Ávila day trip from Madrid: the walls from €8, the €10 Cathedral, winter hours from 25 October and tours with Segovia from €40

💡 The Short Version: Ávila is a half-day: the walls are €8 and the Cathedral €10, €18 together. From 25 October 2026 to 26 March 2027 the walls open 10:00 to 18:00 and close on Mondays; until 25 October they open daily 10:00 to 20:00. Go by Renfe train from Madrid or by Jiménez Dorado coach from Estación Sur; check the operators for times and fares. Or book a tour: the usual product pairs Ávila with Segovia, such as Avila and Segovia Full-Day Tourad from €51 and Segovia & Avila with Optional Ticketsad from €40, both 9 hours; a tour covers both transfers in one booking (GetYourGuide).

Getting there

Ávila Turismo lists the city as 113 km from Madrid.

Tours from Madrid

Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult. Several listings sell entries as an option, so check the option you pick includes them. No tour for Ávila alone appears in the bestsellers; the usual pairing is Segovia.

Ávila and Salamanca, a day among history and wallsad is from €149 for 11 hours with a maximum of eight people (105 reviews).

Tickets and prices

Prices are the operators’ own.

Both sell tickets on their own sites, muralladeavila.com for the walls and catedralavila.es for the Cathedral. The walls and the Cathedral come to €18.

What to see

Ávila’s old town is ringed by a wall 2,516 m round, with 87 towers, nine gates and two posterns. The walls date from the 11th to the 14th century, and UNESCO lists the old town. Half a day covers the two ticketed sights and the streets between them.

The walls

€8 · 10:00 to 20:00 daily until 25 October · 10:00 to 18:00 and closed Mondays from 25 October to 26 March

Visitors walk on top of the wall in two stretches. The accessible stretches are at the Casa de las Carnicerías, the Puerta del Alcázar and the Puerta del Puente. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing, and 30 minutes at the Alcázar Gate. In July and August the Puerta del Puente stays open to 21:00, and the Carnicerías and Carmen gates to 22:00, with a 20:00 close on Wednesday and Thursday. The perimeter is also free to walk around outside, at street level.

The city wall and one of its round towers, Ávila. Photo: Carlos Delgado, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Cathedral

€10 · Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday 12:30 to 20:00

The Cathedral is built into the east wall, so its apse is part of the fortification. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. It is free on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 to 9:30 for under-12s and Ávila residents, among others. The bell-ringer’s house visit and tower climb are suspended while the towers are restored. It is an active cathedral, so dress modestly.

The Cathedral’s apse, built into the east wall of Ávila. Photo: Américo Toledano, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The rest of the old town

Ávila has Romanesque churches, such as San Pedro, just outside the walls, and the Basilica of San Vicente, and convents tied to St Teresa, who was born in the city in 1515. The local sweet is yemas de Ávila (egg-yolk sweets) and the signature dish is chuletón de Ávila, a beef steak. Restaurants cluster on Calle de San Segundo along the east wall.

The Cuatro Postes, with the walls of Ávila across the valley. Photo: Ben Bender, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Planning the day

1. Check the season. The walls open 10:00 to 20:00 until 25 October 2026 and 10:00 to 18:00 from then.
2. Not on a winter Monday. The walls are closed on Mondays from 25 October to 26 March.
3. Walls first, then the Cathedral, which opens at 12:30 on a Sunday.
4. Eat by the east wall. Restaurants cluster on Calle de San Segundo, along the wall.
5. Pair it with Segovia on a tour: the two are the usual 9-hour combination.

Ávila is one of the day trips from Madrid. Toledo and El Escorial are the other trips that a tour combines with it. Madrid airport to the city and Madrid public transport cover the first and last day, and what to book before you go to Madrid lists the sights that need tickets. Where to stay in Madrid compares the areas.