DATE OF VISIT: Saturday 26th September 2023
WHERE WAS I STAYING? I was staying at the JW Marriott Hotel, C. de Sevilla, 2, 28014 Madrid, Spain Phone: +34 914 18 97 70 The hotel is centrally located and is an easy walk to all the main sights. Generally Madrid is a "compact" city and once in the centre, walking is the easiest way to see everything. However, there is also an excellent, clean and very easy-to-use Metro system.
COMMENTARY & PERSONAL FEEDBACK
For personal reasons I organised a car through the hotel to visit Toledo and the cost was €300 for a four hour hire (09h00 - 13h00). The driver dropped me in the centre of Toledo and picked me up from the same spot. However, there is a fast train service from Madrid to Toledo and very much cheaper. I recommend the website shown in the "Links" section below which will provide you with all the necessary information:
I visited Toledo for the day which I believe is quite sufficient for you to be able to see everything in the city.
Toledo is an ancient city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. The capital of the region, it’s known for the medieval Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments in its walled old city. It was also the former home of Mannerist painter El Greco. The Moorish Bisagra Gate and the Sol Gate, in Mudéjar style, open into the old quarter, where the Plaza de Zocodover is a lively meeting place. Toledo has been a centre of sword making and steel production since about 500BCE and became noticeable to the Romans when used by Hannibal in the Punic Wars.
The Santa Iglesia Catedral is stunning and I was told during my visit that the Cathedral is not only one of the most important in Spain but also for Catholic people, one of the most important in the world. I was also told that the Cathedral is is a requirement to visit by each new Pontiff.
I spent my time strolling through the narrow alleyways and streets of Toledo, and as you can see from some of the photos, they are indeed extremely narrow! The Santa Iglesia Catedral is a great landmark and so you can always gauge where you are from the spire.
The Tagus river which flows through Toledo is the longest river in Spain, rising east of Madrid and flowing into the Atlantic ocean close to Lisbon. I have uploaded some photos of the Tagus flowing through Toledo.
PLACES TO SEE
In this section I feel like writing "the whole city" because I found everywhere very inspiring and despite the fact that during my visit it was quite busy, walking through the narrow streets and enjoying the atmosphere of the city, was part of enjoying Toledo! However, to be more specific, I recommend the following sights:
- Catedral Primada
- Mirador del Valle
- Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes
- Puerta de Bisagra
- San Martin Bridge
- Alcantara Bridge
It is very easy to see almost everything in Toledo in one day and as I have already mentioned, the city is very accessible from Madrid.
LINKS
1. https://rail.ninja/route/toledo-to-madrid
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_Spain
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_Cathedral
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