Cercanías Line C2 from Madrid Atocha east across the Henares plain: 35--40 minutes. The Universidad de Alcalá (founded 1499, UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998) is an active university of 24,000 students, which means the covered arcades of the Calle Mayor and the courtyards of the historic campus belong to local academic life rather than tourism. Alcalá in late April is in full term.
Getting There
Cercanías Line C2 (or C7) from Madrid Atocha or Chamartín to Alcalá de Henares: 35--40 minutes. Trains run every 15--20 minutes; no advance booking required. Alcalá station is a flat ten-minute walk through the Paseo de la Estación to the historic centre.
The Calle Mayor
The Calle Mayor is the defining feature of Alcalá's historic centre: a continuous Gothic and Renaissance arcaded street running approximately 800 metres through the old town. The stone columns and vaulted arches provide covered walkways along both sides, and the vaulting changes character from block to block - some sections pointed Gothic, others semicircular Renaissance. Walking surface is smooth stone throughout. Entirely flat.
The University Campus
The Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso is the centrepiece of the historic campus, containing three connected courtyards: the Patio de Santo Tomás de Villanueva, the Patio Trilingüe (named for the three languages - Latin, Greek, and Hebrew - taught here), and the Patio Mayor. The plateresque facade on the Plaza de San Diego is the most photographed in Alcalá. Tours in Spanish and sometimes English; check uah.es for current availability.
The Capilla de San Ildefonso contains the tomb of Cardinal Cisneros, who founded the university and commissioned the Biblia Políglota Complutense - the first polyglot Bible, printed in Alcalá in 1517. The tomb effigy by Domenico Fancelli is the finest piece of Renaissance funerary sculpture in the province.
Cervantes
The Museo Casa Natal de Cervantes (free entry, closed Monday afternoons - check current hours before visiting) occupies the house where Miguel de Cervantes was born in 1547. A typical Castilian townhouse of the period, reconstructed around the original structure, with period furniture. Small, quiet, and worth an hour.
Where to Stay and Eat
The Parador de Alcalá de Henares occupies a 17th-century convent on Calle Colegios, with interior courtyards and accessible ground-floor rooms. The Hostería del Estudiante restaurant within the parador serves traditional Castilian cooking in a dining room with a 15th-century mudejar ceiling. The migas alcalaínas (fried breadcrumbs with chorizo, bacon, and peppers) are a Castilian staple and specifically good here.
Getting Back
Cercanías C2 returns to Madrid Atocha throughout the day. No booking required.