How to Get to Toledo from Madrid

Toledo is located just 80 kilometres from the capital. An ancient medieval city that holds within it the most genuine mixture of the three cultures of the peninsula: Christian, Muslim and Jewish. If you have come to spend a few days in the capital, you should know that Madrid has a lot to see and do, but one of its essential excursions is to visit Toledo in a day. Here are the ways to get there from Madrid.

Many tourists are interested in getting to know the city of Toledo, and no wonder. Many local people from Madrid come here from time to time to spend the day just to enjoy a nice walk and a special meal. However, if you are coming to Madrid for the first time and you don't know the area, the best option is to hire an organised day trip that will take you to and pick you up and show you the most important sights of the city, such as the Alcázar of Toledo, the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, its two viewpoints that offer panoramic views of the city or the cathedral.

Practical information

• Price: between €27 and €91, although if food or other destinations are included, the price can go up to €80.
• Time: The tour can take between 5 and 12 hours but the journey to Toledo is less than 2 hours.
• Recommended if... it's your first time in Toledo and you want to be guided, see the most popular sights and not worry about transfers.

Here you have a comparative table with the different excursions:

If you want to manage your visit to Toledo on your own and get there by your own means, one of the fastest options is to take the train. You might think that a car might be quicker, but the truth is that in Spain the train goes like lightning, literally. The country has a special type of train called AVE (Alta Velocidad) that can reach 200 kilometres per hour.

This way, in just 30 minutes you will have arrived in the beautiful city of Toledo without even noticing it, and you will have the whole day ahead of you to discover the history and heritage of this place. What's more, if you book your train tickets in advance, they can be really cheap, taking into account the conditions and speed offered.

To take a train from Madrid to Toledo, go to Atocha Station, at the Estación del Arte metro stop, near the Reina Sofía Museum ( here you can find information on how to visit this essential place). When you arrive in Toledo, the station is a 20-minute walk from the old town.

Another type of train

If you can't book your AVE ticket in time or the price is too high, you can also take a conventional train. It may not go at 200 kilometres per hour but it is also quite fast and a little cheaper, reaching Toledo in just one hour.

To take this type of train you will also have to arrive at Atocha station. Medium-distance trains, as in this case, are called Avant and are much easier to get on the go than the AVE.

Practical information

• Price: the round-trip price per person on the AVE is usually around €30, although it all depends on how far in advance you book. The price of a normal train is approximately €20.
• Companies: the company that runs the AVE and normal trains is Renfe.
• Time: the journey time on the AVE is half an hour and on a normal train is around 1 hour.
• Recommended if... you want to make the most of Toledo and save time on transfers.

Getting to know Toledo is quite an experience, but if it's your first time in Madrid, it may not have been an option until a few days before your visit. Don't worry, Toledo is so popular in the community that there are many ways to get there, and they are suitable for all budgets and timetables.

If you've got the itch to get to know Toledo and want to do it in a cheap and improvised way, your best option is to take a bus from the Plaza Elíptica interchange, which can be reached by metro on line 11.

For approximately 5 euros (10€ return) you can buy a single ticket on the go and without having to make a reservation, which will take you to the walled city in about two hours.

Be aware that if it's the weekend, the buses may be very full, but even so, they usually leave every half hour, so even if you have to wait, you'll always have a seat on the bus to get there and back.

Practical information

• Price: about €10 return.
• Companies: the main company is Alsa.
• Time: approximately 2 hours,
• Recommended if... you are looking for an economical option that allows you to improvise.

If you are looking to get to Toledo in a fast and exclusive way, one of the best options is to hire a private transport, either a taxi, an Uber or a private car. One of the advantages of this type of transport is that it is much more intimate if you are travelling with family or a group of friends.

Also, unlike the bus, you won't have to stop at different stops and you will be able to get there much faster and more comfortably.

However, this is one of the most expensive options as, although you can share the costs with the rest of the people you are going to visit Toledo, the total one-way price is usually not less than €100.

Practical information

• Price: round trip approximately €200 in total.
• Companies: it can be the Madrid taxi system, companies like Uber or Cabify or private transfers like Chofix.
• Time: about 1 hour and a half each way.
• Recommended if... you want an exclusive and private transfer.

It is clear that during your stay you will be able to choose from a wide range of tours around Madrid, but you may want to get off the beaten track and go a little bit off the beaten track. If this is the case and you have a driving license, one of the options I recommend is to rent a car by the hour so you can get to Toledo and visit it at your own pace.

Some of the advantages that you can have with this type of transport are choosing the best time to make the transfers, parking near the centre thanks to the whole parking system that Toledo has and, in addition, being able to travel in a private and personal way.

The price is a little more expensive than public transport but much less than a private driver, costing an average of €50 per day.

The only downside is that you'll have to keep an eye on the route and the car parks, but if you don't mind having to drive during your holiday, it can be an interesting option to consider.

Practical information

• Price: around €50 for a full day's hire for a standard car.
• Companies: The major car rental companies in Spain are Europcar, Avis and Hertz.
• Time: Approximately 1 hour and a half.
• Recommended if... you want to travel in a flexible and personalised way.

Toledo is one of the most touristic cities in Castilla-La Mancha, so you will find it crowded whenever you go.

Even so, if you have come to spend 5 days in Madrid and you can choose the day of the week, I recommend you to go between Monday and Thursday, avoiding the weekend when it gets more crowded. You will find the roads much less congested and the tourist attractions without long queues.

As for the weather, the best thing to do in the case of Toledo is to avoid extremes, as, being a medieval city, it is built on top of a hill and is exposed to both cold and heat. In winter it is usually snowy in the streets and in summer it is 40 degrees, so my recommendation is to go in spring and autumn, when the temperatures are mild and the rains are infrequent.

Toledo is full of charm, history and cultural richness. Walking through its Cathedral and narrow streets will make you feel transported to another era where Jews, Muslims and Christians shared the city and achieved one of the greatest cultural legacies of the country.

However you choose to get to this World Heritage City, I guarantee it will be worth it.