Alcalá de Henares

A Roman town (Complutum) in the 1st century AD, and an Arab one (al-Qala ibn Salam, hence its current name) in the 8th century, Alcalá was the site of the first meeting between Christopher Columbus and Isabella, and was also Cervantes' birthplace. By the early 1500s, it had become a major university town, attracting talented people from all over the country and beyond. A few centuries later, after some ups and downs, it remains a bustling gathering point for national and international students, a city that preserves many of its Renaissance architectural riches and is well worth a visit of half of or all of the day.

Alcalá has the largest concentration of storks (cigüeñas) in Spain and the town has gone to great lengths to ensure successful cohabitation between people and birds, helping them from near-extinction to prosperity. You can see storks throughout Alcalá, nesting on the tops of churches and the cathedral.

Every year from late September through late November or early December, and from mid-April through June is the Tren de Cervantes,a train full of actors playing Cervantes' characters and performing sketches of Castilian comedy. The train leaves from Madrid's Atocha Station every Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM and returns from the Alcalá de Henares station, at Calle Pedro Lainez s/n, at 7 PM. The cost is EUR 16 for adults.