Toledo

Toledo was Spain's capital before Madrid and is often called the 'City of Three Cultures' for the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities that shaped it, visible today in its cathedral, mosque-turned-church, and former synagogues standing within a few streets of each other. The old town sits on a granite hill looped by the Tagus river, so most of a visit is on foot up and down steep lanes. It rewards a full day rather than a rushed half-day trip, especially for anyone interested in El Greco, who lived and painted here.