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!
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.
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)!
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.