Spain

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Plaza de Zocodover

Toledo


This lively square has long been the hub of town. From 1465 until the 1960s Zocodover was the scene of the city's Tuesday market and successor to the Arab souq ad-dawab (livestock market), hence the name. It was also here that toledanos for centuries enjoyed their bullfights or, morbidly, gathered to witness public burnings at the stake carried out by the Inquisition. Sadly in recent years it has succumbed to the blight of fast food giants, with just one local terrace cafe remaining.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Toledo attractions

1. Arco de la Sangre

0.02 MILES

The horseshoe arch that beckons to you from Plaza de Zocodover provides a glimpse into Toledo's medieval cosmopolitanism. It was once a doorway in the old…

2. Museo de Santa Cruz

0.05 MILES

It's hard to imagine that this 16th-century building was once a hospital. If only modern hospitals were equipped with the kind of ornate plateresque…

3. Alcázar

0.06 MILES

At the highest point in the city looms the foreboding Alcázar. Rebuilt under Franco, it has been reopened as a vast military museum. The usual displays of…

4. Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz

0.18 MILES

On the northern slopes of town you'll find a modest, yet beautiful, mosque (the only one remaining of Toledo's 10) where architectural traces of Toledo's…

5. Termas Romanas

0.21 MILES

These subterranean remains of Toledo's Roman baths are viewed via a walkway extending over two rooms. There are also the remains of an ajibe (water system…

6. Catedral de Toledo

0.22 MILES

Toledo's illustrious main church ranks among the top 10 cathedrals in Spain. An impressive example of medieval Gothic architecture, its enormous interior…

8. Iglesia de los Jesuitas

0.26 MILES

The main reason to visit this church is not the building itself, but the opportunity to climb its tower (138 steps) for a quintessential view of medieval…

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