Description
In this city you will see the traces of the Romans, Visigoths, Moors, Jewish and Castilian Christians.
During this private tour an important part of Spanish history will be disclosed to you.
With a comfortable transfer in your private car or van and enjoying Spanish food, it will be a very pleasant and interesting experience.
The tour includes:
All entrance fees of the visited sites
Approximately 1 hour drive from your hotel in Madrid to Toledo
You will visit for sure the Cathedral and depending on your interest the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, Sephardic museum, former Mosque del Cristo de la Luz, El Greco museum and more
Also we will go by car to have the beautiful view over the whole city from the other site of the River Tagus.
Approximately 1 h drive back to your hotel in Madrid
Visiting all monuments with a private official guide
Customized
All tours of Citytoursinmadrid can be customized. Send your personal interest by e-mail to info@citytoursinmadrid.es and we will make a personalized proposal. Suggestions like:
- Synagogue Santa María La Blanca
- Sephardic Museum
- Museum de Santa Cruz with canvases painted by El Greco and works like “La Asuncíon de la Virgen”, “Inmaculada Conception” and much more
- Church de Santo Tomé
- Museum de los Tapices
- Caves of Hercules
Toledo, city of three cultures
On the ruins of an important Carpetani settlement, conquered by Marco Fulvio Nobilior in 192 BC, the Roman city of Toledo was built. They called it “Toletum”.
Under the Visigoths Toledo was again capital city from 534 to 712 and numerous catholic councils were held.
In 711 the Arab invasion started and during this period there was an enriching cultural exchange, becoming an important kingdom of Taifa in the eleventh century.
After the Christian conquest (1085), Alfonso VI applied a policy of coexistence of different cultures after granting privileges to all communities.
During the Middle Ages, a time of economic enrichment and cultural brilliance, the Jewish community developed and had a powerful influence on the rise of the city.
Alfonso X, called “the Wise” encouraged the translator centre, the Toledo School of Translators, that existed in 12th and 13th centuries. Archbishop Raymond of Toledo was the initiator and brought vast amounts of knowledge to Europe by translating many great philosophical and academic works written in Arabic into Latin. Later Alfonso X decided that the translations should not longer be in Latin but in Spanish what also was very important for the development of the Spanish language.
The sixteenth century began as one of the most prosperous for the city until Felipe II decided to install the capital of the kingdom in Madrid (1563).
Cathedral
The Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo is one of the most important Gothic cathedrals of Spain. Visiting Toledo, this cathedral is a “must see”. It was built between 1227 and 1493 on the site of a former Moorish mosque and is dedicated to Mary. The retable is one of the sights in this cathedral.
Remarkable is that you can almost consider it as a museum with paintings from important artists such as Goya, Tristán, Caravaggio, Van Dyck, Raphael, Titian and Bellini.
Monastery San Juan de los Reyes
It’s a historic monastery of the Franciscan order built by the Catholic monarch in 1477-1504. It is one of the most valuable examples of the Elizabeth Gothic style in Spain and the most important building made by the Catholic monarchs. The monastery is also a memory of the achievements of the Catholic monarchs and their political program.
Sephardic Museum
This interesting museum is located in the Synagogue of El Tránsito. Here you see history and customs of the Sephardic Jews and their religion.
