façade of the University of Alcalá: the bedel was the employee who kept order in the classrooms, and the name is no accident. It is the hotel closest to the door of the guided university visit, and is two minutes' walk from Plaza de Cervantes and Calle Mayor. The whole old town can be covered on foot from here.
The premium double, onto the square
The room the hotel highlights is the premium double, with a double bed or twin beds, which faces Plaza de San Diego and the university; the hotel describes it as central but quiet. All have a bathroom with bath, minibar, safe, heating or air conditioning, 32-inch television, telephone and free wifi. The website does not publish how many rooms there are or the prices: ask when booking on 91 888 67 26 or at reservas@hotelelbedel.com.
Apartments on Plaza de Cervantes
The hotel also rents apartments on pedestrianised Plaza de Cervantes, about two minutes' walk away; check-in is at the hotel reception. They have a full kitchen with fridge, washing machine, oven, microwave, utensils and coffee machine (with capsules for the first night), 42-inch television, internet, bathroom with towels and amenities, iron, air conditioning and electric water heater. For families or stays of several nights they are the alternative to a room.
Services
Reception open 24 hours, room service, luggage storage, laundry and private parking a few metres from the hotel. They help you find a tourist guide. On the ground floor is the restaurant La Cátedra, with big windows onto the university, and the hotel has a terrace for a drink on the square.
The website says nothing about pets or check-in and check-out times, or whether breakfast is included: ask when booking.
By the A-2 or by Cercanías to San Diego
By car, take the A-2, exit 23; ask about the private parking when booking, because you cannot leave the car on the square. By train, Cercanías C-2 or C-7 to Alcalá de Henares and about ten minutes' walk. From the door, the University visit starts on the other side of the square.
- **Hotel Miguel de Cervantes**, desde 84 € / night: A small hotel on Calle Imagen
The Miguel de Cervantes occupies a charming building at Calle Imagen, 12, in the historic centre of Alcalá de Henares, a few steps from Calle Mayor, Cervantes's birthplace and the university. It is a small hotel, with personal service, with its own restaurant in the same building and a terrace. The tourist office also lists it as a hostal.
Four types of room
All have a private bathroom, television, hairdryer, free wifi, hot and cold air conditioning and central heating.
Single: small, with a 105 cm bed and desk, from €84 a night.
Standard double: double bed or twin beds depending on availability, with shower, from €89.
Superior double: the same, plus a small balcony, iron, coffee machine and tea tray, bathrobe, slippers and toiletries. The website does not give its from price.
Triple: three single beds, two of them convertible into a king size, and a small balcony, from €135.
The website does not give the room sizes or the policy on children or extra beds: ask on 91 883 12 77 or at hotel@hcervantes.es.
Breakfast and meals
Breakfast is a buffet. Booking on its website, the hotel advertises a 50% discount on the buffet and a best-price guarantee, and early check-in and late check-out are granted subject to availability. The restaurant Mesa 12, in the same building, serves lunches every day and dinners on Fridays and Saturdays, with a daily menu of €26 from Monday to Friday.
Car and train
The hotel does not advertise its own parking on its website: leave the car in one of the public car parks in the centre. Without a car, Cercanías C-2 or C-7 to Alcalá and about fifteen minutes' walk.
When you go out, the Cervantes Birthplace is around the corner, and Calle Mayor to Plaza de Cervantes is the walk for any hour.