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Consuegra windmills

Calle Urda, Consuegra, Castilla-La Mancha

Description

Consuegra is a town in the Province of Toledo in Castile-La Mancha. It is best known for its twelve restored windmills and its 12th century Castle of La Muela (once a stronghold of the Knights Hospitaller) - those are next to each other just outside of town. The windmills were originally used to grind wheat and are now a major tourist attraction, riding on the fame of Cervantes' 17th century novel Don Quixote where the protagonist at one stage fights against those "giant" structures.

Access & Transport

The town of Consuegra is best reached by car; it is about 60km southeast of Toledo on the CM-42 and 70km northeast of Ciudad Real (CM-4116/CM-4167/N-401). The windmills and Castle are 1km south of Consuegra on a hill and parking is available onsite.

Instructions & Recommendations

Note that the Castle can be visited as well as the only windmill that is operating and the Archaeological Museum as part of a guided tour priced at 8€. No payment is required to check out the other windmills. However, the municipality has been exploring the idea of applying a fee (up to 10 euros per car) to prevent excessive traffic; it is not clear if or when this will take effect. Sunrise and sunset provide the best colours for photography.

Meta review

This part of the country sees much less foreign tourists and this feature is little known except for those who have read Don Quixote or at least heard of the windmill fight (a minor anecdote in the book but that has somehow become extremely well-known). Online travel blogs and reviews are quite positive and recommend it as a stop (the castle gets only average reviews) to have a quick look inside and take some nice pictures. There is a very regular comment that it can be very windy on the hill so dress accordingly.

Environmental & Social

Green activity. Helps preserve the region's cultural and architectural heritage and tourism brings some economic influx to the town

Conclusion

The windmills are definitely worth stopping for, but they are quite a way out of the next major town (closest being Toledo) or tourist sight so we would only recommend the drive there either when transitioning towards either Ciudad Real or Albacete provinces, or as part of a Toledo province drive taking in Tembleque and El Toboso for instance.

Key positive

Photogenic

Can visit one of them to understand how they are operated

Key negative

Little else to see in the area

Suitability

Several of the windmills are accessible for visitors with reduced mobility - the parking lots are next to or close to them.

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

June 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Estimated time includes a quick visit of the working windmill and/or castle

av. transport time:1h

est. visit time:1h 15m

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningOk

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightNo

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
There is a fee to visit the working windmill and the castle
Free

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