Puerta de Bisagra

The Puerta de Bisagra

The Toledo audio-guided tour presents you with the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra, the most famous of the monumental gates of the medieval wall of the city.

The gate of Charles V

A much coveted city, Toledo had to protect itself: its medieval wall, punctuated with monumental gates, testifies to this. The Puerta Nueva de Bisagra owes its name to the existence, not far away, of the old Bisagra gate, called the Alphonse VI gate, the main access of the city in the Muslim era and dating from the ninth century. Although rebuilt in the sixteenth century, the new gate rests on even older Muslim foundations. It consists of two arches separated by an inner courtyard adorned with the statue of Emperor Charles V, for whom it was rebuilt, and bears a large imperial coat of arms.

What there is to see

The Puerta de Bisagra impresses with its two arches, its inner courtyard and its large imperial coat of arms, symbols of the power of Charles V and of the defensive past of Toledo. A majestic entrance gate into the old town, it marks the threshold of the historic city. It is an essential monument, to be crossed to enter the heart of Toledo.

Practical information

The Puerta de Bisagra is at the northern entrance of the old town of Toledo. It can be crossed freely on foot at all hours and on the level; its façade and its courtyard can be contemplated along the walk.

Why does one speak of Puerta Nueva de Bisagra?

To distinguish it from the old Bisagra gate, called the Alphonse VI gate, dating from the Muslim era.

What figure adorns the courtyard of the Puerta de Bisagra?

The statue of Emperor Charles V, for whom the gate was rebuilt in the sixteenth century.