More than two millennia of history guarantee the heritage of this city, the former capital of Spain and which has developed on the north bank of the Tagus River. We do not fit all the attractions of the old Toletum in this post, but the most popular places and activities that will leave a great taste in your mouth.
Get to know the most mysterious Toledo by the hand of Paseos Toledo Magico
We begin this review of the attractions of the city of Toledo by recommending the guided tours of Paseos Toledo Magico, a tourist agency based in a 10th century Muslim cave and made up of journalists, historians and philosophers who know the city deeply.
Among the activities that you can book, highlight those that will show you the most mysterious and magical Toledo. In addition, some of these routes are carried out at night, dramatized and in the heart of the town, a place that at one time was the cradle of witches, necromancers, mystics and heretics.
Paseos Toledo Magico has collected many of those legends that you can meet on any of its routes through Toledo. In addition, you can contract the services from Monday to Sunday.
The bridges over the Tagus river
We leave the world of mystery to focus now on the architectural heritage of the city. And two representative places where you will take many photos are the Alcantara Bridge, to the east of the city, and the San Martin Bridge, to the west, almost on the outskirts.
As for the Alcantara Bridge (in front of the door of the same name), visiting it will allow you to have beautiful views of the city and the Tagus river itself. It is important to note that this bridge has its origins in Roman times, although most of the current construction is from the Middle Ages.
Although the Tagus has some other bridges as it passes through Toledo, the second most important is that of San Martin, the longest and built in the 14th century, the time when Toledo was the capital of Castile. As a curiosity, on the north side of the bridge is Fly Toledo, the company that has installed a zip line (the longest in Spain in urban space) to cross the river at full speed.
The doors of Toledo
Thanks to the good work of the town hall, council and other public bodies, Toledo preserves a large part of its old wall, which surrounds what is called “el casco”. To enter it there are several historical doors, among which two stand out.
One is the great Puerta de la Bisagra, which looks like a castle and even has a parade ground. It is the one you will find to the north of the town. The other one that you also have to visit is the Puerta del Cambrón, to the west, recently rehabilitated and near the San Martin Bridge.
The Jewish Quarter and its attractions
The Puerta del Cambron is precisely one of the entrances to the Jewish Quarter of Toledo, which has many attractions. Two of them are the Synagogues of El Transito and Santa Maria la Blanca. The first from the 14th century, and the second from the 12th century, an authentic patrimonial jewel.
Tell you that in front of the Transito Synagogue is the Museo del Greco, recently renovated. And in the direction of the Puerta del Cambron, at the end of the popular and commercial street of Santo Tome, is the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes.
The museums of Toledo
In addition to the aforementioned Museo del Greco, in Toledo there are many more and of great historical value. In the downtown area of ​​the town, surrounding the Toledo University Campus, is the Museum of the Councils of Toledo and Visigothic Culture. It is located in the Church of San Roman and in it you can get to know Toledo from the 5th and 8th centuries, a period in which the city was the capital of the so-called Regnum Hispanae by the Visigoths.
Not far away, another very interesting museum is the Permanent Exhibition of the Templars and other military orders, where all kinds of accessories such as uniforms, armor and weapons used by the different military entities that had headquarters in Toledo are preserved.
Another museum also of interest is the one that houses the Alcazar: the Army Museum. This great building also has one of the most important libraries in Spain and is worth a visit.
The temples of Toledo
Of course, the most outstanding is La Primada or Toledo Cathedral, a Spanish Gothic jewel that also has a museum.
In any case, one should not miss other temples such as the Church of the Jesuits or of San Idelfonso, of great size and built between the 17th and 18th centuries in a magnificent Baroque style. Not far away, we also recommend you visit the Church of Santo Tome, which has a painting by El Greco inside.
The last of the churches that deserve a visit is the Parish of Santiago el Mayor, very close to the Puerta de la Bisagra. The temple stands out for its large tower and bell tower and its Moorish design. In addition, it is one of the oldest in the city: built in the 13th century.
The Mosque of Light and the Puerta del Sol
Toledo is called “City of the Three Cultures“, an achievement that it shares with Cordoba. Both cities, between the 12th and 13th centuries (especially under the reign of Alfonso X El Sabio), managed to make the three monotheistic Abrahamic cultures coexist in relative harmony. In the case of Muslim culture, one of the vestiges that has survived is the Mosque of Light, built more or less at the end of the 10th century, which makes it the oldest temple in the city. To this day, half of the temple is a mosque, and the other half a church.
In addition, with the ticket, you will also have access to the patio and garden in front of the mosque and, very important, to the Puerta del Sol, of medieval origin and with magnificent views of the city.
The Roman Toledo
We already said it before: Toledo is a very old city, and it was an important population for the Romans. Many remains remain from his stay, some of them very well preserved such as Las Cuevas de Hercules or the Roman Baths.
As for the Caves, you will discover that in addition to being deposits that the Romans built in the upper part of the city to collect the water that came through the aqueduct, it is a place with all kinds of legends. In fact, Paseos Toledo Magico has a route that uses the Caves as the protagonist.
The Baths are not very far, about a hundred meters and are well preserved. In addition, in both cases the entrance is free.
Although there are more Roman remains, the last one that we want to recommend is outside the Casco. It is the Roman Circus of Toledo, with an entrance on Av. de la Reconquista and of great size. Its construction took place in the first century AD, although later civilizations used the stone from this large space to build other buildings. In any case, you can imagine its large dimensions and it is publicly accessible.
The Viewpoints
The fact that the city of Toledo has been developed on a promontory has the disadvantage of having to climb many slopes, and the advantage of obtaining magnificent views from various viewpoints.
One of the most impressive is the Miradero (image above), a large garden square with a terrace to the northeast of the town from where you can get wonderful views while having a drink.
Another very popular viewpoint is the Alcazar, also located in a square and with a terrace to sit down and in this case have good views of the east bank of the Tagus and the Infantry Academy.
But if you want to have a total panoramic view of Toledo, then you will have to leave the town through the Puerta de la Bisagra and turn right until you reach the Ermita del Valle where there is a viewpoint. And if you are still looking for a view of the city from a higher altitude, you can climb the Piedra del Rey Moro to get the views that appear in the image above.
Shopping in Toledo
We finish this guide on what to do and see in Toledo, with a couple of recommendations to take you a good memory of the city in the form of marzipan, sword or fan. The two most commercial streets are Comercio (which the Toledans call “Calle Ancha”) and Santo Tome, in the Jewish quarter. The number of stores is quite large so you will have the opportunity to compare prices and products.
