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Toledo

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Toledo, Spain old town city skyline.

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Overview

Toledo is truly one of Spain's most magnificent cities. Dramatically sited atop a gorge overlooking the Río Tajo, it was known as the ‘city of three cultures’ in the Middle Ages, a place where – legend has it – Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities peacefully coexisted. Unsurprisingly, rediscovering the vestiges of this unique cultural synthesis remains modern Toledo’s most compelling attraction. Horseshoe-arched mosques, Sephardic synagogues and one of Spain’s finest Gothic cathedrals cram into its dense historical core. But the layers go much deeper. Further sleuthing will reveal Visigothic and Roman roots. Toledo’s other forte is art, in particular the haunting canvases of El Greco, the influential, impossible-to-classify painter with whom the city is synonymous. Though it's justifiably popular with day trippers, try to stay overnight to really appreciate the city in all its haunting glory.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Toledo / Spain - 05 12 2021: Amazing view at the plaza del ayuntamiento in Toledo, Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo main front facade, Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo, otherwise Toledo Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church, tourist people visiting.

    Catedral de Toledo

    Toledo

    Toledo's illustrious main church ranks among the top 10 cathedrals in Spain. An impressive example of medieval Gothic architecture, its enormous interior…

  • Toledo, Spain. Indoor view of Synagogue of Transito. It is a historic building famous for its rich stucco decoration.

    Sinagoga del Tránsito

    Toledo

    This magnificent synagogue was built in 1355 by special permission from Pedro I. The synagogue now houses the Museo Sefardí, which provides a glimpse into…

  • Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. Toledo, Castilla_La Mancha, Espana

    Monasterio San Juan de los Reyes

    Toledo

    This imposing 15th-century Franciscan monastery and church was provocatively founded in the heart of the Jewish quarter by the Catholic monarchs Isabel…

  • The front of the Santa Cruz Museum in Toledo.

    Museo de Santa Cruz

    Toledo

    It's hard to imagine that this 16th-century building was once a hospital. If only modern hospitals were equipped with the kind of ornate plateresque…

  • Spain

    Plaza de Zocodover

    Toledo

    This lively square has long been the hub of town. From 1465 until the 1960s Zocodover was the scene of the city's Tuesday market and successor to the Arab…

  • The El Greco Museum in Toledo, Spain.

    Museo del Greco

    Toledo

    In the early 20th century, an aristocrat bought what he thought was El Greco's house and did a meritorious job of returning it to period style. He was…

  • Alcázar

    Alcázar

    Toledo

    At the highest point in the city looms the foreboding Alcázar. Rebuilt under Franco, it has been reopened as a vast military museum. The usual displays of…

  • Museo de los Concilios y la Cultura Visigoda

    Museo de los Concilios y la Cultura Visigoda

    Toledo

    Sometimes dismissively called the ‘Invisigoths’ due to the scant record of their presence, the Visigoths inhabit a little-known chapter of Spanish history…

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Toledo’s historic heart has remained largely untouched by the passage of time.

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