Discover The Most Beautiful Towns In Toledo

Toledo is one of the most spectacular cities in Spain. Equally beautiful are some of the municipalities in his province where their heritage stands out or their relationship with Miguel de Cervantes’s masterpiece: El Quijote . We visit Consuegra, Orgaz, El Toboso, Oropesa and Talavera de la Reina, 4 wonderful towns in Toledo.

Towns of Toledo that you must visit

1. Consuegra

If Consuegra is known for something, it is for its twelve mills aligned on the Calderico hill. Each of them receives a name related to Don Quixote : Sancho, Rucio, Bolero, Espartero… These four are precisely the ones that still keep their machinery in good condition.

The mills, which are also one of the most beautiful and recognizable pictures of Castilla-La Mancha, have their origin in the 16th century, when the drought forced the locals to find a different way to grind the grains.

The other great attraction in Consuegra is the Castillo de la Muela. There are historians who maintain that it was the Emperor Trajan who ordered its construction, but the existing documentation places its construction in the 10th century, during the Caliphate of Córdoba. The fortification belonged to Alfonso VI and Alfonso VIII, among others. He was also a witness to the death of Diego, son of the Cid Campeador.

2. El Toboso

Continuing with the references to Don Quixote through the towns of Toledo we find El Toboso, the famous town of Dulcinea. In fact, you can visit your home. This was rebuilt during the sixties, so a good reproduction of the manchego manor from the sixteenth century that it must have been has been achieved.

Also related to the figure of Dulcinea is the Dulcinea Museum of Graphic Humor, which houses illustrations on the theme of Don Quixote created by famous comedians. Not far away is the Cervantino Museum, where a valuable collection of editions of Don Quixote is exhibited in various languages.

In addition to the literary route, in El Toboso you can take a monumental route, which passes through the Trinitario Monastery, the Clarisas Convent or the San Antonio Abad Parish Church.

3. Orgaz

Orgaz is one of the most beautiful towns in Toledo. Several monuments stand out from it, such as the arch of Belén and that of San José, which are the two entrance gates to the town that are still preserved.

You should also visit the castle, built in the 14th century. The visit should continue through the Plaza Mayor, the Hospital de San Lorenzo, the hermitages of La Concepción and del Socorro and the bridge of the Five Eyes, built over the Riánsares stream.

On the other hand, Orgaz can boast of having to his credit a copy of El Expolio , signed by El Greco. The work can be seen in the church of Orgaz, composed of a magnificent central nave, seven chapels and three altars.

The town also has the Visigoth Art Museum, which highlights the important early medieval past of the area. The installation includes reliefs of great artistic quality dating from the 7th century.

4. Oropesa

Oropesa is another of the essential visits, its castle being the main attraction. The fortification, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, is made up of two buildings, one old and the other new. The old one dates from Arab times, while the new one dates back to the 15th century. Inside there is a large square that is accessed through a gate guarded by one of its towers.

Nor can one overlook the other monuments of Oropesa which, like the castle, are assets of cultural interest: the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, in a plateresque style; the College of the Jesuits, Renaissance; and the New Palace, built by the Counts of Oropesa.

5. Talavera de la Reina

The most populated municipality of Toledo could not be missing from the list. Its historical architecture stands out : the Albarranas Towers, built in masonry with ashlar masonry in the corners and in their very high arches; the Palace of the Marquis of Villatoya, in Gothic style and where Felipe V stayed; the Roman bridge over the Tagus river …

Regarding religious buildings, we should speak of the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Prado, called Queen of the Hermitages by Felipe II and which is also known as the Sistine Chapel of ceramics for its magnificent collection of ceramics. Also important is the  Church of Santa María La Mayor, with its flamboyant Gothic rose window and its Gothic cloister, where the remains of the writer Fernando de Rojas rest.

Talavera de la Reina has other essentials, such as the Prado Gardens. These are a synthesis of various styles of European and Arab gardens with geometric and symmetrical distribution of the parterre. Walking through them we find the Fountain of the Frogs, the Music Temple or a small pond.