Without a doubt, a visit to Toledo is one of the most highly recommended excursions to make from Madrid. A fortified hilltop city surrounded by the Tajo river, Toledo was Spain's capital city during the rule of the Visigoths, and also served as the royal residence of the unified state up to 1560.

Simply strolling along its narrow streets is one of the best ways to appreciate Toledo. By doing so one can capture its mood, as the city's architecture reflects the many influences and cultures present throughout its long history. Toledo once provided a rare example of Christians, Muslims and Jews living side by side, but once the Moors had been ousted it became a center of Catholic Spain's intolerance. The large Jewish population was first forced to convert to Catholicism, and later expelled outright.