7 Best Sights in Toledo, Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha

One of the most impressive structures in all of Spain, this is a must-see on any visit to the city. The elaborate structure sits on the site of what was once Toledo's great mosque (of which only a column and cistern remain). It owes its impressive Mozarabic chapel, with an elongated dome crowning the west facade, to El Greco's only son. The rest of the facade is mainly early 15th century. Immediately to your right is a beautifully carved plateresque doorway by Covarrubias, marking the entrance to the Treasury, which houses a small crucifixion scene by the Italian painter Cimabue and an extraordinarily intricate late-15th-century monstrance by Juan del Arfe. The ceiling is an excellent example of Mudejar (11th- to 16th-century Moorish-influenced) workmanship. From here, walk around to the ambulatory. In addition to Italianate frescoes by Juan de Borgoña and an exemplary baroque illusionism altarpiece by Narciso Tomé known as the Transparente, you’ll find several El Grecos, including one version of El Espolio (Christ Being Stripped of His Raiment), the first recorded instance of the painter in Spain.

Sometimes called "Los Jesuitas" for the religious order that founded it, the Iglesia de San Ildefonso is named for Toledo's patron saint, a 7th-century bishop. It was consecrated in 1718 after the baroque stone facade with twin Corinthian columns took 150 years to build. Its semispherical dome is one of the icons of Toledo's skyline. This impressive building's tower affords some of the best views over Toledo.

Not to be confused with the marzipan shop bearing the same name, this chapel topped with a Mudejar tower was built specially to house El Greco's most masterful painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz. Using vivid colors and splashes of light, it portrays the benefactor of the church being buried with the posthumous assistance of St. Augustine and St. Stephen, who have appeared at the funeral to thank the count for his donations to religious institutions named after the two saints. Though the count's burial took place in the 14th century, El Greco painted the onlookers in contemporary 16th-century costumes and included people he knew; the boy in the foreground is El Greco's son, and the sixth figure on the left is said to be the artist himself. Santo Tomé is Toledo's most visited church besides the cathedral, so to avoid crowds, plan to visit as soon as the building opens.

This convent church in western Toledo was erected by Fernando and Isabel to commemorate their victory at the Battle of Toro in 1476. (It was also intended to be their burial place, but their wish changed after Granada was recaptured from the Moors in 1492, and their actual tomb is in that city's Capilla Real.) The breathtakingly intricate building is largely the work of architect Juan Guas, who considered it his masterpiece and asked to be buried there himself. In true plateresque fashion, the white interior is covered with inscriptions and heraldic motifs.

Founded in 1131, this is Toledo's oldest and largest convent—and it's still in use. The handful of nuns who live here produce sweet wine and marzipan. The impressive complex, a bit outside the city center, includes ruins of a mosque on which a chapel was built in the Middle Ages, those of an Islamic house and courtyard (with an ancient well and Arab baths), and those of a Jewish house from the same period. Tours, offered twice daily (though not dependably—be forewarned), might include a visit to the kitchen where the Mother Superior will let you sample some sweets if she's in a good mood. Skip the touristy marzipan shops and buy the real stuff here (sweets are sold at the entrance around the corner in Plaza Padilla). There's also an adjacent cultural center with rotating history exhibits.

This 16th-century Cistercian convent houses the earliest of El Greco's Toledo paintings, as well as the crypt where the artist is believed to be buried. The friendly nuns at the convent—of whom seven remain—will show you around its odd little museum, which includes decaying bone relics of little-known saints and a life-size model of John the Baptist's decapitated head. Ask about their homemade sweets. 

Hidden in a virtually unspoiled part of Toledo, this early-13th-century Mudejar church (built on the site of an earlier Visigoth one) is now the Museo de los Concilios y de la Cultura Visigoda (Visigoth Museum) with exhibits of statuary, manuscript illustrations, jewelry, and an extensive collection of frescoes. The church tower is adjacent to the ruins of Roman baths.