Oropesa, a Hidden Gem Near Toledo, Spain

January 6, 2019
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
Toledo is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain due to its impressive amount of heritage sites. If that wasn't enough, the region has even more to offer like the charming town of Oropesa.

Oropesa is one of the oldest inhabited sites in Spain, dating back to 1761 BC when the legend says that Hercules founded the town. For centuries, Oropesa has served as refuge for monks, nobility and travelers. The main tourist attraction is its 14th century castle now part of El Parador de Oropesa, a luxury four-star hotel. This Parador was once the home of the Alvarez de Toledo family, counts of Oropesa. The count, Francisco de Toledo, served as the viceroy of Peru from 1569 to 1581. In 1930, it was converted into the first historic Parador of this government-owned hotel chain. Apart from a walk through history, from the Parador you get spectacular views of the Sierra de Gredos mountain range.

Read more about castles in Spain you can stay in here

We arrived in Oropesa on the morning of December 26. We had spent Christmas in Don Quixote's land and the weather was spectacular: not a single cloud in the sky and surprisingly mild temperatures even for the Spanish winter.

Read more about Don Quixote's trail here
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
We started by exploring Oropesa. The region is famous for its craftsmanship, embroidery, ceramics and tiles in particular. The latter is present in many facades around town. You can also find many instances of Catholic heritage including churches and monasteries or convents.
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
We had lunch at the Parador. We often chose this type of hotel to eat because we know the quality is going to be excellent and they always have typical dishes of the region. They offer a 32€ menu which includes a starter, a main dish and dessert. Typical dishes here have pastoral origins like migas (bread crumbs), lamb, stewed partridge or artisan cheese.
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel food
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel food
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel food
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel food
Before the sun went down we visited the castle and learnt a bit more about the history of Oropesa.
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel

After a busy day exploring the town, an inviting door leads you back to the Parador. All that's left to do is read or relax in one of the Parador's common areas or go back to your room for a good night's sleep on a hand-painted canopy bed. We'll never be royals but thanks to Paradores can get a feeling of what it would be like...
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
parador oropesa toledo spain history castle luxury hotel
GETTING THERE
Madrid - Oropesa: 156 km (1h 40min by car), highway A-5
Toledo - Oropesa: 118 km (1h 8 min by car), highway A-5