A city game on Toledo's hill above the Tagus
The Toledo scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Over the steep lanes between Zocodover and the Jewish quarter you walk about 38 minutes in all, 2.9 km with 10 stops, and with the riddles and stories added in, the game fills roughly 2 hours from whenever you choose to begin.
Highlights include Plaza de Zocodover, the Gothic cathedral, the church of Santo Tomé with El Greco's Burial of the Count of Orgaz, the former synagogue of Santa María la Blanca and the monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. Toledo's hilltop old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site above the river Tagus, is a maze of narrow, sloping lanes best explored on foot.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 38 min · 2.9 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese
What you solve between Zocodover and San Juan de los Reyes
Slate spires, chains and a carved portal
Every stop has one riddle, and the answer is always in view: the slate spires on the town hall towers, the carvings of the Puerta del Perdón, the iron chains hung along the walls of San Juan de los Reyes. Look, think it through, and you will need neither Spanish nor a history degree.
A count, two saints and a painter from Crete
Solved riddles unlock Toledo's stories: why Zocodover owes its name to an Arabic phrase for a market of pack animals, how Saints Stephen and Augustine are said to have come down from heaven to bury the Count of Orgaz, and how Domenikos Theotokopoulos from Crete became El Greco of Toledo. The audio narration can read each story aloud while you catch your breath.
2.9 km of slopes and turns
Walking adds up to around 38 minutes, but Toledo's lanes twist and climb, so Google Maps earns its keep from the first corner. The route rises to San Ildefonso, one of the highest points of the old town, and then mostly descends through the Jewish quarter to the finish.
Shade, marzipan and a pause
There is no clock on the game, so you can duck into the shade on a hot afternoon, try the marzipan Toledo is known for and pick up the next riddle later or on another day. Staying near the cathedral? The app can start you there instead of on Zocodover.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the Toledo hunt suits
Day-trippers from Madrid
Many visitors see Toledo in a single day, and a game of about 2 hours over 2.9 km takes in the cathedral, Santo Tomé and the Jewish quarter with time left for lunch and a museum. The riddles slow you down at the details a hurried day trip tends to miss.
Young eyes for chains and a stone queen
Kids enjoy the chains on the monastery walls, the statue of a queen at the finish and the idea of a square once crowded with mules and donkeys. An adult plays along in each team, and the second half of the route is mostly downhill.
Teams who regroup by the monastery
Teams of up to 5 players, each with the game on their own phone, can leave Zocodover a few minutes apart and meet again by San Juan de los Reyes. Toledo's lanes and plazas are the whole playing field, with no venue to hire.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from Plaza de Zocodover through the Jewish quarter to San Juan de los Reyes
10 stops · about 38 min walking · start: Plaza de Zocodover · finish: Monument to Isabella I of Castile
The hunt starts on Plaza de Zocodover and climbs to the cathedral and the town hall opposite it. From there you continue to the Jesuit church of San Ildefonso and Santo Tomé, then enter the old Jewish quarter with the El Greco Museum, the El Greco monument and Santa María la Blanca, and finish at the monument to Isabella I of Castile near San Juan de los Reyes. Each answer is read from façades, towers and monuments in the street, so you never queue at a ticket office, and if you would rather begin at the cathedral or down by San Juan de los Reyes, the app moves the start there and rearranges the remaining stops.
Open the route map ↗
1Plaza de ZocodoverStart
Toledo's main square takes its name from the Arabic for 'market of beasts of burden', recalling the livestock market once held here. For centuries it hosted markets, festivities and bullfights, and the Arco de la Sangre gateway leads from it down towards the river Tagus.
Read the full story →
2Toledo Cathedral
The Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary was begun in 1226 under King Ferdinand III and Archbishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, on the site of the city's former main mosque, and completed in 1493. It is one of the great Gothic cathedrals of Spain; look at the carved Puerta del Perdón facing the town hall square.
3Toledo City Hall
The town hall faces the cathedral across Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Its design goes back to plans linked with Juan de Herrera, architect of El Escorial, and it was completed in the 17th century by Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli, son of El Greco, with two towers topped by slate spires.
4Jesuit Church of San Ildefonso
This baroque church is dedicated to Saint Ildefonsus, Toledo's patron saint and a 7th-century archbishop of the city, who according to tradition was born on this spot. Built by the Jesuits in the 17th and 18th centuries, its large façade with two towers stands on one of the highest points of the old town.
5Church of Santo Tomé
This church with its Mudéjar brick tower holds El Greco's painting The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, completed in 1586. It shows the legend that Saints Stephen and Augustine came down from heaven to lay the count, a benefactor of the church who died in 1323, in his tomb.
Read the full story →
6El Greco Museum
Opened in 1911 in the old Jewish quarter, the El Greco Museum recreates a house of the painter's time, although El Greco did not actually live in this building. Its collection includes his View and Plan of Toledo and a series of portraits of the apostles.
7El Greco Monument
This monument honours Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, the painter born in Crete who settled in Toledo around 1577 and died here in 1614. His elongated figures and stormy skies made Toledo famous in the history of art, and the city has claimed him as its own ever since.
8Santa María la Blanca Synagogue
Built around 1200 as a synagogue by Mudéjar craftsmen, it is one of the oldest synagogue buildings in Europe still standing. Inside, white horseshoe arches rest on octagonal pillars with carved capitals, and the building was turned into a church in the early 15th century.
Read the full story →
9Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes
The Catholic Monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, founded this Franciscan monastery to celebrate their victory at the Battle of Toro in 1476 and planned it as their burial place, though they were later buried in Granada. Designed by Juan Guas in the Isabelline Gothic style, its outer walls are hung with chains said to come from Christian captives freed from Moorish prisons.
Read the full story →
10Monument to Isabella I of CastileFinish
The route ends at a monument to Queen Isabella I of Castile, who with her husband Ferdinand of Aragon founded the nearby monastery of San Juan de los Reyes. Her reign saw the end of the Kingdom of Granada in 1492 and the first voyage of Columbus to the Americas.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
OLGA– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
A great experience! Beautiful!
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Facil de realizar y muy util para recorrer los lugares mas representativos a tu aire y con comentarios interesantes.
Victoria– Brazil –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Muito interessante essa maneira de explorar os principais pontos da cidade. Poderiam explicar como chegar aos locais que são mencionados nos contos contados. Mas uma excelente atividade.
Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Los peques lo pasaron genial! Es una fotma divertida de ver y conocer la ciudad
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Susana was wonderful! We had a great time touring the cathedral. 🙂
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Style de guide original et très apprécié des adolescents, un petit bémol pour la géolocalisation des lieux parfois difficile
Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Actividad divertida para hacer en familia y que te ayuda a conocer Toledo y sus leyendas. Muy recomendable.
Greece –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Πολύ ωραίος τρόπος να εξερευνήσεις την πόλη
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
How beautiful a city can be ? We discovered beautiful hidden gems and the puzzles were easy to access!
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Einwandfrei geklappt und hat Spass gemacht!
Greece –
Collected on GetYourGuide
On the positive side, it includes 10 of the most important sights of Toledo; it has pretty accurate coordinates that can be used with Google maps. On the negative, it is more of a scavenger hunt than a tourist guide. The interface is browser based and unstable. You receive a link and a code. No app was available. The clues are unclear, the puzzles are more vague than challenging.
terezachan –
A perfect activity for a place that needs some hours to visit. We chose this game and we played for around 2 hours. We could say that we saw almost everything we needed as per attractions and after that we went for lunch. Would recommend