Glowing Toledo Cathedral tower from the cobble streets at night.
The Cathedral is the centrepiece of Toledo. It sits on top of the hill and is deceptively large. When you enter you will be confronted by sparkling gold reliefs, huge oil paintings and portraits of all of the Toledo Cardinals going back at least 500 years. The baroque Transparente, behind the main altar, is like nothing you have ever seen. The Cathedral also has a great art gallery with works by Raphael, Rubens, Goya, Titian, and one of El Greco's major works, The Disrobing of Christ.
Six of Toledo's religious buildings can be visited with a tourist bracelet, available at any one of the sites for 8€ (Individual entry is also possible):
Iglesia de los Jesuitas offers great views of Toledo and the surrounding region from its twin spires. It is set in the highest location in the city. (Oct-Mar 10am-5:45pm, Apr-Sep 10am-6:45pm)
Mezquita Cristo de la Luz was originally built 1000 years ago as a small mosque, but 200 years later was converted to a church. The building itself is a mix of the two styles, with a primarily Mujedar architecture, and early Christian paintings on the walls. (Mid Oct-Feb 10am-5:45pm, Mar-Mid Oct 10am-6:45pm, closed on weekdays from 2pm to 3:30pm)
Similarly, the Iglesia del Salvador was also converted from a mosque into a church, though in this case the architecture of the building itself is more varied, combining Mujedar, Visigoth, and Roman-style architecture. (Mid Oct-Feb 10am-5:45pm, Mar-Mid Oct 10am-6:45pm, closed on Fridays from 2:45pm to 4pm)
One of El Greco's most famous and recognized works "El Entierro del Senor de Orgaz" is housed in Iglesia de Santo Tome. (Mid Oct-Feb 10am-5:45pm, Mar-Mid Oct 10am-6:45pm)
The Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca is one of the three synagogues that remain in Spain from before the expulsion of the Jews in the 16th century, two of which are in Toledo (the third is in Córdoba). (Mid Oct-Feb 10am-5:45pm, Mar-Mid Oct 10am-6:45pm)
Monasterio de San Juan de Los Reyes, a beautiful 16th century church in the Jewish quarter that was built by Ferdinand and Isabella to house their tombs. Upon the conquest of Grenada, they decided to be buried there instead, but it is still easily worth the visit. (Mid Oct-Feb 10am-5:45pm, Mar-Mid Oct 10am-6:45pm)
The Museo Victorio Macho is a small museum dedicated to the local sculptor, Victorio Macho, split between an interior gallery, and exterior gardens. Admission also includes a short film describing the history of Toledo (Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-3pm, closed Christmas Day and New Years Day, 3€)
The second of Toledo's remaining pre-16th century synagogues, the Sinagoga El Transito hosts the Sefardi Museum.
The Alcazar is a large square building on the outskirts of the old city. It looks across the river at Franco's old military barracks. The origin of the building dates back to the presence of a Roman camp in the IIIrd century. The Muslims built there a keep transformed later by Alfonso VI and Alfonso X, which was the first Alcazar.
The Military barracks.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Toledo (Spain)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Toledo (Spain) - updated May 2024
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Toledo (Spain) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
