Literary route

Ávila

Guided

Saint Teresa literary route through Ávila

Explore with a guide the places in Ávila where Teresa of Ávila was born, baptised and lived, from her birthplace to the Monasterio de la Encarnación.

Type

Guided

On foot

Duration

2 h

Schedule

Price

Meeting point

Plaza de la Santa, opposite the Convento de Santa Teresa, Ávila

Recommended app

Difficulty

Introduction

Saint Teresa's Ávila

Did you know that Women Writers' Day (Día de las Escritoras) is held every October around the 15th, the feast day of Teresa of Ávila? A Carmelite nun, founder of convents across half of Spain and one of the great writers of the Spanish Golden Age, she told her life story in The Book of Her Life and her spiritual experience in The Interior Castle, and it all began in Ávila, the city where she was born in 1515.

This two-hour guided route takes you to the key places in her life: the house where she was born, now a church and convent, the church where she was baptised and the Monasterio de la Encarnación, where she lived for much of her life before she began founding her own convents. And since in Ávila you can't separate the saint from her famous yemas (egg-yolk sweets), the walk ends with a very sweet stop. You'll love discovering the walled city through her story!

How it works

Guided, on foot and in Spanish

The route leaves from Plaza de la Santa, opposite the Convento de Santa Teresa, and lasts about two hours. Admission to the convent is included in the price, but admission to the Monasterio de la Encarnación (€2 per person) is paid separately.

Between the church of San Juan and the Encarnación there's a walk of about 20 minutes, so wear comfortable shoes. Below are the stops on the route and what awaits you at each one.

The stops on the route

Convento de Santa Teresa – Her birthplace, with the courtyard where she played as a girl, the room where she was born and the Relics Room
Iglesia de San Juan – Where she was baptised
Monasterio de la Encarnación – Where she lived, with a museum devoted to Saint Teresa
A pastry shop – To try the yemas de Santa Teresa

The map

Route and main stops

Open interactive map

Take this route

This route is a guided visit in Spanish with admission to the Convento de Santa Teresa included. You book online and can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before.

Download the route map

Book this route

Additional information

Guided tour in Spanish, lasting about two hours.
Includes admission to the Convento de Santa Teresa. Admission to the Monasterio de la Encarnación (€2 per person) is paid separately.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Most areas are accessible, with a companion and if you mention it when booking.
If you'd rather visit her birthplace on your own, you'll find all the details on our page for Saint Teresa of Ávila's birthplace.
Cover photo: Elena F D (public domain), Wikimedia Commons.

https://www.civitatis.com/es/avila/tour-santa-teresa-jesus/?aid=3577

Keep walking

Other literary routes

See all routes

Guided

Windermere

Brontë sisters literary route from Windermere

Day trip, in English, through the landscapes and the home of the Brontë sisters, authors of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

Paid

View route

Guided

Elizondo

Baztán Trilogy literary route through Elizondo

See Elizondo through Amaia Salazar's eyes on this guided tour of the real settings of the Baztán Trilogy, put together with the help of Dolores Redondo.

Paid

View route

Guided

Edinburgh

Literary route through the Edinburgh of Stevenson, Scott and Conan Doyle

Explore Edinburgh in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson, Walter Scott, Arthur Conan Doyle and many other Scottish writers, with a Spanish-speaking guide.

Paid

View route