Rooms
38 rooms, single and double, with a full private bathroom.
The Residence
Cisneros founded this place in 1499.
The Cervantes Prize is presented by His Majesty the King,
every year, opposite the Residence.
You arrive, and history looks down upon you
On the Plaza de San Diego, an immense façade looks down upon you. It dates from the sixteenth century, from the early Spanish Renaissance: stone carved like a great altarpiece, covered in bas-reliefs of which not one — not a single one — is without meaning. It is like reading a book written in stone.
And there, standing before it, it hits you at once: five centuries of history, right in front of you.
You cross the threshold and you are already inside the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso (the historic San Ildefonso College), the heart of the university that Cardinal Cisneros founded in 1499. Through these courtyards and lecture halls passed Quevedo, Nebrija, Lope de Vega, Calderón, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Jovellanos… A place that still holds the magic of having housed the men who changed the course of history.
History and location
The foundation stone of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso was laid on 14 March 1500; the building opened on 26 July 1508 with seven scholars who had come from Salamanca. What began as a bold gamble in a Castilian town became the Universitas Complutensis, a model for universities across Europe and the origin of today's University of Alcalá.
The Plateresque façade was carved by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón between 1537 and 1553, and is today one of the most recognisable images of Alcalá. Inside are the courtyards of Santo Tomás de Villanueva, the Philosophers' Courtyard (Patio de los Filósofos) and the Trilingual Courtyard, and the Paraninfo (great hall), where the Cervantes Prize is presented each year.
The complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. The Residence is located in the Philosophers' Courtyard, within the historic Rectorate building of the UAH — a few metres from the Paraninfo and the historic centre.
Key facts
- Location
- Plaza San Diego, s/n, 28801 Alcalá de Henares · UAH Rectorate building
- Building
- Philosophers' Courtyard (Patio de los Filósofos)
- Recognition
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (1998)
- Management
- CRUSA · University of Alcalá
- Capacity
- 38 rooms
Facilities
Everything you need to work well and rest better, inside a sixteenth-century building.
Dining room
Dining room and common room, with a fridge, microwave and a seating area with sofas and television. Breakfast included.
Next to the CRAI
The University of Alcalá's library (CRAI) is just a few metres away.
Historic courtyards
Access to the Philosophers' Courtyard and the common areas of the College.
About your stay
Is breakfast included? Where?
Yes, included. We give you tickets for the café in the courtyard or the Metrópoli café (corner of Calle Libreros and Plaza de Cervantes).
What are the check-in and check-out times?
Check-in from 15:00, check-out until 11:00. After check-out you can leave your luggage if you need to.
Is there a dining room or common area?
Yes, a common room with a fridge and microwave.
Can I stay long-term or for the whole academic term?
Yes, we accept long stays and full academic-term stays, at the same nightly price.
And then you understand it completely: you do not come here to visit. You come here to stay.
Your room is in the Philosophers' Courtyard, inside the very College that Cisneros built — today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You sleep where others wrote history — and every morning, when you open the door, those five-hundred-year-old walls are still there to meet you.