Castilla-La Mancha is the heartland of Spain, the vast plateau south and east of Madrid. Its five provinces – Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Albacete – are home to about 2.1 million people, two UNESCO cities and the landscapes made famous by Cervantes’ Don Quixote.

Why visit Castilla-La Mancha

For history close to Madrid: Toledo and Cuenca are less than an hour away by high-speed train. Add the windmills of La Mancha, medieval villages, wine country and wetlands full of birds, with few crowds outside the big cities.

Top places in Castilla-La Mancha

Toledo

The “city of three cultures”, on a hill above the Tagus, with its Gothic cathedral, synagogues, mosque and the works of El Greco. A UNESCO World Heritage site.

Cuenca

Famous for its hanging houses built on the edge of a gorge, and for its museum of abstract art. Also a UNESCO site.

The windmills of La Mancha

The white windmills of Consuegra and Campo de Criptana are the “giants” Don Quixote charged at.

Almagro

A beautiful town with an arcaded main square and the Corral de Comedias, a 17th-century open-air theatre still in use.

Sigüenza

A medieval town in Guadalajara with a castle, a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral and a well-preserved old quarter.

Nature

The Lagunas de Ruidera, a chain of turquoise lakes, and the Tablas de Daimiel wetlands are surprising oases in the plain.

Best time to visit Castilla-La Mancha

Spring and autumn are ideal. Summer is hot and dry; winter is cold, especially in the mountains of Cuenca and Guadalajara.

Getting to and around Castilla-La Mancha

Most visitors fly into Madrid. High-speed trains reach Toledo, Cuenca, Ciudad Real and Albacete. A car is the best way to see villages, windmills and lakes.

What to eat in Castilla-La Mancha

Manchego cheese, pisto manchego, migas, gachas, roast lamb, marzipan from Toledo and wines from La Mancha and Valdepeñas.