Visit Consuegra, Spain; famous for its Don Quixote windmills

Visit Consuegra

Consuegra is in the province of Toledo in Castilla-la-Mancha. "Consuegra is famous for its charming white windmills, the same ones that Don Quixote mistook for giants and attacked in the book "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha".

Explore Consuegra

Consuegra sits at the foot of the Cerro Calderico Ridge which is home to the windmills of Consuegra and an imposing ruined castle, the Castillo de Consuegra, of 10th century Moorish origin. From here you get great views over the surrounding plains and the windmills. The castle is being restored and is interesting to visit plus from here you can get some of the best views of the windmills.

Consuegra is an attractive town with nice squares and a number of Mudejar churches. The main square is the Plaza de Espana and has a Renaissance style town hall and houses with attractive wooden galleries. Opposite the town hall is the 'Los Corredoros' building in typical La Mancha 17th century style. It has lovely wooden details and is now home to the municipal museum.

The windmills of Consuegra

Consuegra is famous for its windmills. These are the same ones, though restored, that Don Quixote fought in Cervante's novel "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha" when he mistook the sails for the arms of giants. Because of the windmills Consuegra is part of the 'Don Quixote trail' which takes travellers around the main sights mentioned in the book.

The windmills are attractive round white windmills with black roofs and sails and sit in a line of 11 along the top of a hill. There were 13 originally and 11 of them remain. Each of the windmills has its own name and one is called Sancho after one of the main characters in Don Quixote's novel.

The windmills stopped being used for grinding grain in the 1980s though one is now used as an ice-cream shop - a welcome place to cool down from the high summer temperatures experienced in Castilla La Mancha. The tourist office is housed inside one of the windmills giving you a chance to step inside.

The windmills and the surrounding planes and views over Consuegra below are highly photogenic.

The fields around Consuegra turn purple in the autumn as the saffron crocuses bloom and one of the windmills (the one called Sancho) is set in motion each year for the celebration's of the harvest of the saffron crop. The celebrations take place on the last weekend of October.

Places to visit nearby

Consuegra is about 60km from Toledo and makes an excellent day trip from here. The Royal Palace of Aranjuez is fabulous and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic centre of Aranjuez is well worth visiting too.

The route of Don Quixote from Consuegra to Belmonte can be done in a day.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Toledo guide and the Castilla-La Mancha guide.