Calle Mayor, Plaza de Cervantes and the Santa María tower

Calle Mayor, arcaded from end to end on stone and wooden columns, links Plaza de Cervantes with the cathedral and was the street of the Jewish quarter. It is the walk that structures the centre of Alcalá: all flat, pedestrian and free, with the Santa María tower for seeing the rooftops and the Corral de Comedias on one side of the square.

Plaza de Cervantes

On the square, what was the Oidor chapel is now the tourist office and exhibition hall, free: it opens Monday to Friday and on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and on Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00 without closing. Next to it, the tower of the former church of Santa María can be climbed without paying to see the rooftops and the storks; it is open every day from 11:00 to 14:00 and on Saturday also from 16:00 to 19:00.

From the Oidor chapel, every day at 11:30, leaves the municipal guided tour 'Alcalá World Heritage Site', in Spanish, with tickets on visitalcala.es. If it is your first time in the city, it is a good way to start.

The Corral de Comedias

At Plaza de Cervantes, 15, is the Corral de Comedias. It was already operating as a corral in 1601, was roofed over as a coliseum in 1785, became a Romantic theatre in 1830 and was a cinema until the 1970s; the tourist office presents it as the oldest documented corral de comedias in Spain. Since 2005 it has been managed by the Teatro de La Abadía team, with a regular theatre programme.

You can see it inside on guided tours from Tuesday to Sunday, for €3 per person, booked at [email protected]. Show and tour times, on 91 877 19 50 or at corraldealcala.com: they change often, so check first.

Calle Mayor

Walking Calle Mayor under the arcades takes little time, but it deserves to be done slowly. At number 46 is the Antezana Hospital, from 1483, and at 48 the Cervantes Birthplace, free. At the end opens Plaza de los Santos Niños with the Magistral Cathedral. If you have time left on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday morning, the medieval walls open from 10:00 to 14:00, also free.

How to do it

Allow an hour and a half with the climb up the tower and a look at the Corral; more if you go into the museums. Everything is flat and pedestrian, comfortable with a pushchair, and the dog can accompany you on a lead along the street, although it cannot enter the tower or the museums. From Plaza de Cervantes, the University is a stroll away, on Plaza de San Diego.

For lunch, Mesa 12, on Calle Imagen, is open every day at midday. If you come by car, see the car parks in the centre; for questions, the tourist office is in the centre.