Day Tours from Madrid - Recommended Tour Companies?
 

My husband and I are looking to take a day tour from Madrid to Segovia and another one from Madrid to Toledo when we visit in April 2010.

We would love any recommendations for tour companies that will bus you to these cities and take you on walking tours of important sites and then bus you back to Madrid. We would be looking for a tour in English.

We are also interested in any recommendations for short (1/2 day or so) tours of Madrid that could help acclimate us to the city at the beginning of our vacation.

You can find reliable info on just this question in the Madrid guide at www.maribelsguides.com - - Maribel is a wonderful and generous contributor here.

Guidebook-quality writing and all her "guides" are free for the download.

Best wishes,

Rex

I am not sure you really need a tour for Segovia. You might consider the train and just see the city on your own.

FYI I did take a tour to the Escorial and that was ok mainly for the transport. I think the office was near the Palace and it was Pulmantour (?)

Here is another company I have not used. http://www.viator.com/Madrid/d566-ttd

Or this may help

http://www.tour-madrid.com/areas/iry...rganizadas.asp

We took the train to Toledo and toured the city by ourselves.

I personally like Stephen Drake Jones and have taken four "walks" with him. He does not call himself a guide because he is a noted a historian, teacher and writer. He takes small groups to many places, but does not provide a bus service. He, goes, instead, by bus or train with you, buys your ticket, etc. His web site is www.wellsoc.org. You can also just google Stephen Drake Jones. Be warned, he is quite a character. Every day or evening with him is different, but most interesting. He is based in Madrid.

I have to agree that www.maribelsguides.com has some wonderful information! When I went I stayed at Hotel ME Madrid was offered short tours and transportation there, you can check it out http://www.memadrid.com

"he is a noted historian, teacher and writer"? Noted by whom?

Anyone who goes to places with someone and leads them around is a guide, maybe that guy is just trying to evade the law (if guides have to be licensed). Sounds like he's just an independent guide, that's the way they operate (they don't have buses). If you Google his name, the first few pages are all about his tours and him as a guide, not any publications.

I did them myself but the only company I've heard mentioned was Julia Tours in Madrid, but I have no experience with them.
http://juliatravel.com/tours/madrid/...raza-9159_204/

http://juliatravel.com/tours/madrid/...-tour-9159_84/

Just to be clear -- there is no reason to use a guide unless that is your preference -- which it well might be! I just wanted to point out that these are places that are easily visited without a guide.

This is a OLD thread -- was topped by a spammer . . .

Oops!