Madrid- where to then?
 

Hi all. <BR><BR>I changed my tix to the 1st week May and we fly into Madrid. We were there last year and went after to Rascafria for a few days and Segovia. We were thinking of going to Barcelona after Madrid but is it too far to drive? Any other reccommendations? Should we just do Madrid and Barcelona and leave it at that. We have one week and want to stay north rather than south to Seville etc. I tend to melt in the heat!

Why not stay in centro Espana for the week. I am leaving in a week and will be spending Holy Week in Segovia, Avila,and Salamanca. Add Toledo to the mix and you have a wonderful May itinerary--and all within 2 hours of Madrid. Good luck !

Siobhan,<BR>A week in Castilla-Leon in May would make a great journey. I concur with Bob. Have you hit the Royal Palace of La Granja, Salamanca, Avila, Pedraza, Sepulveda, the truly spectacular Duraton gorge, the castle route of Cuellar-Turegano-Coca-Medina del Campo-Penafiel, Valladolid (fabulous National Museum of Sculpture) and monument filled Zamora? Castilla-Leon has enough wonderful sights to keep you thoroughly busy for a week.<BR>

If you want to stay North, I suggest two things. First head to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim designed by Ghery. It doesn't matter what the current exhibit is, the building itself is magnificient. But don't stay in Bilbao. Head over to San Sebastian for a couple days, it's a beautiful beach town. With great views, a nice easy hike. And you get to sample Basque culture.

Two interesting towns within an hour train ride from Madrid are Alcala de Henares and Aranjuez. You can see some Spanish history there in a short visit to each town and be back to Madrid for the evening. Any of the good travel books can give you more details. One week may not be enough to see both Madrid and Barcelona. Flying time from one city to the other is about one hour, so you may be able to squeeze in both. You could just continue your arrival flight on to Barcelona the same day, for your short stay, then return to Madrid for your short stay there and flight home. Flights within Spain seem very reasonable. However you did indicate you willbe driving. Have a great trip.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

I'd head north to Burgos, Santillana del Mar, east to Bilbao and San Sebastian, then south through Pamplona and wind up spending the night before flying out at the parador in Siguenza. <BR><BR>As you go east from Santillana del Mar you can drop south at any point, spend a little time in the mountains, and then back up to the coast as you choose. Unless you are a serious fan of modern art, an hour will be enough to do the Guggenheim [the building is indeed memorable]. It's not far off the main road and has convenient parking. Santillana del Mar is a great place to use as a base to poke around the coastal towns. San Sebastion is an absolute jewel with great seafood. It is a pretty drive from San Sebastian over the mountains down to Pamplona. The Parador at Siguenza is truly special [1400's if I remember] and is about an hour and a half from <BR>Barajas which works great if you have a noonish flight.