Alcázar de Toledo is an excellent museum and absolutely worth visiting. Entry was only 5 euros and…read morethey have a basic security check where selfie sticks and drones are not allowed. They also provide lockers to store your items which makes walking around much more comfortable. No one really spoke English during our visit, but everyone was very helpful and made the experience easy. All of the exhibits were interesting and well maintained, and there is even a listening tour available in both English and Spanish which helps you understand the history behind what you are seeing. The third floor is the highest point in Toledo and offers incredible views of the city. It is definitely a highlight of the visit and a great spot for pictures. Overall, I would recommend this museum if you are visiting Toledo and have about two hours to look around. It is a well curated and memorable experience.

Toledo's massive Alcázar, one of the city's most magnificent buildings, is an imposing citadel that…read moresits atop one of the city's most historic sites. The Romans built the first palace here in the 3rd Century, and its ancient foundations can been seen in the massive foyer of the military museum that now calls the Alcázar home. Those foundations, now displayed as part of one of the largest archeological excavations in Spain, are the most interesting part of the massive complex, much of which was reconstructed following the palace's destruction in the 1930s, after a two-month siege by Franco's Nationalist forces. The Alcázar's fascinating role in the Spanish Civil War (it's basically Spain's version of the Alamo) isn't given the attention it deserves in the present museum, which focuses on Spain's military history from the Visigoths to World War II. The exhibits are interesting (particularly the collection of medieval armor and swords), but they seem random and disconnected, and the lack of detail on the history of the palace itself feels like a missed opportunity. Worth maybe an hour of your time, unless you're a military history buff, in which case it's probably worth two.

The tight city streets give it a nice character. It almost feels like a North African city. Every…read morealley way seems to have a different surprise so it is worth just walking around for some time.

Almost every city in Spain has a mirador (or a few). This was a well-populated and very pretty one…read moreto visit. I recommend going just before sunset with some picnic foods, and sitting on the wall to watch until after nightfall, when the entire city lights up and all the monuments are illuminated. We did this and it was a very memorable, breathtaking experience. All kinds of people were visiting. We were there the Thursday before Palm Sunday weekend. One family was getting pictures of their little girls in what looked like communion dresses. Others were much more relaxed in dress just there to enjoy the view and sunset. We didn't see any other non-Spanish tourists. Many Toledo tourists visit by group bus or train from Madrid, and do not have easy means to get up there, but it's doable and worthwhile. Parking is just along the road. There are paved designated spots (free) but also a dirt shoulder to pull off and legally park free there. If you stay awhile, you'll notice most people come and go pretty quickly, so if you don't find immediate parking, it will turn up. There is a higher lookout point where people were standing up on a rock about 2/10mile away, but it was not any part of this mirador. Also, the other spot is farther to the east and has a limited perspective, whereas this mirador offers for you to walk/drive a ways to see all across the city. It is really very remarkable. There are trash cans up there, and unfortunately some trash that missed (or was blown out of) the basureros. It was a bummer to look at an ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site with litter in my foreground. All in all a great experience and very memorable because I didn't have time to get to many other miradors in all the cities I visited this trip.

Holy Toledo. And this is exactly the namesake for it. Oh and Thanks Green Day! This is the classic…read morepanoramic view where everyone suddenly becomes a landscape photographer or a philosopher. Overlooking the City of 3 Cultures (Christian, Muslim, Jewish), the river makes a dramatic loop around the old city. The Alcazar sits proudly on the skyline like a fortress with main-character energy. You'll probably share this spot with a hundred other people doing the same thing, but hey, it's a mirador, not a secret garden.

4.5 stars and rounded up. A UNESCO world heritage site, one…read moreof the official residences of the Spanish monarchy, this location started as a hunting lodge in the 12th century then came into use for the royal household in the 16th century, with major constructions instigated by Phillip II and V, Ferdinand VI and Charles III. Today the palace rooms are open to the public as well as a several rooms at the entrance which chronicle the history, design and functional usage shifts of the palace. Compared to other royal residences, the number of viewable rooms are fewer though no less impressive. Highlights are the Salón Árab with its intricate Moorish-inspired carved and painted ceiling and walls, the Gabinete de Porcelana (Porcelain room) covered floor to ceiling with Roccoco chinoiserie motifs of birds, flowers, and Oriental-themed figurines strongly influenced by 18th century Romantic decorative trends. Personally I enjoyed seeing the more casual billiards room and imagining the games played hundreds of years ago. Also cool to see the wedding dresses worn by Spanish queens and princesses in the past century. The gardens surrounding the palace are fairly expansive and pleasant to walk around, you could easily spend an hour here. There are some fountains and manicured shrubbery, and scenic views along the Tagus River that borders the grounds. There's also a portion of the garden with many peacocks. Tickets are €9 to self tour the palace rooms. Gardens are free. Like many museums and palaces in Europe, unless you use the lockers (€1 coin operated, returned upon unlocking), they make you carry any larger bags or backpacks on your front rather than on your back. Museum store and bathrooms are available. Plan to spend ~2.5-3 hours here. There are several nearby restaurants with views of the river or more within a 15-20 minute walk closer to downtown.

Enchanting! I have yet to go inside yet have explored acres of the Queen's garden (jardine) and the…read morePrince's garden (Jardine del Principe). Many branches and varieties of trees and plants! Something different on every turn: statues or fountains!

This beautiful church was completed in 1159 and dedicated to St. Savior. There was a fire in the 15…read morecentury that brought about a renovation. There is access to the ruins of a mosque that the church was built on top of. The backyard was excavated and revealed graves and more. The historical content is interesting and a must see if you are visiting the area. It's small and will only take about 30 minutes to view everything.

This Church of El Salvador is standing above a mosque from the 9th century. A wall was left…read morestanding & excavations discovered the remains of Roman & Visigoth civilizations. Scenes of Christ & a minaret can be see .

Meanwhile, the companion in some ways of the other review I just wrote, of the Palace of the Stock…read moreExchange in Portugal, this tour is definitely of a gaudy palace built by royalty with a whole *lot* of stolen gold and jewels, so I was glad to learn that it isn't *still* owned by the royal family, it's owned by the state and mostly used for state functions, other than its purpose as far as tourists are concerned, being a museum of a fraction of the riches Spain owns (and not a coincidence, presumably, that they also built a museum of *more* of the riches owned by Spain, on display right next door, for a combined, reduced price.) The self-guided tour is worth it if you like seeing a bunch of super ornate architecture, furniture, artwork, etc. We got snippets of the actual tour as we passed each other at various points - I was happier being able to walk through the route at our own pace, which took about an hour. I felt sorry for the people whose tickets were for any time the following day, though, as it was randomly closed all day the next day we were in Madrid a few months ago, which I gather isn't an altogether rare thing to happen, that they take reservations and then close last minute. We got in in the nick of time, it seemed. By the way, if you have bags, you do have to leave your bags downstairs in a locker at a small additional fee. It was small enough I do remember exactly how much it even was, though, so it clearly wasn't a big deal.

What a massive place and sooo maybe cool art displays…read more We bought our tickets same day and there was no wait time.

Here's something you don't see every day - it's a vertical garden. Not flat like the botanical…read moregardens nearby. This garden is a dramatic four-story (78 feet!) tall green wall near the CaixaForum building. Facing south, the garden gets near constant sunlight as it moves across the sky. And yes, it sure gets hot in Madrid. But you'll find yourself much cooler with a visit to the garden. Worth admiring the 250 different species of plants that survive and thrive without soil. It is an ever-changing, living piece of art. [Review 12542 overall, 2332 of 2019.]