Talavera de la Reina is located in the middle of Spain in the province of Toledo. The city of about 80,000 inhabitants can easily be explored in one day. If you want to plan a day trip to Talavera de la Reina, these suggestions can help you.
We will guide you through Talavera on a walk of around 3 kilometres, which will take you past the city's most important and beautiful monuments and offer you the opportunity to go shopping.
Our excursion starts on the banks of the Rio Tajo at the Reina Sofia bridge. If you are travelling by car, you can park for free along the Ronda Cañillo riverside road. The Puente Reina Sofía is a modern steel bridge, but it spans beautifully over the green and marshy Rio Tajo.
From there, you can reach the historic centre via Calle José Luis Gallo, which leads to the picturesque Plaza del Pan. Here, as everywhere in Talavera, you can see excellent ceramic work on the benches, walls and fountains.
On the right you will see Iglesia Santa Maria la Mayor.
Directly at the other end of the Plaza del Pan is the Teatro Victoria, a pretty stucco building in the typical Talavera yellow colour.
From there, take Calle (Callejón) del Teatro, which runs along both sides of the theatre, past Plaza San Pedro to Plaza del Reloj. From there, turn slightly right and then straight ahead into the pedestrianised area (Calle San Francisco). Here you will find many small boutiques and a large department stores' (Corte Inglés).
After Corte Inglés, turn right into Calle Eugenia, where the Santa Maria Parish (Parroquía Santa Maria la Mayor) is located.
At the end of the street, turn left into Calle Santa Lucia and follow the bend (Calle Sombrereria) until you reach Plaza Alameda. Keep sharp left there and follow Avenida Gregorio Ruiz. At the second junction, turn right along Paseo del Prado. Here you can cross the main road and enter the large city park Jardines del Prado.
If you walk straight ahead, you will reach the Basilica Nuestra Señora del Prado, which you can also admire from the inside if you are lucky.
From here, turn right and cross the road to the other side of the park (Parque de la Alameda). There are two pretty bridges decorated with ceramics over the Lago de la Alameda.
Leave the park in a westerly direction and follow the riverbank to the old city walls on Calle Carnicerias. Here you can turn right and walk around the ruins of the Alcazar Arabe. (Calle Carnicerias, turn left into Calle Pescaderias, take the next left and follow Calle San Augustin. Continue left back to the riverside road.
Directly opposite you will see the Puente Romano, an old Roman pedestrian bridge, from which you can get a nice view of the town of Talavera and the unspoilt river. On the opposite side of the street is the tourist office and the Museo Etnografico.
This is the last stop on the short city tour. All you have to do is follow the riverbank until you reach the Reina Sofia Bridge again. If you don't want to stop off at one of the countless small cafés but still need a refreshment, you will find a supermarket (Mercadona) on the right behind the Reina Sofia Bridge.
Route through Talavera (Google Maps)
