podtour
Women of Toledo
In Toledo, women appear little on the façades and a great deal in the papers.
Toledo's Gates and San Juan de los Reyes: audio walk in Toledo
Enter Toledo through its gates: a hospital with a tomb everyone came to see, a gate pretending to be new, a wall Wamba never built, the Christ who stood witness on the Vega, the saint who came back from Flanders and a monastery hung with chains that burned in 1808.
See the walkFree route
What this walk is about
Toledo wrote its past on its gates, and not always truthfully. The walk starts outside the Bisagra Gate, facing the Hospital de Tavera and the tomb that travellers, novelists and film-makers came to see. Inside, Bisagra shows off as imperial and confesses on an inscribed stone that it's a restoration, the Gate of Alfonso the Sixth keeps a tradition alive, and the Recaredo escalators read as modern gates. Along the Paseo de Recaredo: the wall tradition attributes to Wamba, the legend of the Christ of the Vega made famous by Zorrilla's poem, and the return of Saint Leocadia's relics in 1587. At the Cambrón Gate, the 1575 campaign that put a Gothic king's verses on the gates. And finally, San Juan de los Reyes: the chains, a vow made over a battle, and the night in 1808 when the convent burned. All from the street; it ends at the gates of the Jewish Quarter.
- Start
- The hospital outside the walls
- Finish
- The night the monastery burned
- Who it is for
- A good starting point for your first visit. For anyone arriving in Toledo from the north (Bisagra Gate, Paseo de Recaredo). You can also enjoy it as a family. You don’t need any prior knowledge.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The hospital outside the walls
- 2
The gate that pretended to be new
- 3
The gate that stayed closed
- 4
The stairways that were gateways
- 5
The wall Wamba didn't build
- 6
A good judge and a better witness
- 7
The saint who returned from Flanders
- 8
The gate of the bramble
- 9
San Juan de los Reyes and its chains
- 10
The night the monastery burned
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Toledo, before you go
Toledo fits into a walk, though rarely a straight line. Good soles and a plan by area do more for the trip than an endless list of monuments.
More walks nearby
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
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on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.