from madrid to barcelona
 

What is a better way to get from Madrid to Barcelona on a final leg of our 2-week trip? We are flying out of Barcelona after driving from Andalusia to Madrid. Were wondering whether to keep the car until Barcelona - are there interesting stops between Madrin and Barcelona and how long does the drive take? Is it better to drop the car in Madrid and take a train (may be overnight?)and save more time for Barcelona? <BR>Thanks in advance for sharing your experience...

If you only have two weeks in Spain and you've never been to Barcelona, I'd save the drive for another time. There is so much to see in Barcelona I think you'll want to have as much time there as possible. If you do decide to drive, I would stop at Monesterio de la Piedra just off the N-II before reaching Calatayud. To drive straight through it would take around 7 hours. <BR>If time permits, be sure and go to Montserrat just outside of Barcelona. You can easily do that as a day trip from Barcelona or even spend the night.

I think the overnight train Madrid- Barcelona is your best bet, as you will want to maximise your time in Barcelona. <BR>Listed below are three train options for you <BR>1.Dep Madrid Charmatin 1530 <BR> Arr Barcelona 2205 <BR>2.Dep Madrid Charmatin 2300 <BR> Arr Barcelona 0800 <BR>3.Dep Madrid Atocha 0051 <BR> Arr Barcelona 0830. <BR>Nos.2 and 3 are Sleeper trains, with No 3.being the best and most comfortable. <BR>The Summer timetable starts late May, these times may alter by a few minutes.

Thank you so much, that is incredibly helpful! I agree with you guys - we'll take the night train...

Olga, it may be worth looking into the price of a flight. We were able to get a cheap one-way fare a couple of years ago and it only takes about an hour.