How do you get from Madrid to Toledo?

By high-speed train from Atocha station, about half an hour, by bus from the Plaza Elíptica in about an hour, or on a guided day trip by coach.

Is one day enough for Toledo?

Enough for the cathedral, El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz, a synagogue and a walk through the old town. The city repays a night if you have one.

Where is El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz?

In the church of Santo Tomé in Toledo, the church it was painted for in 1586.

How much time do you need for Toledo?

Allow a full day. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

Number 18 of 20 in Madrid

Toledo: a day in the city of El Greco

Toledo stands on a granite hill with the Tagus wrapped round three sides of it, and from the far bank it looks exactly as El Greco painted it. Inside the walls it is all steep lanes, churches, synagogues and convents, and it takes a day to begin to know it.

What it is: Day trip
Time to allow: A full day
Cost: Train or tour, tickets for the sights
Best time: A weekday, leaving early

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Why Toledo is worth it

Toledo was a Roman town, then the capital of the Visigothic kingdom, and under Muslim rule one of the great cities of al-Andalus. After Alfonso VI took it in 1085, Christians, Muslims and Jews went on living side by side for two centuries, and it was a centre of translation and learning for all of Europe.

It was the seat of the Castilian court until Philip II moved it to Madrid in 1561, and it remains the seat of the Primate of Spain. The whole old city has been a World Heritage Site since 1986.

El Greco came here from Venice and Rome in 1577 and stayed until his death in 1614. His paintings are still in the churches and convents he painted them for.

What to see

The cathedral
Begun in 1226 and finished in 1493, one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Spain, with its carved choir, the Baroque Transparente behind the high altar, and a sacristy hung with El Greco and Goya.
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
El Greco's great painting of 1586 in the church of Santo Tomé: the saints lowering a knight into his tomb, with Toledo's gentlemen watching and heaven opening above them.
The synagogues
Santa María la Blanca, with its white horseshoe arches, and the synagogue of El Tránsito, with its carved plaster walls, now a museum of Sephardic history.
The Alcázar
The square fortress on the highest point of the city, rebuilt after the Civil War, now the Army Museum.
The view from across the river
From the road that circles the far bank of the Tagus, the whole city rises in front of you. The viewpoint of the Valle is the place to stop.

How to do it well

High-speed trains leave Madrid's Atocha station for Toledo about every hour and take about half an hour. Book a return in advance.
From the station it is a twenty-minute walk uphill to the centre, or a short bus ride. Escalators climb part of the hill from the north side.
Wear shoes for steep cobbles.
A guided day trip by coach saves the planning and includes the view from across the river.

Where it is

Address

Toledo, about 70 kilometres south of Madrid

Nearest station

High-speed trains for Toledo leave from Madrid's Atocha station

Tickets and tours: Toledo

Toledo: common questions

How do you get from Madrid to Toledo?: By high-speed train from Atocha station, about half an hour, by bus from the Plaza Elíptica in about an hour, or on a guided day trip by coach.
Is one day enough for Toledo?: Enough for the cathedral, El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz, a synagogue and a walk through the old town. The city repays a night if you have one.
Where is El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz?: In the church of Santo Tomé in Toledo, the church it was painted for in 1586.
How much time do you need for Toledo?: Allow a full day. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

What visitors say about Toledo

Rating from Google

4.7

39,676 ratings on Google

Google's figures as read on 17 October 2026.

Read every review on Google

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