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Toledo is one of the Spanish cities with the greatest wealth of monuments. Known as the “city of the three cultures”, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there for centuries, behind its walls Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. Declared as a national monument, Toledo, a small city found on a Castilian hilltop overlooking the Rio Tajo (River Tagus), was once the Spanish capital under the Visigoths (567 to 711) and again when Felipe II moved the Court of Spain to Madrid (1085 to 1561). It is still the religious centre of Spain. Locals often refer to Toledo as 'La Ciudad Imperial' (The Imperial City). Toledo is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Vibrant in history, the old center of the city can become packed with tourists during the weekends of high season.

Having been populated since the Bronze Age, Toledo gained relevance during Roman times, being a main commercial and administrative center in the roman province of Tarraconensis. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Toledo served as the capital city of Visigothic Spain, beginning with Liuvigild, and was the capital of Spain until the Moors conquered Iberia  in the 8th century.

Today Toledo is a municipality located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. It is the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Many famous people and artists were born or lived in Toledo, including Al-Zarqali, Garcilaso de la Vega, Eleanor of Toledo, Alfonso X and El Greco. It was also the place of important historic events such as the Visigothic Councils of Toledo. As of 2007[update], the city has a population of 78,618 and an area of 232.1 km2 (89.59 square miles).

Cradle of Monarchs, and the seat of principal archbishops, Toledo constitutes a tourist attraction point of first order sheltered in the knowledge stored in its Mosques, Synagogues, churches and convents. The cathedral, the monastery of Saint John of the Kings, the doors and the walled enclosure or the Alcazar portray the special attractiveness of its streets and plazas. They surround the traveler with an enchantment as Becquer or Galdos described, and El Greco portrayed in his paintings. Toledo was an important city of Spain for much of the early modern period. Symbolic of this prominence are the large fortress (alcázar) built by the monarchs, the vast and richly   decorated cathedral, and the impressive archdiocesan palace built by the prelates of Toledo, primates of the Spanish church.

Toledo Fortress

This is the present site of the city's Army Museum. The building dates back to the Roman period. Under the rule of Alfonso VI and Alfonso X the Wise the building was rebuilt, becoming the first fortress to have a square floor plan with towers on each angle. Under emperor Charles V, it is rebuilt once more, this time by architect Alonso de Covarrubias. One of the façades is in Renaissance style, while a second one is Plateresque. The third façade (east), on the other hand, is medieval, with crenelated towers and battlements, while the fourth is Churrigueresque, built following the designs of Juan de Herrera. Following its last restoration, this building went on to be the site of the Army Headquarters and Museum.

 Toledo Cathedral

Toledo Cathedral  in Toledo, Spain, is ranked among the greatest Gothic structures in Europe. Inside, the cathedral contains important masterpieces including a spectacular baroque high altar and two paintings by El Greco.

Toledo Cathedral stands on the site of the Great Mosque of Toledo, which itself had replaced a Visigothic church. Built from 1226 to 1493, the long process is reflected in Toledo Cathedral's variety of styles. Many historic events have been hosted in the cathedral over the years, including the proclamation of Joanna the Mad and her husband, Philip the Handsome, as heirs to the throne of Spain.

The primarily 13th-century architecture of Toledo cathedral was inspired by the Gothic cathedrals of France such as Chartres, but the squat proportions give it a Spanish feel, as do the wealth and weight of the furnishings and the location of the elaborate choir in the center of the nave.

The exterior of the great cathedral, with its grand spire and massive buttresses, is best appreciated from outside the city or from a nearby high point  like the Parador Nacional de Turismo. Up close, it is difficult to appreciate the scale of the cathedral, but its beauty is more than evident. The north tower stands 295 feet (90m) high and was built from 1380-1440. Inside is the famous bell known as the Campana Gorda, cast in 1753 and weighing 17 tons. The south tower was left unfinished and is capped with a Baroque dome.

Cristo de la Luz Mosque

The old  Bib-al-Mardum Mosque, or Valmardón Mosque, also known as the Mosque or Hermitage of El Cristo de la Luz, is located at the entrance to the city by the Puerta de Bib-Al-Mardon. The mosque was one of the small neighbourhood oratorios that was saved from the demolition carried out by Christians in conquered cities and is conserved almost intact.

An inscription in cubic lettering on the upper part of the principal façade, the date in the year 390 of the Hejira corresponds to 999 in the Christian calendar, when the upper part was rebuilt under the direction of an architect called Musa ibn Alí.

The main façade has three doors, the central one disfigured by an enlargement; another has five lobes and the third is horseshoe-shaped, with the thread of the arc somewhat out of centre with the keystone, a characteristic of Caliphic architecture in its advanced period.

Its exterior is of red brick, decorated with ultra circular interlaced blind arches over which runs a frieze of latticework, over which there is an inscription. Modillion corbels crown it. This type of arcade would be very popular in the region, not only under Moorish domination, but also in the Mudejar area, its use then extending in later centuries to the Reconquest.

Santiago del Arrabal Church

Considered one of the most striking Mudejar temples in Toledo. This church was built with brick and coursed masonry. The church's tower dates from the 12th century and has a square floor plan. The church itself is from the 13th century, built under the patronage of Sancho Capelo, king of Portugal. It has three naves, with a gabled roof and a triple apse, whose exterior is decorated with a double row of multifoil openings. It has three portals, framed by horseshoe arches. Inside, the church treasures a beautiful 14th-century Mudejar plasterwork pulpit, as well as several tombstones and a wonderful Plateresque high reredos from the 16th century.

Santo Tomé Church

Santo Tome is one of Toledo's best-known churches. It is well-situated near to El Greco's house and the old synagogues. The church dates from the twelfth century and was rebuilt in 1300. It boasts a beautiful Mudejar tower, but most of its visitors come mainly to see El Greco's most important painting, the Burial of Count Orgaz (1586-88), which is housed in a side chapel with its own separate entrance. Masses: Spring & summer: noon & 8p M-Sa, 9a (except in July & August), noon & 8p Su Admission: (EUR 1.20), reduced rate: (EUR 0.90) Closed: 1/1, 24/12 (from 1:45p), 25/12, 31/12 (from 1:45p) The chapel containing the painting closes an hour earlier from October 16 to February 28/29.

Santa María La Blanca Synagogue

The synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca is a religious building erected in the city of Toledo, Spain in 1180 (according to the inscription on a beam). Its stylistic and cultural classification is not simple, because it was constructed in Christian territory, the Kingdom of Castile, by Islamic constructors, for Jewish use and owers. It is considered a symbol of the cooperation of the three cultures who populated the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages. The synagogue is a Mudejar construction, created by Moorish architects in Christian soil, for non-Islamic purposes. But it can also be considered one of the finest example of the Almohad architecture, because of the construction elements and style. The white, plain interior walls, the use of brick and of pillars instead of columns and the vegetal decoration of the capitals are characteristical of the Almohad architecture.
The tipology also presents nuances in its classification, because although it was constructed as a synagogue, its hypostyle room, and the lack of a women's gallery make it closer a the mosque typo. It became a church in the 15th century, but no major reforms were done for the change. It took then the name of Santa Maria  la Blanca (Saint Mary, the White), and today it is known by this name.

El Tránsito Synagogue

The Sinagoga del Tránsito (or Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi) was once an important house of worship for Toledo's large Jewish population. A 14th-century building, it is an excellent example of Spanish Jewish art especially noted for its superb stucco Hebrew inscriptions.

Founded and financed by Samuel Levi, the Sinagoga del Tránsito was built in 1357. Samuel ha-Leví Abufalia was treasurer and advisor to King Pedro I of Castile, and it is said that Levi imported cedars from Lebanon for the building's construction - à la Solomon when he built the First Temple in Jerusalem.

The bell tower was added by the Christian religious order of Alcántara, who took over the building after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.

In the 18th century, it was a hermitage dedicated to the Tránsito de Nuestra Señora (Our Lady's Transit, meaning Mary's assumption into heaven), which accounts for its present name.

During the war against Napoleon, the synagogue became a military barracks. In 1977, it was declared a national monument and it is now a museum.

San Juan de la Reyes Monastery

Founded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to commemorate their triumph over the Portuguese at Toro in 1476, the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes was started in 1477 according to the plans of architect Juan Guas.

The church was finished, together with the splendid cloisters, in 1504, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and used from the beginning by Franciscan friars.

An example of Gothic-Spanish-Flemish style, San Juan de los Reyes was restored after the damage caused during Napoleon's invasion and after its abandonment in 1835; since 1954 it has been entrusted again to the Franciscans.

Cambrón Gate

The Puerta del Cambrón, is located in the city of Toledo. It is of Moorish origin, remodelled in the 16th century and owes its names to some thorny bushes that surround it, buckthorns.

Of Moorish origin, a large part of its lower part is conserved from this period, the rest of the structure being from the 16th century. Renaissance in style with Herrerian diktats, that was conceived as a grand triumphal arch.

It has a square floor plan with a central courtyard and four angular brick towers. It can be considered to be divided into three sections, the first corresponding to the bases of the four towers that flank the entrance, this being the primitive medieval structure of masonry or coarse stonework. The rest is of brick, the last section corresponding to the four towers on the corners and the length of crenelated wall that links them.

Alcántara Bridge

The Alcántara Bridge is a Roman stone arch bridge built over the Tagus River at Alcántara, Spain between 104 and 106 by an order of the Roman Emperor Trajan in 98. It bears the inscription Pontem perpetui mansurum in saecula on the archway over the central pier.

The Alcántara Bridge has taken more damage from war than from the elements. The Moors destroyed the smallest arch on one side in 1214. This was rebuilt in 1543 with stone from the original quarries. The second arch on the other side was destroyed by the Spanish to stop the Portuguese, and was repaired in 1762 by Charles III, only to be blown up again in 1809 to stop the French. Temporary repairs made in 1819 were replaced in 1860 with mortared masonry.