Visit Castilla La Mancha, Spain - places to visit and tourist information

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Visit Castilla La Mancha

Castilla-La Mancha is largely covered by the great plains of Spain but there are non-the-less areas of great beauty here; head for the two national parks - The Tablas de Baimiel and Cabaneros.

Around the edges of the plains are the mountains of the Sierra de Alcaraz and of Cuenca. Also very attractive are the hills covered in olive trees in Alcarrria.

The region is covered in castles. This is the area of many great battles between Christians and Moors and between the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. Notable are the castles of Siguenza, Alarcon and Calatrava La Nueva.

Toledo and Cuenca are fabulous cities, steeped in history and full of beauty and there are many other attractive towns.

Cities and Places to Visit in Castilla la Mancha

Alarcon - an extremely well preserved fortified village. Its castle is now a magnificent 4* parador.

Alcala del Jucar - set in a circle of the river Jucar the village houses rise up above each other set into the white cliff behind them. Have a drink in one of the bars inside caves in the cliff.

Alcaraz - has a lovely Renaissance Plaza Mayor with two towers.

Almagro - a wonderful old town with a fully preserved 16 th century open air theatre which is still used today. Visit in July for the town's theatre festival.

Atienza - a medieval town with arcaded squares and a ruined castle.

Belmonte - one of the castles the region is famous for. Belmonte is 15th century and very well preserved.

Calatrava la Nueva - another of the magnificent castles of the region.

Consuegra - often photographs of this region show a group of white windmills with black pointed tops. A large group of them can be seen at Consuegra which are on a ridge above the town along with a ruined castle. More can be seen at Campo de Criptana.

Cuenca - the Moorish town of Cuenca sits dramatically on top of a gorge. Visit the hanging houses which are literally hanging over the edge. A mixture of Moorish, Renaissance and Gothic architecture can be seen in this beautiful town.

Guadalajara - admire the magnificent detail of the Palacio de los Ducques del Infantado, a Gothic-Mudejar building.

Molina de Aragon - the ruins of an Arab castle sit above the town.

Oropesa - the old quarter is charming and the town has great views to the Gredos mountains. There is a parador in part of the castle in the town.

Segobria - a ruined Roman city which can be visited.

Siguenza- a hillside town with a beautiful Romanesque cathedral and a castle turned into a luxury parador.

Toledo - one of Spain's greatest cities.

Villanueva de los Infantes - one of the most attractive towns in Castilla La Mancha.

Museums in Castilla la Mancha

Archaeological Museum of Cuenca - from prehistory to the 17th century.

Museum of Abstract Art of Cuenca - the museum is inside one of the hanging houses of Cuenca and is worth visiting for that alone but the exhibits are also excellent.

Museo Diocesano, Cuenca - houses the treasures of Cuenca's cathedral including paintings by El Greco.

Casa-Museo de El Greco, Toledo - contains an important collection of El Greco's works

Museum of Santa Cruz, Toledo - fine arts museum with a collection of Flanders tapestries.

Monasteries of Castilla la Mancha

Monasterio de Ucles - this monastery started life as a medieval castle and became a monastery in the 12th century.

Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo - a splendid monastery with a Gothic cloister which has a Mudejar ceiling.

Parks and Countryside

La Alcarria - undulating hills covered in olive groves. Visit the town of Pastrana when visiting the area.

National Park of Cabaneros in the Toledo Mountains (Montes de Toledo) - an attractive range of fairly small mountains. Look out for the cone-shaped shepherd's cabins known as chozos.

National Park of las Lagunas de Ruidera - a series of 16 interconnected lakes.

National Park of the Tablas de Daimiel - marshy wetlands with raised walkways and observation towers. The wetlands are under threat due to a lowering of the water table.

Serrania de Cuenca - a mountainous area with an area called the 'enchanted city', Ciudad Encantada, due to the weird shapes of the eroded limestone. Beautiful rock pools can be seen at the source of the river Cuervo. Schwarzenegger's film 'Conan the Barbarian' was filmed here. The Ciudad Encantada is close to Cuenca.

Sierra de Alcaraz - mountains and gorges and the source f the Rio Mundo river.

Toledo- a wonderful city and home to Roman, Visigoth and Goth architecture. El Greco lived here for part of his life and many of his works can be seen in Toledo.