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Castilla-La Mancha, located at the very center of the Iberian peninsula, is
dominated by an extense tableland, although there are mountainous landscapes
too.
 Of major interest to the visitor are of course the monumental cities and
towns of great historical importance, like Toledo, the enchanting Cuenca and
Albacete, but one should take as well several interesting alternative routes
into consideration, among them: Ruta de los Pueblos Negros ("Route of the
Black Villages"), having their name from the use of slate in their
traditional architecture, the "Route of the Saffron Fields", "Route of the
Castles", and the "Route of Don Quijote", named after Cervante's legendary
"Man from La Mancha". Still today you will see many of those
characteristic windmills Don Quijote was fighting with in all the land.
Traditional gastronomy is simple but tasteful, with stews, game, sausages
and the famous Manchego cheese. The region's excellent wines are a perfect
match.
Artisany is varied, from ceramics and embroiderings to the famous Swords
of Toledo and Knives of Albacete.
The Cities:
Toledo
 Toledo
is one of the Spanish cities with the greatest wealth of monuments. Known as
the “city of the three cultures”, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived
together there for centuries, behind its walls Toledo preserves an artistic
and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques
and synagogues. This great diversity of artistic styles makes the old
quarter of the capital of La Mancha a real open-air museum, which has led to
it being declared a World Heritage Site.
Toledo is also a city linked to deep popular traditions, as the
procession of the Most Holy Corpus Christi, a festival declared of
International Tourist Interest, demonstrates every year.
If there is one person's name that defines Toledo it is that of
El Greco (16th-17th C.). His
House-Museum, a palace with the atmosphere of
the period, exhibits some of the best works of the painter who made the city
world famous.
Cuenca
 This city in the
province of La Mancha, which is a World Heritage Site, lies between the
gorges of the Júcar and Huécar rivers. Its monumental historic quarter lies
beside rocky walls in the heart of the Cuenca mountains. The
Cathedral,
Casas Colgadas (Hanging Houses) and cobbled streets charm the most hardened traveller. A former Franciscan convent houses the Cuenca Parador de Turismo,
where guests can rest and enjoy the region's most traditional recipes. One
of the best times for visiting the city is during the Religious Music Week,
a festival of International Tourist Interest. Art, history, adventure
sports, spas and hunting are some of the opportunities offered by this
province in Castilla-La Mancha.
Guadalajara
Major attractions are the Mudejar style church Santa Maria la Mayor, the
15th century palace Duque del Infantado, the Moorish town-walls and bridge
over Henares river, from 10th century. In the
province of Guadalajara the
medieval town Siguenza, with its great fortress and cathedral, is worth a
visit.
Ciudad Real
 Situated
in Campo de Calatrava, landscape dominated by many hills,
Ciudad Real offers
a modern layout that has been able to maintain all the flavour of La Mancha.
Better communicated thanks to the Madrid-Seville high speed train, this city
offers us exceptional cuisine centred on game, cheese and wine. In addition,
the Cabañeros and Las Tables de Daimler natural parks tell us of its rich
ecosystems.
During the Middle Ages, four kilometres of walls and one hundred and
thirty towers protected a population made up of Christians, Moors and Jews.
After the unification of the peninsular kingdoms under the Catholic
Monarchs, Ciudad Real became the capital of the province of La Mancha in the
17th century. This fact favoured its economic development which was poured
into important buildings.
A good example of La Mancha Mudejar architecture (14th C.) is the Puerta
de Toledo, one of the eight gates which opened in the city's walled area.
Its pointed horseshoe arches are flanked by two square towers.
The unusual Gothic style in this city is shown in an
artistic site planned by the founder of this city, Alfonso X (the Wise), and
formed by three churches. Among them, the church of Santiago, the oldest of
those preserved, is outstanding. Its origin is Gothic, but it was later
enriched with a Mudejar roof and Baroque arches. Its mural paintings, one of
which represents a seven-headed apocalyptic dragon, deserve attention.
The Cathedral of Santa María del Prod is another good example of the
combination of styles, the consequence of a long construction process. Its
earliest elements correspond to the 13th century, while the latest date from
the 19th century Inside, the Baroque reredos and choir stalls are
outstanding.
The third of these churches is that of San Pedro, a Gothic church from
the end of the 14th century whose profile seems like a fortress. Its three
doorways have decoration formed by archivolts, rosettes and decorated
capitals. The architecture of this period uses Christian and Muslim elements
indiscriminately, alternating Gothic pointed arches with Mudejar horseshoe
ones, leading to a very unusual fusion of styles.
The area around the Plaza Mayor is a good area for tasting the wine with
the La Mancha and Valdepeñas denominations of origin, which is good
accompanied by some portions of the cheese from the region. Near the square
we can get to know the typical elements of a large aristocratic La Mancha
house. The Casa de Hernán López del Pulgar shows us, inside, a courtyard
with columns and a Renaissance staircase.
The rest of modern Ciudad Real dates from the 19th century and beginning
of the 20th, in which the Medrano Palace – the University Rectorate - the
former Casino – now headquarters of the Musical Conservatory - and the
Palace of the Provincial Government are outstanding. Meanwhile, the range of
museums in Ciudad Real is centred on the Provincial Museum's archaeological
treasures – the entrance door of the old synagogue is preserved here - and
the Diocesan Museum.
“Don Quijote de la Mancha” From Ciudad Real, we have many possibilities
for getting to know this province, immortalised in Cervantes' work “Don
Quijote de La Mancha”. In the county of Campo de Calatrava is Almagro, well
known for its Open Air Theatre (National Monument) and its International
Classical Theatre Festival. As well as other interesting buildings, its
National Theatre Museum and Parador de Turismo are worth a visit.
This 16th century former convent brings us a little closer to La Mancha's
history and art, as well as its cuisine. It is a wonderful place for doing
justice to a cuisine with rural and pastoral origins. La Mancha cheeses and
Almagro aubergines, both with their own Denomination of Origin, serve as an
aperitif for game dishes like rabbit with garlic, hare with rice, stewed
partridge and so on. "Gachas" (made with flour), "migas" (breadcrumbs
accompanied by pork products) and "tiznao" (cod with peppers, onions and
garlic) are some suggestions. And, for dessert, "pestiños" (sweetened
mixture of fried flour) or "mostillo" (sweet made from grape must), among
many other recipes.
Campo de Calatrava also offers us castles, palaces and places of great
historical-artistic importance like El Viso del Marqués, Almuradiel or
Calzada de Calatrava. Meanwhile, in the county of Campo de Montiel, you will
discover the medieval remains of Montiel, the Lagunas de Ruidera Natural
Park and places like Villanueva de los Infantes and Villamanrique.
This province's rich natural landscape is made clear in two national
parks: Cabañeros and Las Tablas de Daimiel. Mediterranean woodland
accompanies by meadows and wetland on the La Mancha plain form the main
features of these protected areas.
Albacete
 The largest city in
Castilla-La Mancha is situated on a vast, flat stretch of farmland of great
natural value. This peculiar orography gave the region its old Arab name:
Al-Basit (the Plain). A journey through the region will allow you to
perceive the intense commercial activity along its main arteries and the
piece and quiet of its corners, so typical of La Mancha, awakened by the
bustle that September brings, with its holidays and festivities that make
this month the ideal time of year for a visit.
Lovers of the arts and customs of La Mancha will enjoy a modern city that
has preserved all of its traditional flavour. The cathedral of Saint John
the Baptist is located in the oldest part of the city's perfect urban
layout. Although it is a Gothic building, its architecture includes
different styles. The immense amount of time it took to build (four hundred
years), yielded as a result a Gothic chapel, four great Renaissance columns,
several Baroque elementsand a Neogothic main front. Albacete's religious
architecture can also be seen in the old monastery of Encarnación (16th
century), presently an arts centreand in the church of the Holy Conception.
Your journey will also take you to the Posada del Rosario (Rosario
Lodging House), presently the Tourist Office, where you can admire the
results of the mix of Gothic, Mudejarand Renaissance styles of construction.
This compound has been declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument, since
it is a good example of this purely Castilian type of accommodation that
formerly thrived in the whole region of La Mancha.
Tejares street holds some of Albacete's most traditional homes,
characterised by the layout of the rooms around a central courtyard. Casa de
los Picos and Casona Perona both have coats of arms on their façades,
indicating the noble lineage of the original owners. Albacete's Tourist Inn,
located in a La-Mancha-style country house, is a very tempting choice to
spend the night. Its restaurant has an excellent selection of regional
dishes, such as gazpacho manchego (a soup with fried tomatoes, garlicand
special crackers), soused partridge and Miguelitos de la Roda for dessert.
The financial prosperity that this area experienced at the beginning of
the 20th century can be perceived in the Lodares Passage. Shopping malls
with iron and glass roofs, separated by Renaissance columns, transport
visitors to the best of the Modernist spirit.
You must not leave the city without first taking a walk under the shade
of the trees at Abelardo Sánchez Park and paying a visit to the Albacete
Museum. It has exceptional collections of Archaeology, Fine Artsand
Ethnology. If, on the other hand, you would like to watch a game of bochas
(bowls), similar to pétanque, you are sure to find some locals playing at
the Fiesta del Árbol Park.
You should definitely go shopping in the area around Ancha street.
Shopping centres, as well as shops devoted to popular crafts (cutlery,
knives and swords in particular) are located around here.
Plaza de Altozano, one of the city's forums, is a great place to start
visiting the bars and sampling some snails, or any pork products, like the
orza pork loins or some slices of streaky bacon. All these delicacies are
usually served during the September festivities that honour the Virgen de
los Llanos (Virgin of the Plains), patron saint of Albacete, of National
Tourist Interest.
Albacete is also a great starting point for outdoor excursions to Montes
de Chinchilla, Lagunas de Ruidera Nature Reserve and Sierra de Alcaraz,
where the source of the river Mundo awaits. The Jucar Valley unfolds in the
northern area of the province, where many traditional towns of La Mancha
have settled among oak groves and farm land. To the east are the Montiel
Fields, while one of the most important archaeological sites in Castilla-La
Mancha, Tolmo de Minateda, is located to the southeast, in the Field of
Hellín y Tobarra. To conclude, the monumental towns of Chinchilla and
Almansa.
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Toledo
Imperial Hotel
