We had received a recommendation to visit Toledo as a day trip from Madrid. While this could work, we missed the opportunity when visiting Madrid last time. So this time around, we built a road trip with the intention of arriving in Madrid and visiting some castles in the surrounding area.
Toledo was a good place to start being just an hour’s drive from the Madrid international airport. To do it justice, we would spend a couple of nights there and much of the day of arrival as our flight was arriving very early. We’re very glad we did. Toledo was a beautiful and charming city to visit.
Arriving at the historic city of Toledo we just loved the picturesque surrounding wall and fortress across the river. You could see the Alcazar and the Cathedral in the distance. It made for great pictures from the many surrounding viewpoints.
Visiting Toledo’s Historic Area
First off, just about all the attractions within Toledo are within walking distance and the Old City is nearly impossible to park in. While we had a car, we left it in the car park the whole time we were there. It was good that we arrived early because the small parking garage often showed full when we later walked by.
You can easily come to Toledo by train and forego the hassle of parking and not miss anything. See our post: Getting Around by Train in Europe
Our hotel. The Marriott Autograph collection Eugenia de Montijo was superb. Thanks to my husband’s lifetime status (from his many business travels) we got upgraded to a top floor room with a view of the Alcazar.
The hotel is named after (and previously owned by) Eugenia de Montijo, a famous Spanish woman of the ages who was Empress of France and married to Napoleon the 3rd. It was beautiful and decorated with numerous tributes to her including pearl-like chandeliers, stained glass sky lights, and many antiques.
The historic home/castle turned hotel was also in an excellent location for exploring the historic area of Toledo. Everything was at most 10 minutes’ walk. While there was no parking on site, our 24-hour parking garage was less than 100 steps from the entrance and a good safe spot to leave our car for the duration.
Must-see attractions in Toledo
Toledo Cathedral
Any visit must include the beautiful Cathedral of Toledo. This is the pièce de resistance. Massive inside, the Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo as it’s known, reminded us of some of the huge cathedrals we had seen in Italy.
It seemingly went on forever. A Roman Catholic Church, it is the seat of the Archdiocese of Toledo.
Initially built in 1226 by King Fernando Ill, it was finished at the end of the 15th century. It was built with white limestone from Olihuelas, a town near Toledo. Be sure to see El Greco’s masterpieces on display and to explore the Main Chapel, Cloister and Bell Tower.
Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes
Another definite must see in Toledo is the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes! This was one of the most beautiful sites we visited and must be on anyone’s to-do list when in Toledo.
Founded by the Catholic Monarchs in the 15th century as their own pantheon in a Gothic style. Be sure to check out the gargoyles in the inner courtyard.
Don’t miss the opportunity of going upstairs where you can step out onto the balconies to look down over the chapel area. These were once the reserved balconies for the Royal Family.
Puente San Martín
Just outside the monastery building you can follow a trail that descends towards the river and crosses under the 14th century stone bridge.
Be sure to also cross over the Tagus River for some great photos of the monastery and the city as a whole. If you wish you can also cross over with the zipline!
Alcázar de Toledo
Other important sites of significance include the Alcazar. This huge and prominent structure dominates the skyline of Toledo. A Roman palace in the 3rd century. It was restored in the 1500s and it was held siege during the more recent Spanish Revolution.
The site has now been turned into an Army Museum and much of it was closed when we visited. What we did see was redone with a modern finish taking a lot of the charm away from a building rich in history.
Churches, churches, and more churches
We found interesting and historical churches on just about every corner. It was fun to just wander around and find a church and go inside to check it out.
Christo de la luz, one of the oldest churches, and a former mosque was interesting to see and worth a visit.
Wandering around we also came upon Iglesia de los Jesuitas and saw a sign about views of the city. You can climb the tower for some great views. It was worth the many steps to get up there.
Medieval synagogues
We also visited the medieval Synagoga del Tránsito (Sephardic Museum) which is one of three medieval synagogues remaining in Spain. Be sure to check out the incredible ceiling. There is also a small treasury upstairs with some historical artifacts.
A second medieval synagogue is also located in Toledo, so we visited this one as well. The Synagoga de Santa María la Blanca was also beautiful. The 12th century Moorish-style synagogue is now a church. Be sure to check out the windows and the beautiful garden.
The third medieval synagogue in Spain is located in Cordoba, we also visited this on our trip, more about that in our Cordoba post.
Museums
There was also a large variety of museums that we got to visit.
Museo de los Concilios y la Cultura Visigoda
The Heritage Museum was a nice church museum. This was the site of a church where they discovered ancient Roman ruins and treasures under the foundations and converted the church to a museum to display them.
Museo de Santa Cruz
The Museum of Santa Cruz was another important museum. It houses archeology pieces, ceramics, and 16th and 17th century paintings by notable artists such as El Greco and Luis Tristán.
Museo Cromática
We also found a nice the eclectic painted musical instrument museum, Museo Cromática. Run by a 4th generation family member, the museum is housed in an ancient convent, which itself is beautiful. The collection is made up of exquisite painted instruments including guitars, saxophones, pianos, and harps.
This museum also offers you a drink with the price of admission and we enjoyed talking with the friendly hosts. Perhaps because we were visiting during the winter it seemed like we were the only ones visiting. Some of the pieces were truly spectacular.
Museo del Greco
The El Greco Museum was another beautiful museum housing paintings of the famous painter. Mostly of a religious context, there were also sculptures.
It was housed in an old home (a recreation of El Greco’s home) with a beautiful garden which was unfortunately under renovation. As we visited in February, we believe many places were taking the opportunity to renovate in the off season.
The Marquis de la Vega Inclán actually purchased the run-down 14th-century house in Toledo’s old Jewish Quarter, in the mistaken assumption that he was buying the remains of the painter’s own home.
Termas Romanas
We also visited a site of some historic Roman baths. It was cool to see if you’ve never been to Rome and visited the Baths of Caracalla but not much here for those that have seen more complete Roman baths with tiles and structures. That said, the visit was free, and you can really just take a quick 5-minute look.
They told us there is also a guided tour that goes into a different area but that only takes place at fixed hours in Spanish. Had we known we would have adjusted our timing. Discovered in 1986, the archaeological remains are from between the end of the 1st and mid-3rd century.
Other scenic landmarks
Just by walking the narrow cobblestone streets you see beautiful historic buildings everywhere you go. Each one has a story. We also saw some nice public squares such as, Zocodover Plaza, a large square in the historic part of town.
We were slightly off put by the large fast food American burger chains with prominent signs that had setup there. We would have much preferred to see local churros and tapas restaurants.
There are also many nice gates into the city. The Sun Gate was a beautiful medieval archway that was one of many entrances to the walled city. Impressive.
Another impressive gate was the 10th century Puerta de Bisagra, a monumental stone gate to the city of Toledo.
Toledo marzipan
We were surprised to see so many shops selling marzipan created by the Toledo nuns. These came in many decorated shapes and sizes.
We bought some in one of the monasteries (Convento de Santo Domingo El Antiguo) where the pastor explained to us that it came from a time when the Moors had laid siege to the city and there was nothing to eat. The nuns had almonds and the monks had sugar and the two of them got together to make marzipan with which the town survived.
Toledo impressions
Overall we just loved this city. Friendly people, easy to visit on foot (albeit a bit hilly). Things were reasonably priced, and we could get a meal for 10 euros, and a t-shirt for 14 euros.
We would recommend 1-2 days here. We did it in two at a relaxed pace which was nice.
We came in February and some things were closed and the gardens were sparse. Roses were starting and the annuals were freshly planted. February in Spain is warmer than February in Canada or northern US. Also, it did seem that many took the opportunity to renovate in the off-season causing some closures or partial closures. The weather was great for roaming around with a light jacket (and a sweater in the morning) but March might be a better time to come.
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