Where to park your car for free in Toledo and how to get to the city

Yes to do your Visit to Toledo If you are going to travel by car, you must keep in mind that it is a city practically closed to vehicle traffic in its historic center.

But don't worry because there are several options for free parking in Toledo.

Toledo It is located on a walled hill and is a large labyrinth of narrow streets through which, almost entirely, one cannot circulate, with access limited only to local traffic.

And also, on the streets where you can circulate parking is regulated through a payment and limited time of stay.

Therefore, the only solution for your visit is to leave your car in a parking lot outside the wall, or even arrive by another type of transport.

Options to go to Toledo from Madrid

If you don't want to complicate your life with where you can leave the car, you have the options of Getting to Toledo by public transport or sign up for one excursion from Madrid with guided tour of the city included.

• What is the best way to get to Toledo, AVE train, bus or Tours?
• Excursions from Madrid to Toledo

But if you are sure that you are going to visit Toledo arriving by car, we are going to give you all the information you need to know.

Regulated parking in the center of Toledo, schedules and rates

It is important for you to keep in mind that the few parking lots what's in the historic center of Toledo They are paid, and if you are going to spend the whole day, the amount of car park can be really high.

In particular, the schedules of the ORA Blue and Orange zones in Toledo They are, from Monday to Friday, in the morning, from 10 a.m. to 14 p.m., and in the afternoon, from 17 p.m. to 20 p.m., and on Saturdays, only in the morning, just like every day in the month of August.

In practice, I do not recommend that you park inside, or even consider it as an option for one simple reason: the length of your stay.

The biggest problem with this type of parking is the time limit. I don't think that if you are going to visit Toledo, you will only be in the city for two hours, which is the maximum amount of time you can park in the regulated parking lot.

In any case, here you can consult all the information about regulated parking in Toledo, including those of the green area for residents in the historic center.

• Parking hours and rates in ORA zones in Toledo

Where to park for free in Toledo to visit the city

Although the historic center is closed to traffic, there are alternatives that can easily solve the parking problem.

If you would like to free parking in Toledo, The key is to leave your car in one of the free parking lots outside the wall.

And if you look for Parking in ToledoThere are many options, but the key is to leave it outside the wall but close to one of the access gates to the city.

If you cannot afford to leave it next to the wall, you may have to walk a long way to find access to the city.

Safont Parking, the best place to park for free in Toledo

And for that The best parking lot to park for free in Toledo is the Safont parking located in front of the Bus station.

And by the way, since I mentioned this station, I'm leaving you with this article that I'm sure will be very helpful if this transport is one of the options you're considering to visit the city.

• How to go by bus to Toledo

El Safont parking You find it very easily if you come from Madrid.

After turning off the highway at the first entrance to central Toledo, when you reach the second roundabout at the foot of the city, as you pass next to the aforementioned bus station, on the left you will see the car park with the access clearly signposted.

In this municipal parking of great extension, which although it is indicated that it is controlled, in reality during the last visit I made to Toledo it did not give the impression that it was like that.

This is the solution that the city council has given to the parking problems that have been occurring for years. Toledo is a very visited city, but being high up, walled and with small medieval streets, parking was hell.

In fact, the city used to be jammed with traffic, something that has disappeared and that greatly improves the experience of visiting the city.

The good thing is that it is a free parking And as I'm going to show you now, once you leave the car, you'll see that you even have several options to access the city.

How to get to the center of Toledo from the Safont car park

Tras to park the car You have two alternatives to enter the historic center of Toledo.

Enter through the Mechanic stairs that lead to the Zocodover square or come through the door hinge, which is a much nicer entrance to the city and by the way also has the option of escalators.

There are two escalators located in two different areas to overcome the unevenness of the city.

The decision of which entrance to choose if you arrive on foot from the parking lot or from the bus station will depend on where you want to start your visit to Toledo.

Although I already warn you that I am very clear about what the best option is, which I will now tell you about.

Walk up to Toledo through the Puerta Bisagra

If it is your first time visiting this beautiful city, I advise you to go around the wall to the right, leaving the Safont parking lot and entering through the door hinge.

In our opinion, this is the most beautiful gateway to the city and where you should start your visit. It only has one drawback and that is that it is uphill, although this is not the only option.

From there, after passing through the old suburb, take the pedestrian alley that goes up on the right to access what was historically the entrance to the city.

When you start to climb you will reach the Mosque of Cristo de la Luz after crossing the small Bib Al Mardon Gate, the oldest in the city.

• What to see in the Mosque of Christ of the Light

In this way, you will be able to delve into the history of the city of Toledo, in addition to enjoying the beauty of the first monuments and alleys of the city.

It will take you between 15 and 20 minutes to climb, taking into account that this route is all uphill... but it is well worth it.

Going up to Toledo by the escalators at Puerta Bisagra

But entering from this side of the city does not necessarily mean going up on foot.

And in reality you also have the alternative option of go up the escalator what you will find in the Recaredo walk, a little further ahead of the aforementioned door hinge.

A great option to include this majestic gate in your visit, but avoiding the walk up.

Escalators next to the Safont parking lot

If what you want is Get to Zocodover Square in the fastest way From where you parked your car, there are other escalators leading to the city.

Instead of going around the wall to the right when you leave the parking lot, you should go to the left, having the tagus river also on your left. and after walking a bit, you will see the huge escalators.

It is the quickest way to get to the top of Toledo, but to be honest, it is not the prettiest way to get in. It loses a bit of its charm.

That's why my recommendation is that when you arrive in the city you enter through the Puerta Bisagra, and after visiting the city and when we are more tired, return to the car by the escalators next to the Zocodover square.

Bus to go from the Safont parking lot to the center

Although it may seem untrue, there is another alternative for go up to the historic center of Toledo from the Safont parking lot, and is to take a city bus that takes you to the center in five minutes Zocodover square.

• El Toledo city bus ticket price  it is 1,40 euros.

This was a popular option before the escalators next to the square were installed, but for your visit it is the option I recommend the least.

Parking in the center of Toledo

If for whatever reason you prefer to leave your car in a guarded parking, already in the downtown toledo, the most recommended is the parking lot Corralillo of San Miguel.

It's not going to be cheap, but you're leaving your car right in the center.

Located at the foot of Alcazar, you will reach this parking lot easily as its access is well signposted, for which you have to follow the indications “Parking in the monumental city".

This is the car park largest vehicle capacity in the city with 515 seats.

As a reference, I will tell you that parking for one hour costs 2 euros, and the maximum daily amount is 19,80 euros.

Map of the entrances from the Safont parking lot to the center of Toledo

Here are the two entry options you have to the city arriving from the free Safont parking lot.

Tips for visiting Toledo

If you have come this far, it means that you are very clear that you are going to travel to Toledo, so we want to leave you more information about the city here.

In addition to the article on how to free parking in ToledoWe have many more topics since Toledo is a city that we know in depth because we have traveled there many times.

So we suggest these articles, full of advice that you will surely find interesting.

• What is essential to see in Toledo in 1 DAY 
• What to see in Toledo in 2 DAYS
• 25 Places to see near Madrid on day trips