1+ days in Toledo
 

We'll be starting our 3 week trip to Spain in Toledo and I'm trying to get a sense of what realistically we can do in our time there without burning out on art and churches on our first day!

We'll be arriving next Monday afternoon and staying at the Hotel Santa Isabel (near the cathedral), after crashing a bit, I imagine we'll just be wandering and getting a feel for the town. We'll also look for a place to buy SIM cards for our phones.

Tuesday will be the big touring day, and I'd love to have an itinerary. We'll start in the cathedral, since we're staying nearby. So are the following doable in one day?
-Cathedral
-Museo de Santa Cruz
-Santo Tome
-El Greco Museum
- Sinagoga del Tránsito/Sephardic Museum
-Santa María la Blanca (synagogue)
-Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes (?)

Is this possible to do in one day and, if so, how best to organize it? Any recommendations for adding or eliminating places?

Any restaurant recommendations? We prefer good food that is casual and relaxed, not fine dining.

Many thanks! almost time!
Paule

Hi we went years ago.. I think we may have had two nights. but i think you could do all that in one day,unless you are spending hours at each. It wasn't THAT big...there was also a fun little train that you could ride around the city .Lots of casual places to eat.We did have a great time there.

I guess i would list which ones sound the best to you. and if you run out of steam.. next time...

Hi Paule,
How exciting, your trip is finally almost here. I can't believe how long ago it was that we were talking about apartments in Seville, visiting Ronda, etc.

I am very interested in this post as well as we have booked a trip to Madrid and area for this upcoming fall. We're very exciting about being able to return to Spain to visit this area. I was disappointed last year when I had to drop it because we just didn't have enough time.

I happened to be reading Rick Steve's book this morning on Toledo (which I take with a grain of salt, not as a "bible") and the sights in your list are pretty much what he mentions but no comments on how much time for each. His suggestion is 2 nights and 1 full day in Toledo so it sounds doable. We'll have a day and half. I'm going to make sure we see our "must sees" and then fit in anything else we can.

Our apartment owner recommended these restaurants to us. I haven't had a chance to check them out reviews, etc for them yet but it's a start.

1. Restaurante La Abadía
2. Cervecería El Trébol
3. Alfileritos 24
4. Mercado de San Agustín
5. La Malquerida
6. Terraza El Bu
7. Cafetería El Defín
8. Terraza del Miradero
9. Bar Ludeña
10. El Nuevo Almacén

I'm so excited for you that your trip is almost here - have a great time and looking forward to hearing how the trip was when you return.

Thanks so much everyone, this is really helpful. I forgot to mention that we will be there 2 nights, but that first day will be limited since we'll be arriving from the States and taking an afternoon train to Toledo. So we will really have 1 1/2 days. I imagine that the first one will be spent wandering, and maybe stop in a smaller place that doesn't require much energy.

I saw something about the train -- it looks kinda cute, if a little like making a child's visit to the zoo. I'll see if it works for us, it could be a nice way to get a good overview.

We are not ones to spend long hours at a place, so we'll probably be able to do most of this in the full day.

Again, thanks. Any more thoughts, suggestions or recommendations?

IMO, if you are VERY aggressive in your timing and are willing to take advantage of every possible moment you have in Toledo, you can probably see the listed sites in one very full -- although not necessarily, certainly not at a relaxed pace, and with awareness that you will be skipping other very worth sites in the city. Just my take.

For all of you who are looking at RS guidebooks, please keep in mind that MUCH is omitted.

But better to see some of Toledo's treasures than not! :-)