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

34 comments

  1. http://ladyfi.wordpress.comJanuary 6, 2019 at 8:30 PM

    Looks like a lovely place! Feliz nuevo ano!

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  2. I absolutely love Spain and had a blast in Toledo, but I've never heard of Oropesa. I'd love to visit, especially since they have a Parador there. The last one I stayed in was in Jaen. Beautiful pictures!

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  3. Hedda | Tenk KoffertJanuary 6, 2019 at 10:26 PM

    Wow! What a beautiful city! I love the Madrid region. Lovely mediveal cities with castles and great food. And paradors! 😍

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  4. What an amazing place. Spain is so beautiful. I visited Spain once and I've been wanting to go back ever since. Great photos.
    You look beautiful!

    https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/

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  5. I coiuld scroll through these photos over and over again! So beautiful!

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  6. I would love to visit this place some day. You make it look even more beautiful

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  7. So beautiful! I haven't been to Spain but it's on my list!

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  8. A fascinating place to visit!

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  9. I would love to go here! When a place has lots of heritage in crafts I can't help myself, I studied textiles at university so the beautiful tiles and embroidery really appeals. The castle/architecture looks amazing too :)

    Jenny | www.localleo.co.uk

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  10. beautiful architecture, food looks delicious and your smile tells the story what a wonderful get away

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  11. Wow, Oropesa looks magnificent! The architecture is stunning and the surrounding areas are beautiful. You don't have to pull my arm twice for food and it looks like it did not disappoint. Love your scarf and how cute are your leopard shoes! Happy first Monday of January and I hope you had a great weekend!

    Maureen | www.littlemisscasual.com

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  12. What a beautiful trip. I would love to travel throughout Spain. We have been to Marbella for a beach break while we were living in the UK. It was gorgeous!

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  13. It looks beautiful, what a nice place to visit! I really like your scarf too, so cute and colourful and you had such a cosy outfit for sightseeing :)

    Hope that you've had a wonderful start to 2019 so far! :)

    Away From The Blue Blog

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  14. All of these travel blogs just make me want to get up and go! We got passports for Christmas and I can't wait to use them.

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  15. The architecture here is just stunning! I love your pictures because you capture it all!

    http://www.mylittlenest.org

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  16. This looks fabulous - what a beautiful place to visit xx Maria
    https://www.passionfruitpawsandpeonies.com

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  17. Tom The Backroads TravellerJanuary 8, 2019 at 9:00 PM

    ...I must say having lived in Toledo, Ohio, that it doesn't look a thing like this!

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  18. Wow - this is indeed a hidden gem!

    Thanks for linking up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2019/01/homemade-pasta-easy-and-fun.html

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  19. I love how you've captured every angle of the castle. You have some excellent photos that reflect the history and life of this historic site. It makes me wish I could go back to Spain now!

    https://passportcouture.com

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  20. What a lovely trip. I always love castle trips like this. It's like a trip to the past.
    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

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  21. A town that Hercules founded?! Sign me up! Looks like you had a wonderful trip.

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  22. All of your posts just leave me wanting to visit Spain! Oropesa looks beautiful!

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  23. That is such a beautiful place! I wish I can visit Oropesa in the future!

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  24. Great photos. Thanks for sharing them at the linkup party!

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  25. This post makes me miss Spain so much! We went to Barcelona, Figueres, and L'Escala for our honeymoon but I'd love to visit Toledo.

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  26. What a wonderful Christmas treat. I think that the paradors in Spain are such a great accommodation choice. Even more so when it's as special as this. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles

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  27. Wow! What wonderful, amazing places you get to explore.

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  28. wow look like a great place to visit. Love all your amazing photos.

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  29. What a beautiful place, there's so much of Spain that I still need to explore! :) #farawayfiles

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  30. A wonderful place to visit, one more for my bucket list :-)
    Thank you for taking part in the Travel Tuesday meme.

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  31. Wonderful photos! I definitely want to learn more about this lovely place! Thank you for sharing on #farawayfiles

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  32. That is exactly what I picture a castle should look like! I love the tiles and details on the buildings in town. What a beautiful place and I love that it is a little off the popular tourist path. Thanks for sharing this lovely little corner of Spain with #FarawayFiles

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