A day-trip to charming Toledo

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A day-trip to charming Toledo

Madrid Blog, Spanish culture Añade tu comentario guillem

When you feel like you deserve a break from all your Spanish studies and just want to relax and explore, you can always take a weekend or day-trip to one of Madrid’s neighbouring towns. The charming city of Toledo is beautifully situated on a hill above the river Tajo in the Castilla La Mancha region, approximately 70 km southwest of Madrid, which of course makes it a must-see when visiting Spain’s capital city.

With a short and cheap trip by train you will get to see this beautiful town filled with history.

So what is worth seeing?

The cathedral

One of the main buildings worth seeing when visiting Toledo. The entrance costs a little bit of money but is quite cheap and with that you are free to visit the closed parts such as the treasure chamber and the museum.

La Sinagoga del Tránsito

Built by the Jewish Samuel Ha-Levi in 1357, who was the councillor to King Pedro I. When they started expelling the Jewish people out of the country the synagogue was turned into a hospital and then into a church. Today they have connected a museum to the synagogue.

El Alcázar

Previously has been used as a castle, as headquarters for the army, as a school and a prison.

The museum of El Greco

A reconstruction of where it is believed that this famous, originally Greek, artist once lived. This museum contains authentic 16^th century furniture and of course several of El Greco’s known works.

And when you´ve had enough of all the extravagant, gold-covered, flamboyant architecture and art you can always explore the small, but beautiful streets and enjoy the atmosphere. Maybe you can cool off in the shade of a parasol and have a drink during the hottest hours of the day! Or maybe you can stop by one of the boutiques and cool off with the help of the air-conditioning!

Toledo has become a nice city to visit, and I believe that its approximately 2 million visitors/year prove that point. Pottery, handicrafts, armours and swords have become popular souvenirs, but if you are not interested in an exact replica of the sword that “El Cid” used to recapture Toledo from the Muslims in 1085, you can always visit the stores far away from the touristic places. And if you have a sweet tooth, you can also buy some tasty, local marzipan.

Blogger: Nina