Puerta Nueva de Bisagra
- Enter the old city of Toledo for the first time through the huge and majestic stone gate, the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra; nothing exemplifies the city better than this massive, turreted entryway. The astonishing stone gateway actually combines two gates, one built by the Moors during their occupation in the sixth and seventh centuries, and a second, added to the original during the 16th century. The glory of this UNESCO World Heritage City is its graceful mixing and melding of the works of different cultures in different ages of the world. The gate leads you straight into Toledo's old town, with its tiny, twisting streets.
Alcázar
- Raise your eyes to the highest point in the Toledo skyline where the Alcázar dominates the outlines of the city. Both fortress and castle, residence of monarchs and museum, the Alcázar has been destroyed and risen from its own ashes more than once over its long history. Built by Abd-ar-Rahman III in the 10th century, the castle stands as a monument to the resilience of Spain's people. It was destroyed during the War of Succession in the 17th century, rebuilt and destroyed by fire some years later, to be rebuilt again. It was once again damaged and almost destroyed during the Spanish Civil War after a 70-day siege -- during which the Nationalist commander famously refused to exchange the city for his son's life -- and rebuilt the the war's end. Today it stands as a gargantuan military museum that includes an excellent and exhaustive historical overview.
Cathedral of Toledo
- It is not every town, even in Spain, that contains a cathedral founded in the first century, but the Cathedral of Toledo's history began during the early days of the occupation by the Visigoths. Over the course of the city's dramatic history, the monument changed from cathedral to mosque, then back into a cathedral again. The current Gothic version of the cathedral was built in the 13th century on the old mosque's foundations and includes elements of Mudéjar and Renaissance style. The interior feels heavy with its hefty columns separating it into five huge naves with myriad side chapels adorned with precious art. Don't miss the glittering Custodia de Arfe, an 16th-century monstrance with its 260 statues of pure gold and silver; it is carried in procession through Toledo's streets during the Feast of Corpus Christi. Perhaps the best of the best is the cathedral's sacristy, rich with artwork by such masters as Titian, Rafael, El Greco, Caravaggio and Velázquez.
Museums
- No visit to Toledo is complete without a happy, headlong dive into the Museum of El Greco, the Spanish master whose canvases made the skyline of Toledo famous. It is open to debate whether El Greco once occupied the house that serves as the museum, but even if the story is untrue, it is worth seeing his paintings exhibited here. Other museums of note in this artistic town include the Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in a 16th-century building, the Casa de las Cadenas, with its exhibitions of 20th century artists. and the Museum Parroquía de Santo Tomé, where you can ogle El Greco's masterwork, "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz."
