Soaring Spain: Palaces, plazas and a perfect weekend in Toledo, Madrid's little brother

JENNY COAD

Head for heights: Toledo's Alacazar palace now houses a museum of military history


The people of Toledo don't stay in on a Saturday night. Even the grannies are out and about, nattering over tapas, their improbably amber-coloured hair neatly in place, purple and red blazers firmly pressed. The teenage girls are herding up the boys in the Plaza de Zocodover, and attractive couples drift across in frills and military finery - they've been to a smart wedding in the cathedral.

My friend Jo and I are watching the action on this bubbly square in Spain over a jug of sangria. The verdict - aren't those girls in their hotpants chilly? Only Spanish women can get away with flamenco-esque dresses - and it doesn't matter what you look like if you're in uniform.

Toledo is impossibly good-looking, all handsome stone buildings, warm-hued tiles and impressive spires. And it attracts dozens of admirers. We are here for the weekend, which involves flying to Madrid and then only an hour's drive south.

The Parador Toledo, which overlooks the city from its perch on Emperor's hill, is a perfectly located place to stay. It does require a taxi ride into town, but proves a wonderful way to contemplate the city, whether it's basking in the brisk morning sun or glowing at night.

This parador, with its moorish tiling and generous spaces, is a converted manor; others are in monasteries, castles, palaces and convents around Spain. All are renowned for their first-class service in historic surroundings.

Toledo is on the Tajo river, and the city rises up the hill to the Alcazar, a renaissance palace, with its Gothic cathedral right at the top. These are floodlit at night and look like glitzy fair attractions in what is the otherwise rocky, dry and beaten landscape of central Spain.

Once in the city, we lose all sense of where we are - and that's not just because of the sangria. The cobbled passageways give little away, and it's only when you come across an impressive wall, belonging to one of the city's 20 churches or glimpse a turret through a gap in the houses that you can orientate yourself.

Toledo is a city I could happily explore aimlessly. Perhaps it's being in the sunshine or simply the soothing colours of the stones - no tarmac streets here. Yet there are sights it would be a sin to miss.


Religious observance: Toledo's cathedral is one of its most prominent sights


The Alcazar, newly renovated to house Madrid's National Army Museum, is one. It is Toledo's dominant landmark and has undergone a series of transformations, most recently with the addition of a side wing built around the 16th-century foundations.

The museum is full of military memorabilia, from the ethnographic finds of officers stationed in the Philippines and Pacific, which include vicious-looking harpoons from Tonga and ceremonial masks, to pistols inlaid with pearl. Toledo was famed for producing steel swords and you can even buy them in the many tourist shops. The beautifully decorated ones on display here seem at odds with their grisly purpose, although many, like the 'Blade of fantasy', were purely for ceremonial use.

Walking along the walls of the main palace, a perfectly turreted square, you get an idea of its huge size. And, from the north-facing courtyard, there is a wonderful view across Toledo's rooftops: as neat as the grannies' hairdos and a similar shade of rust.

You can also see the ornate facade of the Hospital y Museo de Santa Cruz, which is home to many works by El Greco, ancient tapestries and tiles which are still produced in traditional styles across Toledo.

The other great building is the cathedral. It's on lower ground than the Alcazar, but makes an equally imposing impression. The interior is appropriately dark and forbidding, but with an astonishing display of architectural and decorative wealth.

The fact that 88 pillars support the vaults should give you some idea of its scale.
By the south door, a giant fresco of St Christopher renders one an ant among saints.

And at the south end of the cathedral, you can imagine yourself inside a Baroque masterpiece as you gaze up into a panoply of angels, clouds and heavenly hosts.

Further riches are on display in galleries off the main building.

There are rings with jewels the size of 2p pieces, a wonderfully dark depiction of St John the Baptist by Caravaggio, works by El Greco and illuminations from a 13th-century Bible. An entire room is devoted to altarpieces and tapestry-like robes.

More sinister are the red-tasseled hats suspended above our heads at various points around the cathedral, each marking where a cardinal is buried. They hang until they literally decay into nothing.

By this point we're longing for light. Duty done, we slope off to a sunny cafe nearby.

Eating in Toledo is inexpensive: £10 will buy you a set lunch with wine. Tapas is an easy graze. Partridge is a local speciality; we try it as a pat&e.


A river runs past it: Toledo rears high on the banks of the River Tagus


There are the usual chorizo, cured hams and olives, all delicious. But beware - you will have to stand your ground and use your elbows if you want to get a table in the sun for lunch. The great British rules of queuing do not apply in Toledo. A Spanish friend tells me simply: 'We don't like to wait.' Quite.

In the evening you often can't order before 9pm, and if you do, you'll be eating alone. Better to soak up the last light of the day and wait for the restaurants to sizzle.

There are dozens of places to choose from. Alfilertios 24 is a buzzy, brick-lined bar/restaurant near the cathedral, and El Trebol is a popular place below the Alcazar.

By midnight the streets are quiet and the Parador on the hill quieter still. Nightlife here is over in a hurry, but it's more than fun while it lasts.

Travel Facts

Parador de Toledo offer rooms from £59pp per night. Book through Keytel International, 020 7953 3020, www.keytel.co.uk. British Airways offers fly-drive packages to Madrid, including return flights and a week's car hire with Avis, from £159pp, 0844 493 0758, www.britishairways.com.