An hour south of Madrid by car, Toledo teems with tourists, souvenirs, and great art by day, and delicious dinners, echoes of El Greco, and medieval magic by night. Incredibly well-preserved and full of cultural wonder, the entire city has been declared a national monument.
Spain’s former capital crowds 2,500 years of tangled history—Roman, Jewish, Visigothic, Moorish, and Christian—onto a high, rocky perch protected on three sides by the Tajo River. To keep the city’s historic appearance intact, the Spanish government has forbidden any modern exteriors. The rich mix of Jewish, Moorish, and Christian heritages makes it one of Europe’s cultural highlights.
Today, Toledo thrives as a provincial capital—and tourist destination. A high-speed AVE train connection makes it a quick 30-minute ride from Madrid. The city’s convention center (Palacio de Congresos Miradero), while of little interest to tourists, has a huge underground parking garage and escalators into town that make arrival by car efficient. The escalators make it easy to walk into town from the train station, too. The plan is for the old city center to be essentially traffic-free (except for residents’ cars, public transit, and service vehicles).
Despite its tremendously kitschy tourist vibe, this stony wonderland remains the historic, artistic, and spiritual center of Spain. Toledo sits enthroned on its history, much as it was when Europe’s most powerful monarch, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (King Charles I in Spain), and its most famous resident artist, El Greco, called it home.
To properly see Toledo’s sights—including its museums (great El Greco) and cathedral (best in Spain)—and to experience its medieval atmosphere (wonderful after dark), you’ll need at least a night and a day. If you have time, spend a second day in the city for a more relaxing visit. If you’re traveling to Toledo only for the day, keep in mind that early and late trains tend to sell out to commuters and day-trippers. Day-tripping tourists can pack the city during midday.
Here’s a good one-day plan: Upon arrival, take the Toledo City Tour bus to the viewpoint overlooking the town’s impressive skyline, immortalized by El Greco. Then head to the cathedral. Other top stops are the Army Museum (for history aficionados) and the Santa Cruz Museum (for art lovers). El Greco fans will enjoy seeing his art in chapels and museums around town. Plan carefully for lunchtime closures and take a rest break during Toledo’s notorious midday heat in summer. In the evening, dine well—carcamusas (pork chili), anyone?—and cap your evening with a stroll.
With a second day, choose from Toledo’s historic synagogues, monastery, Visigothic museum, more art museums, and many shops. Wander the back lanes, sample sweet mazapán, and people-watch in the main square, Plaza de Zocodover.
Toledo sits atop a circular hill, with the cathedral roughly dead-center. Lassoed into a tight tangle of streets by the sharp bend of the Tajo River (called the “Tejo” in Portugal, where it hits the Atlantic at Lisbon), Toledo has Spain’s most confusing medieval street plan. But it’s a small town within its walls, with only 10,000 inhabitants (84,000 live in greater Toledo, including its modern suburbs). The major sights are well-signposted, and most locals will politely point you in the right direction if you ask. (You are, after all, the town’s bread and butter.)
The top sights stretch from the main square, Plaza de Zocodover (zoh-koh-doh-VEHR), southwest along Calle del Comercio (a.k.a. Calle Ancha, “Wide Street”) to the cathedral, and beyond that to Santo Tomé and more. The visitor’s city lies basically along this small but central street, and most tourists never stray from this axis. Make a point to get lost. The town is compact. When it’s time to return to someplace familiar, pull out the map or ask, “¿Para Plaza de Zocodover?” From the far end of town, handy bus #12 circles back to Plaza de Zocodover.
While the city is very hilly (in Toledo, they say everything’s uphill—it certainly feels that way), nothing is more than a short hike away.
Toledo has four TIs, which share a website: www.toledo-turismo.com. At the train station, the official TI is just down the track as you get off the train (daily 9:30-15:00, tel. 925-239-121)—but bypass the first information booth on the concourse, which mostly sells services. Other TIs are at Bisagra Gate, in a freestanding building in the park just outside the gate (Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun until 14:00, tel. 925-211-005); on Plaza del Ayuntamiento near the cathedral (daily 10:00-18:00, WC, tel. 925-254-030); and on Plaza de Zocodover (Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun until 14:00).
Sightseeing Passes: Skip Toledo’s sightseeing passes. You’d pay more for any of the Toledo Pass or Toledo Card options than you would buying individual tickets.
The Pulsera Turística wristband (€9, sold at participating sights) doesn’t cover the city’s top three sights but makes sense if you want to see at least four of its covered monuments and churches (Santo Tomé, Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca, San Juan de los Reyes Monasterio, Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, Church of El Salvador, Real Colegio de Doncellas Nobles, and Church of San Ildefonso/Jesuitas; sold at participating sights, no time limit as long as it stays on your wrist, nontransferable).
“Arriving” in Toledo means getting uphill to Plaza de Zocodover. As the bus and train stations are outside the town center and parking can be a challenge, this involves a taxi, a city bus, or a walk plus a ride up a series of escalators.
By Train: Toledo’s early-20th-century train station is Neo-Moorish and a national monument itself for its architecture and art, both of which celebrate the three cultures that coexisted here.
Remember that early and late trains can sell out; reserve ahead. If you haven’t yet bought a ticket for your departure from Toledo (even if it’s for the next day), get it before you leave the Toledo station and choose a specific time rather than leave it open-ended. (If you prefer more flexibility, take the bus instead—see “By Bus” next.)
From the train station to Plaza de Zocodover, it’s a €4.50 taxi ride (to hotels, the ride is metered), a 25-minute walk with the help of escalators, or an easy ride on various buses. You can take city bus #5, #11, #61, or #62; leaving the station, you’ll see the bus stop 30 yards to the right (€1.40, pay on bus, confirm by asking, “¿Para Plaza de Zocodover?”). The red Toledo City Tour bus, which circles the city, also picks up outside the station, and stops briefly at the famous El Greco viewpoint before heading up to Plaza de Zocodover.
To walk into town, turn right as you leave the station and follow the fuchsia line on the sidewalk labeled Up Toledo, Follow the Line. Track this line (and periodic escalator symbols) past a bus stop, over the bridge, around the roundabout to the left, and into a bus parking area. From here, go up a series of escalators that take you to the center of town: You’ll emerge about a block downhill from Plaza de Zocodover.
By Bus: At the bus station, buses park downstairs. Luggage lockers and a small bus-information office—where you can buy locker tokens—are upstairs opposite the cafeteria. From the bus station, Plaza de Zocodover is a 15-minute hike, a €4.50 taxi ride, or a short bus ride (catch #5 or #12 downstairs; €1.40, pay on bus). On foot, exit the bus station, cross a roundabout, and walk up Avenida Castilla la Mancha (with the river on your left) until you reach a bus parking area with escalators that take you up into town near Plaza de Zocodover.
Perched strategically in the center of Iberia, for centuries Toledo was a Roman transportation hub with a thriving Jewish population. After Rome fell, the city became a Visigothic capital (A.D. 554). In 711 the Moors (Muslims) made it a regional center. The city was reconquered by Christians in 1085, but many Moors remained in Toledo, tolerated and respected as scholars and craftsmen.
Whereas Jews were commonly persecuted elsewhere in Europe, Toledo’s Jewish community—educated, wealthy, and cosmopolitan—thrived from the city’s earliest times. Jews of Spanish origin are called Sephardic Jews. The American expression “Holy Toledo” likely originated from the Sephardic Jews who eventually immigrated to America. To them, Toledo was the holiest Jewish city in Europe...Holy Toledo!
During its medieval heyday (c. 1350), Toledo was a city of the humanities, where God was known by many names. In this haven of cultural diversity, people of different faiths lived together in harmony.
Toledo remained Spain’s political capital until 1561, when Philip II moved to more-spacious Madrid. Historians fail to agree on the reason for the move; some say that Madrid was the logical place for a capital in the geographic center of newly formed España, while others say that Philip wanted to separate politics from religion. (Toledo remained Spain’s religious capital.) Whatever the reason, when the king moved out, Toledo was mothballed, only to be rediscovered by 19th-century Romantic travelers. They wrote of it as a mystical place, which it remains today.
Before leaving the station, confirm your departure time (around 2/hour to Madrid). Buses don’t tend to get booked up, and you can put off buying a return ticket until just minutes before you leave Toledo. Specify that you’d like a directo bus (the ruta trip takes longer—1 hour versus 1.5 hours). But if you miss the directo bus (or if it’s sold out), the ruta option offers a peek of off-the-beaten-path Madrid suburbia.
By Car: If you’re arriving by car, enjoy a scenic big-picture orientation by following the Ronda de Toledo signs on a big circular drive around the city. You’ll view the city from many angles along the Circunvalación road across the Tajo Gorge. Stop at a viewpoint or drive to Parador de Toledo, just south of town, for the view (from the balcony) that El Greco made famous in his portrait of Toledo. The best time for this trip is the magic hour before sunset, when the top viewpoints are busy with tired old folks and frisky young lovers.
A car is useless within Toledo’s city walls, where the narrow, twisting streets are no fun to navigate. Many hotels offer discounted parking rates at nearby garages; ask when making your reservation.
The most convenient place to park is in the big Miradero Garage at the convention center (€16/day; drive through Bisagra Gate, go uphill half a mile, look for sign on the left directing you to Plaza del Miradero). There’s parking farther into town at the Alcázar Garage (just past the Alcázar—€2/hour, €20/day). There are also two big, free, uncovered parking lots: the one between the river and the bus station is best if you want to use the escalators to get up to the center; the other lot is between the river and the train station. North of the city walls, you’ll find parking and another set of escalators going up near the Glorieta de la Reconquista roundabout, but at the top you’ll still be far from Plaza de Zocodover.
Useful App: Toledo Be Your Guide is a simple but useful free travel app. Ignore the sections on restaurants, shopping, and nightlife; instead select “Attractions” for info on sights around town.
Taxis: There are three taxi stands in the old center: Plaza de Zocodover, Bisagra Gate, and Santo Tomé. Taxis routinely give visitors scenic circles around town with photo stops for around €15.
Local Guidebook: Consider the readable Toledo: Its Art and Its History (€4-6, same text and photos in both big and small versions, sold all over town). It explains all the sights (which generally provide no on-site information) and gives you a photo to point at and say, “¿Dónde está...?”
Toledo City Tour offers three tourist bus options for day-trippers. For transportation with a view to the city center, meet the bus at the train station, and ride along the river to the famous “El Greco” lookout point, where you can get off for a five-minute photo stop. Then the bus continues around the city and up to Plaza de Zocodover, where you can get off and visit Toledo. Pay a little more, and you get a hop-on, hop-off version that allows you to stop at the photo viewpoint, Bisagra Gate, and the San Martín medieval bridge—but be prepared to wait an hour for the next bus (€5.50 with one stop, €9 for hop-on, hop-off option, pay at stand in train station; departures timed to train arrivals—first bus leaves train station at 9:50, then almost hourly until about 20:00 in summer, shorter hours off-season; longer rides include recorded English commentary on headphones; tel. 925-950-000, www.toledo-turismo.com/en/tourist-bus_555). Skip the lanzadera shuttle bus, which offers the same ride up to Plaza de Zocodover as the city bus described earlier, but costs about €1 more.
For a pleasant city overview, hop on the TrainVision Tourist Train for a 45-minute putt-putt through Toledo and around the Tajo River Gorge. It’s a cheesy but fine way for nondrivers to enjoy views of the city from across the Tajo Gorge (€5.50, buy ticket from kiosk on Plaza de Zocodover, leaves Plaza de Zocodover daily 1-2/hour 10:00-18:30, later in summer, recorded English/Spanish commentary, tel. 625-301-890). For the best views, sit on the right side, not behind the driver. There’s a five-minute photo stop at the viewpoint.
For the cheapest tour, use public transportation. Take the “Bus #12 Self-Guided Tour” through town. Or, for a “gorge-ous” loop trip, try bus #71, which leaves from opposite the entrance of the Alcázar (hourly 7:45-21:45) and offers the same classic view across the gorge as the tourist train; its route circles around to El Greco’s famous viewpoint, where you can hop off and snap some photos, then wait about an hour at the same stop for the next bus to take you back.
Juan José Espadas (a.k.a. Juanjo) is a good guide who enjoys sharing his hometown in English. He gracefully brings meaning to the complex mix of Toledo’s history, art, religion, and culture (€150/3 hours, tel. 667-780-475, juanjo@guiadetoledo.es).
Holy Toledo! Spain’s leading Catholic city has a magnificent cathedral. Shoehorned into the old center, its exterior is hard to appreciate. (As is so typical of religious sites in hard-fought Iberia, it was built after the Reconquista on the spot where a mosque once stood.) But the interior is so lofty, rich, and vast that it’ll have you wandering around like a Pez dispenser stuck open, whispering “Wow.” The sacristy has a collection of paintings that would put any museum on the map.
Cost and Hours: €10 includes audioguide and Colegio de Infantes (described later); €12.50 also includes trip up bell tower at assigned times; tickets sold in shop opposite church entrance on Calle Cardenal Cisneros; open Mon-Sat 10:00-18:30, Sun 14:00-18:30, open earlier for prayer only; tel. 925-222-241.
Self-Guided TourWander among the pillars, thick and sturdy as a redwood forest. Sit under one and imagine a time when the light bulbs were candles and the tourists were pilgrims—when every window provided spiritual as well as physical light. The cathedral is primarily Gothic. But because it took more than 250 years to build (1226-1493)—with continuous embellishments after that (every archbishop wanted to leave his imprint)—it’s a mix of styles, including Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical. Enjoy the elaborate wrought-iron work, lavish wood carvings, and window after colorful window of 500-year-old stained glass. Circling the interior are ornate chapels, purchased by the town’s most noble families, and the sacristy, with its world-class collection of El Grecos and works by other famous painters.
This confusing collage of great Spanish art deserves a close look. Hire a private guide, discreetly freeload on a tour (they come by every few minutes during peak season), listen to the audioguide, or follow this quick tour.
• First, walk to the high altar.
High Altar: Climb two steps and grip the iron grille as you marvel at one of the most stunning altars in Spain. Real gold on wood, by Flemish, French, and local artists, it’s one of the country’s best pieces of Gothic art. Study the wall of scenes from the life of Christ, frame by frame. All the images seem to celebrate the colorful Assumption of Mary in the center, with Mary escorted by six upwardly mobile angels. The crucified Christ on top is nine feet tall—taller than the lower statues—to keep this towering altar approachable. Don’t miss the finely worked gold-plated iron grille itself—considered to be the best from the 16th century in Spain.
• About-face to the...
Choir: Facing the high altar, the choir is famous for its fine and richly symbolic carving. It all seems to lead to the archbishop’s throne in the rear center. First, look carefully at the fine alabaster relief in the center (about where the bishop would rest his head on his throne): It shows a seventh-century Visigothic miracle, when Mary came down to give the local bishop the holy robe, legitimizing Toledo as the spiritual capital (and therefore political capital) of Spain.
Because of its primacy in Iberia, Toledo was the first city in the crosshairs of the Reconquista Christian forces. They recaptured the city in 1085 (over 400 years before they retook Granada). The fall of Toledo marked the beginning of the end of the Muslim domination of Iberia. A local saying goes, “A carpet frays from the edges, but the carpet of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) frayed from the very center” (meaning Toledo).
The lower wooden stalls are decorated with scenes showing the steady one-city-at-a-time finale of the Christian Reconquista, when Muslims were slowly pushed back into Africa. Set in the last decade of the Reconquista, these images celebrate the retaking of the towns around Granada: Each idealized castle has the reconquered town’s name on it, culminating in the final victory at Granada in 1492 (these two reliefs flank the archbishop’s throne). Although the castles are romanticized, the carvings of the clothing, armor, and weaponry are so detailed and accurate that historians have studied them to learn the evolution of weaponry.
The upper stalls feature Old Testament figures—an alabaster genealogy of the church—starting with Adam and Eve and working counterclockwise to Joseph and “S. M. Virgo Mater” (St. Mary the Virgin Mother). Notice how the statues on the Adam and Eve side (left) are more lifelike; they were done by Alonso Berruguete, nicknamed “the Michelangelo of Spain” for his realistic figures. All this imagery is designed to remind viewers of the legitimacy of the bishop’s claims to religious power. Check out the seat backs, made of carved walnut and featuring New Testament figures—with Peter (key) and Paul (sword)—alongside the archbishop himself.
And, as is typical of choir decoration, the carvings on the misericords (the tiny seats that allowed tired worshippers to lean while they “stand”) represent various sins and feature the frisky, folksy, sexy, profane art of the day. Apparently, since you sat on it, it could never be sacred anyway.
Take a moment to absorb the marvelous complexity, harmony, and cohesiveness of the art around you. Look up. There are two fine pipe organs: one early 18th-century Baroque and the other late 18th-century Neoclassical. As you leave the choir, note the serene beauty of the 13th-century Madonna and child at the front (Virgin Blanca), thought to be a gift from the French king to Spain. Its naturalism and intimacy was proto-Renaissance—radical in its day.
The iron grille of the choir is notable for the dedication of the man who built it. Domingo de Céspedes, a Toledo ironworker, accepted the commission to build the grille for 6,000 ducats. The project, which lasted from 1541 to 1548, was far more costly than he anticipated. The medieval Church didn’t accept cost overruns, so to finish it he sold everything he owned and went into debt. He died a poor—but honorable—man. (That’s a charming story, but the artistic iron gate before the high altar—described earlier—is the true treasure.)
• Face the altar, and go around it to your right to the...
Chapter House (Sala Capitular): Under its lavish ceiling, a fresco celebrates the humanism of the Italian Renaissance. There’s a Deposition (taking crucified Jesus off the cross), a pietà, and a Resurrection on the front wall; they face a fascinating Last Judgment, where the seven sins are actually spelled out in the gang going to hell: arrogance (the guy striking a pose), avarice (holding his bag of coins), lust (the easy woman with the lovely hair and fiery crotch), anger (shouting at lust), gluttony (the fat guy), envy, and laziness. Think about how instructive this was in 1600.
Below the fresco, a pictorial review of 1,900 years of Toledo archbishops circles the room. The upper row of portraits dates from the 16th century. Except for the last two, these were not painted from life (the same face seems to be recycled over and over). The lower portraits were added one at a time from 1515 on and are of more historic than artistic interest. Imagine sitting down to church business surrounded by all this tradition and theology.
The current cardinal—whose portrait will someday grace the next empty panel—is the top religious official in Spain. He’s conservative on issues unpopular with Spain’s young: divorce, abortion, and contraception. When he speaks, it makes news all over Spain.
As you leave, notice the iron-pumping cupids carved into the pear-tree panels lining the walls.
• Go behind the high altar to find the...
Transparente: The Transparente is a unique feature of the cathedral. In the 1700s, a hole was cut into the ceiling to let a sunbeam brighten Mass. The opening faces east, and each morning the rising sun reminds all that God is light. Melding this big hole with the Gothic church presented a challenge: The result was a Baroque masterpiece. Gape up at this riot of angels doing flip-flops, babies breathing thin air, bottoms of feet, and gilded sunbursts. Carved out of marble from Italy, it’s bursting with motion and full of energy. Appreciate those tough little cherubs who are supporting the whole thing—they’ve been waiting for help for about 300 years now.
Step back to study the altar, which looks chaotic, but is actually structured thoughtfully: The good news of salvation springs from Baby Jesus, up past the archangels (including one in the middle who knows how to hold a big fish correctly) to the Last Supper high above, and beyond into the light-filled dome. I like it, as did (I guess) the two long-dead cardinals whose faded red hats hang from the edge of the hole. (A perk that only a cardinal enjoys is to choose a burial place in the cathedral, and hang his hat over that spot until the hat rots.)
• Now peek into the...
Chapel of the New Kings (Capilla de Reyes Nuevos): In the 16th century, Emperor Charles V moved the tombs of eight kings who reigned before Ferdinand and Isabel to this spot. As you exit the chapel back into the apse, pass through a short hall and look for a facsimile of a 700-year-old Bible hand-copied and beautifully illustrated by French monks; it was a gift from St. Louis, the 13th-century king of France. Imagine looking at these lavish illustrations with medieval eyes—an exquisite experience. (The precious and fragile lambskin original is preserved out of public view.)
• Enter into the apse, where the next door on your right takes you into the...
Sacristy: The cathedral’s sacristy is a mini Prado, with 19 El Grecos and masterpieces by Francisco de Goya, Titian, Diego Velázquez, Caravaggio, and Giovanni Bellini. First, notice the fine perspective work on the ceiling. It was painted by Neapolitan artist Lucca Giordano around 1690. (You can see the artist himself—with his circa-1690 spectacles—painted onto the door high above on the left; look for it at the base of the ceiling.) Then walk to the end of the room for the most important painting in the collection, El Greco’s The Spoliation (a.k.a. Christ Being Stripped of His Garments).
Spain’s original great painter was Greek, and this is the first masterpiece he created after arriving in Toledo. El Greco’s painting from 1579 hangs exactly where he intended it to—in the room where priests prepared themselves for Mass. It shows Jesus surrounded by a sinister mob and suffering the humiliation of being stripped in public before his execution.
The scarlet robe is about to be yanked off, and the women (lower left) avert their eyes, turning to watch a carpenter at work (lower right) who bores the holes for nailing Jesus to the cross. While the carpenter bears down, Jesus—the other carpenter—looks up to heaven. The contrast between the motley crowd gambling for his clothes and Jesus’ noble face underscores the quiet dignity with which he endures this ignoble treatment. Jesus’ delicate white hand stands out from the flaming red tunic with an odd gesture that’s common in El Greco’s paintings. Some say this was the way Christians of the day swore they were true believers, not merely Christians-in-name-only, such as former Muslims or Jews who converted to survive.
On the right is a religious painting by Goya, the Betrayal of Christ, which shows Judas preparing to kiss Jesus, thus identifying him to the Roman soldiers. Across the room is a scene rarely painted: a touching El Greco portrait called St. Joseph and the Christ Child. Joseph is walking with Jesus, just as El Greco enjoyed walking around the Toledo countryside with his sons. Notice Joseph’s gentle expression—and the Toledo views in the background.
Enjoy the many other El Grecos here, as well as the work of other master artists.
• As you step out of the sacristy, walk through an open-air courtyard and back into the main naves of the cathedral. Look high up to your right at the oldest stained glass in the church (from the 14th century). Then, passing a chapel reserved for worship, just before the treasury, you come to...
The Cloister: The cloister is worth a stroll for its finely carved colonnade. Take a peaceful detour to the funerary San Blas Chapel. The ceiling over the alabaster tomb of a bishop is a fresco by a student of Giotto (a 14th-century Italian Renaissance master).
Treasury: The tesoro is tiny, but radiant with riches. The highlight is the 10-foot-high, 430-pound monstrance—the tower designed to hold the Holy Communion wafer (the host) during the festival of Corpus Christi (“body of Christ”) as it’s paraded through the city. Built in 1517 by Enrique de Arfe, it’s made of 5,000 individual pieces held together by 12,500 screws. There are diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and 400 pounds of gold-plated silver. The inner part (which is a century older) is 35 pounds of solid gold. Yeow. The base is a later addition from the Baroque period.
Mozarabic Chapel: Before 10:00, the cathedral is open only for prayer (from north entrance). If you’re here to worship at the 9:00 Mass (daily except Sunday), you can peek into the otherwise-locked Mozarabic Chapel (Capilla Mozárabe). This Visigothic Mass (in Latin) is the oldest surviving Christian ritual in Western Europe. You’re welcome to partake in this stirring example of peaceful coexistence of faiths. Toledo’s proud Mozarabic community of 1,500 people traces its roots to Visigothic times.
Bell Tower: If you paid for the bell tower, meet just to the left of the San Blas Chapel at your assigned time. You’ll climb up several sections of tight spiral staircases to reach panoramic views of Toledo and the largest (though cracked) bell in Spain.
In addition to the cathedral, the city’s historic core contains these sights:
The main square is Toledo’s center and your gateway to the old town. The word “Zocodover” derives from the Arabic for “livestock market.”
Toledo is the state capital of Castile-La Mancha, and the regional governmental building overlooks Plaza de Zocodover. Look for the three flags: one for Europe, one for Spain, and one for Castile-La Mancha. And speaking of universal symbols—find the low-key McDonald’s. A source of controversy, it was finally allowed...with only one small golden arch. Next came the bigger Burger King, which no one blinked at twice.
The square is a big local hangout and city hub. Once the scene of Inquisition judgments and bullfights, today it’s a lot more peaceful. Old people arrive in the morning, and young people come in the evening. The goofy tourist train leaves from here, as well as the Tourist Bus and city buses #5, #11, #61, and #62, which lumber to the train station. Just uphill, near the taxi stand, is the stop for bus #12, which travels around the old town to Santo Tomé (and works as a good self-guided tour) and for bus #71, which heads out to the panoramic viewpoint made famous by El Greco.
The cathedral displays its fine collection of tapestries and vestments at the nearby Colegio de Infantes. Many of the 17th-century tapestries here are still used to decorate the cathedral during one of the city’s biggest events, the festival of Corpus Christi. You’ll also find the lavish-but-faded Astrolabe Tapestry (c. 1480, Belgian). It shows a new view of the cosmos at the dawn of the Age of Discovery: God (far left) oversees all, as Atlas (with the help of two women and a crank handle) spins the universe, containing the circular Earth. The wisdom gang (far right) heralds the wonders of the coming era. Rather than a map of Earth, this is a chart showing the cosmic order of things as the constellations spin around the stationary North Star (center).
Cost and Hours: €2, €10 includes cathedral; €12.50 includes cathedral and bell tower, daily 10:00-18:00, from the cathedral go down Calle Barco to Plaza Colegio Infantes, tel. 925-258-723.
This stately Renaissance building was formerly an orphanage and hospital, funded by money left by the humanist and diplomat Cardinal Mendoza when he died in 1495. The cardinal, confirmed as Chancellor of Castile by Queen Isabel, was so influential that he was called “the third royal.” The museum’s collections feature Roman and Arabic archaeology; paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries (including eight El Grecos); and traditional decorative arts such as ceramics and glass.
Cost and Hours: Museum—€5, buy ticket at machine in entrance hall (attendants can help); courtyard—free, get ticket at window in entry; open Mon-Sat 9:45-18:30, Sun 10:00-14:00; from Plaza de Zocodover, go through arch to Calle Miguel de Cervantes 3; tel. 925-221-036, www.patrimoniohistoricoclm.es.
Visiting the Museum: The building’s facade still wears bullet scars from the Spanish Civil War. The exterior, cloister arches, and stairway leading to the upper cloister are fine examples of the Plateresque style. This ornate strain of Spanish Renaissance is named for the fancy work of silversmiths of the 16th century. During this time (c. 1500-1550), the royal court moved from Toledo to Madrid—when Madrid was a village and Toledo was a world power. (You’ll see no Plateresque work in Madrid.) Note the Renaissance-era mathematics, ideal proportions, round arches, square squares, and classic columns.
The museum’s El Greco paintings are its highlight. Most impressive is Assumption of Mary, a spiritual poem on canvas. This altarpiece, finished one year before El Greco’s death in 1614, is the culmination of his unique style, combining all his techniques to express an otherworldly event.
Study the Assumption (which some believe is misnamed and actually shows the Immaculate Conception—the plaque describing the work entitles it both Inmaculada Concepción and Inmaculada Ovalle, for the family who commissioned it). Bound to earth, the city of Toledo sleeps, but a vision is taking place overhead. An angel in a billowing robe, as if doing the breaststroke with his wings, flies up, supporting Mary, the mother of Christ. She floats up through warped space, to be serenaded by angels and wrapped in the radiant light of the Holy Spirit. Mary flickers and ripples, charged from within by her spiritual ecstasy, caught up in a vision that takes her breath away. No painter before or since has captured the supernatural world better than El Greco.
Free Courtyard Visit: Even if you skip the museum, it’s possible to step into the building’s peaceful Renaissance courtyard. Enter the front doorway, and obtain a free ticket from the attendant. On the lower courtyard level, walk around to view exposed ancient artifacts; there are no ropes or motion detectors to stop you from getting close to this history. In the corner opposite the entrance you’ll see funerary columns, a third-century Roman mosaic that depicts the four seasons, and a marble well bearing an Arabic inscription. Note the grooves in the sides of the well, made by generations of Muslims pulling their buckets up by rope. This well was once located in the courtyard of an 11th-century mosque, which stood where the cathedral does today.
The upper level of the courtyard holds the beautiful Carranza collection of tiles and ceramics dating from the end of the Reconquista (1492). Each piece is categorized by the Spanish region where it was made. This may be the only place in Spain where you can compare regional differences in tile work and pottery. From the top level of the courtyard (go up a short flight of stairs) it’s possible to access the temporary exhibit area of the main building. From here you can appreciate the architecture and peer down through an interior courtyard that is the axis of the museum.
This museum tells the military history of Spain from 1492 to the 20th century, with endless rooms of Spanish military collections of armor, uniforms, cannons, guns, paintings, and models. The museum has one major flaw: its skimpy coverage of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Otherwise, the displays are wonderfully explained in English, and the audioguide is excellent. If you like military history, allow at least three hours for this, one of Europe’s top military museums.
Cost and Hours: €5, €8 ticket includes great 2-hour audioguide, free to enter temporary exhibits and archeological ruins—ask for a pass at ticket office, free on Sun; open Thu-Tue 10:00-17:00, closed Wed; café/restaurant where you can bump elbows with Spanish military, tel. 925-238-800, www.museo.ejercito.es.
Visiting the Museum: The museum is located in the Alcázar, the huge former imperial residence that dominates Toledo’s skyline. It’s built on the site of Roman, Visigothic, Moorish, and early Renaissance fortresses, the ruins of which (displayed just past the turnstile and free to visit) are a poignant reminder of the city’s strategic importance through the centuries.
Today’s structure (originally built in the 16th century, then destroyed in the civil war and rebuilt) became a kind of right-wing Alamo. During the civil war, Franco’s Nationalists (and hundreds of hostages) were besieged here by Republican troops for two months in 1936. The Republicans took the son of the Alcázar’s commander—Colonel José Moscardó—hostage and called Colonel Moscardó, threatening to execute his son if he didn’t surrender in 10 minutes. Moscardó asked for his son to be put on the line, and told him that he would have to be a hero and die for Spain. Moscardó then informed the Republican leader that he didn’t need 10 minutes: the choice was made—he would never give up the Alcázar. (While the Nationalists believed the son was shot immediately, he was actually executed with other prisoners weeks later in a reprisal for an air raid.)
Finally, after many fierce but futile Republican attacks that destroyed much of the Alcázar, Franco sent in an army that took Toledo, a major victory for the Nationalists. After the war, the place was rebuilt and glorified under Franco. Only one room on the sixth floor (labeled as CM-Despacho del Coronel Moscardó on the museum map) has been left in a tattered ruin since the siege: the office of Colonel Moscardó.
It’s a confusing floor plan, but if you start at the top floor and follow the “historical round” arrows, you’ll enjoy a roughly chronological sweep. Since so much of this country’s history is military, this museum tells much of the story of Spain.
Look for special theme rooms (e.g., the use of photography in the army, and the evolution of Spain’s flag). The main courtyard—Italian-inspired Renaissance in style—comes with a proud statue of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (a.k.a. King Charles I of Spain), the ultimate military king and Europe’s most powerful 16th-century leader. While in the courtyard, consider the restoration of this massive-yet-elegant fortress.
The 20th-century section comes with some fascinating videos, but has just three small rooms of civil-war artifacts, including uniforms from both sides, Franco’s cloak and cane, and posters. In addition, there are photographs of the conflict and a small audiovisual slide show. As the museum was preparing to open, controversy broke out on how to handle the civil war. The curators dodged the issue by going light on the major event of 20th-century Spanish history; it’s not even marked on the museum’s map (look for El Siglo XX).
Of Muslim Toledo’s 10 mosques, this barren little building (dating from about 1000) is the best survivor. Looking up, you’ll notice the Moorish fascination with geometry—each dome is a unique design. The lovely keyhole arch faces Mecca. In 1187, after the Reconquista, the mosque was changed to a church, the Christian apse (with its crude Romanesque art) was added, and the former mosque got its current name. The small garden with its fountains is a reminder of the Quranic image of heaven. From the outside of the building, you can see a Roman road, leading to the city wall, that was discovered and excavated when the mosque was undergoing restoration.
Cost and Hours: €2.80, Mon-Fri 10:00-14:00 & 15:30-18:45, until 17:45 in winter, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:45, Cuesta de las Carmelitas Descalzas 10, tel. 925-254-191.
This 13th-century Mudejar church (with its rare, strangely modernist 13th-century Romanesque frescoes) provides an exquisite space for a small but interesting collection of Visigothic artifacts. The Visigoths were the Christian barbarian tribe who ruled Spain between the fall of Rome and the rise of the Moors. The only things Visigothic about the actual building are the few capitals topping its columns, recycled from a seventh-century Visigothic church. Though the elaborate crowns are copies (the originals are in Madrid), other glass cases show off metal and stone artifacts from the age when Toledo was the capital of the Visigoths. The items, while featuring almost no human figures, are rich in symbolism. Their portability fits that society’s nomadic heritage. Archaeologists have found almost no Visigothic artifacts within Toledo’s fortified hill location. They lived in humble settlements along the river—apparently needing no defense system...until the Moors swept through in 711, ending two centuries of Visigothic rule in Iberia. Climb the steep stairs for a view of Toledo’s rooftops from the church tower.
Cost and Hours: €1, buy at ticket machine, Tue-Sat 9:45-14:15 & 16:00-18:30, Sun 10:00-14:00, closed Mon, no English information, Plaza San Román, tel. 925-227-872.
These sights cluster at the southwest end of town. For efficient sightseeing, visit them in this order, then zip back home on bus #12 (listed at the end of this section).
A simple chapel on Plaza del Conde holds El Greco’s most beloved painting. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz couples heaven and earth in a way only The Greek could. It feels so right to see a painting in the same church where the artist placed it 400 years ago. It originally filled the space immediately to the right of where it is now, but because the popularity of this masterpiece was disturbing the main church, it was moved. Church officials even created a special entryway for viewing it.
Cost and Hours: €2.80, daily 10:00-18:45, until 17:45 mid-Oct-Feb, audioguide-€1, tel. 925-256-098. This sight often has a line; try going early or late to avoid tour groups.
Visiting Santo Tomé: Take this slow. Stay a while—let it perform. The year is 1323. Count Don Gonzalo Ruiz has died. You’re at his burial right here in this chapel. The good count was so holy, even saints Augustine and Stephen have come down from heaven to lower his body into the grave. (The painting’s subtitle is “Such is the reward for those who serve God and his saints.”)
More than 250 years later, in 1586, a local priest (depicted on the far right, reading the Bible) hired El Greco to make a painting of the burial to hang over the count’s tomb. The funeral is attended by Toledo’s most distinguished citizens. (El Greco used local nobles as models.) A serene line of noble faces divides the painting into two realms—heaven above and earth below. Above the faces, the count’s soul, symbolized by a little baby, rises up through a mystical birth canal to be reborn in heaven, where he’s greeted by Jesus, Mary, and all the saints. A spiritual wind blows through as colors change and shapes stretch. This is Counter-Reformation propaganda—notice Jesus pointing to St. Peter, the symbol of the pope in Rome, who controls the keys to the pearly gates. Each face is a detailed portrait.
It’s clear that these portraits inspired the next great Spanish painter, Velázquez, a century later. El Greco himself (eyeballing you, seventh figure in from the left) is the only one not involved in the burial. The boy in the foreground—pointing to the two saints as if to say, “One’s from the first century, the other’s from the fourth...it’s a miracle!”—is El Greco’s son. On the handkerchief in the boy’s pocket is El Greco’s signature, written in Greek.
Born on Crete and trained in Venice, Doménikos Theotokópoulos (tongue-tied friends just called him “The Greek”) came to Spain to get a job decorating El Escorial. He failed there, but succeeded in Toledo, where he spent the last 37 years of his life. He mixed all three regional influences into his palette. From his Greek homeland, he absorbed the solemn, abstract style of icons. In Italy, he learned the bold use of color, elongated figures, twisting poses, and dramatic style of the later Renaissance. These elements were then fused in the fires of fanatic Spanish-Catholic devotion.
Not bound by the realism so important to his fellow artists, El Greco painted dramatic visions of striking colors and figures—bodies unnatural and lengthened as though stretched between heaven and earth. He painted souls, not faces. His work is on display at nearly every sight in Toledo. Thoroughly modern in his disregard for realism, he didn’t impress the austere Philip II. But his art still seems as fresh as contemporary art does today. El Greco was essentially forgotten through the 18th and most of the 19th centuries. Then, with the Romantic movement (and the discovery of Toledo by Romantic-era travelers, artists, and poets), the paintings of El Greco became the hits they are today.
Don Gonzalo Ruiz’s actual granite tombstone is at your feet. The count’s two wishes upon his death were to be buried here and for his village to make an annual charity donation to feed Toledo’s poor. Finally, more than two centuries later, the people of Orgaz said, “Enough!” and stopped the payments. The last of the money was spent to pay El Greco for this painting.
This small museum, built near the site of El Greco’s house, gives a look at the genius of his art and Toledo in his day. Its small collection of paintings is accompanied by interactive touch screens and videos.
A comfy little theater shows a fine 10-minute video on both the life of the artist and the story of this museum. You then proceed through halls that show the evolution of El Greco’s art. While there aren’t many great El Grecos here, you’ll see a hall lined with his Twelve Apostles, San Bernardino of Siena (in a chapel), and the highlight of the museum—the View and Plan of Toledo. El Greco’s panoramic map shows the city in 1614. Study the actual map and list of sights. It was commissioned to promote the city (suddenly a former capital) after the king moved to Madrid.
Cost and Hours: €3, €5 combo-ticket with Sinagoga del Tránsito, free Sat afternoon from 14:00 and all day Sun; open Tue-Sat 9:30-19:30, Nov-Feb until 18:00, Sun 10:00-15:00, closed Mon; next to Sinagoga del Tránsito on Calle Samuel Leví, tel. 925-223-665.
Built in 1361, this is the best surviving slice of Toledo’s Jewish past. Serving as Spain’s national Jewish museum, it displays Jewish artifacts, including costumes, menorahs, and books. Your visit comes with three parts: the nave, a ground floor exhibition space with a history of Spain’s Jews, and the women’s gallery upstairs, which shows lifestyles and holy rituals among Sephardic Jews. While English sheets in each room explain the collection, to get the most out of the exhibits, rent the audioguide.
Cost and Hours: €3, €5 combo-ticket with El Greco Museum, free Sat afternoon from 14:00 and all day Sun; open Tue-Sat 9:30-19:30 (off-season until 18:00), Sun 10:00-15:00, closed Mon; audioguide-€2 (or download for free from www.audioviator.com—search for “Museo Sefardi”; Wi-Fi on-site); near El Greco Museum on Calle de los Reyes Católicos, tel. 925-223-665.
Visiting the Synagogue: This 14th-century synagogue was built at the peak of Toledo’s enlightened tolerance—constructed for Jews with Christian approval by Muslim craftsmen. Nowhere else in the city does Toledo’s three-culture legacy shine brighter than at this place of worship. But in 1391, just a few decades after it was built, the Church and the Spanish kings began a violent campaign to unite Spain as a Christian nation, forcing Jews and Muslims to convert or leave. In 1492 Ferdinand and Isabel exiled Spain’s remaining Jews, and while a third of them left, others remained and converted to Christianity.
Surveying the synagogue from the back, notice that its interior decor looks more Muslim than Jewish. After Christians reconquered the city in 1085, many Moorish workmen stayed on, beautifying the city with their unique style called Mudejar. The synagogue’s intricate, geometrical carving in stucco—nearly all original, from 1360—features leaves, vines, and flowers; there are no human shapes, which are forbidden by the Torah—like the Quran—as being potential objects of idolatry. In the frieze (running along the upper wall, just below the ceiling), the Arabic-looking script is actually Hebrew, quoting psalms (respected by all “people of the book”—Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike). The balcony was the traditional separate worship area for women.
Move up to the front. Stand close to the holy wall and study the exquisite workmanship (with reminders of all three religions: the coat of arms of the Christian king, Hebrew script, and Muslim decor). Look down. The small rectangular patch of the original floor survived only because the Christian altar table sat there. In the side room and upstairs, scale models of the development of the Jewish quarter and video displays give a picture of Jewish life in medieval Toledo.
Overlooking the gorge and Tajo River, this small, attractive museum—once the home and workshop of the early-20th-century sculptor Victorio Macho—offers a delightful collection of his bold Art Deco-inspired work. The museum’s theater hosts a gimmicky multimedia show called the Toledo Time Capsule, which isn’t worth the extra fee even if it’s pouring down rain.
Cost and Hours: €3, Mon-Fri 10:00-14:00 & 17:00-19:00, closed Sat-Sun, between the two sinagogas at Plaza de Victorio Macho 2, ring doorbell to enter, tel. 925-284-225. Download free audioguide from www.audioviator.com—search for “Victorio Macho” (Wi-Fi on-site).
Visiting the Museum: The house itself is a cool oasis of calm in the city. Your visit comes in four stages: ticket room with theater, courtyard with view, crypt, and museum.
Macho was Spain’s first great modern sculptor. When his left-wing Republican (say that three times) politics made it dangerous for him to stay in Franco’s Spain, he fled to the USSR, then Mexico and Peru, where he met his wife, Zoila. They later returned to Toledo, where they lived and worked until he died in 1966. Zoila eventually gave the house and Macho’s art to the city.
Enjoy the peaceful and expansive view from the terrace. From here it’s clear how the Tajo River served as a formidable moat protecting the city. Imagine trying to attack. The 14th-century bridge (on the right) connected the town with the region’s cigarrales—mansions of wealthy families, whose orchards of figs and apricots dot the hillside even today. To the left (in the river), look for the stubs of 15th-century watermills; directly below is a riverside trail that’s delightful for a stroll or jog.
The door marked Crypta leads to My Brother Marcelo—the touching tomb Macho made for his brother. Eventually he featured his entire family in his art.
A dozen steps above the terrace, you’ll find a single room marked Museo filled with Macho’s art. A pietà is carved expressively in granite. Next to the pietà, several self-portrait sketches show the artist’s genius. The bronze statue is a self-portrait at age 17. In the next section, exquisite pencil-on-paper studies illustrate how a sculptor must understand the body (in this case, Zoila’s body). The sketch of Zoila from behind is entitled Guitar (Spaniards traditionally think of a woman’s body as a guitar). Other statues show the strength of the peoples’ spirit as leftist Republicans stood up to Franco’s fascist forces, and Spain endured its 20th-century bloodbath. The highlight is La Madre (from 1935), Macho’s life-size sculpture of his mother sitting in a chair. It illustrates the sadness and simple wisdom of Spanish mothers who witnessed so much suffering. Upon a granite backdrop, her white marble hands and face speak volumes.
This synagogue-turned-church has Moorish horseshoe arches and wall carvings. It’s a vivid reminder of the religious cultures that shared (and then didn’t share) this city. While it looks like a mosque, it never was one. Built as a Jewish synagogue by Muslim workers around 1200, it became a church in 1492 when Toledo’s Jews were required to convert or leave—hence the mix-and-match name. After being used as horse stables by Napoleonic troops, it was further ruined in the 19th century. Today, it’s an evocative space, beautiful in its simplicity.
Cost and Hours: €2.80, daily 10:00-18:45, until 17:45 in winter, Calle de los Reyes Católicos 4, tel. 925-227-257.
“St. John of the Monarchs” is a grand Franciscan monastery, impressive church, and delightful “Isabeline” cloistered courtyard. The style is late Gothic, contemporaneous with Portugal’s Manueline (c. 1500) and Flamboyant Gothic elsewhere in Europe. It was the intended burial site of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Ferdinand. But after the Moors were expelled in 1492 from Granada, their royal bodies were planted there to show Spain’s commitment to maintaining a Moor-free peninsula.
Cost and Hours: €2.80, daily 10:00-18:45, mid-Oct-March until 17:45, San Juan de los Reyes 2, tel. 925-223-802. After buying your ticket, look up. A skinny monk welcomes you (and reminds us of our mortality).
Visiting the Sight: Before entering and getting your ticket, take in the facade. It is famously festooned with 500-year-old chains. Moors used these to shackle Christians in Granada until 1492. It’s said that the freed Christians brought these chains to the church, making them a symbol of their Catholic faith and a sign of victory. Enter the monastery at the side door.
Even without the royal tombs that would have dominated the space, the glorious chapel gives you a sense of Spain when it was Europe’s superpower. The monastery was built to celebrate the 1476 Battle of Toro, which made Isabel the queen of Castile. Since her husband, Ferdinand, was king of Aragon, this effectively created the Spain we know today. (You could say 1476 is to Spain what 1776 is to the US.) Now united, Spain was able to quickly finish the Reconquista, ridding Iberia of its Moors within the next decade and a half.
Sitting in the chapel, you’re surrounded by propaganda proclaiming the Catholic Monarchs’ greatness. The coat of arms is repeated obsessively. The eagle with the halo disk represents St. John, protector of the royal family. The yoke and arrows are the symbols of Ferdinand and Isabel. The lions remind people of the power of the kingdoms joined together under Ferdinand and Isabel. The coat of arms is complex because of Iberia’s many kingdoms (e.g., a lion for León, and a castle for Castile).
As you leave, look up over the door to see the Franciscan coat of arms—with the five wounds of the Crucifixion (the stigmata—which St. Francis earned through his great faith) flanked by angels with dramatic wings.
Enjoy a walk around the cloister. Notice details of the fine carvings. Everything had meaning in the 15th century. In the corner (opposite the entry), just above eye level, find a small monkey—an insulting symbol of Franciscans—on a toilet reading the Bible upside down. Perhaps a stone carver snuck in a not-too-subtle comment on Franciscan pseudo-intellectualism, with their big libraries and small brains.
Napoleon’s troops are mostly to blame for the destruction of the church, a result of Napoleon’s view that monastic power in Europe was a menace. While Napoleon’s biggest error was to invade Russia, his second-dumbest move was to alienate the Catholic faithful by destroying monasteries such as this one. This strategic mistake eroded popular support from people who might have seen Napoleon as a welcome alternative to the tyranny of kings and the Church.
If you’re tired, skip going upstairs—if not, you can take a simple walk around the top level of the courtyard under a finely renovated Moorish-style ceiling.
When you’re finished with the sights at the Santo Tomé end of town, you can hike all the way back (not fun)—or simply catch bus #12 (fun!) back to Plaza de Zocodover. The ride offers tired sightseers a quick, interesting 15-minute look at the town walls. You can catch the bus from Plaza del Conde in front of Santo Tomé. This is the end of the line, so buses wait to depart from here twice hourly (at :25 and :55, until 21:25, pay driver €1.40). You can also catch the same bus across the street from the San Juan de los Reyes ticket entrance (at :28 and :58). Here’s what you’ll see on your way if you catch it from Santo Tomé:
Leaving Santo Tomé, you’ll first ride through Toledo’s Jewish section. On the right, you’ll pass the El Greco Museum, Sinagoga del Tránsito, and Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca, followed by—on your left—the ornate Flamboyant Gothic facade of San Juan de los Reyes Monasterio. After squeezing through the 16th-century city gate, the bus follows along the outside of the mighty 10th-century wall. (Toledo was never conquered by force...only by siege.)
Just past the big escalator (which brings people from parking lots up into the city) and the Hotel Cardinal, the wall gets fancier, as demonstrated by the little old Bisagra Gate. Soon after, you see the big new Bisagra Gate, the main entry into the old town. While the city walls date from the 10th century, this gate was built as an arch of triumph in the 16th century. The massive coat of arms of Emperor Charles V, with the double eagle, reminded people that he ruled a unified Habsburg empire (successor of ancient Rome), and they were entering the capital of an empire that, in the 1500s, included most of Western Europe and much of America. (We’ll enter the town through this gate in a couple of minutes after a stop at the bus station.)
Just outside the big gate is a well-maintained and shaded park—a picnic-perfect spot and one of Toledo’s few green areas. After a detour to the bus station basement to pick up people coming from Madrid, you swing back around Bisagra Gate. As an example of how things have changed in the last generation, as recently as 1960, all traffic into the city at this point had to pass through this gate’s tiny original entrance.
As you climb back into the old town, you’ll pass the fine 14th-century Moorish Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) on your right. Then comes the modern Palacio de Congresos Miradero convention center on your left, which is artfully incorporated into the more historic cityscape. Within moments you pull into the main square, Plaza de Zocodover. You can do this tour in reverse by riding bus #12 from Plaza de Zocodover to Plaza del Conde (departing at :25 and :55, same price and hours).
Toledo probably sells more souvenirs than any city in Spain. This is the place to buy medieval-looking swords, armor, maces, three-legged stools, lethal-looking letter-openers, and other nouveau antiques. It’s also Spain’s damascene center, where, for centuries, craftspeople have inlaid black steel with gold, silver, and copper wire. Spain’s top bullfighters wouldn’t have their swords made anywhere else.
Knives: At the workshop of English-speaking Mariano Zamorano, you can see swords and knives being made. His family has been putting its seal on handcrafted knives since 1890. Judging by what’s left of Mariano’s hand, his knives are among the sharpest (Mon-Fri 10:00-14:00 & 16:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-14:00—although you may not see work done on weekends, 10 percent discount with this book, behind Ayuntamiento/City Hall at Calle Ciudad 19, tel. 925-222-634, www.marianozamorano.com).
Damascene: You can find artisans all over town pounding gold and silver threads into a steel base to create shiny inlaid plates, decorative wares, and jewelry. The damascene is a real tourist racket, but it’s fun to pop into a shop and see the intricate handiwork in action.
El Martes: Toledo’s colorful outdoor market is a lively scene on Tuesdays at Paseo de Merchan, better known to locals as “La Vega” (9:00-14:00, outside Bisagra Gate near TI).
Madrid day-trippers darken the sunlit cobbles, but few stay to see Toledo’s medieval moonrise. Spend the night. Hotels often have a two-tiered price system, with prices 20 percent higher on Friday and Saturday, and some may require a two-night stay on the weekend. Spring and fall are high season; rooms are scarce and prices go up during the Corpus Christi festival as well (usually late May or early June). Most places have an arrangement with parking lots in town that can save you a few euros; ask when you reserve.
$$ Hotel Toledo Imperial sits efficiently above Plaza de Zocodover and rents 29 business-class rooms that are a solid value (air-con, elevator, Calle Horno de los Bizcochos 5, tel. 925-280-034, www.hoteltoledoimperial.com, reservas@hoteltoledoimperial.com).
$$ Hotel La Conquista de Toledo, a three-star hotel with 33 rooms, gleams with marble. It’s so sleek and slick it almost feels more like a hospital than a hotel (RS%, family rooms, air-con, elevator, near the Alcázar at Juan Labrador 8, tel. 925-210-760, www.hotelconquistadetoledo.com, conquistadetoledo@githoteles.com, Yuki).
$ Hostal Centro rents 28 spacious rooms with sparse, well-worn furniture and a ramshackle feel. It’s wonderfully central, with a third of its rooms overlooking the main square. Request a quiet room on the back side to minimize night noise. Book through email or by phone for best price (RS%, 50 yards off Plaza de Zocodover—take the first right off Calle del Comercio to Calle Nueva 13, tel. 925-257-091, www.hostalcentro.net, hostalcentro@telefonica.net, warmly run by Asun and David).
$$ Hacienda del Cardenal, a 17th-century cardinal’s palace built into Toledo’s wall, is quiet and elegant, with a cool garden, a less-than-helpful staff, and a stuffy restaurant. This poor man’s parador, at the dusty old gate of Toledo, is close to the station, but below all the old-town action (enter through town wall 100 yards below Bisagra Gate, Paseo de Recaredo 24, tel. 925-224-900, www.haciendadelcardenal.com, hotel@haciendadelcardenal.com).
$$ Hotel Abad sits at the bottom of the old town’s hill just a block inside the Bisagra Gate and offers 22 clean, rustic rooms with stone walls, wooden rafters, and contemporary furnishings (air-con, elevator, Calle Real del Arrabal 1, tel. 925-283-500, www.hotelabadtoledo.com, reservas@hotelabad.com).
$ Hospedería de los Reyes has 15 colorful and thoughtfully appointed rooms in an attractive, quiet, yellow building 100 yards downhill from Bisagra Gate, outside the wall. They also offer 11 apartments near the gate, with kitchens and living rooms (air-con, street parking nearby, Calle Perala 37, tel. 925-283-667, www.hospederiadelosreyes.com, hospederiadelosreyes@hospederiadelosreyes.com, Alicia and Carolina).
$ El Hostal Puerta Bisagra is in a sprawling old building that is fresh and modern inside. Located just across from Bisagra Gate, it’s convenient for arrivals but a long hike uphill to the action (hop on any bus). Its 38 comfortable rooms are rented at some of the best prices in town (air-con, Calle del Potro 5, tel. 925-285-277, www.puertabisagra.com, elhostal@puertabisagra.com).
$ Hotel Sol, with 15 nicely decorated pastel rooms, is a good value. It’s on a quiet, ugly side street between Bisagra Gate and Plaza de Zocodover (RS%, air-con, pay parking; leave the busy main drag at Hotel Imperial and head 50 yards down the lane to Azacanes 8; tel. 925-213-650, www.hotelyhostalsol.com, info@hotelyhostalsol.com, José Carlos). Their 11-room ¢ Hostal Sol annex across the street is just as comfortable, and a bit cheaper (RS%).
$$ La Posada de Manolo rents 14 furnished rooms across from the downhill corner of the cathedral. Manolo Junior opened this hostal according to his father’s vision: a place with each of its three floors themed differently—Moorish, Jewish, and Christian. Book ahead, as they tend to fill up (RS%, air-con, no elevator, two nice view terraces, Calle Sixto Ramón Parro 8, tel. 925-282-250, www.laposadademanolo.com, toledo@laposadademanolo.com).
$ Hotel Eurico cleverly fits 23 sleek rooms into a medieval building buried deep in the old town. The staff is friendly, and the hotel offers a good value (air-con, Calle Santa Isabel 3, tel. 925-284-178, www.hoteleurico.com, reservas@hoteleurico.com).
$ Hotel Santa Isabel, in a 15th-century building two blocks from the cathedral, has 41 clean, modern, and comfortable rooms and squeaky tile hallways (some view rooms, elevator, scenic roof terrace, pay parking, buried deep in old town—take a taxi instead of the bus, drivers enter from Calle Pozo Amargo, Calle Santa Isabel 24, tel. 925-253-120, www.hotelsantaisabel.net, info@hotelsantaisabel.net).
¢ Albergue Juvenil San Servando youth hostel is lavish but fairly cheap, with 96 beds and small rooms for two or four people (two-bed rooms available, swimming pool, views, cafeteria, good management, located in 10th-century Arab castle of San Servando, 10-minute walk from train station, 15-minute hike from town center, over Puente Viejo outside town, tel. 925-224-554, reservations tel. 925-221-676, alberguesclm@jccm.es, no English spoken).
¢ Oh Oasis Hostel is a fresh, 21-room hostel right around the corner from Plaza de Zocodover, with a pleasant rooftop terrace. Weekends may be noisy because there is no curfew (private double and family rooms available, air-con, elevator, Calle Cadenas 5, tel. 925-227-650, www.hosteloasis.com, toledo@hostelsoasis.com).
$$$ Parador de Toledo, with 79 rooms, is one of Spain’s best-known inns. Its guests enjoy the same Toledo view that El Greco made famous from across the Tajo Gorge (some view rooms, €29 fixed-price meals sans drinks in their fine restaurant overlooking Toledo, 2 windy miles from town at Cerro del Emperador—it may come up as Carretera de Cobisa on GPS systems, tel. 925-221-850, www.parador.es, toledo@parador.es).
A day full of El Greco and the romance of Toledo after dark puts me in the mood for game and other traditional cuisine. Typical Toledo dishes include partridge (perdiz), venison (venado), wild boar (jabalí), roast suckling pig (cochinillo asado), or baby lamb (cordero—similarly roasted after a few weeks of mother’s milk). After dinner, find a mazapán place for dessert. Restaurants generally serve lunch from 13:00 to 16:00 and dinner from 20:00 until very late (Spaniards don’t start dinner until about 21:00).
$$$ Los Cuatro Tiempos Restaurante (“The Four Seasons”) specializes in local game and roasts, proficiently served in a tasteful and elegant setting. They offer spacious dining with an extensive and inviting Spanish wine list. It’s a good choice for a quiet, romantic dinner, and a good value for a midday meal (Mon-Sat 13:00-16:00 & 20:30-23:00, Sun 13:00-16:00 only, at downhill corner of cathedral, Calle Sixto Ramón Parro 5, tel. 925-223-782, www.restauranteloscuatrotiempos.es).
$$$ Colección Catedral is the wine bar of local chef Adolfo, who, with his brother Carlos, cooks up a somewhat-pricey but always top-notch list of gourmet plates, including some traditional local dishes like carcamusas (pork and seasonal vegetables, sort of a Spanish chili). Some dishes can be modified to suit vegetarians and vegans. A €15 three-course meal, wine included, is a tasty value. Sit next to the kitchen to be near the creative action. If the Starship Enterprise had a Spanish wine-and-tapas bar on its holodeck, this would be it. Pick up a bottle of wine to take home or drink it there for €3-8 more than the shop price (daily 12:00-23:30, across from cathedral at Calle Nuncio Viejo 1, tel. 925-224-244, Victoria takes good care of diners).
$$$ El Botero Taberna is a delightful little hideaway. The barman downstairs, who looks like a young Pavarotti, serves mojitos, fine wine, and exquisite tapas. Upstairs, there’s an intimate, seven-table restaurant with romantic, white-tablecloth ambience and modern Mediterranean dishes (lunch only Sun-Tue, lunch and dinner Wed-Sat, a block below cathedral at Calle de la Ciudad 5, tel. 925-229-088, www.tabernaelbotero.com).
These places are listed in geographical order from Plaza de Zocodover to Santo Tomé. Plaza de Zocodover is busy with eateries serving edible food at affordable prices, and its people-watching scene is great. But my recommended eateries are just a bit off the main drag on side streets. It’s worth a few extra minutes—and the navigating challenge—to find places where you’ll be eating with locals as well as tourists. There is a lively midday tapas scene in Toledo, and almost every bar you pop into for a stand-up drink will come with a small plate of something to nibble.
To dine with younger Spaniards, drop into $$ El Trébol, tucked peacefully away just a short block off Plaza de Zocodover. Their mixed grill can feed two. Locals enjoy their pulgas (sandwiches). The seating inside is basic, but the outdoor tables are nice (daily 9:00-24:00, Calle de Santa Fe 1, tel. 925-281-297).
$$ Restaurante Ludeña is a classic eatery with a bar, a well-worn dining room in back, and a handful of tables on a sunny courtyard. It’s very central; locals duck in here to pretend there’s no tourism in Toledo (Plaza de la Magdalena 10, tel. 925-223-384).
$$ Madre Tierra Restaurante Vegetariano is Toledo’s answer to a vegetarian’s prayer. Bright, spacious, classy, air-conditioned, and tuned in to the healthy eater’s needs, its appetizing dishes are based on both international and traditional Spanish cuisine (good tea selection, great veggie pizzas, closed Mon night and all day Tue, 20 yards below La Posada de Manolo just before reaching Plaza de San Justo, Bajada de le Tripería 2, tel. 925-223-571).
$$ Restaurante Placido, run by high-energy Anna and abuela (grandma) Sagradio, serves traditional family-style cuisine on a shady terrace or in a wonderful Franciscan monastery courtyard (open daily for lunch and dinner in summer, lunch only in winter, about a block uphill from Santo Tomé at Calle Santo Tomé 2, tel. 925-222-603).
$$ Taberna La Flor de la Esquina is a local bar with a simple basement dining room and wonderful seating on a leafy square under a towering Jesuit church facade. Rustic and part of a fun neighborhood scene, this place is best when you want to eat outside on a square (lunch specials, basic raciones, open daily, Plaza Juan de Mariana 2, tel. 925-253-801).
$$ Mercado San Agustín is part of a trend to create a space for several different eateries in one place. It’s a good place if you need a modern break in this medieval city. You can choose between gourmet cheeses, organic hamburgers, Spanish tapas, Japanese cuisine, coffee, and sweet delights. Explore the five levels before deciding, then find a table on any of the levels to dig in, or go to the top-floor terrace for a cocktail (Tue-Sun 10:00-24:00, closed Mon, at Calle Cuesta de Águila 1 right off of Plaza San Agustín, tel. 925-215-898, www.mercadodesanagustin.com).
Picnics: Picnics are best assembled at the city market, Mercado Municipal, on Plaza Mayor (on the Alcázar side of cathedral, with a supermarket inside open Mon-Sat 9:00-15:00 & 17:00-20:00 and stalls open mostly in the mornings until 14:00, closed Sun). Supermarket Suma, on Plaza de la Magdalena, has groceries and lots of other stuff at good prices (Mon-Sat 9:50-15:00 & 16:00-22:00, shorter hours on Sun, just below Plaza de Zocodover). For a picnic with people-watching on an atmospheric square, consider Plaza de Zocodover or Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Toledo’s famous almond-fruity-sweet mazapán is sold all over town. The nuns living in Toledo’s convents used to be the main provider of this delight, but their numbers are dwindling. If you can’t find a convent still selling sweets in the labyrinth of Holy Toledo, visit El Café de las Monjas, a pastry and coffee shop around the corner from the Santo Tomé church that brings in mazapán from local convents (daily 9:00-21:00, Calle Santo Tomé 2).
The big mazapán producer is Santo Tomé (several outlets, including a handy one on Plaza de Zocodover and on Calle Santo Tomé 3, daily 9:00-22:00). Browse their tempting window displays. They sell mazapán goodies individually (sin relleno—without filling—is for purists, de piñon has pine nuts, imperiales is with almonds, others have fruit fillings). Boxes are good for gifts, but sampling is much cheaper when buying just a few pieces. Their Toledana is a nutty, crumbly, not-too-sweet cookie with a subtle thread of squash filling.
For a sweet and romantic evening moment, pick up a few pastries and head down to the cathedral. Sit on the Plaza del Ayuntamiento’s benches (or stretch out on the stone wall to the right of the TI). A fountain is on your right, Spain’s best-looking City Hall is behind you, and there before you is her top cathedral—built back when Toledo was Spain’s capital—shining brightly against the black night sky.
While the AVE bullet train makes the trip to Madrid in half the time, buses depart twice as frequently. Three or four people traveling together can share a taxi economically. Whichever way you travel, Madrid and Toledo are very easily connected.
By Bus: 2/hour, 1-1.5 hours, directo is faster than ruta, bus drops you at Madrid’s Plaza Elíptica Metro stop, 1/day direct morning bus to Madrid’s Barajas Airport Terminal 4, 1.5 hours, Alsa bus company, tel. 902-422-242, www.alsa.es; you can almost always just drop in and buy a ticket minutes before departure.
By Train: Nearly hourly, 30 minutes by AVE or Avant to Madrid’s Atocha station, tel. 902-240-202, www.renfe.com; early and late trains can sell out—reserve ahead.
By Taxi: While it may seem extravagant, if you have limited time, lots of luggage, and a small group, simply taking a taxi from your Toledo hotel to your Madrid hotel is breathtakingly efficient (€90, one hour door-to-door, tel. 925-255-050 or 925-227-070). You can ask several cabbies for their best “off the meter” rate. A taxi to the Madrid airport costs €110 (find one who will go “off the meter”) and takes an hour.
To get to Granada, Sevilla, and elsewhere in Spain from Toledo, assume you’ll have to transfer in Madrid. See “Madrid Connections” at the end of that chapter for information on reaching various destinations.
Granada to Toledo (250 miles, 3.5 hours): The Granada-Toledo drive is long, hot, and boring. Start early to minimize the heat and make the best time you can. Follow signs for Madrid/Jaén/A-44 into what some call “the Spanish Nebraska”—La Mancha (see next section). After Puerto Lapice, you’ll see the Toledo exit.
Toledo to Madrid (40 miles, 1 hour): It’s a speedy autovía north, past one last billboard to Madrid (on A-42). Expect to pay €9 in tolls (in cash in lanes labeled “vias manuales” or by credit or debit card in lanes labeled “vias automáticas”). The highways converge into M-30, which encircles Madrid. Follow it to the left (Nor or Oeste) and take the Plaza de España exit to get back to Gran Vía. If you’re airport-bound, keep heading into Madrid until you see the airplane symbol (N-II).
To drive to Atocha station in Madrid, take the exit off M-30 for Plaza de Legazpi, then take Delicias (second on your right off the square). Parking for rental-car return is on the north side of the train station.
La Mancha, which is worth a visit if you’re driving between Toledo and Granada, shows a side of Spain that you’ll see nowhere else—vast and flat. Named for the Arabic word for “parched earth,” it makes you feel small—lost in rough seas of olive-green polka dots. Random buildings look like houses and hotels hurled off some heavenly Monopoly board.
This is the setting of Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, published in the early 17th century, after England sank the Armada and the Spanish Empire began its decline. Cervantes’ star character fights doggedly for good, for justice, and against the fall of Spain and its traditional old-regime ideals. Ignoring reality, Don Quixote is a hero fighting a hopeless battle. Stark La Mancha is the perfect stage.
The epitome of Don Quixote country, the town of Consuegra (TI tel. 925-475-731, www.aytoconsuegra.es) must be the La Mancha Cervantes had in mind. Drive up to the ruined 12th-century castle and joust with a windmill. It’s hot and buggy here, but the powerful view overlooking the village, with its sun-bleached light-red roofs, modern concrete reality, and harsh, windy silence, makes for a profound picnic (a one-hour drive south of Toledo). The castle belonged to the Knights of St. John (12th and 13th centuries) and is associated with their trip to Jerusalem during the Crusades. Originally built from the ruins of a nearby Roman circus, it has been recently restored (€4, includes windmill and archaeological museum in town). Sorry, the windmills are post-Cervantes, only 200 to 300 years old—but you can go inside the Molino de Bolero to see how it works (€2, included with €4 castle entry, Mon-Fri 10:00-13:30 & 16:30-18:30, Sat-Sun from 10:30, shorter hours in winter). If your heart is set on fighting the windmills like Don Quixote—and you don’t have a car—you can hire a taxi to drive you here from Toledo for about €95 (includes round-trip travel and an hour stop).
The next castle north (above Almonacid, 8 miles from Toledo) is free. Follow the ruined lane past the ruined church up to the ruined castle. The jovial locals hike up with kids and kites.