What to Do in Toledo Spain for a Day Trip as a Wheelchair User

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While planning my recent trip to Madrid, I thought it would be nice to do a day trip to somewhere new, but had no idea where to go. I emailed Accessible Madrid, which is a company focused on wheelchair friendly tours of the city and the surrounding areas, and asked if there were any good day trips from Madrid that I could possibly take. I had one full day in Madrid planned and then another full day to either see more of Madrid or get outside the city. Arturo, the founder of Accessible Madrid, immediately suggested a Toledo day trip. While I didn’t know much about things to do in Toledo Spain for a day, I was up for anything and said “Let’s do it.” I was excited to explore. If you plan on going, be sure to get this Toledo Spain city map in advance. You’ll see why.

Toledo is the former capital of Spain (Madrid is the current capital) and is full of history. In fact, it has so much history that the city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Along with history comes cobblestoned streets and steps to many places, but thanks to companies like Accessible Madrid, it’s possible to find things to do in Toledo Spain and have a wonderful time no matter what your abilities are. From going inside stunning cathedrals to taking in panoramic views of the city, I fell in love with my Toledo day trip as a wheelchair user and would highly recommend it if you’re visiting Spain. Here’s how I spent my Toledo day trip and some of the best things to do in Toledo Spain –

Things to do in Toledo Spain – A Toledo Day Trip

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On the morning of our Toledo day trip, Arturo picked us up at our hotel in the Accessible Madrid van. The van was wheelchair accessible with tie-downs and the ride from Madrid to Toledo only took about one hour. I enjoyed seeing some of the Spanish countryside along the way, but was anxious to get to Toledo and check out some of the things to do in Toledo Spain.

Gate of Bisagra

Our first sighting in Toledo was the Gate of Bisagra, which is the most well known of multiple city gates that Toledo has. You’ll find it in Lonely Planet’s Spain guide and others. It was beautiful and reminded me of several other gates of old cities that I’ve explored, such as Tallinn and even Jerusalem, but Toledo ended up becoming unique in its own right. The Gate of Bisagra was built in 1559 and has the coat of arms for emperor Charles V on it. After admiring the gate for a minute from the van, Arturo found a parking spot and we began the walking/rolling part of our tour.

Gate of Bisagra

Wheelchair Accessibility

As a wheelchair user, many parts of the city were quite bumpy. There was cobblestone and some pretty steep hills to go up and down, but if you’re on a Toledo day trip, there really is no better way to see the city than by rolling/walking around it. And in many parts of the city, there is no cobblestone and it’s smooth terrain, so it wasn’t too rough altogether. Most of the things to do in Toledo Spain are also fairly close together, but I would definitely travel with a tour company like Accessible Madrid to avoid getting lost in the winding streets and alleyways.

Calle Comercio

We started our Toledo day trip by going down a street named Calle Comercio, where all kinds of shops were located. There was a step to get into a lot of the shops, but it was still fun to window shop in this tourist hotspot. Learn more about this part of town in the Hightlights of Castille guide. One cool thing about Calle Comercio was that lanterns were hanging over the middle of the street from a long piece of fabric. The fabric was there to create a shade, as Toledo can get very hot in the summer supposedly. On the day that I visited in late April though, it was actually pretty cold and at one point, we stopped for some hot tea at an accessible cafe.

Toledo Cathedral

After drinking some tea, we wandered further until we found a true icon of the city. If you ask anyone what things to do in Toledo Spain for a day, there’s a 100% guarantee that they will tell you to visit the Toledo Cathedral, more formally known as the Primate Cathedral of Toledo. It’s probably Toledo’s most popular attraction and as soon as I first laid eyes on it, I could see why.

Construction on the Toledo Cathedral began back in the 13th century and it is considered the prime example of Spanish gothic cathedrals still to this day. I couldn’t quit looking at the exterior because it was so impressive. I was in awe. There were exquisitely detailed carvings and I was excited to get inside and see if it could be as beautiful as the outside.

The inside easily lived up to my expectations with golden alters, seven chapels, and there was even some beautiful artwork in the sacristy of the cathedral.

The most visually appealing painting inside the cathedral was by Spanish renaissance artist El Greco and it was called “The Disrobing of Christ.” El Greco worked on this piece from 1577-1579 and it is about 10 feet tall and almost 6 feet wide. The painting depicts Christ being stripped of his clothes before being nailed to the cross, but what makes it stand out are the vibrant colors. It’s one of the most celebrated and famous pieces of art in Spanish history, and is a must-see in Toledo.

The Disrobing of Christ by El Greco

Venta de Dulces

Now that we had seen some remarkable art and architecture, it was time for a treat. We ventured to Venta de Dulces, a small sweets shop that is operated by nuns. They sold marzipan, which Toledo is famous for because it was supposedly invented in this city, and a Spanish delicacy known as “yemas de Santa Teresa.” I’ve had marzipan many times, so I opted to try the yemas while at the shop (I did get marzipan to go though). Yemas de Santa Teresa is a creamy treat made of egg yolks, granulated sugar, and water. It also has powdered sugar on the outside. I tried it and wasn’t a huge fan, but it was okay. It just tasted like creamy egg yolks, which is exactly what it was. I’m glad I tried it, but I wouldn’t choose to again. I did stock up on some marzipan however, which was delicious later on in the day.

yemas de Santa Teresa

Parque del Transito

With tasty treats now in our stomachs, we wanted to spend a little time outdoors and went to Parque del Transito. This park isn’t very large (from what I saw of it at least), but it does offer some nice places to relax and we were able to see the river down below. It’s also not too far from the city center, so would be a good place to have a picnic after picking up some food from a local cafe or eatery. As a lover of the outdoors, I’m a big fan of parks and this one made for a peaceful respite during our busy day trip to Toledo.

We had already visited Toledo’s famous cathedral on our Toledo day trip and I was pretty sure that nothing could top it, but we went to two other notable places of worship just to be sure: Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca and the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes.

Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca

The Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca was a lot smaller than the Toledo Cathedral and had a more simple, minimalistic design, but it was still beautiful. The synagogue was erected in 1180 and is the oldest synagogue that is still standing in all of Europe. I thought that was a cool fact to know. I rolled around the synagogue for about 10 minutes or so (it really isn’t big at all!) and then headed toward the next stop.

Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes

While the synagogue was nice and quaint, the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes had a bit more opulence. I loved this monastery and would definitely recommend visiting it if you’re looking for things to do in Toledo Spain for a day. The actual inside of the church, where the alter is, is worth spending a while in because it is gorgeous. However, the real gem of the monastery lies in the fact that there is an interior courtyard. I rolled all the way around the blossoming courtyard and it was truly amazing to see. I’m not sure if this monastery topped the cathedral from earlier in the day for me, but it definitely came very close.

Now that we had seen some of the best things to do in Toledo Spain, it was time for a late lunch. We dined at Restaurante Museo de Productos de Castilla-La Mancha (wow, that’s a mouthful, huh?) and it was delicious. Actually, everything that I ate in Spain was phenomenal and I’m sure that I gained at least five pounds during the few days that I was in the country.

Mirador del Valle .

After eating lunch, our Toledo day trip was nearly over, but Arturo said that we had one more special stop to make. We loaded up in the van, crossed the Rio Tajo river, and arrived at Mirador del Valle just a few minutes later. As soon as we arrived, my breath was quite literally taken away. Mirador del Valle is a vantage point and I could see all of Toledo from here. It was easily one of the most spectacular views that I have ever seen, and seeing Toledo from here made me love the city even more. When you see Toledo up close, as you wander down the streets of the city, it’s beautiful. But when you see Toledo as a whole, its beauty hits you all at once and is overwhelming. This picturesque spot was the perfect place to end our Toledo day trip and say farewell.

My mom and I with Arturo

Some people say that you haven’t truly seen Spain until you’ve seen Toledo, and before I actually visited, I thought those people were lying. I mean, it couldn’t be that different than any other Spanish city, could it? However, after just one day exploring all the things to do in Toledo Spain, I can say that I now agree with the statement. Toledo is different. It’s unique and beautiful and everything that I wanted Spain to be. Whether you want to view majestic cathedrals, eat delicious food, or just meander about the city, Toledo offers plenty for any visitor to have a great day trip.

*Thank you to Accessible Madrid for working with me. While my tour of Toledo was discounted, all opinions are authentic and my own.