Alcalá de Henares

Discover Alcalá de Henares

Alcalá de Henares is a city 30 km northeast of Madrid. Its attractive medieval centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is full of interesting old buildings. It's a university and religious centre, and famous people linked to the town include Miguel Cervantes (baptized and almost certainly born here), author of Don Quixote, Cardinal Cisneros (refounder of the University of Alcalá, the current Complutense University of Madrid) and Katherine of Aragon (born here), first wife of England's King Henry VIII. Alcalá is easily visited as a day-trip from Madrid, and because it's so close to Madrid Barajas Airport it makes a good first or last night stop on a tour of northern Spain.