ciudad real

Valdepenas wineyards

Ciudad Real is a small town, which was founded by Alfonso X the Learned in 1255. Among its sights are the cathedral, the Iglesia de San Pedro, and the Mudejar gateway, the Puerta de Toledo. However, the province of Ciudad Real has many towns and below you can find the most interesting ones.

Valdepenas - This is the capital of La Mancha´s vast wine region, the world´s largest expanse of vineyards, producing vast quantities of red wine. This largely modern town comes alive for its September wine festival. In the network of older streets around the cafe-lined Plaza de Espana are the Iglesia de la Asuncion and the municipal museum.

Valdepenas has over 30 bodegas which can be visited. one of them, Bodega Museo, has some of the few remaining traditional cellars, with huge earthenware jars, tinajas.

Almagro - The town was disputed during the Reconquest, until the Order of Calatrava captured it and built the castle of Calatrava la Nueva to the southwest of the town. The rich architectural heritage of the atmospheric old town is partly the legacy of the Fugger brothers, the Habsburgs´ bankers who settled in nearby Almaden during the 16th century. The town´s main attraction is its colonnaded stone plaza, with characteristic enclosed, green balconies. On one side is a unique 17th century courtyard-theatre - the Corral de Comedias - the site of a drama festival which is held every July in honour of St. Bartholomew.

Lagunas de Ruidera

Villanueva de los Infantes - Its old town, which centres on the graceful, Neo-Classical Plaza Mayor, is one of the most attractive in La Mancha. Many buildings on the square have wooden balconies and arcades. Also on the square is the Iglesia de San Andres, which has a Renaissance façade.

Viso del Marques - This small village in La Mancha is the unlikely setting of the Palacio del Viso, a grand Renaissance building. This mansion was commissioned in 1564 by the Marquis of Santa Cruz, the admiral of the fleet which defeated the Turks at Lepanto in 1571. One of the main features of the house is a Classical patio.

Lagunas de Ruidera - Once nicknamed "The Mirrors of La Mancha", the 16 interconnected lakes which make up the Parque Natural de las Lagunas de Ruidera stretch for 20 km through a valley. They allegedly take their time from a story in Don Quixote.

discover castilla la mancha

The following links will take you to the different regions:

albacete | ciudad real | cuenca | guadalajara | toledo

discover spain

There are many ways of exploring this exceptional country. You can use the links along the top to book your trip, rent a car, find a hotel, etc. in any region in Spain.

We try our best to keep all the information on this site accurate. If you find any mistakes please let us know. Also, if you know a lovely place in Spain that you would like us to include please let us know too.

Our email is: info@spanish-living.com