Free in Toledo? It seems like a utopia, if we think of our city as one of the most touristic in the world, which receives millions of visitors all year round. Is there anything free to see or do in Toledo?
The answer is yes, although adding that it depends on the time of year and the luck you have in your trip. Below we offer you twenty experiences, places and “free” tracks to do in Toledo in one visit.
It is very likely that these 20 recommendations cannot be made in a single trip. We insist, as always: in Toledo you have to “sleep”.
You have to spend the night and stay in a hotel, hostel, tourist apartment or caravan. If you don’t sleep in Toledo, you miss the best: its night. And of course, you won’t be able to take advantage of the twenty things we offer you here:
Index of Contents
1. Watch sunset from the Valley
One of the best experiences in the city, one of the most photographed, is climbing up to the Valley (you can walk, but it will take more than half an hour to get out over one of the bridges).
There we can wait for the sunset and get some of the photos that have made Toledo more famous. There are several points from which to enjoy this experience: from the viewpoint, from the Peña del Rey Moro or from the Parador Nacional.
In any case, it is free and the most recommended experience for couples. Unforgettable.
2. The aerial panoramic from the Alcázar Library
In the lists of this type you will always find this curious way to access the Alcázar de Toledo: entering through the Biblioteca de Castilla-La Mancha, at the end of the Carlos V slope and going up in the elevators.
The view is worth it. The building and the library, too. Don’t go without having a coffee in one of its towers, in the small and curious bar you will find yourself there.
And maybe you’ll come across a presentation by a well known (or not so well known) writer. Check their schedule here.
3. Read the legends of Toledo where they have happened.
You can experience the history of Spain in the streets of Toledo. The urban layout is medieval, has undergone few changes over time.
Furthermore, as we well know on this page, its streets and monuments house hundreds of legends. Someone said that almost “every stone” has a legend.
It is an exaggeration, but in “Toledospain.click Guides” we count many in our night guided tours.
You can also make your own cicerone and read some of the legends that we offer on this page to your partner, or your companions.
There are many to choose from, and here is a list of some of Toledo’s most famous legends.
4. A “Free Tour” with Toledo Spain Routes
Tour guide starting a Toledo Free Tour in the Plaza de Zocodover with Toledospain.click Guides.
Discover Toledo on an essential tour, in this new guided walking tour, in which you will discover (externally) some of the main monuments and most beautiful corners in a fun and innovative way.
During the guided tour you will learn about history, culture, anecdotes and curiosities, in an overview of what you can see and do in your stay in Toledo.
Your budget in this case is not a problem, because in the FREE TOUR TOLEDO you choose the price you put on this unforgettable experience in Toledo! Click here to access and book.
5. Take advantage of “free” days to visit monuments.
A few months ago we updated one of the most visited articles on this website: monuments to visit for free in Toledo and when.
We recommend that you also take a few minutes to read this article carefully.
6. Visit the Roman Circus
The Roman circus of Toledo was built during the first century, being one of the largest in the entire peninsula.
Much of its structure remains hidden although what can be visited is freely accessible in a pleasant park. Its dimensions were 422 meters long by 112 wide.
The access is in the Avenida de Carlos III, outside the historic center of the city (close the park at night)
7. Ecological trail
Practically surrounding Toledo you can walk along the river Tagus, in a wide stretch in which to discover the flora and fauna characteristic of the city.
The easiest way to get there is from one of the two bridges: San Martín or Alcántara, and walk from one to the other along the river, for travellers with a lot of time!
8. Make a visit to the “unknown heritage” of the Consortium
Thermae, sculpture found in the Roman baths of Toledo in 2017
The City of Toledo Consortium dedicates its efforts to discovering and enhancing buildings, monuments, archaeological sites, etc.
Among the many initiatives they carry out is the recovery, conservation and dissemination of underground and monumental spaces recovered in Toledo.
Thus, in recent years they have recovered curious spaces such as the Caves of Hercules, various church towers, the Roman baths of Amador de los Ríos, Arab baths, underground spaces in the Jewish quarter…
Reaching agreements with the owners, they occasionally make guided visits to these curious and usually closed spaces, which can be booked on their website.
These are the “unknown heritage” routes, which are usually free.
9. Night walk in the Jewish quarter
LED lighting marking the boundaries of Toledo Jewish Quarter
Spending at least two nights in Toledo is compulsory. And one of these nights is dedicated to a few hours’ walk in the Jewish quarter.
She will be lonely. And you will discover beautiful and very old corners that will take you back to the time when Sepharad was a reality, before the expulsion of the Jews.
Look for the small tiles that adorn the floors of the Jewish quarter of Toledo. Spend a few minutes watching the sunset from Paseo de San Cristóbal. Discover the majesty of San Juan de los Reyes… There are many possibilities.
10. Getting lost looking for sheds
If there is a romantic, mysterious, sometimes even dark place, it is the sheds of Toledo. Formerly there were a large number in the city, but currently there are few left, essentially in the convent area.
A shed in Toledo is an elevated walkway that joins two homes or houses, on a street.
Legendary places, where we can imagine what medieval life in Toledo would be like, since they have practically not changed (except for the trash cans, traffic lights or modern lights).
11. Enter open churches
If you are lucky, or they coincide with festive periods such as Easter, you will be able to access churches or hermitages that are only open during religious services or on special dates.
They are small churches, hermitages or chapels, but they preserve important treasures and in small cities other than Toledo they would not go so unnoticed.
Some of these Churches, in small towns, would be monuments of great importance, but in our city, given the great accumulation of great monuments, they tend to be forgotten: San Andrés, Santa Eulalia, convents such as Santo Domingo el Antiguo (conserved by Grecos in its interior), San Miguel…
The list is enormous and it is very worth trying to discover these treasures usually closed to tourists, but always with due respect, they are places of prayer.
12. Access the patio of the Santa Cruz Museum
The Santa Cruz Museum is located in a large monumental building that usually goes unnoticed by tourists who arrive in Toledo.
A common mistake because its museum collections are impressive, it usually houses exhibitions of great interest and the cost of access is not very high. But if you are looking to see something “free”, you can access its patio freely. (Miguel de Cervantes Street, 3).
13. Discover the patios of Toledo
They are authentic hidden treasures of the city, orchards and oases hidden behind the high stone walls of the city. If you want to know more, click here: Patios de Toledo.
14. Find the signature of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
In 1915 the press published that the writer Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer had left an “autograph” in a curious place: the doorway of the San Clemente convent, about 5 meters high.
15. Walk along Comercio Street until you reach Zocodover
“Ancha” street or Comercio street, as it is known today, is the commercial and tourist artery of Toledo.
It leads from Zocodover to the Cuatro Calles and then continues to Hombre de Palo and the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, which will connect with Santo Tomé and the Jewish Quarter.
It is the typical tour of the first-time tourist in Toledo. Obliged, of course.
16. Find the Devil in Toledo or go down to Hell
In a small space in Toledo you can visit Hell and the Devil. No, Satan will not be there (unless we are aware of it), but the street nomenclature refers to legendary and very mysterious spaces in the city, in which numerous legends are told.
The diabolical presence in one of the cities with the most churches and sacred precincts per square meter in all of Europe is very curious…
On the “Magical Toledo” route they tell you many secrets of these corners in Toledo Routes.
17. Look for the narrowest streets in Toledo, or the smallest window…
It is curious how fond we are of small things in Toledo… Perhaps the limited space available within the wall to live in has meant that for centuries, Toledoans have to stick to the “minimum”.
In Toledo we preserve some of the narrowest alleys and also the smallest window in the world (it has been proven to be a hoax, by the way).
Also, if you want to spend a little money, in Toledo we also have one of the largest bells in the world: the Campana Gorda.
18. Listen to street music.
Since 2018 in Toledo, the spaces in which street artists can show their art have been regulated. It is common in Toledo to hear music concerts like Chiki Serrano and her cello, near the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, performing Sephardic-inspired music with her curious key viola (and help by buying one of her records at the same time).
19. Discover the hidden viewpoints of Toledo
Over the centuries, the intricate labyrinth of Toledo streets has created unique corners, some far from the usual tourist routes, that show us elevated panoramic views of the city, given the unevenness.
Places like the Paseo de San Cristóbal, the Paseo de Virgen de Gracia, the Torreón del Azor, the Alcázar gardens…
20. Park for free in Toledo
It may seem silly, but parking your car for free in Toledo can be more complicated than it seems if you don’t know where.
To visit Toledo you have to do a little planning and within the city ignore the GPS, do not try to get to the door of the hotel within the old town with the car!
You also cannot park in any square or street (there is regulated parking)… Before, read our recommendations: free parking in Toledo.
