Total Trip duration: 5 – 10 hours
Trip type: Self guided
I was in Madrid for two days on a business trip and extended my first trip to Spain to include the weekend. And to placate my insatiable hunger for travel, I wanted to go beyond seeing Madrid in that short time. The closest place for a day trip, on the Saturday, was Toledo with almost hourly trains (16 trains) from Madrid’s Atocha train station.
We took the 11.20 am train because we were too late to buy the 10.20 am tickets as the tickets were sold out almost 50 mins before departure.
Toledo train tip: Book your tickets online in advance to avoid rush. If you cannot then book it at the counter atleast an hour before departure. The trip in itself is just over 30 mins on the Renfe and in that time it will transport you to the medieval city of Toledo.
Once at the Toledo station, go to the tourist counter where you can buy ‘Toledo Tourist band’ tickets getting you free access to 9 attractions in Toledo including the Gothic Toledo Cathedral, the Moorish Mosque of Cristo de la Luz, and the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca, considered by many to be the oldest synagogue still standing in Europe. The tour bus picks you up the station and takes you to the Mirador El Valle viewpoint up on the hill and then drops you are the start of the escalator to the city centre. Its the same point where the bus picks you up from again. These buses run every hour so just ask for the start and end times. You will get a paper bracelet which when worn will get you direct access to the attractions included in the ticket. For those who are short on time, I found this to be a very useful option. Even if you are staying on in Toledo you could benefit from this as there is no expiration date of the band and it is waterproof too!!
Once at the old town, we followed the map to visit the different attractions at our own pace.
Have more tips to share on Toledo? Leave your comments below.
