Madrid plans
 

We have rented an apartment for 7 nights in Madrid in late May. Because we are paying that rent, I was planning to do a series of day trips from Madrid, mostly by train. We will have been in Barcelona/Girona the previous week -- Andalucia will have to be another trip, I think. Some questions, please:

1. What are your favorite day trips?

2. Is Segovia too far for a one-day trip?

3. And while I'm at it -- we're staying in el Barrio de las Letras, not too far from Plaza Mayor. Favorite restaurants ?

thanks to all

Segovia's 31 minutes by fast train -- that sound too far? The issue there may be the schedule because the fast trains don't run hourly.

Segovia, Toledo, Avila, are all easy day trips from Madrid.

I usually stay at the Barrio de las Letras. The tapas bars at Plaza Santa Ana provide a good place to have tapa and people watch.

My favorite restaurant is near Plaza Mayor, Posada de la Villa. Specialty is roasted lamb.

Segovia is totally doable as a day trip from Madrid. Toledo is even easier, as the Ave runs regular high-speed trains from Toledo to Madrid multiple times a day.

As a disclaimer, it's kind of touristy, but if you haven't been, definitely try out Sobrino de Botin and ask to sit in the basement (it's all brick and a fun experience).

Have lunch or some tapas at Casa Granada, on the 6th floor of an apartment building just off Plaza Tirso de Molina. Hard to find and a great terrace (3 mins walking from Plaza Santa Ana/Plaza Mayor). http://www.tripfilms.com/Travel_Vide...ada-Video.html

Txirimiri in Calle del Humilladero, 6 gives you an idea of why the Basque kitchen is considered among the best in the world. In the midst of one of the best tapas/restaurant districts in town, in and around Calle Cava Baja in La Latina (5 mins walking from Plaza Mayor).
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...ri-Madrid.html

I never leave Madrid without having had the squid in its own ink and the famous cod at Casa Revuelta, also in the same district (2 mins off Plaza Mayor).
http://11870.com/pro/casa-revuelta

You should also try the excellent salmorejo, a somewhat thicker variant of the tomato/vegetable soup gazpacho, in Según Emma just behind the newly reopened gourmet-oriented San Miguel food market just off Plaza Mayor. http://11870.com/pro/segun-emma
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ma-Madrid.html

I found http://www.spottedbylocals.com/madrid/ mightily useful for finding both places to eat and places to see in Madrid.

I would put Toledo top for a visit but you might want two day trips to see all you want. For this only I found the bus quite dreadful and much preferred the train.
if you want a different kind of day out all together, go to Cotos on the Cercanias route and you are very near a national park.

Toledo and Segovia are great day trips from Madrid. So is El Escorial, and Aranjuez is another decent option.

You can also get to Segovia by bus. The ride is about an hour and the buses are very comfortable. The bus station is a 5 minute walk from the main city center. Your return ticket is open-ended, so when you feel like leaving, you just go up to the ticket counter and get a ticket for the next bus. I believe they run every hour.