[2025 Toledo Attraction] Travel Guide for Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes (Updated Jul)

#celebrateit Some people found Madrid boring. It could be, if you’re not a fan of museums. BUT you still must go to Madrid, for an unpretentious town 70km away from it: Toledo. As an UNESCO world heritage site, no surprise this place houses quite a few must-go: 1) Catedral Primada de Toledo, 2) Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes; 3) Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, which are the representatives of the three main cultures in Toledo: Christian, Jews and Muslims—check out other posts of mine. But even the township itself is remarkable enough. It’s an ancient town built on a hill surrounded by a river, which means plenty of views as you get up and in the alleys. But that also means it could be tiring to navigate in the town. I strongly advise to leave out one FULL day for Toledo. If possible, take the earliest bus (or train) from Madrid so you can arrive around dawn. Ancient towns look best when light is not harsh.

#cityplaybook Quiet Corners & Golden Light Get there early and head for the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, one of the most peaceful spots in town. Explore the cloisters and hidden chapels before continuing through quiet streets to Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz. Save the Museo del Greco for the afternoon glow. End with sunset at Mirador del Valle—Toledo under golden light is pure magic.

#celebrateit Located 45min car trip away from Madrid, Toledo is a UNESCO world heritage that houses many historically significant sites. One of them is this monastery. Pictures say it all. It’s such intricate and elegant architecture, and you are allowed to access the 2nd floor for a higher viewpoint overlooking the church and garden. And it’s not exactly crowded during my visit, which gave me enough time and room to explore it in peace. And it’s very affordable among European/Spanish attractions: 💰Average Price per Person: 4€ 🕰️Business Hours: 10am-5.45pm daily

The town of Toledo is a world cultural heritage town. About an hour’s drive from Madrid It was the capital of Spain in the Middle Ages A blend of Christian, Islamic and Catholic cultures The town is surrounded by the Tagus River on three sides and there are hills in the middle, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. The entire city still retains its medieval appearance There are several ways to visit the city: sightseeing bus, train, walking ❶ Toledo train vision zocotren Starting from Zocodover Square, the train will circle the town's attractions With Chinese audio guide The whole journey takes about 45 minutes Ticket price: Adult €6.5 ❷ Sightseeing Bus Hop on and off the sightseeing bus for 24 hours But the bus runs about every half an hour and will also pass by the town's attractions If you don't want to take the sightseeing bus or train The entire town can be explored on foot 📍Puerta de Bisagra 📍Puerta del Sol 📍Puente de San Martin 📍Puente de Alcántara Alcantara Bridge 📍Plaza de Zocodover Zocodover Square 📍Alcázar de Toledo (now open as a military museum) 📍Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada de Toledo Toledo Cathedral 📍Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes (Royal Monastery of St. John) The town of Toledo is surrounded by the Tajo River. The most beautiful scenery is on the hills outside the old town. View the entire town from Mirador del Valle, a mountain observation deck outside the town You can take a sightseeing bus or walk up to the place. It takes about 45 minutes. 【How to get there】 ❶Train Madrid Atocha Train Station → Toledo Train Station It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the train station to the old town. ❷ Bus Madrid Plaza Elíptica → Toledo ALSA Bus Station #globaltravel #madrid #spain #spaintravel #toledo #spainfreetravel #toledo

#traveldiaries Christians, Muslims and Jews. Followers of the three religions lived side by side for centuries and left their mark in Toledo. It is one of Spain’s most interesting and intriguing cities, where you can see a Gothic cathedral, a 10th century mosque and two synagogues in the space of just a few metres. It was once an Imperial City, and its beauty was depicted in the paintings of El Greco. Visitors to the city should be sure to see its views, visit the Alcázar, walk around its winding streets, or see a sunset from the Alcántara or San Martín bridges. Less than 80 kilometres from Madrid, it’s worth spending more than a day to see the city lit up at night and explore it in more depth. Must visit attractions: 📍El Alcazar Perched on one of the highest points in Toledo, El Alcazar overlooks the city. 📍Mezquita Cristo de la Luz Toledo’s old mosque. 📍Plaza Zocodover A large open plaza that connects many of the main sites in Toledo. 📍Catedral Primada Main cathedral of Toledo. 📍Monasterio de San Juan de Los Reyes Monastery in the heart of Toledo’s Jewish Quarter. 📍The El Greco Museum Dedicated to late renaissance art painted by the famous El Greco. 📍Puente de Alcantata Toledo’s most beautiful bridge. Crossing the Tajo river, the old Roman bridge used to be the only entry to the city for pilgrims.

[San Juan Royal Abbey] Monastery was built between 1477-1504 and was built by King Aragonese Fernando II and Queen Isabel of Castilea to commemorate his newborn son. It is also a surviving sign of the great event of the monarchy expelling Jews from Spain. The monastery gate is very quaint, a beautiful monastery that shines brightly after entering the door, a monastery with a queen's sense of sight, a quiet Spanish aristocratic monastery. The Abbey combines a variety of architectural styles, and the whole building is exquisite, especially the first floor of the cloister and the reliefs in the main hall. The cloister is surrounded by a beautiful little garden with citrus trees, red and yellow roses and shrubs. There are not many tourists. You can also use it as a beautiful royal garden. Come and take a rest and enjoy the little convents where the European style and Arabian style are displayed. On the first floor, there are tourists to sit down and visit the cloister. Red benches. I prefer the first floor cloister compared to the second floor cloister. The more elaborate character reliefs and window grilles give the entire cloister a very formal, yet elegant palace feel, very noble and ancient. Luxury. The second floor overlooks the entire building of the monastery and the small square garden. The ceiling of the second cloister is a wooden square Mudejar style, very Arabian, with a great collision with the Gothic style of the entire building. The fare is not too expensive. It is 2.8 Euro/person. It is very quiet here and you can rest in a daze. Remember to visit.