Albacete: the land of Don Quixote in Castile

In the heart of La Mancha, Albacete remains the gateway to the landscapes that inspired Cervantes' famous novel.

The center, in the land of Don Quixote, can be comfortably visited on foot.

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, with its Renaissance facade, dominates the plaza of Albacete's historic center.

A short walk away, the Albacete Knife Museum celebrates the city's centuries-old tradition of artisanal cutlery, a craft that made the city famous throughout Spain.

Heading inland, you can reach the windmills of Campo de Criptana, made famous in Cervantes' novel as the imaginary giants fought by Don Quixote.

As evening arrives, Parque Abelardo Sánchez, the city's main public park, animates evening walks among its nineteenth-century gardens.

The windmills of La Mancha, built beginning in the sixteenth century to mill grain, became famous worldwide after being described by Cervantes as the giant-shaped enemies of Don Quixote.

The cutlery of Albacete, protected by a controlled origin trademark, remains an artisanal tradition passed down by generations of local blacksmiths since the Middle Ages, celebrated annually with a dedicated fair in the city.