My favorite places to visit in Toledo

There are nothing but historical and cultural places to visit in Toledo, everywhere you turn in that town there is some significant architectural or historical building. Just to the south of Madrid in the province of Castile-La Mancha it only takes 30 minutes to get there from Atocha station in Madrid. It is one of the places I take visiting friends to for a great day trip from Madrid.  Toledo is a living open air museum.  It is virtually surrounded by the Tagus river much like a mote and is exactly like what you think a medieval city should look like. It has been built upon since the Romans conquered it in 190BC becoming famous as the “city of three cultures.”  It’s a mix of Islamic, Christian, and jewish influences which are clearly still evident to this day.  The three culture have left a distinctive mark on Toledo and makes it a unique place to visit in Spain.

Places to visit in Toledo should start across the river near the Parador to get a beautiful panoramic view of the Toledo before we enter the center of town.  From there you can see the Cathedral, the Alcazar, even the steeple of Santo Tomé and the monastery of San Juan de los Reyes.  Its the only way to see all of Toledo in one spot because once you enter the city walls it becomes a labyrinth of narrow cobble stoned streets over urban hills and valleys.  If you do not have an iPhone, you can expect to get lost once or twice, but then again that is half the fun of Toledo.  Its the kind of place you can easily imagine men in suits of armor on the guard towers so makes a pretty cool place to bring the kids.

Recommendations for places to visit in Toledo: When you visit you should definitely stop by Santo Tomé, famous for housing El Greco’s painting entitled “El entierro del Conde Orgaz” (The burial of Count Orgaz), Although not one of the oldest places to visit in Toledo, Santa Maria la Blanca is just about the oldest synagogue building in Europe. Check out El Tranisto and the Toledo Cathedral (make sure to go into the treasure room) and the monastery of San Juan de los Reyes.  On the south-east side of the city, just below the Alcazar there is a fantastic terrace to have lunch with a beautiful view, I always stop there every time I visit Toledo.

You should plan to take 5 hours to see Toledo round trip.  You can do more if you are really into history but it will make for a long day.

For more detailed information please read my article on visiting Toledo