12 essential places to see in Toledo city in one day

If you plan a tourist trip to Madrid and you have time to make one excursion around the surroundings, two are the most recommended places when choosing: Escorial Monastery y ... Toledo.

Toledo It is a city with a long history since Roman times, and which is now known as the City of the Three Cultures because they concentrate on it monuments of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures.

El great attraction of Toledo is that it has managed to preserve its historical configuration, and as you walk through its streets you will see that its corners ooze history.

En Travel Guides You find various articles published that allow you to know what the Most notable places to visit in Toledo, and helpful tips for your excursion.

How to take a sightseeing excursion to Toledo from Madrid

Now, maybe for you Toledo sightseeing tour You prefer to ignore how to go on your own and sign up for a organized group in which with the company of a guide specialized in art and history You can get to know the main corners and monuments of the city.

For this you can sign up for full day tour to Toledo.

This excursion departs from Madrid at 8 in the morning and takes you to Toledo by air conditioned busa tourist guide in Spanish.

With a total duration of eight hours, on this tour you will visit the most notable corners of the City of the Three Cultures, such as the church of Santo Tomé or the synagogue of Santa María la Blanca.

It is also done visit of the interior of the cathedral of Toledo and Mosque of Christ of the Light.

When booking the tour, you can do it without including food, or with two different menus to choose from, the tourist one or the traditional one.

From Madrid You also have the option of Free tour to Toledo by AVE

In addition to the ticket high-speed train, this tour includes the card Toledo Card which gives you access to the main monuments of the city, the tourist bus, the one-hour guided tour of the cathedral and a traditional meal.

If you go with family or a group of friends, you also have the option of Private tour of Toledo.

Tips for visiting Toledo on your own

But if you prefer to visit on your own, if you are going by car, you are interested in knowing how to park for free in Toledo, and if you go by public transport, you should know how to go to Toledo from Madrid by bus or AVE train.

You may even be interested in spending at least one night in the city, so having access to booking.com for search hotel in Toledo.

Tourist cards to visit Toledo

For your visit, it may be interesting for you to buy some of the tourist cards that give you access to various monuments and museumsAlso avoiding possible queues.

You can assess this by seeing what a tourist card like the one offers you. Toledo Pass Green Label, which includes some guided tours.

We are going to propose a route to get to know the city, and in this way you will get to know What is essential to see and do in Toledo in one day.

Here I leave you two articles with all the information to visit Toledo depending on the time you have.

• Toledo in 1 day
• Toledo in 2 days
• How to go to Toledo by Train, Ave or Bus from Madrid
• Where to park for FREE in Toledo

The best things to see and do in Toledo in one day

This route is planned entering through the hinged door to start the visit of the city, which is very ideal if you arrive to Toledo by car or by bus.

Si you arrive to Toledo by AVE, when you leave the station you will find some arrows on the road that will lead you to the city to cross the tagus river and access it via escalators that take you to the central Zocodover square.

Park your car in Safont in Toledo

If you are going to travel by car, it is recommended that you leave it in the Safont free parking, which you find at the first entrance to the city from Madrid.

The parking lot is located in front of the Bus station, which you will reach if you choose this means of transportation to go to Toledo.

Enter Toledo through Puerta de Bisagra

From here your walk begins by going up the street that surrounds the wall, to first cross the historic hinged door.

Next you must go up the alley that leads you to the entrance to the city in Muslim times, the Gate of Christ of Light.

Although if you want to go directly to the Zocodover Square You must choose the street that passes by the nearby one Puerta del Sol.

Another alternative option, if you prefer to save the hill, would be to continue walking a little further outside the wall until you reach the nearby Recaredo walk escalator,

This way you will also directly access the upper area of ​​the city.

Cristo de la Luz mosque and Roman road in Toledo

As soon as you pass the aforementioned door of the Christ of Light, on the left you will see a section of the old Roman road

In front of you you will have the old Mosque of Cristo de la Luz, a name acquired when it became a church in the 12th century after the Christian reconquest.

Originally built in the 10th century, it is together with the Mosque of Cordoba (although very, very far from its grandeur...), the oldest of the mosques preserved in Spain.

Zocodover Square and Alcázar of Toledo

La Zocodover square It is the current social center of the city, but it also occupies the place where throughout history the markets were set up in Toledo.

You can reach it directly by bus from the aforementioned Safont car park, and from this square start the narrow streets that take you to the heart of the historic center.

Very near Zocodover you will find the great building of the Alcazar of Toledo. which now houses the Army Museum.

Here you can sign up for a guided tour of the Alcázar of Toledo and the National Army Museum.

Town Hall Square and Archbishop's Palace in Toledo

On your walk through the pedestrian streets, you soon reach the historic center of the city, which concentrates the symbols of administrative and ecclesiastical powers.

I mean la la Town Hall Square, where you can also see the building of the Archbishop's palace.

Toledo Cathedral

But, above all, in this square you find the great building of the Toledo Cathedral, whose exterior view detracts from the imposing interior grandeur of this Gothic cathedral.

I can tell you that due to its dimensions it is the second Gothic cathedral in Spain, after the Cathedral of Sevilla, and currently has recognition as Catedral Primada Spain.

In advance of your trip, here you can buy tickets for the Toledo Cathedral, which ensures priority access, and includes a tour one hour long.

Viewpoint of the Jesuit church in Toledo

Our route takes you up to the Jesuit Church, a little visited corner in Toledo, and whose baroque facade It may seem shocking to you in the architectural context of the streets and monuments of this city.

However, it is worth approaching this church because it offers you the possibility of go up to the viewpoint of the bell towers.

From this place you will have very good panoramic views of Toledo which are little known since tourists do not usually pass through this church.

Burial of the Lord of Orgaz in the church of Santo Tomé in Toledo

La church of Santo Tomé It is another essential visit in your excursion to Toledo,

And not so much because of the architectural interest of the building, but because with this visit you will be able to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the famous painting The Burial of the Lord of Orgaz by El Greco.

This great artistic work of El Greek You find it as soon as you enter the church grounds, in a large special location located inside the entrance porch.

Jewish synagogue in Toledo

Once you cross the narrow streets of the Jewish Quarter of Toledo, the first thing that will catch your attention about the building of the Transit Synagogue It is the beauty of its interior architecture, with a beautiful wooden coffered ceiling.

From the year 1366, the Transit Synagogue You find it southwest of Toledo, next to a viewpoint over the Tagus River, and inside you will visit a curious Sephardic museum.

Nearby you can visit another synagogue, this one from the 12th century.

Is Saint Mary the White in which you will be surprised to see that the building of a synagogue It was built with the exquisite Mudejar architectural style.

This is because its construction was commissioned by a Jewish official to a Muslim architect and craftsmen from Córdoba.

The end result is a building that from an architectural point of view will seem more like a Muslim mosque than a Jewish synagogue.

Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo

En Toledo you also find a Franciscan monastery which was built in the time of the Catholic kings, at the end of the 15th century.

At monastery of San Juan de los Reyes You will see an imposing church and a very beautiful cloister, all with a Gothic-Elizabethan architectural style.

It is without a doubt one of the visits you should make in your excursion to Toledo.

Modern and contemporary art in the Roberto Polo Collection of Toledo

Modern and contemporary art also has its presence in the city ​​of three cultures with the inauguration during this year 2019 of the Center of Modern and Contemporary Art of Castilla-La Mancha that is born harboring the Roberto Polo Collection.

The new museum occupies the space of the old Convent of Santa Fe, a place that was originally a caliphal palace, and up to 250 works of the more than 7.000 works by the artist, collector and art historian of Roberto Polo.

During your visit you will be able to see works by up to 170 artists from the historical avant-garde of northern, central and eastern Europe, as well as pieces by contemporary European and North American creators.

Views of Toledo from viewpoints of the Tagus River

One of the iconic images of the city are the spectacular and essential ones panoramic views of Toledo from the viewpoints of the Tagus River.

To enjoy these views you have to leave the walled city and go to the road that surrounds the city following the course of the Tajo.

On this winding road there are several viewpoints next to which there are parking spaces.

I can tell you that it is an essential place to know and very visited by tourists. and where the Toledo tourist bus.

If you travel by car, you can do the route as soon as you arrive in Toledo, before starting your visit to the city, taking advantage of the morning light given the orientation of these viewpoints.

A good time is also at dusk, when the city begins to light up, with images like the ones you can see at the end of the video that accompanies this article.

Another option is to go up to the nearby Parador Conde de Orgaz, from whose restaurant terrace you will have some panoramic views of Toledo with a broader perspective.

A good excuse to at least go up for a coffee or a soft drink.

Victorio Macho Museum in Toledo

And to finish this route with places of interest in Toledo, I give you the suggestion of visit the Victorio Macho museum, a sculptor from Palencia who developed his artistic activity during the last century.

You can find this interesting, rather unknown museum in what was his house, in front of the synagogue of Santa María la Blanca.

It occupies a spectacular location, since from its gardens you have excellent panoramic views of the Tagus River.

Tours and guided visits in Toledo

Finally, you may prefer go on your own to Toledo, but there you sign up for a tour with guide specialized in art and history that gives you information about the places and highlights of the city's history.

For this you can sign up for the guided tour of the Toledo of the three cultures with a duration of two hours.

And 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