Touring Toledo

Getting there

Most people who I’ve talked to that went to Spain have often traveled directly to Barcelona. It’s, in essence, the heart of Spain’s tourism industry. A second very popular option is Madrid. With its iconic architecture, museums showcasing Spain’s rich history, food bonanza, bars, clubs and much more make Madrid another hotspot. However, I believe there is one hotspot that is being unfairly neglected: Toledo. While Toledo gets its fair bit of tourists it does not get its fair share of international renowned as a centre of historic value and something that should be studied and enjoyed. Spain as a nation is very rich in history although it has not had success in the recent few centuries when referring to warfare and dominance. This has made it a bit forgotten by many who look to Spain as more of a party and beach country with great weather rather than putting emphasis on its history.

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Toledo does that. It is a city that still bears that scars and glories of the Moorish invasion and occupation of Spain. The walls and structures of the city still stand to this day. The old city is very impressive and is placed upon a hill. It's worth noting that we are referring to Toledo as in the city rather than the whole area. Let's go into a bit of history before we move into the main bit about what to see and do.

Firstly, Toledo is known as the city of three cultures. This is due to the fact that it had cultural influence from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities in its past. This would be easily spotted as you walk through the streets of the old city. It was also the capital of the Visigoths pre-moorish invasion. The main reason why it had been chosen as the capital overs is due to its fortified location. While the town itself is quite small within the walls, it is quite well fortified as the area rises high around the surrounding countryside which is quite flat. So it was easy to surround the town with powerful stone walls. It also helped that since attackers had to march from the base to the top it meant that gravity and the high ground was always on the side of the defenders. However, this was not enough to stop the Moors from conquering the Germanic Visigoths.

There is quite a lot more history that goes into this although you would have to research or simply travel to the place itself. I could literally tell story after story of what occurred and how this has impacted Spain today although that isn’t the point of this article. Today I will be talking about my adventure in Toledo with my baby brother and mom. We set off to Toledo from Madrid. It took us about an hours drive to get there. Toledo is located just south west of Madrid and is not too hard to get to. You could rent a car for a day or even a train which would take between forty to fifty minutes to get to. It is definitely very accessible for travelers and backpackers alike.

For those driving, you would be able to find free parking on the ground area. If not, there is paid parking within the city. We had arrived before noon although it is not exactly what you would call an ideal time for car parkers. We had to enter a paid parking area within the city. Luckily, this made it quite easy and less of an effort to get to the heart of the city. From our parking area we only had to march for about three minutes before we were catching the escalator to a more elevated area close to the centre plaza. From this elevated position you could view the whole surrounding area. It truly was an awe-inspiring view. The countryside is much flatter and truly beautiful to witness.

The inner city

After snapping our photos we decided to make our way up the busy streets of Toledo. They were quite narrow although just big enough to fit cars. Don’t expect to find any parking spots up here. As you enter through the main route up to the plaza you will then find many places for a casual eat or wine and dine around you. There is also a large information and tourism office located in the square. You could ask for all the main attractions and things to see in the area. Although, more importantly than this you must grab a map. The maps they provide are compact and perfect for scouting out all the great things to see or taste in the area. Fortunately, everything is within walking distance. So you would not have to worry about taking cabs, trains or buses around. Even though the latter two are basically nonexistent.

Food

Now, we first went exploring around the areas randomly before getting our game plan together. We saw many places to eat local Spanish cuisine, this also included bakeries that made special and iconic desserts. One of my all time favourites is marzipan. These out of this world delicious treats can be bought in many forms and mixed with many different ingredients such as pistachio, chocolate and ice-cream. The base ingredient is sugar and almonds.

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Shopping

However, do not let these amazing treats steal the show. They also share churros which could be mixed with sugar or chocolate and also cakes of all shapes. Another thing we spotted which would be a recurring theme of the trip would be many souvenir shops. What’s interesting about these souvenir shops is that their wares are not exactly the standard thing you get everywhere. Rather they consist of having many bladed weapons and antique looking guns. If you ever want to hang a beautiful (and more importantly, non-functioning) pistol or some Spanish spears and halberds then there are many options to pick from. Or, if you’re more keen to pick up something more majestic then I would recommend you check out one of the few stores that sell full on suits of armour. These are very impressive to look at. They also sell helmets popular with Spanish soldiers several centuries ago. Some stories even have life sized statues of Don Quixote de La Mancha and his faithful companion Sancho Panza.

If you had not known before, the origins of one of Spain’s greatest literary classics was born in Toledo. It will be impossible if you got a full day without spotting any merchandise relating to these two iconic characters. Another one of Toledo’s iconic souvenirs is its silver craft. Silver has often been a very popular commodity sold in this city. You could find all sorts of bracelets, necklaces or other types of jewelry here. I highly recommend that you make sure to get a guarantee that what you are buying is actually silver. Also, make sure you know the difference between silver plated and fully silver jewelry when you see one. I recall how I had wanted to buy a silver bracelet due to the fact that it came straight from Toledo. I only wanted a leather strap with a piece of silver on it. However, I could not get a written guarantee that this item was completely made of silver so I decided not to go for it. Regardless, let us now move on to the important part of the article which is the things to check out while in Toledo.

What to see

First and foremost I highly urge you to check out the Cathedral. This exquisite building designed in gothic style (I fell in love with the different architectural styles in Europe and have learnt quite a bit about them so I’m able to guess their type). It truly is a majestic building sitting atop this high rise area we call the city of Toledo. One thing that I find quite disappointing is the entrance fee. It costs eleven euros to enter the cathedral. I recalled how while I was doing a eurotrip I was never asked to pay for an entrance to a cathedral. I was really surprised when we walked through the cobblestone floors of Toledo getting to the Cathedral when my mom told me that it was not free to enter.

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Regardless, I do recommend you check the place out. It's quite beautiful and surely worth the eleven euros. Another place worth checking out is actually found at the main entrance to the city, La Puerta de Bisagra. There are two different ones to check out. They’re both architectural beauties even though their original purpose was to serve as the door. The first one was built in the 10th century. The larger one which is one of the main entrances to Toledo was made in the 15th century. It's called the La Puerta de Bisagra nueva (new), while it replaced the La Puerta de Bisagra antigua (old). The older one had been the main entrance around the times of the Moors. However, with expansion a new door had to be made which led to the creation of La Puerta de Bisagra nueva.

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We kept on walking along the streets of Toledo. It was truly a humbling experience seeing all the aged structures as some of these were around for more than a millenium (such as the Cathedral). I reckon if you were planning on staying here for a full day then I would recommend checking out the main sights and perhaps spend the rest of the day simply walking about randomly and checking out the different restaurants, sights, museums and whatever interesting sights you can spot. I would highly recommend that you check out all the different foods there are to eat as Spain is renowned for the flavours of many of its cuisines. You could also simply follow the walls of this magnificent city and witness the spectacular views of the surrounding area.

If you’re spending a full day (and a night) here then I would go for a second exploration session once the sun sets. At this point the city’s beauty truly comes to light. Many of the buildings would be lit up extraordinarily. Many of the sights you’d see during the day may look like something completely new at night. Also, expect some horse carriages around the area if you’re looking for a truly medieval experience as a nobleman/woman. Eat well and happy adventuring!