Ávila

Avila has an impressive wall. You can walk on top of it, as I recall. Otherwise, I didn't find anything else to do. I imagine there must be one or more churches worth visiting, but Avila was a disappointment to me. If you have an option to go to Segovia or Salamanca instead, that would be my recommendation. Avila's not a bad place, but Spain has so many destinations I found more interesting.

Hello to you both,

Thanks for the reply, and information. We wish to pop into Avila on our way to Salamanca, which we plan on staying for 2 nights.

As stated, the main draw is the wall. One can walk about 3/4 of the way around the town along the wall and there is a fee for doing so. One can access the wall from a couple different locations. We entered by the Puerta del Carmen. A good place to view the town is from the Cuatro Postes overlook about a 1/2 outside of town (from the Parador), shorter from the Adaja Gate.

There are a few small plazas (Mercado Chico, cathedral) and another in front of the Church and birthplace of Saint Teresa of Jesus. Otherwise, there’s little else there. We spent a night there last September to get over jet lag. Unfortunately for us, we were there on a day after a festival and many cafes and restaurants were closed. It also just happened to be the day of the week when the churches were closed, so check the hours of the places you might want to visit. We stayed at the Parador and it does serve lunch at its restaurant.

@History Traveler - on your next trip to Spain take your mother and aunt to visit the Convento y Basílica de la Anunciación, MM Carmelitas in Alba de Tormes outside of Salamanca. That is where the tomb of Teresa of Ávila is, at the main alter. The relics (body parts) of a number of other people are in an adjacent room.