10 reasons to choose Valladolid

 

Valladolid, a friendly city. Its average size and flat layout make Valladolid a comfortable and perfect city for getting around on foot, by bicycle, or using its pleasant public transportation – everything is close! Its spacious squares, numerous green spaces and riverbanks, lively social life, and the friendliness of its people make a stay in Valladolid truly enjoyable.

 

 

Valladolid enjoys a privileged geographical position, just 50 minutes away from Madrid by train. A network of high-quality roads connects the city with other major cities such as Salamanca, Segovia, or Burgos in just one hour, and in less than three hours, you can reach Toledo, Gijón, or Vitoria-Gasteiz. It won't take much longer to reach certain areas in Portugal (Oporto, Braga, Guimaraes, Bragança...) and France (Biarritz, Bayonne, Saint Jean de Luz...).

 

 

Valladolid's extensive experience as a destination for congresses and conventions validates the choice of the Pisuerga capital as the host city for any event. It has been the venue for the II International Congress of the Spanish Language, inaugurated by Their Majesties the Kings of Spain, or the Brussels World Wine Competition, the most important international event related to wine. On a national level, it has hosted, among others, the National Gala of Sports Press or the I Spanish Conference on Film Tourism.

 

 

The city offers venues to accommodate small meetings or host up to 2,000 people: from the modern auditoriums of the Miguel Delibes Cultural Center or the Valladolid Fairgrounds, the avant-garde Cúpula del Milenio, or the historic Teatro Calderón, to museums, congress palaces, or castles adapted to host meetings and events.

 

Valladolid is a city committed to accessibility. The city is moving towards a future of full inclusion. Its tourist information offices are adapted for people with reduced mobility. Likewise, a significant number of Valladolid's museums and theaters are prepared to welcome people with different types of disabilities: in addition to having adapted facilities, centers like the Science Museum or the National Sculpture Museum offer visits, activities, and informational material for individuals with diverse functional needs.

This commitment to accessibility extends to a public transportation network dedicated to providing access to its fleet for everyone, thanks to improvements such as access ramps and lateral inclining systems on buses, handrails and reserved spaces, as well as adapted visual and auditory information systems.

 

 

Reds, rosés, or whites, but always with a guarantee of quality. The five wine denominations of origin that converge in the province of Valladolid - Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Cigales, Toro, and Tierras de León - three denominations of wines with protected geographical indications (Abadía de Retuerta, Urueña, and Vizar) and a protected geographical indication (Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla y León). The reds, whites, and rosés of this region make Valladolid's wineries and specialized establishments in the city and province a paradise for wine lovers.

Discover a wide range of wines elevated to the category of best wines worldwide in international competitions such as the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, the International Atlantic Wines Competition (CIVA), the International Wine Challenge in Vienna, and the Mundus Vini competition in Germany.

 

 

Valladolid is undoubtedly one of the best cities for tapas. Recognized for the quality of its gastronomic offerings, it hosts the National Competition of Pinchos and Tapas every year, which shares the culinary calendar with events like the Lechazo Days, celebrating the delicious local meat, the International Cocktail Bar Fair, or various routes that involve all neighborhoods of the city.

In the capital, you will also find two restaurants recognized with a Michelin Star - El Trigo, located next to the Cathedral (Calle de los Tintes, 8), and Alquimia Laboratorios (Calle Antigua, 6). The chef of El Trigo, Víctor Martín, offers exquisite contemporary cuisine that does not forget the traditions of the region. This restaurant is also the only one in the city with two Repsol Suns. As for Alquimia Laboratorios, its chef, Alvar Hinojal, defines it as a molecular cuisine experience for all audiences.

Receiving recognition from Repsol, the restaurants Dámaso, Llantén, Suite 22, Trasto, Villaparamesa Tapas, and Sibaritas Klub (each with one Repsol Sun per establishment) are also noteworthy.

 

 

Culture permeates the atmosphere of the city throughout the year with significant events such as its Holy Week, the first in Spain to be declared an International Tourist Interest, or its International Film Week (SEMINCI), which has hosted renowned filmmakers like Arthur Penn, Ken Loach, Abbas Kiarostami, Robert Guédiguian, and Costa-Gavras. Furthermore, Valladolid is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Film. The performing arts have their grand celebration with the International Festival of Theater and Street Arts, where major Spanish and foreign companies choose to premiere their works; but they remain present throughout the year in the programming of its theaters and venues. As for music, Valladolid hosts constant events featuring pop, rock, flamenco, jazz, instrumental music, and more, which take over streets, courtyards, and squares every summer. Additionally, every January, the city becomes the venue for the most significant European motorcycle gathering, Pingüinos.

 

 

 

Valladolid has made history with the full house at its José Zorrilla Stadium in two consecutive Rugby Copa del Rey finals, with 25,000 spectators in each match. This national milestone in the sport of oval ball is complemented by an intense sports calendar that includes important events, also at the international level, such as the XXV Trampoline Gymnastics European Championship, the Andre Vergauwen European Cup, and the Aeromodelling European Championship.

In June, Valladolid hosts a World Padel Tour master event, bringing the sport of paddle tennis to the iconic Plaza Mayor. The Valladolid tournament was awarded as the best professional event of the year in the 2022 Padel Spain World Padel Awards.

 

 

 

Former capital of the Court, Valladolid has witnessed the weddings of the Catholic Monarchs and of Charles II and Mariana of Neuburg, the births of Philip II, Philip IV, Anne of Austria, Saint Peter Regalado, José Zorrilla, or Miguel Delibes, and the death of Christopher Columbus. It has been the home of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Lord Wellington, Napoleon, Catherine of Lancaster, Miguel de Cervantes, Quevedo... all of whom have left their mark on a city that now treasures a valuable historical, architectural, and artistic heritage.

Here, also, significant events took place in the history of the country and the world: from the capitulations of Magellan that made the first circumnavigation possible to the Valladolid Controversy, considered the origin of Human Rights.

 

 

 

Both the city of Valladolid and the province boast an enormous artistic and historical legacy. Castles stand out - it is one of the European regions with the highest number and best state of conservation, with almost 40 castles, including the one in Torrelobatón, which served as a setting for the Hollywood film "El Cid". You can find Romanesque gems, the finest examples of Isabelline Gothic architecture - such as the College of San Gregorio - some of the earliest manifestations of the Renaissance in Spain - like the College of Santa Cruz - or Baroque structures. Magnificent examples of bourgeois architecture and even Roman remains can also be found, such as the Villa de Almenara or the Pintia archaeological site. Contemporary architecture is also well represented by buildings like the Cúpula del Milenio, the Museum of Science, or the Protos wineries, designed by the prestigious architect Richard Rogers.