After the Maratón de Toledo: Aranjuez
The Route: Toledo → Aranjuez → Toledo Logistics: Hire car, about 45 minutes each way. Flat gravel and paved garden paths throughout. Marathon Month: November Duration: Day trip
Toledo ──(about 45 mins by car)──> Aranjuez ──(about 45 mins)──> Toledo
The Maratón de Toledo ends with a climb through a hilltop city. Aranjuez, upstream on the Tagus, is the opposite: a planned royal town on flat ground, with gardens designed for strolling. On legs that dislike steps, it is the kindest day out from Toledo.
November in Aranjuez brings autumn colour to the plane trees and elms along the river, cool mornings and afternoons usually in the low to mid-teens. The gardens are quiet outside the weekend.
The drive takes about 45 minutes. Buses link Toledo and Aranjuez but not often, so a hire car or taxi is simpler. The Royal Palace, like other palaces run by Patrimonio Nacional, closes on Mondays, so make this a Tuesday trip; the gardens themselves are open.
The Royal Palace
The Palacio Real de Aranjuez was the spring residence of the Spanish court from the reign of Philip II. The present building dates mainly from the eighteenth century. The tour takes in state rooms, a porcelain room covered in ceramic decoration and an Arab-style smoking room, with some stairs between floors. Book tickets on the Patrimonio Nacional website.
The gardens
The gardens are the reason to come. The Jardín de la Isla, beside the palace, sits on an island formed by the Tagus and a canal, with fountains and long gravel avenues under the trees. The Jardín del Príncipe, stretching along the river to the east, is much larger, with paved and gravel paths, level all the way, and benches. At its far end stands the Casa del Labrador, a small, richly decorated royal retreat that is visited by guided tour and needs booking.
An hour or two on the flat paths of the Jardín del Príncipe, at whatever pace the legs allow, is as good a recovery walk as any in central Spain.
Lunch and the return
Aranjuez is known for its asparagus and strawberries in spring; in November, the town's restaurants turn to game and stews. Casa Pablo, in the centre, is a long-established restaurant for a Castilian lunch. The drive back to Toledo takes about 45 minutes.