Toledo sits inside a tight loop of the Tagus, with a gorge on three sides and a fortified hill in the middle, and its position is the reason for much of its history. It was the capital of the Visigothic kingdom, a Muslim city for centuries, and then the seat of the Spanish crown until Philip II moved the court to Madrid in 1561. Christians, Muslims and Jews lived side by side here in the Middle Ages, and the old centre still holds a synagogue, a small mosque and a great Gothic cathedral within a few minutes' walk of each other. UNESCO listed the whole city in 1986. The painter El Greco made it his home, and his huge picture of the burial of the Count of Orgaz hangs in a small church near the old Jewish quarter.
Toledo is also a place of craft. Its steel swords have been famous since Roman times, and the shops sell blades and damascene work, the black steel inlaid with gold thread. Marzipan, in elaborate shapes, is the local sweet, and sold in every pastry shop. Roast partridge and stews of game are the city's traditional food.
The ride's other stops, Segovia with its great Roman aqueduct and the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro in Madrid, give you a sense of how it fits among the old royal cities. On a motorbike, the best approach is along the ring road, which circles the gorge on the far bank and offers one of the best views in Spain, with the city piled up on its rock. A viewpoint on this road, the Mirador del Valle, is where the postcards come from, and it is at its best in the late afternoon.
Inside the old town, the streets are steep, narrow and cobbled, with parts closed to traffic, so park at the edge and walk. Fuel is no problem in a city of over eighty thousand people. In summer, the heat in Toledo is intense, and in winter, a damp chill rises from the river, so spring and autumn are best. Cobisa and Burguillos de Toledo are quiet, small places nearby.