A Toledo Day Trip From Madrid: What you Need to Know!
A Toledo day trip form Madrid is easy and something I highly recommend adding to your Madrid itinerary! As much as we liked Madrid, we REALLY loved getting to the smaller Spanish towns outside of Madrid (we also visited the beautiful Segovia!)
If you have Googled or Instagram-stalked Toledo, you know the city is absolutely gorgeous. With its large walls perched up on a hill plus its history as the prior capital of Spain, it boasts great views plus history.
Here is how to get to Toledo, what to do in Toledo, how much time you will need and more!
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Why Visit Toledo?
Toledo was once the capital of Spain, so you know it has to have a little something special. As I mentioned, the architecture and city is just incredibly beautiful. But is that enough reason to visit? Good news; Toledo is much more than just its beauty.
Being the previous capital of Spain, Toledo has an extensive governmental and military history. However, I think what makes it the most interesting is its religious history. Toledo is known as being a place where three religions coexisted: Christians, Muslims and Jews all living within a small region.
Because of this, Toledo is considered the “City of Three Cultures” and you can still see the influence of all three in Toledo! You can still find a cathedral, mosque and synagogue in the city of Toledo.
How to get to Toledo from Madrid
Toledo is about a 30 minute train ride from Madrid, making it so easy to get to and an excellent day trip option. If you aren’t aware, Madrid has two intercity train stations, the Atocha Station and the Chamartin Station.
To get from Madrid to Toledo, take the high speed Renfre train from the Atocha station.
You will arrive at the train station (obviously) which is a little less than a mile from the city center.
You can opt to take a 20 minute walk to the city center or taxi to the center.
The station IS located below the hill that Toledo sits upon, but Toledo has unique outdoor escalators to take you to the top of the city!
What to see and do in Toledo
With a limited amount of time in Toledo, here are a few highlights to catch while you are there! In summation, we spent most of our time admiring Toledo from either the edge of the city or in the winding streets of Toledo.
Go to the Overlook and Locks
If you arrive by the escalators, you will come out just near this overlook! From the escalators, you’ll take a right and immediately see this view!
From here you can see the Tagus river and the city below. It is also a short walk from the main square of Toledo, so it is a good way to start exploring Toledo!
Visit Plaza de Zocodover
Plaza de Zocodover is the main square of Toledo and the heart of the city. This is where you’ll find many shops, restaurants and bars.
You’ll see loads of people just sitting and hanging out in the square! Grab a sangria and a small bite before making your way through the streets of Toledo!
Visit the Cathedral at Plaza del Ayuntamiento
The cathedral in Toledo is a beautiful gothic-style cathedral found in the popular Plaza del Ayuntamiento. It is free to walk around the perimeter, but it costs money to enter the cathedral.
We opted to not go inside, but the cathedral is located in another popular area that is home to the Toledo City Council and other beautiful architecture. Therefore, even if you decide to not venture into the cathedral, this is still a must-visit area of Toledo.
- Cost: 10 euros
Admire the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes
The monastery is a sight from the outside, but is gorgeous inside. The building is two stories with a cloister and garden inside.
The architecture looks like something in a movie! I recommend taking the time to tour the inside of this one (especially if you are trying to choose between this and the cathedral).
- 3 euros to enter
Visit the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca and Mosque of Cristo de la Luz
As I mentioned, Toledo was once a melting pot of different cultures and religions. And though the synagogue and mosque are no longer active or have been converted to a Christian-based sites, the architecture is grossly still intact dating back to 999 and the 12th centuries!
I failed to get good photos from these two structures, but you can see from the photos below that the architecture is incredible and still original-looking.
View the City Walls
You’ll notice the walls of Toledo as soon as you arrive into the city. For a unique view of them, walk down the road from the monastery (pictured above) and through the gate of the city for an overlook of the town below and the walls of Toledo.
Walking between these main highlights you will also wind through many of the streets of Toledo and get a great feel for the city of Toledo. You can get lost in the streets of Toledo for hours (literally, they are so winding!) If you have time, make your way to St. Martin’s Bridge as well. We didn’t make it that far, but the views of the city from the bridge look amazing!
What didn’t make the list
As you come into the city of Toledo, you’ll notice the Alcazar de Toledo (pictured in the first photo on the page).
Although, beautiful from the outside and eye-catching up on the hill, it is now a military museum, and we didn’t find that it would be interesting enough for us to spend our *limited* time touring it. I recommend just admiring it from afar unless you are a huge military history buff.
Other Things to Know About a Toledo Day Trip
I’m here to help you be prepared as possible for your day trip, so here is EVERYTHING else you need to know!
How much time Do you need?
Toledo requires a little more time to see the highlights than my other day-trip recommendation, Segovia. Toledo is larger than Segovia and it takes a lot of the day simply walking around the city. You’ll need to allot an hour for the train rides (plus the time to navigate the stations) and at least 5 hours to walk around the city.
So, if you are taking a day trip from Madrid to Toledo, catch an early train and stay as late as you can! I recommend preparing for no less than 6-7 hours for your day trip to Toledo.
Also to note, Toledo takes its siesta time very seriously. So take into consideration that you will have a few hours between 2 and 5 pm where there won’t be many stores or restaurants open as well
Cost of a day trip to toledo
A day trip from Madrid to Toledo can be quite affordable. Essentially, your only expenses will be your round trip train ticket plus whatever you choose to spend on food and shopping while in Toledo. Here is how much we spent:
- Train ticket Madrid<>Toledo: about 25 euros round-trip
- Brunch: ~12 euros
- Dinner: ~20 euros (with sangria)
If you are going to enter more than one attraction in Toledo, I suggest getting the city card that includes entry into 7 attractions for 1 day for about 12 euros. You can purchase just a pass or include a guide with it.
A Guided Day Tour to Toledo from Madrid
If you aren’t wanting to visit Toledo all on your own, you can take a guided day trip to Toledo from Madrid.
The full day tour below is a highly-rated tour that takes you to Toledo and includes an hour guided tour of Toledo plus free time to explore on your own. The guide will guide you through three sites then provide tickets to 4 other popular sites in Toledo.
- Duration: 9 hours
- Price: 60 euros
- Includes: Guided tour of Toledo, entry into 7 monuments in Toledo
- You can also opt to take a tour for 30 euros that does NOT include entry tickets into the 7 monuments
Is A Toledo Day Trip Worth it?
Toledo is such a beautiful city and provides a nice, smaller town vibe (like Segovia!) compared to Madrid. It is such a unique city, being built on the hill with the walls surrounding, the river below and the winding streets within the city; beautiful!
However, compared to Segovia, it is a bit bigger and takes more time to appreciate everything it has to offer. So, should you day trip there or opt to stay a night or two? That’s a fair question!
I think Toledo is just big enough and has just enough to do that you can absolutely justify staying overnight.
However, with as close as it is to Madrid, it really is an easy day trip if you don’t want to travel with luggage, switch hotels, etc. As long as an early morning train is caught for plenty of time to spend in Toledo, it is definitely worth a day trip!
Final Thoughts on a Toledo Day Trip from Madrid
As I said, we really enjoyed Toledo and getting outside of Madrid for a more small-town feel! I think either way you choose to visit Toledo (day trip, overnight stay or guided tour) it is going to be a great addition to your Madrid itinerary!
If you’re looking for another day trip from Madrid, I recommend Segovia. Here is everything you will need to know about a day trip to Segovia!
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