Spain Guide
Around Madrid
Arrival
Orientation is pretty straightforward in Toledo, with the compact old city looped by the Tajo, and the new quarters across the bridges. Getting to the city is easy, with buses every 30min from the Estación Sur in Madrid (daily 6.30am–10pm; 1hr–1hr 30min; €4.53 single). There's a high-speed train service from Atocha station in Madrid (35min; €16.20 return; it's essential to book in advance at the station or from most travel agents in the city).
Toledo's train station is some way out on the Paseo de la Rosa, a twenty-minute walk – take the left-hand fork off the dual carriageway and cross the Puente de Alcántara – or a bus ride (#5 or #6 or the tourist shuttle) to the heart of town. The bus station is on Avenida de Castilla la Mancha in the modern, lower part of the city; bus #5 runs to Plaza de Zocódover, though if you take shortcuts through the barrio at the bottom of the hill just inside the walls, it's a mere ten-minutes' walk to the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra.
Walking is the only way to see the city itself, but be aware that resident cars have a tendency to roar along even the tiniest alleyways in the centre. If you do arrive by car, the best places to park are in the streets beyond the Circo Romano in the new town (Mon– Fri 10am–2pm & 5–8pm, Sat 10am–2pm; €0.75/hr) or in the underground car park close to the mechanical staircase (Mon– Fri 7am–10pm, Sat, Sun & hols 8am–10pm) that leads up into the old city.