This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a great day trip from Madrid. Since Toledo is only an hour away by train, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the historic town, learn about the religious intersections present, and grab a bite before making your way back to Madrid for dinner.
What to Do
- Toledo Free Walking Tour: In order to get a quick introduction to the city, we recommend starting your day trip with a free walking tour. Our tour through Toledo was one of our favorites that we’ve done, trailing only the great walking tours we did in Barcelona. The Toledo tour guide gave a great overview of the religious history in Toledo – namely, the Arab, Jewish, and Christian heritages that were sometimes at odds in the city. Having that context adds an extra layer of appreciation when exploring the city.
- Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo: The main cathedral in Toledo is absolutely beautiful. We recommend taking at least a couple hours to fully explore the cathedral’s interior with the help of the included audio guide. You’ll hear a lot of interesting commentary while exploring the ground of this massive church in a little town.
- Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes: The main monastery in Toledo is also worth a visit. In all honesty, it isn’t as visually impressive as the cathedral, but that is more a testament to the cathedral than a knock on the monastery. The courtyard here is very picturesque and a worthy photo opportunity.
- Iglesia de los Jesuitas: The interior of this church is nice, but nothing special. What makes this church worth visiting is the view from the top of the tower, which offers a panoramic glimpse of the town.
Where to Eat
We only had one meal in Toledo, but that didn’t stop us from snacking throughout our day! There are plenty of good things to eat during your day trip.
- Lo Nuestro Taperia & Restaurante: This restaurant feels a bit touristy when you walk in, but the food is delicious. We recommend you treat yourself to the Toledano stew (a local dish), Jamón ibérico, and a bottle of wine.
- Convento de San Antonio: The bombones here may have been the best things we ate in Spain. In case you aren’t familiar, bombones (at least at this convent) are chocolate-covered marzipan. They rock. Marzipan is a very traditional sweet in Toledo (sources say it was invented there), so you absolutely must try it while visiting. It may be the best in the world.
Other Tips & Tricks
- Logistics: We got to Toledo around 9:30am and left the city around 5:00pm. As much as we enjoyed Toledo, that was almost too much time. We ended up hanging out in the park by the bus stop to kill time. You can probably get away with leaving Toledo around 4:00pm if you follow a similar schedule.
- Other attractions: There are a few famous attractions in Toledo that we chose not to do after conducting some research. Depending on your interests, you may want to visit Museo del Greco or Alcázar de Toledo. These stops just weren’t for us.
Happy traveling!
Kitrina & Jordan
