Toledo Spain: 10 Points of Interest

In old Toledo, in the hilly Gothic heart of the city, you can see Don Quixote and Sancho Pancha strutting along the streets into the same buildings you look into today. This is what makes Toledo one of the most interesting places to visit in Spain. There more than enough points of interest here that can engage you for several days.

Man of La Mancha. Source: aesta1

Toledo gives a sense of having been important but it never really was. It was a peripheral city. Perhaps, this and its massive walls and central hill protected it over the centuries so that today, there are remnants of almost every era which draw more visitors to this city which has become an important tourist destination in Spain.

As you walk in the streets, humming Man of La Mancha's The Impossible Dream, you really can feel part of the great ribbon of Spanish history stretching over 2000 years and leaving its reminders at every street corner.

Top Points of Interest in Toledo

It is rather unfair to limit to 10 the points of interest in Toledo as there are so many things to do and explore in this city's winding, narrow streets and squares. So, explore further when you come and visit.

1. Casco Histórico de Toledo
This ancient city of Toledo has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site so wherever you turn, there are many points of interest. We're talking here not just of monuments but things the city does, its food, its traditional crafts, its own unique way of doing things and Toledo has plenty to offer visitors.

The Gothic Centre around the Cathedral and the Alcazar have changed very little since the 13th century with the exception of the shop owners at street level. The city gives a microcosm of Spanish history from the Romans defeating the Celtic tribes to the Visigoths designing Christianity and on to the Berbers (Moors) bringing Islamic rule. The Christians, Jewish and Islamic communities lived comfortably together and the city has tried to keep whatever manifests this.

Historic Centre of Toledo. Source: aesta1

2. Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo
As the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toledo, the Archbishop was there for a huge ceremony when we arrived. It was the last Sunday of Advent so this High Gothic Cathedral was in its splendour.

This Cathedral was constructed in 1226 under the rule of Ferdinand III. However, there was already here an earlier Church consecrated in 587.

As the Episcopal Seat of the Visigoth Christian Church in Spain, it occupied a very important ecclesiastical past. It was also here that Reccared I renounced Arianism in favour of Catholicism.

The Cathedral of Toledo. Source: aesta1

From the Visigoths, the Moors took over and this Cathedral became a Mosque until the city was taken over by Alfonso VI without bloodshed as the Muslims capitulated on condition that their institutions of learning and worship would be respected.

However, at this time, Bernard of Cluny was the bishop of Toledo. With the Queen, the Bishop took advantage of the King being away at one time and sent an army to take over the mosque and immediately installed a provisional altar. The Muslims almost revolted but the King who was so angry immediately ordered that the active participants be punished.

The story tells of how the local Muslims themselves stopped this execution and through their chief negotiator, Abu Walid, asked for the King's mercy and accepted the change. In gratitude, the effigy of Abu Walid was placed on one of the pillars in the main Chapel.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_Cathedral

This Cathedral is massive, 120 meters in length with 5 knaves and 88 richly decorated columns. Its works of art equal that of many museums with Goya, El Greco and other renown artists represented.

Just look up and admire the stained glass windows and the ribbed vaulting and, then, focus on the Choir with its decorations and you've seen the grandest ever in all of Christendom.

The Alcazar of Toledo. Source: aesta1

3. The Alcazar
A Moorish fortress built on an earlier Christian one and even as far back as the Romans, the Alcazar now houses the Army Museum and offices.

The Excavation in the Church of San Salvador. Source: aesta1

4. The Mezquita-Iglesia de El Salvador
Though a Catholic church today, this was originally a Mosque built facing Mecca at around the 9th century. Recent excavations even revealed earlier remains of the Visigoth and Roman periods. Excavations keep exposing new layers of history and a better understanding of Roman engineering.

The Church has displayed well the various layers of excavations and going there is like being part of an archaeological dig.

Sao Tome Church. Source: aesta1

5. Iglesia Santo Tome
This Church built in the 12th century over an 11th century Mosque is right in the old historic centre so you can see the street full of people even if it is the off tourist season.

The bell tower that you can see was originally the minaret of the Mosque. Inside, you can see one of El Greco's works, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.

El Greco Museum. Source: aesta1

6. El Greco Museum
El Greco was a painter and architect of the Spanish Renaissance and though born in Crete, he moved to Toledo in 1577 and lived there till he died in 1614.

El Greco was frequently in trouble with the King and the Church so he found it best to hide his candle in Toledo. His view of life either because of his training or troubled eyesight made his paintings somewhat elongated and not consistent with the expectations of the Church at that time.

The paintings in the Museum are not his best as most of those are either in the Churches who contracted him or in the Prado or other Museums but the paintings of the Apostles are collective work which show his style, the passion he brought to his representations and his distinctiveness.

The house they're shown in is worth a visit even without the paintings.

Catapults and Siege Machines Museum. Source: aesta1

7. Catapult and Siege Weapons Museum
Looking at the walls around the cities in Spain, it's amazing that anyone could defeat those cities and overcome the battlements.

There were four ways to do this: Go over them, with huge siege towers that were pushed up to the walls; go under them by tunnelling; or, starving them out by cutting off food supplies which is slow as cities often keep supplies of food; and finally, the Roman's favourite approach, go through them using catapults of different sizes to smash the walls apart. The museum shows all these methodologies and is a real tribute to Roman engineering.

Artisan in Toledo. Source: aesta1

8. Artisans At Work
Through the Middle Ages, Toledo was famous for its knives and swords and they competed with Damascus for the reputation of the finest weaponry in the world.

Today, knives have become a primary tourist attraction and models of every description are available.

Nuns' Restaurant in Toledo. Source: aesta1

9. Try some of Toledo's famous food
Named the Capital of Gastronomy in 2016, Toledo has unique dishes to offer especially its partridge and lamb. What makes it unique is the use of spices from saffron, to paprika and its locally grown purple garlic, aubergines and olives.

You have to try the local cheese, Manchego and the Marzipan sweets. We bought our Marzipan from the Nuns' store. The Manchego tastes so much better than what we get in North America.

Fun Ride in Toledo. Source: aesta1

10. Enjoy A Ride Around the City
Take this fun ride around the city and I assure you, you'll be smiling all the way.

How to Go to Toledo
Here's Toledo on the map. It is so close to Madrid that once you are in Spain's capital city there are several day trips to Toledo on offer. You can take one of these or you can go to the Madrid train station and get a ticket to Toledo.

We drove from Porto to here and it took us over 5 hours. It was an easy drive and as long as you have your GPS, you can easily find your hotel.

Toledo, Spain Map

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