Arco de la Estrella

What makes it special

The Arco de la Estrella is the main gate into the walled old town, set between the Torre de Bujaco and the Torre de los Púlpitos. It was made by cutting straight through the wall, and the battlements still run along the top. On the outer face, toward the square, you see the city coat of arms and the UNESCO World Heritage plaque.

Look at the passage itself before walking through. The arch is low, wide and set at an angle to the wall. Manuel de Larra Churriguera built it in the Baroque style in the 18th century, on the site of an older gate, and gave it that skew so carriages could swing in from the narrow lane beyond without jamming at the corner.

Turn round once you are inside. On the inner face, a small shrine holds an 18th-century statue of the Virgin of the Star, patron of travellers, with the stone shield of the Carvajal family beneath her.

Travellers leaving the city once commended themselves to her and thanked her when they came home. A star-shaped lantern of metal and glass lights her at night.

Visiting

One flight of steps rises from the square to the arch, and the city's walking route through the old town starts on these steps. Walk through the slanted passage, then turn back to find the shrine.

From the inner side, the lanes lead on to the Plaza de Santa María and its co-cathedral, the next stop on the same route. To see the arch from above, buy a ticket for the Torre de Bujaco beside it, home to the Centre for the Three Cultures. The tower is the way up to the wall walk, which passes directly over the arch.

Come back after dark, when the walls are floodlit.

Tips

Wear shoes with grip, since the lanes inside the walls are cobbled. Cars still drive through the arch at times, so stand to the side of the passage when you stop to look up.

For the best photograph, stand on the Plaza Mayor side and frame the arch with the old town rising behind it. Weekday mornings are the quietest time to do it.