Ciudad Real

Ciudad Real is the capital of La Mancha — the Castilian plain made famous by Cervantes, whose fictional knight Don Quixote wanders its landscapes tilting at windmills. Founded in 1255 as a royal enclave surrounded by territory held by the military order of Calatrava, the city carries a medieval history shaped by friction with that order. It sits within reach of both water and mountain terrain, and the wider province offers some listed heritage architecture.

• Population76,217
• Nearest water from center8.1 km
• Nearest mountain from center8.3 km