Toledo, Beautiful Spanish History Awaits
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If there is one city that you should visit in Spain it should be Toledo.
I know, I know, there are many beautiful cities in Spain and we are not experts on the country, but our tip of the day is to go to Toledo.
Go to Toledo!!
We have been to many cities throughout the world and none have had quite the historical beauty as Toledo. It is our pick as the must see town in all of Spain. (so far) Around every corner a photograph is waiting to be taken.
Set in the post card perfect land of Castillo La Mancha, Toledo is a small city located just south of Madrid.
We followed our GPS’s directions to the tourist information centre in the heart of the old city and held our breath while driving through tiny alleyways and narrow streets. The centuries old city stands proudly on the top of a hill overlooking the Tajo River.
Don Quijote was here!!
Deep in the heart of the fabled land of Don Quixote it is a town that conjures up images of fairy tales and legends.
We are traveling just before the high season in Europe and it couldn’t be more pleasant. We can imagine how busy this town will be in two weeks time but for now only a few early travelers are strolling the streets.
The streets are small and confusing!
Few Tourists early in the season
We all enjoy a mutual laugh and understanding as we meet each other in back alleyways or open squares. All tourists (ourselves includes) have our heads buried in our maps wandering the many pathways that lead to the many monuments. Getting lost in Toledo is part of the enchantment. You never know what you will see.
The Cathedral!!
The highlight building according to the guidebooks is The Catedral in the centre of town. We agree it is beautiful. But by far the most impressive building is the Monestarie de S. Juan de los Reyes. It is a magnificent church that you can see from across the river. We highly recommend checking it out at night. It can be seen from several vantage points within the city too. You will catch glimpses of its spires as you walk through the historical alleyways.
The Monestarie de S. Juan de los Reyesis most impressive at night!
The sites are numerous in Toledo.
There is Casa Musea de El Greco which was unfortunately closed for renovation while we were there. But to think that we are in the land of El Greco is exciting. The Iglesia de Santo Tome houses the masterpiece El Entierro del Conde deo Orgaz by the artist.
This unassuming church houses a masterpiece!!
You definitely need two days to enjoy this town and luckily for us there is a terrific campsite just outside of town. The El Grecco Campsite is only a few short km away with regular bus service to the city. Located on the river, it is 23 Euro a night, it is quiet, clean and it has a swimming pool and restaurant.
The city of Toledo!
We drove to the parking lot at the North End of town instead of taking the bus. Located at Puerta de Alfonsa VI you can park for a reasonable price and take the Escalareas Mencanicas up to the city. Toledo is located on a high steep hill and the walk up can be intimidating, but never fear you can take these escalators right to the top and not raise your heart rate one single beat!
Stop for some Tapas at one of the may cafes
Besides the many historical sites and attractions, Toledo is filled with tapas bars, restaurants and the odd nightclub. It has some great shopping and souvenir shops. We kicked ourselves for waiting too long to buy a Kights of the Templar figurine. The shop closed and we missed our opportunity.
C’est la Vie
Toledo, Spain. A city you don't want to miss!
If you happen to make it to Spain Toledo is the city to see. You can catch a bus or train from Madrid and spend the day or you can spend a few days soaking up the atmosphere. There is a university located just across the river from the old city. The young hip students bring an energy to the old buildings melding the old and the new beautifully together in the 21st century.
To read more about Spain’s cities check out our other blog posts
- The Works of Gaudi in Barcelona
- Ola Spain, We Have Arrived in Barcelona
- Costa Blanca, Spain’s Sunny South
- Cuenca and the Casas Colgadas
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Sounds fantastic! It’s added to my ever growing ‘must visit’ list!
.-= Alison´s last blog ..Win Your Favourite Travel Photo as Art! =-.
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Looks absolutely stunning! Your Spain travels have me itching to make it over there! That shot of the tapas in the plaza makes me just want to plop down and watch the sunset with a coffee
We really need to come back to Spain and give it the time it deserves. This hopping all over France and Spain trip has been great, but we want to spend a couple of months here and really feel the vibe and learn the language. This travel has certainly helped us build a must see list and list of places to come back to!
I love the vibrant colours of this city! Makes me want to pack my bags and camera and go.
.-= Gourmantic´s last blog ..The Real Letters to Juliet: Casa di Giulietta in Verona =-.
Toledo is certainly a very photogenic city. I am glad that it was suggested to us.
Looks like a lovely place and relaxing.
.-= Shawn´s last blog ..A Few Different Dynamics of Travel within Round Two. =-.
You would love Toledo Shawn, we could have stayed there for days relaxing. And with the affordable and convenient campsite, it is easy to do!
Sold…what an incredible place!
Toledo is certainly one of the nicest cities in Spain. Easy to walk through, plenty of good photos to take, and the ride on the high speed train from Madrid is good fun too!
Federico
So great to hear that Toledo is one of the nicest cities in Spain. We didn’t get to explore as much of this vast country as we would have liked, so to know that we went to one of the best places is a bonus.
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We have just been to Toledo last September, we were only there for a day but managed to see most of the city. I agree that it is a must see and really enjoyed our day there, the only thing that disappointed us was the fact that we expected it to be less crowded. What we absolutely loved about the city however, was its history, character and traditional sweets. Eventhough, we are not that into sweets we fell in love with the local toledanas and other goodies we purchased from a small shop.
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