Toledo is a city with a location on a small mountaintop on the Castilian plateau that is unique and highly picturesque. The Tagus River literally winds around the rock where the old town is located. From this view, you can easily understand that the city is on UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage. Toledo was the capital of the region from 561 to 711, and again from the Middle Ages until 1561, when King Felipe II moved the court to Madrid. However, Toledo remains the religious center of the country, which is underlined by the impressive cathedral, which is a must-see when visiting the city. One of the historical characteristics of the city was also that Christian, Jewish and Moorish culture lived and flourished side by side over time.

There are many sights and attractions in the city, and one of them is the narrow streets and alleys, which you should simply enjoy by exploring and enjoying the atmosphere of Toledo, the cozy squares, breathtaking lookouts and everything else that is here. At the center of the labyrinth of atmospheric streets is the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where you can see Toledo’s Town Hall, built from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. To the north in the same square, you can see the archbishops’ mansion, which structurally stands as the result of several centuries of expansion and remodeling, since Alfonso VIII donated some houses for the purpose in the 13th century.

In the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, you will also find the most impressive of Toledo’s churches, the Catedral de Toledo. The construction of the great church began in 1226, and the work took 267 years before the church was completed in 1493. The interior is impressive with the overall interior and not least the high altar, which is called El Transparente. The altar is a fantastic sight in different colored marble, stucco, various works of art and much more, which form an elegant masterpiece. You can see many other churches in Toledo as well, just as there are quite a few other religious buildings. Cristo de la Luz is a church housed in a former mosque from the Moorish era. The church is believed to have been built in the year 999, and here you can see some old frescoes. In Toledo you can also see Europe’s oldest preserved synagogue, Santa María la Blanca. The synagogue was built around 1200 and converted into a church in the 15th century.

You can choose to visit the painter El Greco’s home in Toldeo. It is called the Casa Museo de El Greco and is the house where El Greco lived in the 16th century, where he painted several motifs from Toledo. Some of the works are exhibited in the house’s museum. If you want to see more of El Greco’s work, you can find it in the Iglesia de Santo Tomé church, where you can enjoy his work Count Orgaz’s Burial. There are several museums in the city, and at the Museo Sephardí you can learn more about the Jewish cultural history of Spain. The Museo Sephardí is housed in the old El Tránsito synagogue, which is a sight as well with the building’s many fine details. The synagogue was built in 1357 and converted to a church in 1492, when Spain’s Jews were expelled from the country.

There are many other sights in Toledo from the city’s long history. For example, you can see several preserved city gates from the old fortifications around the city. Puerta Bab al-Mardum is the name of one of the oldest, it was built in the 9th century. From the same period, you can see the Puerta de Bisagra Antigua, which was the city’s main entrance. Newer city gates such as Puerta del Sol, Puerta de Bisagra Nueva and Puerto del Cambrón are also impressive. At the top of the city sits the Alcázar de Toledo castle, which was built in 1085. The castle was the residence of King Carlos I, and since then the building has been both destroyed and rebuilt several times. The atmosphere is still preserved and exudes the old Toledo.