podtour
Toledo's Gates and San Juan de los Reyes
Toledo wrote its past on its gates, and not always truthfully.
Women of Toledo: audio walk in Toledo
Women who founded with no money, ran houses and said no: queens in a convent, a founder with no voice, beatas without a rule, María Pacheco and her escape, maidens, nuns who refused, a royal birth, the invisible women of silk, an empress and Teresa.
What this walk is about
In Toledo, women appear little on the façades and a great deal in the papers. The walk begins at Santo Domingo el Real, a house governed by women, with the founder who left not a single word of her own and the beatas who lived together without a rule. In the Plaza de Padilla, María Pacheco's demolished house; in the street that bears her name, her escape dressed as a peasant woman. Then come the cardinal's maidens, the nuns of San Clemente who said no, a morning in 1479 when a queen may have been born, the women who spun silk without appearing in the contracts, and the palace where the Empress died in 1539. It ends in the Plaza de Barrio Nuevo, where Teresa founded a convent with two straw mattresses.
- Start
- A house governed by women
- Finish
- The house of the two straw mattresses
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about women's history and convent life. 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
A house governed by women
- 2
The founder whose voice is missing
- 3
Devout women outside a religious order
- 4
The house they demolished
- 5
María Pacheco's escape
- 6
Young women, without noble ancestry
- 7
The nuns who said no
- 8
A November morning in 1479
- 9
The overlooked women of the silk trade
- 10
May 1539: the death of an empress
- 11
The house of the two straw mattresses
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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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.