Etraveller Times

All about travelling

Toledo – 1 Day Itinerary – Monasteries, Synagogues, Cathedral and Fortress

This is my 1 day itinerary for Toledo with all the must-dos and tips on how to maximise your visit to this historic city. The city was declared as a world Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive monumental and cultural heritage and this is no surprise as Toledo used to be the old capital. Being such a historic city, Toledo offers its visitors a unique perspective of how old Spain would have looked like. 

Getting to Toledo from Madrid

Toledo is just a mere 33 minutes train ride away from Madrid and makes for a perfect day trip. The train leaves Madrid Atocha railway station. The tickets are not expensive. We paid around 26 € each for our return tickets.

Madrid Atocha Railway Station

 

Mini forest in Madrid Atocha Railway Station

Tip: While it may be tempting to book a later train back to Madrid to maximise your visit, my advice is to book the train leaving at around 6 to 7 in the evening instead of anything later. The reason here being that the attractions here close rather early and you may find yourself just waiting at the train station.

We got the 9.20am train out from Madrid and the 8.25pm train back to Madrid.

While you can book directly with Renfe, there appears to be no difference in train prices if you were to book using an agent. If you face problems booking with Renfe (as I did), you can consider booking with Trainline.

What to see while in Toledo

Mirador del Valle, Toledo

This should be your first port of call when you arrive in Toledo. This lookout gives you a good panoramic view of the city and is a good way to start off your visit.

 

The question then is how. Mirador del Valle is not located near the station nor the city. Even if the distance is humanly possible, the time spent walking could be better spent visiting the city itself.

Alternative transport is therefore required.

One option is to get yourself tickets for tourist buses that include a drop off at the Mirador. For those who are interested, there are vendors at the train station who can assist in this regard.

The other alternative (and what I think is the better alternative) is to just take a cab there. Tell the driver to bring you to the Mirador first before dropping you off at San Martin’s bridge (the start of your visit proper). The taxi fare isn’t prohibitively expensive and is approximately 12 €. This makes sense if you are travelling in a group since you get to average your costs or want to avoid the tourist crowds being offloaded by the bus loads.

 

Puente de San Martín, Toledo

A medieval bridge lying close to most of the attractions on the western side of the town and makes for a good starting point. For those interested, the river is the Tagus which is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula stretching across Spain into Portugal before emptying out into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo

A monastery dating as far back as 1477 and was dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist for use by Franciscan friars. During the Napoleon’s occupation of Toledo, the monastery was badly damaged. The building was abandoned in 1835. The site today is the result of restoration works carried out between 1883 and 1967. The monastery has ornate two-tiered cloisters which offer perfect photo opportunities for those interested. For the historically inclined, the cloisters themselves function like a historical record of changes in architectural design with the lower cloister being more Gothic and the upper cloister reflecting the change in style during the Renaissance.  

Lower cloister

 

Doorway leading into the church. Adorned with the “Veronica”.

 

Panoramic shot of the Church

Entrance Fee: 2.80 €

Tip: The monastery is still a functioning parish with masses being celebrated and there may be certain restrictions on access/photo taking.  If you want to avoid such services, it would be advisable to visit during weekdays.

Tip: There is also a tourist band on sale for 9 €. This band allows you to visit these seven monuments: San Juan de los Reyes, Santo Tomé, Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, Church of El Salvador, Jesuit Church, the Mosque of Cristo de la Luz  and Royal Collegue of Noble Maidens. While I did not purchase the band, consider doing so if you intend to tweak and modify this itinerary to include other sites.

 

Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca, Toledo

This was the former synagogue in Toledo before being converted into church sometime around 1405. Erected in 1180, it is supposedly the oldest European synagogue building  still standing. While a Jewish building, this synagogue was designed by Moorish architects giving it its Almohad architecture characteristics.

Entrance Fee: 2.80 €

Tip: This attraction is one of the attractions covered by the tourist band.

* This synagogue is somewhat underwhelming. If time is a concern, consider dropping this and spending time elsewhere.

 

Sinagoga del Tránsito, Toledo

A historic site in Toledo that I feel is much better than the Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca. So if you are rushing for time, skip Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca and visit this instead.

Look out for its rich stucco decoration:

Looks like tapestry, right?

Entrance Fee: 3 €, free after 2pm on Saturday.

Museo del Greco, Toledo

A museum showcasing works by master painter El Greco as well as 16th-17th century Spanish artworks.

Entrance Fee: 3 €, free after 2pm on Saturday.

Tip: If you are not an art fanatic, you can probably skip this and not miss out at all. There are El Greco pieces on display in the Cathedral which you will in all likelihood visit later.

 

Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo

The must visit attraction while in Toledo. The visit comes with a free audio guide. While it may feel tempting to listen to it as much as you can and so get all those interesting bits of trivia regarding the Cathedral, I suggest to listen selectively as those audio clips can be time consuming. Focus on the major items or things you are interested in. This is crucial as spending too much time here WILL eat into your visit to the Alcazar later.

 

Be sure to prick your ears up when the audio guide explains about the Giant Saint. Interesting tale to know.

 

High altar

 

Impressive, eh?

 

As promised, some works by El Greco can be viewed here.

 

The Choir

 

Chapel of San Blas – Amazing wall painting

Entrance Fee: 10 €, 12 € (inclusive of tower visit)

Alcázar de Toledo / Military Museum, Toledo

This is another iconic building in Toledo and is a stone fortification located at the highest part of the town. It was once an operating fortress that witnessed an actual siege as recent as 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

The fortress is rich in history and is supposedly part of Spanish Nationalist lore. The Republicans had taken the garrison commander’s son as hostage and demanded that the Alcázar be surrendered. The son informed his father that his life was at risk if the fortress was not surrendered. His father was said to have replied, “Then commend your soul to God, shout ‘Viva Cristo Rey’ and die like a hero”.

Note: The attraction closes at 5pm and starts emptying visitors at around 4.40pm. We were advised that it would take up to 2.5 hours to go through the exhibits and the 25 minutes we had were too short. So plan ahead and have a quick lunch or snack if you are running short of time.

Puente de Alcántara, Toledo

Once done proceed towards the last attraction of the day – Puente de Alcántara. 

This bridge offers the perfect conclusion to this day trip as it gives its visitors one last view of the Alcazar. There are a couple of lookout points around that offer different angles of the Alcazar and the bridge. So, if time permitting, do try out these few spots for that one perfect photo.

**It is advisable to do this itinerary in the order as suggested above. While it is possible to do it in reverse, be prepared for a moderate climb uphill. 

 

%d bloggers like this: