Valladolid is a Spanish municipality and city located in the North-east of the Iberian Peninsula, capital of Valladolid’s province, and headquarters of the Cortes (Courts) and the Junta (Council) of the autonomous community of Castile-León. According to the data of Spanish Statistical Office (INE by its initials in Spanish) recollected in 2018, it has 298,866 inhabitants, being the 13th most populated municipality in Spain and the first one in the entire north-eastern area in this country. This city’s metropolitan area, formed by 23 municipalities, has a population of 519,851 inhabitants (INE 2018).
All those visiting Castile-León’s capital may be curious about the reason why Valladolid’s city is called “Pucela” by some people. Regarding the origin of this denomination, there are several different theories, but the one with more adepts is the theory of the musician Joaquín Díaz, who states that the term “Pucela” proceeds from the exclusivity that the city had with the Italian concrete of Puzzeli. With Valladolid being the city in charge of the distribution of this concrete, the inhabitants who transported the concrete were known as “pucelans”, denomination that remains nowadays when referring to the city (“Pucela”) and its inhabitants (“Pucelanos” or “Pucelans”).
There are lot of historical characters that were born in Valladolid. This is the case for Phillipe II, Phillipe IV or Ana of Austria, as well as José Zorrilla, Rosa Chacel, Jorge Guillén, Nuñez de Arce, Miguel Delibes, Paco Umbral, and several more writers and artists.
«A country without literature is a mute country» -Miguel Delibes- (1920-2010)
This city was also the place of the marriage of the Catholic Monarchs, and the place of residence of celebrated characters as Christopher Columbus, Miguel de Cervantes, Luis de Góngora, and Francisco de Quevedo and many others.
Before travelling to Valladolid, we recommend checking the meteorological situation in the city. No matter if it is on rainy, snowy, or sunny days, Valladolid is a beautiful city for sightseeing; but it is more convenient to be prepared with the adequate clothing depending on the weather.
Normally, the business hours of the shops and services of Valladolid are from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. On Saturday afternoon, only a small number of shops are open. On Sundays and public holidays, in most of the cases, the shops in Valladolid are closed.
The shopping malls are open from Monday to Saturday and from 10:00 to 22:00. On Sundays and public holidays, they are usually closed. However, by clicking on the following link you can check the business hours in 2019 (in Spanish).
In 2011, Valladolid was recognised by Sweden as the world’s best illuminated city. There is a route across the city denominated “La Ruta Ríos de Luz” or “the Light Rivers Route” in which the visitors can observe the main monuments of the enlighten city.
Urgency Services: 112
National Police: 091
Guardia Civil (Spanish military police): 062
Information of Valladolid’s City Hall: 010
Valladolid’s code: 983
