Spain's Toledo gets tough on mass tourism

The historic city of Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha may not get the visitor numbers of Barcelona, Valencia or Madrid, but residents are still feeling the impact of its old quarter being turned into a 'theme park' for tourists.

As a result, local authorities in the city an hour's drive south of Madrid have rolled out a bylaw which aims to "facilitate the coexistence of residents and tourists, regulate tourism activities and promote quality tourism”.

The new rules will mean a ban on advertising free tours with flashy signs, brightly-coloured umbrellas and high-vis clothing, a decision dubbed as "shameful and outrageous" by the guides, who say that it will prevent them from carrying out their work.

Other rules in the new decree include limit tour group sizes to 30 people on three streets in the historic centre - Calle Hombre de Palo, la Plaza del Consistorio and Pasadizo de Balaguer.

For the rest of the city centre, the City Council expressly prohibits tour groups from "obstructing public road crossings, pedestrian areas, and the entrances and exits of businesses, homes, and public buildings”.

Guides will also not be allowed use loudspeakers or megaphones and will instead be required to provide headsets when the group exceeds 30 people, or when the tour takes place after 11:00 p.m.

Street cameras will be installed to ensure these restrictions are followed.

Tour guides themselves will be responsible for ensuring these rules are followed, and fines of up to €750 will be handed out for rule-breaking.

The City Council will also establish restrictions on parking, stopping, and the circulation of tourist buses and other transport aimed at holidaymakers. In fact, only one tourist bus and one tourist train will be allowed to circulate around Toledo's centuries-old cobbled streets.

Fines for non-compliances for any of the aforementioned restrictions will go from €750 to €3,000.

Following the approval of this draft bylaw, a 10-day public consultation period has been opened for locals and those affected to provide their input before the decree finally comes into force, which is expected to be this September.

"There have been a lot of complaints from city centre residents so we understood that these limits were necessary," Toledo's Tourism and Housing councillor José Manuel Velasco told El Periódico de España.

The city of Toledo is popular due to its UNESCO World Heritage status and close proximity to the capital of Madrid. It received more than one million visitors in 2024 and 1.7 million overnight stays.

Toledo is not the only city to introduce rules and limits for tour groups. Valencia introduced similar rules back in April 2024 and Barcelona introduce them in 2022.