You Want Medieval? Head to Albarracín

After two lovely days in Teruel city, we continued our journey through the province of Teruel, driving 40 minutes to Albarracín which is the most well-preserved medieval town we’ve ever visited. We parked our car outside the gates of the old town, because Albarracín’s narrow cobblestone streets were clearly built centuries before motorized vehicles came into existence. If only we had a donkey!

We made a quick stop at our guesthouse to drop off our things, then started exploring. First, we decided to hike up to the Murallas de Albarracín, which are the old city walls. These were originally constructed in the 10th century — you know, back when years were three digits instead of four. They’ve been renovated over the years, but retain that ancient feeling, as though they’ve always been part of the landscape. On some, stairs allow you to walk on top, while taking in the incredible views.

Albarracín Travel Video

We walked along the walls until reaching the highest point, at the Torre del Andador, an important tower also dating from the 10th century, which has always protected the town from intruders. From the views up here, we were able to gain a better appreciation for how Albarracín is laid out. Basically, the town is built along a winding river canyon. There’s a nice walk which leads along the canyon, which we’ll be describing in a future post.

We visited on a weekend in the early fall, and the trees were already starting to color. Changing foliage we barely get to see back home in Valencia, and we were amazed by the beauty of Albarracín’s trees against the low-hanging sun.

The wind was picking up and temperatures starting to drop, so we headed back into town again, making our way through the tiny streets towards the impressive cathedral. This massive building seems way too big for a such little town, but I imagine that back in the 1500s when it was built, it had to accommodate everyone who lived in Albarracín. Like, skipping church would probably get you pilloried in the town square.

During our walk through town, we couldn’t stop talking about how well Albarracín has managed to preserve its buildings, streets, and overall atmosphere. Were we in some kind of cheesy medieval theme park? Were we dreaming? Look at the pictures and say this doesn’t look like a movie set! Well, in fact, it has been. Albarracín was the backdrop for movies and TV series like The Promise, El Cid, and Valentina.

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This Albarracín sweater with a modern barcode font will keep you warm if you decide to visit this mountain village during the winter months.