Talavera de la Reina is a must-see. If you are travelling to Madrid, in addition to the “famous detour” to Toledo, Segovia or Cuenca, you can now also visit the historic small town of Talavera de la Reina, famous for its tile art on almost every corner of every house.
Together with my son Liam, I spent a day in this really interesting town. Here is what I can recommend to you.
Creative travel tips during a visit to the “Artesanía Talaverana”: A UNESCO Intangible World Heritage Site that you can touch and create yourself.
Since 2019, the traditional tile art of Talavera de la Reina has been recognised as a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage Site. This is because the production, decoration and glazing of the ceramics still follow the traditional techniques that have been used in Talavera de la Reina for almost 500 years. Talavera de la Reina therefore offers a true journey through history!
My son Liam and I visit the tile art centre in Talavera de la Reina and are impressed by the young artist Cristina and her unconventional cheerful approach to tile painting. She instructs Liam and me to paint a tile (Liam) or a small flower pot (me). To his delight, he can choose a car and a butterfly as his motif.
After the firing process, the finished works of art are sent to us: We are already looking forward to the finished fired results of our creative journey in Talavera de la Reina!
Tile art on display in Talavera de la Reina, at Artesanía Talaverana on Avenida de Portugal.
Here we are welcomed by Cristina, who has been painting tiles and other decorative objects by hand for over 26 years.
Liam gets to paint his own little racing car …
… whereas I am painting a vase with flowery motives.
We are really proud of our creative works of art, handmade in Talavera de la Reina!
Thank you so much for this interesting guided tour …
… as well as learning all there is to know about the technique of tile painting, actively practiced here for centuries.
Lunch at Taberna Mingote: A taste of the province of Castilla-La Mancha on our plates
After so much creative handiwork, we are now curious to see what Talavera de la Reina has to offer in terms of cuisine. We follow a recommendation from the local tourist board and find ourselves in the Taberna Mingote on Plaza Federico García Lorca.
Anyone who comes here is met with a wave of enjoyment and down-to-earth hospitality frequented by locals. You realise that they don’t cook “for the tourists” here, but rather for everyone. While my son and I are still studying the caricatures of Antonio Mingote and the bullfighting motifs, we are served the “Menú Gastronómico”, a kind of tasting tour through the various local delicacies.
As a starter, we savour two different “croquetas” (croquettes with seafood or the typical Iberian ham), an anchovy canapé on tomatoes and avocado as well as delicious grilled artichokes. The grilled beef with potatoes and the sea bass with vegetables are also really good; so good that there was almost not enough left for dessert, a slice of cheesecake with dried raspberries and blueberries.
Taberna Mingote is part of the Raíz Culinaria quality brand of the province of Castilla-La Mancha and is known for its flavoursome tapas and traditional stews. The brand promotes regional tavern culture in the heart of Spain, the essence of which is known far beyond the borders of the region.
Bienvenidos at the Taberna y Bar Mingote in Talavera de la Reina …
… I love when there is fresh, tasty and rather excellent olive oil brought to the table!
Croquetas con pimienta …
… Tapas with anchovy, tomatoes and avocado …
… as well as the main course, served with a glass of tasty red wine: I would come back here with my family any day!
Guided tour in Talavera de la Reina: Tile art as fas as you can see.
After a sumptuous lunch, it’s good to be able to stretch your legs a little. Ideally in Talavera, you do this accompanied by the friendly young city guide Amanda Sánchez , who knows an incredible amount about the history of the city, which today has around 80,000 inhabitants. Basically, it’s a tour through history based on the art of tiling: even today, modern door signs or unusual decorations in restaurants are designed with impressive tile mosaics!
During the tour, I realise how much Amanda loves her city and believes it has great potential: in just a few years, Talavera de la Reina will also be connected to the capital Madrid via the new AVE high-speed train; at the same time, Meta’s headquarters has announced plans to create several hundred jobs in the region.
It is and will remain exciting to see how Talavera de la Reina develops. In any case, it is already worth visiting the town, which is located a good 100 kilometres southwest of Madrid, and falling in love here like Queen Maria of Portugal did at her wedding, leading to the town’s name, Talavera “de la Reina” (of the Queen)!
On the road in Talavera de la Reina: tile art with traditional motifs from the city’s history, such as the “Mural of the fishermen on the Tagus River” near the Roman bridge …
… the bridge itself is well worth a walk across, if for its views of Talavera town alone.
This mural “Historia de Mondas” on the Plaza San Jerónimo is also impressive: it took several years to complete and depicts the festivities of the “Mondas”, a kind of harvest festival, in over 1500 painted tiles over a length of around 20 metres.
Tile art may also be seen in modern Asian restaurants, such as this one.
Tip: Be sure to visit the “Ruiz de Luna” tile museum! Here, the entire history of tile art in Talavera de la Reina is presented in an impressive way.
View of the city of Talavera from the monument to the Christian, Jewish and Arab walls.
The former Roman Circus Maximus is thought to be located under today’s Plaza del Pan.
Bye bye, Talavera de la Reina: I am sure we will be returning here one day!
Disclaimer: We have been invited by the Spanish Tourism Board and Castilla-La Mancha to travel to Talavera de la Reina. All opinions are my own.