Where is Medina del Campo?

​Getting there & away

How long do you need to spend in Medina del Campo?

What is there to do in Medina del Campo?

Medina del Campo has a few fascinating historical points that basically direct what you’ll do when you visit.

The oldest remains in Medina del Campo are of a wall from the 4th century BCE Celtic settlement that was here – this can be seen on the tour of the castle (see below).

Just alongside the Celtic remains you can see also the surviving sections of an 11th century CE settlement wall. During this period, this area was the centre of a fortified settlement. 

Castillo de la Mota

How to visit the castle

If you want a tour, then the castle can only be visited with prior reservation. Please be sure to reserve your tour/entrance tickets so you’re not disappointed when you show up. There are limited places on the tours of the Torre de Homenaje in particular.

Palacio Real Testamentario de Isabel La Católica

Royal Testamentary Palace of Queen Isabella

Located on the Plaza Mayor de la Hispanidad, this small royal palace is where Queen Isabella read her last will and testament and then died in 1504.

Is that interesting? Maybe.

Personally, I didn’t find it especially interesting and I knew I wouldn’t, but I still went to check it out as it’s one of the main sites in Medina del Campo. Does the building hold historical significance for people more interested in Spanish royalty than me? Undoubtedly. 

Plaza Mayor de la Hispanidad

The plaza is enormous, in fact, it’s the biggest plaza mayor in all of Spain, which is nuts given how small and sleepy the town feels. But it wasn’t always this way. Medina del Campo was one of the most important commercial centres in Spain in the 16th century.

In 1489, an important agreement, the Treaty of Medina del Campo was concluded, uniting the kingdoms of Spain and England. It reduced trade tariffs (take that, Trump) between the two countries, recognised France as a common enemy and was ratified with the marriage of Catherine of Aragon to the future Henry VIII of England.

Museo de las Ferias

Sadly, I did not get to visit this museum as every now and again my family puts down a collective foot and declares that they’ve had enough of my weird obsession with small museums. However, I’ve read that this is a particularly good one for anyone wishing to learn about the history of Medina del Campo and it’s importance as an medieval market town. 

Reales Carcineras

On the bank of the Zapardiel river is an ancient market hall (mercado de abastos). It was built in the year 1500 and is currently the only historic building in the whole world still used for its original purpose. 

➕ There are other buildings of interest in town, mostly from the 16th century that you can visit on one of the free walking tours that are available when you’re in town

Medina del Campo with kids

Castillo de la Mota

My kids (11 and 13) actually found the castle interesting, despite being annoyed initially that they had to take the tours! They thought that the tour with our guide was fun. I was impressed that the guide could keep the kids as entertained as the adults.

Museo del Juguete de Medina del Campo

This is apparently the biggest toy museum in Spain! We tried to visit but the hours given on Google Maps aren’t correct and I’ve since learned (by checking the website) that you can only visit with a pre-booked reservation via their website.

Parque Aguacaballos

This is a nice park with some fun spots for the kids to play (see photo above).

Where to stay in Medina del Campo

What to eat in Medina del Campo

The specialities of the region are suckling lamb and garlic soup. I tried to have suckling lamb but failed spectacularly because what no one tells you until it’s too late is that you generally need to order it 24 hours in advance.

If you do consider eating at El Horno de la Viña de Rueda, I highly recommend reading some of the less than enthusiastic reviews on Google Maps first (mine included) to get an idea of what to not order 😉.