I was in two minds about visiting Toledo, not because I didn’t think it would be a worthwhile trip, but I was unsure if I could give it enough time to do the city justice. In the end I plumped for an excursion on the last day of a busy weekend trip to Madrid.

Toledo is only 25 minutes away from the Spanish capital, however we soon found out that trains were infrequent and got full rather quickly, but we managed to nab ourselves a couple of seats (if you are planning to go by train I would recommend booking in advance as our options were severely limited on the day). The super slick high-speed train deposits you at the rather lovely neo-Moorish station in Toledo, which is worth taking a few moments to admire before heading off to the walk or bus journey to the centre. The short walk gives a nice first view of the city as you see it sitting up on the other side of the river, showing you that you may have to do a fair bit of climbing during your visit.

It is very easy to see the traditional medina style lay out of the city centre; the narrow cobbled streets winding up and down hill instantly brought back memories of North Africa. The main highlight is the cathedral, with its overwrought gothic altar and impressive collection of art, from a rather astonishing amount of European masters. For us though Toledo's greatest attraction was El Greco's magnificent Burial of the Count of Orgaz , a truly superb piece of art work from an artist that I was not especially fond of previously. It can be found in Santo Tomé church on the edge of the former Jewish district, and provides a nice focal point from which to explore Toledo's former multi-cultural heritage. After seeing the architectural fruits of the period of la convicencia, we grabbed a few tapa and meandered back towards the station.

This daytrip did allow us to see all the highlights of Toledo, however I feel that it would really be worth staying a night to absorb more of the city's atmosphere, as well as giving you a chance to see the place when it is not so over run with day tripping tourists. It is a very worthy WHS with some magnificent art works that would reward a more leisurely stay.

[Site 7: Experience 5]