Valladolid Spain

Barcelona is a great city, but it's 5 hours or more away from Valladolid by train, too far for a day trip. I'd recommend going that far only if you want to spend all your extra days there and can arrange to fly home from Barcelona (or are you a European resident who'll be returning home by train?).

I haven't been to Valladolid itself, but Wikipedia suggests it has some historic architecture, so you could probably spend a full day seeing that city and enjoying the atmosphere in the historic center.

Alternatively, Valladolid is ringed by other cities worth visiting: Leon (as close as 60 minutes away by train, but service isn't terribly frequent), Burgos (46-89 minutes, but again infrequent), Segovia (35 minutes--probably your best bet), Salamanca (as close as 66 minutes away; infrequent trains). I've been to all those cities--have actually spent multiple nights in them--and can vouch for their having sights of interest. Zamora looks relatively close but requires over 3 hours on the train each way, apparently because you are routed to Madrid and back out to Zamora; I'd choose another option.

You can explore rail schedules on the Renfe website. Spain also has a large network of buses, generally very comfortable. There may be some interesting destinations accessible via a quick bus ride from Valladolid. You might ask for suggestions once you get to Valladolid.

We spent several nights in Valladolid a few years ago and found it charming -- big enough to have options; small enough to be walkable and knowable. English will be less common than in bigger cities, but it is a university town, which helps.

The Museo Nacional de Escultura is in Valladolid -- basically the National Spanish Museum of Sculpture, which is pretty cool to have outside of Madrid or Barcelona. The collection spans Middle Ages to 1800s, but the most impressive sections are the medieval ones. And since you are visiting in December, you can't miss their display of the Belén Napolitano, or Neapolitan Nativity Scene. It contains over 600 figures! It is truly the most amazing nativity scene you will ever see!

The University has several impressive structures. If it is open, the Biblioteca Histórica de Santa Cruz is a real gem.

Even though it is just the same department store chain as elsewhere, their particular outpost of El Corte Inglés had a particularly nice food hall and restaurant. Useful if you are cooking in or just want a quick snack.

I also recommend a very easy daytrip to Simancas, just a few miles down the road. Great old river town with a castle atop the hill. A little further afield is the Royal Convent of Santa Clara in Tordesillas, a hidden gem of Moorish architecture. Both are accessible by train.

Bottom line: We loved Valladolid. It may not be a "typical" introduction to Spain like Madrid or Barcelona, but I think you'll have a blast!

My daughter spent a year in Valladolid teaching English as a foreign language and loved it. I was there for a week and found plenty to do. You can get by without Spanish but it's easier if you know just a bit. Download the Google Translate app on your phone and that will help.

I was there for the end of Semana Santa and it was wonderful. I know there will be lots of Christmas festivities going on at the main square (Plaza Mayor). And their food is wonderful there - I think it's known as the tapas capital of Spain. I loved every single meal I had.

I'll ask my daughter for her thoughts as well.

Unlike many cities in Spain, Valladolid has no must see sights. In that area, however, are a number of towns worth visiting and if you enjoy castles you would be in heaven because there are a number of nice ones nearby. Zamora, León and Burgos are all fairly close, as is Tordesillas. There will be some people who speak English, but not as many as the main tourist-visited cities. It would be a relaxing visit.

There's a Gaudi building in Astorga near Leon that it potentially a day trip from Valladolid.

I just got home from Valladolid, and I completely understand why my friend wanted to move there. I found very few English speakers, but a translation app helped a great deal. There was a small but charming Christmas market, My only problem was that all I heard was American Christmas music, mostly Mariah Carey. I happily spent a few days wandering. There is a bus tour that is quite reasonable and included earphones to translate to English. The sculpture museum was very interesting. Be sure to indulge in some Spanish hot chocolate!