Toledo sits on a promontory surrounded by a wide meander of the river Tagus. On the one side we have the city, world heritage site and testimony of three civilisations: Moorish, Jewish and Christian. On the other side, a series of hills offer panoramic views of the city.

The best option is to take Paseo de la Rosa, passing by the Hospital Provincial de la Misericordia. From this point on, we recommend going slow and stopping at different points prepared for parking your car. We enter Ronda del Valle (Valley Road), so-called because its final destination is the Virgen del Valle chapel.

Discovering the best of Toledo at a distance 

The stops on the way allow travellers to get a complete mosaic of the city, dominated by the robust silhouette of the Alcázar. It is fascinating to find, with the help of a map, emblematic buildings  such as the Primada Cathedral, the Museo de Santa Cruz museum, Jesuitas church, San Román church, the city walls or the San Juan de los Reyes Monastery. Many buildings are certainly lost in the complexity of an urban layout that is well worthwhile enjoying step by step.

We will later discover these buildings in greater detail. All these buildings are highly recommended, but among them you should not miss the Santo Tomé church, which houses one of the masterpieces of Greco, the monumental painting of El entierro del señor de Orgaz (The Burial of the Count of Orgaz). Seeing it is incomparable. The Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz mosque and the Puerta de la Bisagra gate are also worth viewing.

Under the Ronda del Valle casually flows the Tagus, which also offers points of interest such as Puente de Alcántara bridge, of Roman origin, the jetty of the Casa del Diamantista (Diamond Merchant's house) or, towards the end of the ring road, Puente de San Martín bridge, which marks the entrance to Toledo's old Jewish quarter.

La Virgen del Valle, visiting point 

From the balcony-viewpoint of the 17th century Virgen del Valle chapel, you can perhaps get the best panorama of Toledo. As the master ceramist from Talavera Ruiz de Luna wrote: “Aunque pequeña me ves. Soy muy grande como ermita, pues la reina que me habita tiene Toledo a sus pies” (Although small, you see me. I am very large as a chapel, sine the queen who lives in me has Toledo at her feet). Here you can find La Ermita restaurant (tel.: 925 253 193), where you can eat whilst contemplating the city.

The historic, cultural and monumental wealth of Toledo is so great that you'll be thankful for taking a break, for example, in the Plaza Zocodover square, the old Moorish livestock market. Here medieval jousts, executions and auto-da-fé of the Inquisition, or bull fights, were held. Today its use is much more worldly, since it is full of bars and restaurant.

In these establishments we recommend trying typical Toledo or Castilla-La Mancha dishes, such as garlic soup, stewed partridge, marzipan or any recipe that includes game. Near the cathedral the restaurants Adolfo (Awarded 2 Soles Repsol) and Locum (Awarded 1 Sol Repsol) live up to this gastronomy.