El Alfar
What to order: On weekdays, the menu from €16.50; in good weather, a table in the courtyard.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 39.46° N · 3.61° W
Sunday in Consuegra: Don Quixote's giants, from inside and at sunset.
A guided visit to the Muela castle with the Bolero windmill, the Rucio mill from the inside, La Mancha lunch in a former pottery workshop, Plaza de España and sunset beside the windmills.
Leaving from
Part of Consuegra
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car45 min each way
WalkingAbout 3 km
DifficultyEasy
Cost€35–55 pp
Best timeMarch – June · September – November
With childrenYes
BookingGuided visit
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Toledo 45 min by car
From Toledo, about 64 km
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1
La Muela Castle, with a guided tour
Guided tour with the Bolero · €9 · opens at 10:00
- 7 min on foot
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2
The twelve windmills of Calderico hill and the Bolero windmill
Inside the Bolero and the row of windmills
- 2 min on foot
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3
Rucio Windmill, the one that grinds again at the Saffron Rose Festival
Open 10:00 to 18:30
- 13 min on foot
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4
El Alfar
Open every day 12:00 to 18:00 · booking
Calle Rosa del Azafrán, 8, 45700 Consuegra · +34 925 481 807
Restaurant €€ - 12 min on foot
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5
Plaza de España, Los Corredores and the Archaeological Museum
The square and Los Corredores
- 8 min on foot
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6
The twelve windmills of Calderico hill and the Bolero windmill
Sunset on the hill; in winter, before 18:00
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Back home
In Toledo around 19:30; in Madrid around 20:15
Approximate cost
About €20–35 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
La Muela Castle, with a guided tour
Consuegra has the most famous image of La Mancha, and a Sunday allows you to see it two ways: from inside, with the guided visit to the castle and entry to the windmills, and from outside, at sunset, when the sun falls on the plain behind the sails. In between, La Mancha cooking in a former pottery workshop. It is 50 minutes from Toledo and a good hour and a half from Madrid.
The Day, Hour by Hour
9:45 · Departure. From Toledo, about 64 km; from Madrid, along the A-4. Drive up Calle del Cerro Calderico to the windmills car park.
10:45 · La Muela castle. A guided visit with a tourist guide round the fortress of the Order of St John, the site of the 1097 battle in which El Cid's son died: €9 for adults, €4.50 for ages 7 to 14, free up to 6. It includes admission to the Bolero windmill. Buy tickets beforehand online or at the castle itself.
12:15 · Windmills. Go into the Bolero, the tourist office, with its machinery explained and its viewpoint, and walk the row of windmills along the ridge.
12:45 · Rucio windmill. The 1837 one, with parts from the 16th century. If it coincides with a milling day on its calendar, you will see the sails turning.
14:00 · Lunch at El Alfar. An early 20th-century pottery workshop with a tree-shaded courtyard and old kilns. La Mancha cooking; open every day from 12:00 to 18:00. Book on 925 48 18 07.
16:00 · Plaza de España. Stroll through the old town to the square and the Los Corredores building, home of the Archaeological Museum; confirm its hours at the tourist office.
17:30 · Sunset on the hill. Go back to the windmills for the sunset; in winter, the sun sets before six. Go up by car or on foot by the steps of the chapel of Cristo de la Vera Cruz.
18:30 · Return.
Time1 h
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
La Taberna del Tío Caraco
What to order: Taberna potatoes (fried with egg and ham) for the middle of the table, and then venison in sauce, roast suckling lamb or caldereta
Verde Gabán, Molino Bistró
What to order: A drink at sunset looking out at the ridge of windmills.
El Retorno Restaurant
What to order: Let them advise you: the menu changes with the produce.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Consuegra
Spring and autumn. The last weekend of October is the Rosa del Azafrán and mid-August Consuegra Medieval: on those days the windmills road is closed. In summer, no shade on the hill.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Check the festival calendar
During the Rosa del Azafrán and Consuegra Medieval, the road to the windmills is closed and the castle has different prices.
- 2Bring a coat
On the hill the wind blows, in spring too.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the visit to Consuegra castle cost?
€9 for the guided visit with the Bolero windmill; €4.50 for ages 7 to 14.
Where do you eat on a Sunday in Consuegra?
At El Alfar, open every day at midday, or at La Taberna del Tío Caraco, which is open on Sundays until 22:00.
What is the best time to go to the windmills?
At sunset, for the light; in the morning, to go into the castle and the Bolero.
How long does it take from Madrid?
A good hour and a half by car, along the A-4.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/castilla-la-mancha/consuegra/itineraries/consuegra-castle-with-a-guide-windmills-and-pottery-workshop-lunch
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.