Hello,
My husband and I are staying in Toledo for roughy 3 days / 2 nights. We are trying to figure out where to stay. We love walking and are ok using public transportation as we won’t have a car. Do we need to be in the city center?
We will be doing sightseeing in the historic center for at least one of the days. Is that part of town hard to get to from other parts of town? Is there an area of Toledo more known for best food/ restaurants?
All the main tourist sites are in the historic center that is 1 mile from the train station. I’ve always had a rental car when visiting Toledo so never stayed in the historic center.
The two hotels I’ve stayed at are Hotel María Cristina. It’s about a mile from the historic center. Most recently we stayed at the Parador a couple miles from the historic center. One would need to take a taxi to get into town.
If you don’t stay in the historic center and don’t want to walk up the hill, there are a couple escalators that go to the old town. One is near the Bisagra gate just past the Cardinal’s house and the other is Remonte de Safont near the Alcantara Bridge.
Hi Kpete,
I would advise staying inside the city walls - there is plenty to fill your time. Toledo is not large but it is hilly and it is quite the climb (or cab ride) from outside the walls. The atmosphere within the city center after the tourist buses leave makes it worth staying overnight there.
There is no particular area that is known for food; most restaurants tend to be clustered around the major sites but you don't have to go far to find some place good to eat.
I can recommend an excellent restaurant: Clandestina de las Tendillas, which has a patio and serves updated versions of classic Spanish dishes. I've stayed in several hotels in town which were reasonably priced. Hotel Abad (just inside the walls), Eugenio de Montijo, and the Hotel San Juan de los Reyes were all very nice - read the reviews, look at prices and locations to see which you prefer.
I LOVED my stay at Medina Mudejar https://www.hotelmedinamudejartoledo.com/en. It is a small hotel built on top of old Arab Baths. They have five rooms (I stayed in Jazmin) and the best part is that included with each night you get access to the Baths for one hour. I would definitely reserve the baths before you arrive so you can make sure to get your hour each day. If I am ever in Toledo again, I will definitely stay here.
From the Toledo station, I took a bus to Zocodover Square and then walked about 10 mins to the hotel. The streets in Toledo are very tangled, so be prepared to get lost - but in a good way!
Have a great trip.
Since you love walking, I am going to suggest the Parador. Yes, it’s a couple of miles and it requires going down hill and then up hill in both directions. And the hills are steep. But if you are used to hills, it is doable, and the views are amazing as you walk. We got a room with a view of the city and the view was fabulous. Crazy as it may sound, my husband and I thought the walk to and from the town was our favorite thing in Toledo. The cathedral was also amazing.
When we were there (five years ago), the bus ran hourly. When we inquired at the front desk about the timing, we learned we had just missed it. We had not planned on walking, but we decided we would rather walk than sit around for an hour. We were so glad we did. I will point out it was not hot when we were there.
I do think staying in the historic center would be cool too.
I stayed at Hotel Santa Isabel, for location and the roof top terrace. I was there in November and nights were empty with deserted streets. There weren't many nearby eateries however. Next time I would be more likely to stay somewhere with restaurants nearby.
It has been a few years, so not sure it's still available, but at the time, there was a city attractions pass that made a lot of sense to purchase particularly when staying several days.
My one disappointment was the El Greco museum was closed the day I planned to see it, due to some high mucky muck needing a private viewing.
Do be sure to visit the Mirador. The Zocalo does a stop there. From there you can u derstand why painters had to capture that view....and how little has changed over the years.
In 2021 I enjoyed staying 3 nights at La Posada de Manolo in the historical center. It was recommended in the RS guidebook at the time but given that 5 years have passed I’d check a current RS guide to confirm it’s still recommended.
Thank you for all the recommendations this was very helpful. We were not against staying in the city center but more if it was worth the extra cost. I’ll be sure to look into some hotel and restaurant recommendations.
