Bus trips from Madrid to Toledo and Segovia
 

I'm staying at the Hotel Mercator on Calle Atocha in Madrid and am planning day excursions to Toledo and Segovia via bus as they appear to be somewhat cheaper than the trains with similiar arrival/departure times. Does anyone know which bus company handles these routes and where the station/pick up points are relative to Atocha Station? Or does anyone dispute buses as a preferred route? Also, I'll be doing these trips on a Fri. and a Sat.? Does it make any difference which day I do which trip on relative to tourist traffic, special events, etc.? I'm not sure if it's relevant that I'll be there in mid-March. Thanks.

Dear Kevin: My experience gors back a few years--but when I visited Madrid I found American Express operated a number of very enjoyable bus tours. I took one to Toledo as well as one to the Valley of the Fallen, I think. I'd recommend either one. Have a good trip. Joan

Sorry to disagree with Joan but I'd say avoid tourbus tours -- lowest point of our trip. Didn't use AmExpess but found at Toledo that they seemed to be interchangable -- even exchanged leaders to divide groups by language. Tours are too quick in sights, WAY too long in obligatory tourist-trap "restaurant" for lunch (worst meal in 3 week trip) and "factory store" for overpriced gewgaws. Take public transporation or drive, but stay AWAY from guided tours.

Thanx for the feedback...What I was planning on was public trans., not a bus tour...Do either of you have any info on that relative to pick up points around the train station, etc.? Thanks again... <BR>

Kevin, <BR>You are right on target regarding the bus versus train. To both Toledo and Segovia it is faster and cheaper. The bus situation is a bit confusing in Madrid because not all companies use the "central" bus station, Estacion del Sur. <BR>Here's how I've sorted this out for day excursions outside the city. <BR> <BR>Toledo: Busses every 30 min. operated by Autobuses Galiano Continental from Estacion Sur de Autobuses (metro: Mendez Alvaro) Drops you off outside the walls, then take local bus into town. Much faster than train. <BR> <BR>Segovia: Autocares Sepulvedana bus, catch at Paseo de la Florida #11 (metro: Principe Pio) Faster than 2 hr. train <BR> <BR>El Escorial: Autocares Herranz busses leave every 30 min. from Moncloa (metro: Moncloa) Or train C8a (1 hr) from either Atocha or Chamartin stations <BR>(can also catch it from the "cercanias" stations at Recoletos or Nuevos Ministerios) Both bus and train take about an hour. <BR> <BR>Aranjuez: Take train C3 from Atocha-more frequent departures than bus <BR>because Aranjuez is a virtual suburb <BR>(but AISA busses do leave hourly from Estacion del Sur at Mendez Alvaro) <BR> <BR>Avila: Definitely the R1 train from Atocha or more frequently from Chamartin. Nice, scenic ride. <BR> <BR>I would do Toledo on Friday and Segovia on Saturday. Toledo can be swamped with tour busses on weekends. <BR> <BR>Since you're staying at the Mercator, take the metro at Atocha to the bus stations. <BR> <BR>Hope this has helped.

Kevin: <BR>Thanks for asking the question and, Maribel, more thanks even for such a great answer. I am researching similar info for a sixtyish couple traveling to Madrid at the same time. Maribel, do you have any advice about train or bus travel to Guadalupe and/or Caceres? Thanks,PAT

Kevin, <BR>Buses are definitely the way to go, especially if you are going to Segovia. We took the bus from Madrid to Segovia from the central train station, although I don't recall the name. The one problem that we had at the train station was purchasing tickets (none of the sales clerks spoke English and my Spanish is non-existent) I found the train travel in and about northern Spain (Salamanca etc) to be poor. In fact, I never used my eurorail train pass, since we did all our traveling by bus. Segovia is a beautiful city, especially the Roman aquaduct. Enjoy your trip.

Pat, <BR>There are 5 daily trains running from Madrid to Caceres that take between 3 1/2-4-4 1/2 hrs. The 4 daily express busses from Madrid take 4 hrs. (Autocares Auto-Res) From Madrid to Guadalupe the Doalde bus company takes you (no train connections), but I don't know the length of the trip. <BR>Hope this helps.