Toledo on a Sunday
Feb 21st, 2010, 10:57 PM
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Toledo on a Sunday
We will be in Madrid in March and the only day that we can fit in Toledo is on a Sunday. Will many of the stores, restaurants, and other sites etc. be closed? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Feb 22nd, 2010, 07:14 PM
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Feb 23rd, 2010, 04:07 AM
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We visited Toledo for a day trip in a Sunday in January of last year. All the churches and synagogues were open and we got to see everything that we wanted to see. Some shops were closed but I didn't notice that any restaurants were closed - all seemed open to me.
We had a wonderful day in Toledo just wandering around - it's a terrific place for a day trip.
We had a wonderful day in Toledo just wandering around - it's a terrific place for a day trip.
Feb 23rd, 2010, 04:09 AM
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We went to Toledo last year on a Sunday. Here are my notes to give you an idea of what we did.
****************************************
Took the 9:20 fast train From Atocha to Toledo , it actually gets there in LESS than half an hour (about 100 kilometers distance). We did not want to take a chance for finding tickets on the way back since this is a very popular route and many people buy tickets in advance so we bought round trip tickets and the way back for 18:30. We figured it should be enough time, also after what we read, etc.
So at 10 AM we were already on the city bus from the train station, taking us up up up to the old city, through some gorgeous ports and monuments. We got to the main square Plaza Zocodover, where there is a tourist office and we went in for maps and information. Since Spaniards seem to wake up late, we are always at our destinations when hardly anyone is around and so we manage to see most of the sights without crowds and pushing, etc. It is wonderful.
Unfortunately, at least in Toledo, attractions are open at all different times and days. I knew that the synagogue was only open today from 10:00 – 14:00 so I wanted to make sure to get there first. So we walked all the way across the entire old city to get to the Sinagoga de El Transito. A beautiful museum with many beautiful religious artifacts.
From there we went to the second synagogue – Sinagoga de Santa Maria La Blanca. There is a plaque outside saying it was once a synagogue, etc. and inside it is really beautiful with Moorish interior, "staffed" by nuns and there is nothing left of what may have once been a gorgeous synagogue indeed.
From there we needed to get to the Santa Cruz Museum before it closed at 14:00 and on the way we stopped at THE famous mazapan (marzipan) store called St. Tome. Toledo is famous for its marzipan and this store is the MOST famous. We bought a cream cake rolled in marzipan and it was pure heaven. We shared it and enjoyed it and it was already about noon and neither of us had had anything to eat till then. We kinda missed breakfast and I just had a coffee back in Madrid waiting for our train to Toledo . So it was a great treat.
The Santa Cruz Museum is where they have put most of the El Greco paintings now since the El Greco Museum is closed for renovations. Some of the works were really very good, others were not that great. But they allowed photos without flash so I was also able to capture some of the ones I liked best.
I read that Victoria Macho housed another of El Greco's very famous works but it was all the way back on the other side of town so before going there, we asked again at the tourist office and they said it was indeed NO longer there. They did say that at Saint Tome church there was a very famous painting from El Greco, as well as in the cathedral. So we trecked ALLLL the way back to where the first synagogue was and by this time it was getting quite warm, for the first time since we are here.
We did get to it and sat in the church for a while to rest and afterwards admired the picture. It was rather worthwhile to have trudged back for this. At this point it was about 14:00 and we started to get hungry so we started looking for a place to eat. We found several that had their menu del dia but believe it or not most were so full that there were people waiting for tables!! Finally we found one that looked OK and we only waited a few minutes for a table.
Unfortunately the food was again not really that great. I was adventurous and ordered the mixed paella for starter. We both had a small thin steak with fries for main,a pretty bad chocolate cake with cream for desert and I was so happy they had rice pudding for dessert, but it was such a disaster I could not even TRY and eat it. Oh well.
We then made our way to the cathedral which only OPENED at 14:00 today (yes, crazy and good they give you this at the tourist office). It was the most expensive entrance of all today (7 Euros a piece) and actually the synagogue and the Santa Cruz museum were free because it was Sunday, nice. Anyway, it was THE MOST magnificent cathedral we have ever seen, I mean even more than in the Vatican !! It is HUGE HUGH and so ornate and beautiful and so well put together. Inside the cathedral is a small museum with many wonderful paintings, again many by El Greco but some also by Tiziano, Goya, Rubens, and others. We could not leave, it was so breathtaking. But after some time, we DID leave and we went back to the main Plaza where we started our day.
We walked into the Santo Tome mazapan store and bought LOTS of yummy stuff, some for us now and others as gifts to bring home. It was 17:10 by then and we decided to take the bus back down to the train station and maybe we will make the 17:30 train, even though we had tickets for the 18:30 train. So we did, and we DID make the train but they were not sure they could put us on because they said it was quite full. A seemingly in-charge conductor or something came by, looked at our tickets, took the stubs and told us to go one to rack one and get onto the train. So we even managed not to have to wait a full hour at the station. Nice (and there were MANY empty seats on the train, so……).
***************************************
So you see there are many things one can do on a Sunday but the MOST important advice I can give you is to make sure you go first to the tourist office at the main Plaza there and get all the info of what is open and when.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Enjoy!!
****************************************
Took the 9:20 fast train From Atocha to Toledo , it actually gets there in LESS than half an hour (about 100 kilometers distance). We did not want to take a chance for finding tickets on the way back since this is a very popular route and many people buy tickets in advance so we bought round trip tickets and the way back for 18:30. We figured it should be enough time, also after what we read, etc.
So at 10 AM we were already on the city bus from the train station, taking us up up up to the old city, through some gorgeous ports and monuments. We got to the main square Plaza Zocodover, where there is a tourist office and we went in for maps and information. Since Spaniards seem to wake up late, we are always at our destinations when hardly anyone is around and so we manage to see most of the sights without crowds and pushing, etc. It is wonderful.
Unfortunately, at least in Toledo, attractions are open at all different times and days. I knew that the synagogue was only open today from 10:00 – 14:00 so I wanted to make sure to get there first. So we walked all the way across the entire old city to get to the Sinagoga de El Transito. A beautiful museum with many beautiful religious artifacts.
From there we went to the second synagogue – Sinagoga de Santa Maria La Blanca. There is a plaque outside saying it was once a synagogue, etc. and inside it is really beautiful with Moorish interior, "staffed" by nuns and there is nothing left of what may have once been a gorgeous synagogue indeed.
From there we needed to get to the Santa Cruz Museum before it closed at 14:00 and on the way we stopped at THE famous mazapan (marzipan) store called St. Tome. Toledo is famous for its marzipan and this store is the MOST famous. We bought a cream cake rolled in marzipan and it was pure heaven. We shared it and enjoyed it and it was already about noon and neither of us had had anything to eat till then. We kinda missed breakfast and I just had a coffee back in Madrid waiting for our train to Toledo . So it was a great treat.
The Santa Cruz Museum is where they have put most of the El Greco paintings now since the El Greco Museum is closed for renovations. Some of the works were really very good, others were not that great. But they allowed photos without flash so I was also able to capture some of the ones I liked best.
I read that Victoria Macho housed another of El Greco's very famous works but it was all the way back on the other side of town so before going there, we asked again at the tourist office and they said it was indeed NO longer there. They did say that at Saint Tome church there was a very famous painting from El Greco, as well as in the cathedral. So we trecked ALLLL the way back to where the first synagogue was and by this time it was getting quite warm, for the first time since we are here.
We did get to it and sat in the church for a while to rest and afterwards admired the picture. It was rather worthwhile to have trudged back for this. At this point it was about 14:00 and we started to get hungry so we started looking for a place to eat. We found several that had their menu del dia but believe it or not most were so full that there were people waiting for tables!! Finally we found one that looked OK and we only waited a few minutes for a table.
Unfortunately the food was again not really that great. I was adventurous and ordered the mixed paella for starter. We both had a small thin steak with fries for main,a pretty bad chocolate cake with cream for desert and I was so happy they had rice pudding for dessert, but it was such a disaster I could not even TRY and eat it. Oh well.
We then made our way to the cathedral which only OPENED at 14:00 today (yes, crazy and good they give you this at the tourist office). It was the most expensive entrance of all today (7 Euros a piece) and actually the synagogue and the Santa Cruz museum were free because it was Sunday, nice. Anyway, it was THE MOST magnificent cathedral we have ever seen, I mean even more than in the Vatican !! It is HUGE HUGH and so ornate and beautiful and so well put together. Inside the cathedral is a small museum with many wonderful paintings, again many by El Greco but some also by Tiziano, Goya, Rubens, and others. We could not leave, it was so breathtaking. But after some time, we DID leave and we went back to the main Plaza where we started our day.
We walked into the Santo Tome mazapan store and bought LOTS of yummy stuff, some for us now and others as gifts to bring home. It was 17:10 by then and we decided to take the bus back down to the train station and maybe we will make the 17:30 train, even though we had tickets for the 18:30 train. So we did, and we DID make the train but they were not sure they could put us on because they said it was quite full. A seemingly in-charge conductor or something came by, looked at our tickets, took the stubs and told us to go one to rack one and get onto the train. So we even managed not to have to wait a full hour at the station. Nice (and there were MANY empty seats on the train, so……).
***************************************
So you see there are many things one can do on a Sunday but the MOST important advice I can give you is to make sure you go first to the tourist office at the main Plaza there and get all the info of what is open and when.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Enjoy!!
Feb 23rd, 2010, 05:31 AM
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Flame123 has given you pretty much everything you need to know. I just want to add that if all you see is the cathedral, it is worth the trip. I've seen quite a lot of them, and it is one of my favorite cathedrals in Europe.
