Two days in Toledo, October 19th to 21st, 2017, as a break in the middle of my Madrid stay. One night there, but a day trip would have been enough for what I needed.

I went to Toledo to buy a sword. I bought a replica of Anduril, the sword Aragorn uses in the Lord of the Rings. The whole thing of buying it and bringing it back to Brazil was quite an adventure, but much easier than I expected.

Stay

I stayed in the old town, up near Cuesta de los Pascuales (don't really remember the name of the hostel). I decided to stay for one night to enjoy the city for more than a day, but I think one day would be enough.

Transport

Train from Atocha in Madrid, about half an hour each way. Once you're there, walking is the only realistic option. I covered around 12km on foot in two days, all of it inside the old town, and a lot of it uphill. The streets are narrow, steep and not laid out on any grid (as most nice medieval villages)

Places

• Toledo Cathedral: The centre of the old town, around Calle del Cardenal Cisneros.
• Church of Santo Tomé: Where El Greco's The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is. It's a single painting in a small church, and it's the reason to go in.
• Alcázar of Toledo: The fortress at the top of the hill, with the Carlos V monument outside it.
• Plaza de Zocodover: The main square, and where everything funnels through.
• Calle Comercio: The main shopping street between Zocodover and the cathedral.

Food

• Lo Nuestra Tapería: I ate here twice. I have no idea why (writing this in 2026), but I don't think it was spetacular, I would say it was an easy choice.