18 best things to do in Toledo in 2 days, visits and activities

One of the essential visits in the surroundings of Madrid it is without a doubt, Toledo.

It is a city to walk around, and along its squares and narrow streets you will discover monuments of the three great cultures that have historically settled in the city, the Muslim, bean y Christian.

This conjunction of cultures makes Toledo in an architecturally very attractive city, where you can see mosques, synagogues e christian churches, but also great artistic works, such as those of Greco.

Toledo It is an ideal destination for an essential day trip from Madrid, but I will tell you that its great attractions more than justify a two day excursion.

This not only allows us to deepen our knowledge of its important historical heritage, but also enjoy your stay in one of its hotels, gastronomy of its most interesting restaurants, and also have time to buy some of the most typical products.

The best things to see and do in Toledo in 2 days

As a reference, in this article we are going to propose a plan to visit Toledo in two days, highlighting some places that you can visit during your visit to the city.

How to get to Toledo by Avant train from Madrid

Of course both to the province of Toledo like the city, you can get there from Madrid by car to do this excursion, but, without a doubt, the most comfortable way is to do it by Avant train from Atocha station.

With a train frequency every hour, the journey will only take you half an hour and the ticket will cost you 14 euros each way.

To get to the city center, the Zocodover square, you can do it in a urban bus, En a taxi which will cost you about 5 euros, or with a walking tour in which you will cross the bridge of Alcantara and with which it will take you about 20 minutes to arrive.

I tell you that to organize your visit of Toledo in two days, it is advisable to dedicate the first day to getting to know the most notable places in the area. Arrabal neighborhood and the Medina neighborhood, including the cathedral and its interior.

The second day you can focus on the streets and monuments of the famous Toledo Jewish Quarter.

I leave you the articles we have with which we help you with the information to travel to Toledo

• How to go to Toledo by Train, Ave or Bus from Madrid
• Where to park for FREE in Toledo

Plaza de Zocodover, center of life in Toledo

The ideal starting point for your visit will be the aforementioned Zocodover square, where the tourist office is located, and the starting point for the numerous guided tours that take place around the city.

But what does it mean zocodover, a name of undoubted Arabic origin? Its meaning in Arabic is “beast market”, which tells us that in its time it was used as a livestock market.

Later, during the Middle Ages in the Zocodover square Parties were celebrated, such as cucañas, or executions of prisoners also took place.

La Zocodover square in Toledo It was destroyed by a great fire in 1589, but the configuration that we can now see, a rectangular porticoed plaza, is due to a major renovation carried out in 1854.

Now when you arrive at Zocodover you always find a great shopping environment and terraces in this almost completely pedestrian plaza.

From the square the trade street, one of the main pedestrian axes of the city, which will take you to the Town Hall Square and the aforementioned cathedral of Toledo.

Where to sleep in Toledo: Hotel Boutique Adolfo

In this same Zocodover square We are going to recommend a boutique hotel that, due to its location and charm, will allow you to enjoy the best essence of the city of Toledo.

Opened in 2018, the Adolfo Boutique Hotel Belongs to the Network of Hostels of Castilla-La Mancha, and it is a project by the prestigious Toledo restaurateur Adolfo Munoz, owner of the Adolfo restaurants (now under renovation) and The Cigarrales.

This urban hotel has twelve rooms and displays a decoration that preserves the essence of one of the most emblematic buildings in Toledo, where the old Cafe El Español and a tailor shop where military uniforms were made by hand.

From its terrace you have splendid views of the Zocodover square, with a great prominence of the building of the Alcazar.

During your stay in Adolfo Boutique Hotel, you can exclusively taste their own brand wines, Arna payment, made in a vineyard-type winery that has five hectares of vineyards, and where wines are produced with grapes Chirac, Merlot, Tempranillo, Cabernet y Pinot Noir.

Puerta de Bisagra, the best entrance to Toledo

To start your visit to the city, from Zocodover we advise you to go down to the Arrabal neighborhood to see the most important gate of Toledo, the hinged door.

This is where you can walk into the city if you have decided to go by car to Toledo and leave it at the Safont free parking.

Or if you have gone by bus and want to access its interior via the historically most used route to cross the city walls.

It is now known as the new Hinge Door, since there is another older one, not too far away, which is currently called Alfonso VI Gate, since the Castilian king entered through it when he reconquered Toledo at the end of the 11th century.

Of Muslim origin, the hinged door was remodeled in Renaissance style during the sixteenth century.

When you arrive at Bisagra, don't expect to see a simple door in a wall.

It is a large door between two robust towers, behind which a large walled patio opens that leads you to another interior door under two square towers, from where you enter the Arrabal neighborhood of Toledo.

You will be struck by the enormous shield of Charles V located in the main façade of the Puerta de Bisagra.

And yes, it is not the last door that you must flank to reach the center of the city, because as you go up the hill, you will find other much smaller ones, the Puerta del Sol and Door of the Christ of Lights, the latter next to the old mosque of the same name.

Mosque of Cristo de la Luz 

On your walk through this area of ​​the city, this mosque should be an essential visit.

In this place you now find the ancient mosque monument which you access through interpretation Center,

Next to the monument you can also see the remains of an ancient Roman road that have been recently discovered.

Here you have complete information for visit the Cristo de la Luz mosque, next to which some small arabic style gardens.

From there you can access a gazebo that allows you to see the northern area of ​​the city of Toledo, with the Arrabal neighborhood spotlight.

From here, on your walk into the city you will be able to see various monuments, such as the church of San Nicolás de Bari de Moorish style.

Círculo de Arte cultural center, exhibitions and concerts

Through the narrow Alfileritos street you can reach the Saint Vincent Square, where the building of an old church is located, which has now become the Toledo Art Circle.

In this Cultural center where exhibitions and concerts are held, and which also shows a facet as a nightclub and cocktail bar.

Archaeological remains of Roman baths

In the adjacent Plaza de las Tendillas you will have the opportunity to see the archaeological remains of some Roman baths, which were discovered during some works in the 80s.

It has two large rooms that began to be restored in 2003, with the characteristic structure of Roman baths, which date back to the end of the XNUMXst century.

Old Hospital of the Old Nuncio

In the area you can also see the building of the former Hospital of the Old Nuncio, which was occupied between the 12th and 17th centuries.

In his time, the Dr. Gregorio Marañón defended the theory that El Greek He went to that mental hospital to be inspired by their faces when making his paintings.

“The Dream of Toledo” in Puy de Fou Spain

Dedicating two days to your visit to Toledo allows you to enjoy one of the most interesting attractions that you can now see in Spain and which has been a great success with visits since it was inaugurated.

I mean the spectacle of Puy de Fou theme park Spain, whose original headquarters are located in the west of France, in the region of Loire country.

In the recently opened theme park in Toledo, 1.500 years of Spanish history are recreated, with various Shows, the most notable being the nocturnal one called "Toledo's Dream", 80 minutes long and with 200 actors.

Gothic cathedral, the great monument of Toledo

La second day of your visit to Toledo You can start it by knowing its majestic Gothic cathedral, which has the honorific title of primate cathedral of Spain, which reflects its great importance.

Church of the Savior, the oldest in Toledo

Already entering the Jewish quarter of Toledo, you will find the church of El Salvador, which has the oldest minaret tower in Spain.

La church of El Salvador It was previously a mosque built on the remains of a Visigoth temple.

In fact, you can still see Muslim decoration among its stones.

The old mosque was consecrated as a church after the Christian reconquest of Toledo, at the beginning of the 12th century, and is currently the oldest church in the city.

Inside the church there is an archway with horseshoe arches, and one of the pilasters is of Visigothic origin and still preserves a figurative decoration from that time.

“Burial of the Lord of Orgaz” by El Greco

Nearby is another of the essential corners to visit in Toledo.

This is the church of Santo Tomé, next to whose portico you can see one of the great masterpieces of El Greco, the “Burial of the Lord of Orgaz", a painting shown in a truly majestic setting.

Synagogues in Toledo

On this day you will also be able to see other notable monuments of the city, such as the Transit SynagogueWith its Sephardic museum, or the Santa María la Blanca Synagogue.

Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo

On your tour of the Jewish Quarter and its surroundings, an essential visit must be the monastery of San Juan de los Reyes.

Where to eat in Toledo

For your stay in Toledo, we are going to recommend a gastronomic experience that we have had the opportunity to enjoy in the Víctor Sánchez Beato restaurant.

Located in the Hotel Painter El Greco, the restaurant and its chef are ambassadors of the gastronomic seal of Castilla-La Mancha, Culinary Root.

Here you can enjoy the La Mancha cuisineWhich presented in Japanese style with a circular table in front of the kitchen where the chef prepares the dishes in front of the diners.

Throughout the year, different passes are offered whose menu changes according to seasonal products.

The price of this gastronomic experience is 62,50 euros, with drinks included, or 86,50 euros with a pairing of seven wines.

What to buy in Toledo: crafts and marzipan

Your tourist experience will be incomplete if you do not buy any of the typical products of the city of Toledo.

Specifically, you should know that this city is famous for craftsmanship damascene, a craft activity that is shown in various types of objects, such as plates, chests, amphorae or knives.

You can buy these artistic objects in some of the various Craft shops what's in the historic center, like Simyan, where we were.

And if you like sweets, you can't leave Toledo without buying the typical marzipan, for which we recommend you visit the Obrador Santo Tome, whose tradition in making this sweet dates back to 1856.

Marzipan of Arab origin began to be made in Toledo by the nuns of the San Clemente convent in 1212.

The marzipan that you can buy in said workshop is made up of 70 percent almonds, 30 percent sugar and some honey.

With the suggestions that we have indicated in this article, we assure you that you can enjoy a very complete visit of the city of Toledo.

In any case, here you have more information about the best places to see and visit in Toledo.

Tours and guided visits in Toledo

If you prefer go on your own to Toledo, the best option is to start the day with a tour with a guide specialized in art and history that gives you information about the places and highlights of the city's history.

To do this, our advice is that, in advance of your trip, you sign up for the guided tour of the Toledo of the three cultures with a duration of two hours.

But you also have a great offer of thematic guided tours in Toledo, with a duration of two hours each, among which we are going to point out the following in case they are of interest to you.

• Tour of the Jewish Quarter of Toledo
• Tour of the Inquisition in Toledo
• Tour of medieval Toledo
• Islamic Toledo Tour
• Mysterious Toledo Night Tour
• Night tour of Toledo de los Templarios