la rabida monastery

This beautiful building holds a lot of history, but I urge you not to forget why it's there and what it represents for the Americas. I enjoyed seeing the maps of the "the world" since it is so very different from the maps we use today, and I visited with a large group of my peers from school. We were walked from room to room where we heard about the significance of this or that particular area. Again, it was interesting, but definitely disheartening to hear how admired Columbus' experiences there are in light of the unimaginable damage he caused.

This attraction consists of the Monastery itself and a short distance away the lagoon with full size replicas of the 3 ships that Columbus took across the Atlantic.The monastery is small and charming but you need a guide to help you understand each area/room. Don't expect a multi-media experience it was in the 15th century that it all took place! However it is interesting. The 3 Caravelles are just a short walk away and are positioned in a lagoon. You can clamber over the ones that are open (2 on the day I visited). It gives an idea of how small and sparse the vessels were! There is a small museum/display area and you can walk around the lagoon and finish up at the café area in a shady area - very important in the summer as it does get very warm.This seems to me to be a good trip for all the family. There aren't many of those these days!

Very well preserved. A place that breathes history. Christopher Colombus lived here while preparing the fleet to discover the new world. Nearby you can see the place where they left to the voyage of discover

We visited the monastery during a weekend trip to Huelva from our home town of Malaga. Very pretty and through all the displays of paintings, flags and other ornaments, you felt transported back into the time when Columbus set sail from that very point to go and discover America. Very much worth a visit.

Worth to be seen, especially for history lovers and those who willing to learn about Columb and conquest of Americas.

A museum to the glory of Christopher Columbus and Spanish colonisation. If you knew nothing about the history of America before visiting, you will probably walk out of it unaware people actually lived in America before 1492.

This Monastery was actually a mosque which was later converted into Monastery by the christian kingdom of Spain. Christopher Columbus got the maps from this place of his voyage to the new world (America). very few people know that Columbus was accompanied by his muslim navigators who helped him out to get America.

The monastery is full of souvenirs and works of art related to the first voyage and the life of Columbus. The building is rather plain but nice enough to visit. I liked the chapel where Columbus prayed before setting off on his first voyage. I liked also a room painted with frescoes by a famous Spanish painter Vazquez Diaz.

This monastery is well worth a visit but take a guided tour to get the full picture. There is a lot to learn about Columbus his captains and his 6 year stay. There are many portraits and paintings and the monastery is a lot bigger than it looks with two floors. It`s not wheelchair friendly but has clean toilets and a gift shop

Huelva itself is dull but its proximity to Muelle de las Carabelas as well as La Rabida put it on my tourist map. Historically pivotal, the Monastery shows us how our world changed in 1492. There's an infra-red headset self-guide but we couldn't manage this as we'd only arrived 45 mins before closing time (1pm). The art work on show is wonderful.

This is well wrth a vist as the history of Christpher Columbus' journey is described in detail using a handset (in english)as you move through this lovely building.

We arrived there around 12.30. We paid the entry fee and in the middle of the tour the stuff told us that we have to leave, as they are closing at 1pm. Well it will be nice of the lady at the ticket office to make us aware that we only have 30 minutes to see the monastery and advise us that we can come in the afternoon.It was not the first encounter with unfriendly clerk at the ticket office. Many times they were simply not interested in the customer at all, they did not even look at you while selling you a ticket, rarely saying thank you and sometimes you will even have to wait until they will finish their private talk on the phone until they will finally assist you. Well, welcome to Spain...In Spain it is very usual to have a siesta which is a break in the middle of the day. For few hours they are closing the shops and tourist attractions, this is a vestige from the pre-air-conditioning times, which is still very popular in Spain, especially in the south of Spain. In civilized parts of the world this tradition is long gone. The opening hours should be adjusted to the customers, not to the workers, especially in the summer when people have holidays and more time to travel.

We had a great time here with our children. The free audio tour in English (and other languages) was excellent and brought the whole place alive. We learnt loads! This is a must visit if you're in the area. A bargain at €3pp!

Important historic site used by Phoenicians, Romans and Muslims before the monastery was founded over 500 years ago. We visited on a Saturday morning, arriving about noon, to be told that the monastery closed shortly but we did have time to do a quick tour though we could not hire the audio guides, which could have meant everything was more meaningful. We found everything very interesting and the cloisters were beautifully decorated with flowers. Upstairs we saw the chapterhouse where the final meeting took place regarding the feasability of Columbus's journey into the unknown. Also upstairs was the Flag Room with flags from all the American countries and the Philippines with casks of soil from each of the countries. In the Caravel Gallery there are beautiful replicas of the 3 ships. Also there is a series of paintings depicting the life of St Francis of Assisi.

One of the most important places in the history of the city. The cubist paintings by Daniel Vazquez and the amazing surroundings with the view of Cristobal Colón makes this place a perfect stay to see the most beautiful sunset of Andalusia.