Things To Do in Toledo

Once you’ve made it up the hill to the old city, Toledo is easy to get around on foot, though you’re bound to get lost in its medieval alleyways at some stage. There are so many interesting things to see that, unless you’re staying several days, it doesn’t make sense to try to do everything. Better to pick a handful of gems and go deeper. If you’re interested in the city’s religious heritage, the pulsera turística—a wristband giving access to seven historic sites for 14€ (www.toledomonumental.com)—offers savings of 50%. But note that it doesn’t include the cathedral, and if your time is limited you may struggle to get around enough sites to make it pay off. For most, it will be more enjoyable not to tie yourself to a tight agenda.

To get your bearings, consider taking an entertaining 2-hour tour in English with FollowMe Toledo (tel. 67-079-61-24). Book your slot online and meet your guide, who’ll be carrying a blue umbrella, in Plaza de Zocodover.  You can then go back and explore in more detail the sights that most interest you. Although there’s no charge, most people tip around 10€-15€ for the 90-minute tour.

While Christian art and architecture dominate Toledo, there are many opportunities to explore the other cultures upon which the city is built. Dating from the 12th century, the Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca, Calle Reyes Católicos, 4 (tel. 92-522-72-57; 4€; daily 10am–5:45pm, until 6:45pm in summer), is believed to be the oldest synagogue in Europe. Its horseshoe arches and intricate moldings echo Córdoba’s Mezquita.

Like the synagogue, the mosque of Cristo de la Luz, Calle Cristo de la Luz, 22 (toledomonumental.com; 📞 92-525-41-91; 4€; daily 10am–5:45pm, until 6:45pm in summer), received a name change after the Christian reconquest. Legend claims that a shaft of light (luz) guided King Alfonso XII to a crucifix hidden since Visigoth times in the mosque’s walls.

The Museo de la Cultura Visigoda, Calle de San Román s/n (cultura.castillalamancha.es; 📞 92-522-78-72; 2€; Tues–Sat 10am–2pm and 4–6pm, Sun 9am–3pm), exhibits Visigoth artifacts from the 6th to 8th centuries in the beautiful 13th-century church of San Román, itself a mishmash of Roman, Muslim, and Christian design.

The small Taller del Moro museum, Calle Taller del Moro (cultura.castillalamancha.es; 📞 92-578-82-70; 2€; Tues–Sat 10am–2pm and 4–6pm, Sun 9am–3pm), in a beautifully restored 14th-century palace, focuses on Mudéjar craftsmanship, while the Museo Sefardí tells the story of the Jews on the Iberian peninsula. You’ll hear plenty of talk about how Christianity, Judaism, and Islam lived in harmony in Toledo. Sadly, the historical facts suggest otherwise.

While wandering through the heart of old Toledo is delightful, you mustn’t miss the extraordinary view of the city from afar. It still looks much as it did when El Greco painted it at the beginning of the 17th century. If you don’t have a car, hop aboard the motorized tourist train that runs every half hour from Cuesta de Carlos V next to the Alcázar. It makes a circular loop of the city, passing the ancient Alcántara and San Martín bridges, and stops at Mirador del Valle de Toledo, the perfect spot for El Greco style photographs. The tour, including a headphone audio guide, costs 9€ for adults and 6€ for children and lasts around 45 minutes. If you have a car, take the Carretera de Circunvalación, the road that runs 3km (1 3/4 miles) on the far bank of the Río Tajo. This road makes a circular loop of the river from the Alcántara to the San Martín Bridge. Clinging to the hillsides are farmsteads (cigarrales) with rustic dwellings and extensive olive groves. The cigarrales of the Imperial City were immortalized by Tirso de Molina, the 17th-century dramatist, in his trilogy Los Cigarrales de Toledo.

If Toledo has a downside, it’s the tacky souvenir shops. From the time of the Crusades, the swordsmiths of Toledo have been renowned for their high-quality blades, but the tourist versions for sale today are almost all factory-made and the city’s traditional sword-making industry is all but extinct. Artesanía Morales (Plaza de Conde 3; tel. 92-522-35-86) is the exception. It is determined to keep the tradition alive, and at the family workshop you can sometimes see artisans heating steel bars red-hot on a bed of charcoal, then stretching and shaping them into blades. Artesanía Morales, Plaza de Conde, 3 (artesaniamorales.com; 📞 92-522-35-86), produces culinary "swords"—high quality kitchen knives and can ship them to your home.

Toledo was equally renowned for its damasquinado, or damascene work: the Moorish art of inlaying gold, copper, or silver threads against a matte black-steel backdrop. Today Toledo is filled with souvenir shops hawking damascene, much of it inferior machine-made work that can still serve as a cheap souvenir. But you can find fine handmade damascene jewelry at Damasquinados Suárez (Circo Romano 8 (tel. 92-528-00-27).

Marzipan (called mazapán locally) is a Toledo specialty and boxes of the sugary sweets in all shapes and sizes are widely available across the old town. It’s fun to buy from local nuns but the best and most affordable sweets are sold by Santo Tomé.

The province of Toledo is also renowned for its pottery, which is sold in so many shops at competitive prices that it’s not necessary to single any out. Over the years we’ve found that the large roadside emporiums on the outskirts of town on the main road to Madrid offer better bargains than shops within the city walls.

A Shopping Trip to Talavera de la Reina

Want to delve deeper into the Spanish ceramic tradition? Consider a trip to Talavera de la Reina, 80km (50 miles) west of Toledo, where the finest pottery and tiles have been produced for centuries. The blue-and-white azulejos on the walls of the royal apartments at the Escorial and at many other royal palaces were made in Talavera.

A ceramics-laden facade in Talavera de la Raina (Vali.Lung / Shutterstock)

This is Toledo province’s second city, so don’t expect a quaint potter’s village. Many factories are on or around the main strip, Avenida de Portugal, where store after store sells the distinctive multi-colored designs. Artesanía Talaverana, Avenida de Portugal, 32 (tel. 92-580-29-09), is among the most picturesque.

You’ll see tiled panels at every turn, including on the city’s churches. The Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Prado, Av. Extremadura (tel/ 92-580-14-45), is nicknamed the ceramic Sistine Chapel.

You can learn more about the history of Talavera’s ceramic craft going back to the 16th century, and admire many beautiful examples, at Museo Ruiz de Luna, Calle San Agustín, 13 (tel. 92-580-01-49; 3€ adults, free for seniors and students; Tues–Sat 10am–2pm and 4pm–6pm, Sun 9:30am–2:30pm).