Our flight arrives at 9pm at Madrid and we then need to collect a hire car. We just have one day to see Segovia so where would it be best to book a hotel? We could stay near the airport and get up early to go to Segovia or maybe somewhere between Segovia and Madrid would be better as we also need to get to Salamanca that night.

Segovia's only about 1-1/2 hours drive from the airport. You could spend the night in Guadarrama, about half-way to Segovia (45 minutes drive). Spend the night in the Parador and leave for Segovia after a good nights sleep and an excellent breakfast.

What's "that night"? The night after you arrive or the night that you arrive?

When do you have to be in Salamanca? It's about 2:15 drive from Segovia to Salamanca, which isn't terrible. And going through Segovia takes about a 1/2 day. Not a whole lot of there there.

I'll look at the Guadarrama Parador but that might be expensive for a brief overnight stop. We need to get to Salamanca the following night so there's only about half a day to see Segovia which sounds like it might be enough BigRuss.

In collado villalba there seems to be fairly normal 3* hotel called Galaico which usually costs about 50E. The parador, however, may have a special price depending on your age or night of the week. Do not discard the idea completely.

Try using www.trivago.es or www.rumbo.es for perhaps some additional lesser known hotels.

I've walked the Camino de Madrid, which goes from Madrid north through Segovia, and there are a couple of nice towns kind of off the beaten path on the way. Manzanares el Real has a stunning castle, and there's a hotel right in the main square, well worth an hour's visit or so. Hotel Parque Real is about 46-50E for a double and it is in between the main square and the castle. I think you'd have plenty of time to see the castle, drive to Segovia and spend the rest of the day, and then head to Salamanca at night.

Cercedilla is not as nice, IMO, but it is closer to Segovia, and there is a very good restaurant near the train station, as well as a nice Roman bridge. Hostal Aribel Longinos.

If you were to stay at either of those places, you would come into Segovia through La Granja, which also affords the opportunity for a visit to the palace/gardens, which are both worth a visit.

Manzanares sounds lovely. Would it be easy for us to find our way there at night? We might be a bit frazzled after the flight and collecting a car and probably wouldn't arrive until 11pm at the earliest. I had thought that it would be easier to take the A6 through Guadarrama as it is a bigger road and possibly easier for tourists who haven't been to this part of Spain before but your suggestion (lreynold1) does sound tempting.

I just did a google search for the Hotel Parque Real but they don't seem to have an online booking facility or an email address.

http://www.hotelparquereal.com/

their email address is near bottom of their webpage on left.

When is this trip? Winter is notoriously foggy at Barajas and up into the mountains evenings and early mornings.

It's in June. Thanks for the email; I don't know how I missed it!

Hi, lynny2,

Since I have walked and not driven this route, I can't give you too much information on the drive. But by looking at google maps, and using my memory, I know that I walked alongside the road you would be driving on for a few kilometers. It is a very well-traveled, busy road, and I don't think you'll have any trouble getting there.

For the next day into Segovia, you could either drive up through Guadarrama pass or go out to the A-6 highway. The walk up and over from Cercedilla is amazing, very beautiful, with large sections of the Roman road and even an intact Roman bridge, but I'm not sure exactly where cars go on this route. Parts of the walk are not anywhere near a paved road. But there must be good access (to the Roman road and bridge) because it is a popular spot.

I think you'll like Manzanares -- the town is on a reservoir, and with the stark mountain backdrop, it's quite impressive.

I had no reply to my emailed room request to Parque Real and eventually we decided to book the Holiday Inn Express in Tres Cantos. It was easy to navigate to Tres Cantos and the hotel was perfect for a one night stay - clean modern room in quiet area with free parking on the street outside. The usual buffet breakfast was included in the very reasonable room rate. We then had plenty of time to explore San Ildefonso and Segovia before heading to Salamanca.