I am taking my oldest daughter 19 to Spain for 8 days in mid May, I would like to chose 1 other city besides Madrid to stay in. From the second city we will be going to Paris for 4-5 days so it needs to be someplace that we can either fly from cheeply or take the train to Paris from. We are planning a day trip to Toledo while in Madrid.

Barcelona would be my choice.

As far as day trips from Madrid, Toledo certainly is a good one, Segovia is another I would strongly recommend to see the Alcazar, Cathedral, and the spectacular Roman Aqueduct. Have fun, by the way, you will be in Madrid towards the end of the Festivties of San Isidro, Patron Saint of Bullfighting. Lots of partying at Plaza Mayor; have fun!!

Barcelona would get my vote as well

Well I loved Barcelona and you can fly to Paris Orly from there on easyjet. But another option would be Seville, which you can also fly from to Paris Orly (whichbudget.com), and Seville is easier/quicker to get to from Madrid than Barcelona is. The third option would be to stay in the Madrid area and either do more day trips, or an overnight and include (besides Toledo) Segovia, Avila and/or Salamanca - all of which seem easy to get to from Madrid. I haven't done this trip yet so this is not first hand advice, but I am deep into the research phase for it, and have found easy train/bus connections - and all of those towns look like they'd be worth a couple of days.

I would recommend Sevilla. May should still be nice to visit Andalucia(not too hot). You can take AVE train from Madrid and then fly Clickair ( www.clickair.com ) from Sevilla to Paris (Orly).

Not sure if we want to do Barcelona, was thinking something a little more rural to break up the trip between 2 big cities. Seville sounds like it might be a great place.

Viajero, San Isidro is not the patron saint of bullfighting !!! It's the patron saint of Madrid and also farmhands. Bullfighting doesn't have such a thing

Seville is lovely, and well worth visiting - but it is not rural, if that's what you are seeking! Seville is a lively, vibrant city. The heart of Seville can, however, be visited on foot, if your goal is to visit a "small" city. Given their differences, the combination of Madrid, Seville, and Paris could make for a very interesting trip. Enjoy!

There are some very beautiful rural areas outside Seville. Go to rusticblue.com for some inspiration.

Between Madrid and Paris is... San Sebastián, there is a railway line Madrid-San Sebastián-Paris.
Check these sites:
www.sansebastianturismo.com
www.todopintxos.com
www.maribelsguides.com

That's a good option from Revulgo. Also, now Spanair is offering flights to San Sebastian very cheap, 35 Euros one way , all taxes included!

Kenderina wrote: >>Viajero, San Isidro is not the patron saint of bullfighting !!! It's the patron saint of Madrid and also farmhands. Bullfighting doesn't have such a thing<<

YIKES, I am shocked you never heard of San Isidro being a popular Saint patron among bullfighters and even more that you never heard of San Pedro Regalado, main festivities on mid-May (May 13th to be exact!). San Pedro Regalado is also the Patron saint of Valladolid, but definitely the (very popular!) Patron Saint of Bullfighting.

Aunque muchos vallisoletanos ignoran la historia de este franciscano, que nació a finales del siglo XIV en Valladolid, lo cierto es que es patrono de la ciudad desde el siglo XVIII, aunque ya se hubiera solicitado desde mucho antes su canonización. El fervor popular le atribuía unos doscientos milagros, pero uno de los más populares -y que además le valió el ser declarado patrono de los toreros- es el que realizó al calmar ante una aterrorizada multitud a un toro enfurecido, que había escapado herido de una lidia.

Una placa conmemorativa indica, en la calle Platerías de Valladolid la casa donde este santo nació.

Todos los años, el ayuntamiento organiza corridas de toros y concede trofeos taurinos para festejar al patrono de la ciudad de Valladolid.

Viajero, sí, lo de San Pedro Regalado lo habia oido, mi madre es de Salamanca Si lo dices por popularidad, estamos de acuerdo, me referia a que no es "oficial", pero devoción..los toreros le rezan a todo

Sorry for the Spanish conversation !!

Enjoyed the Spanish conversation

Until when is this festival? I will be in Madrid sometime between the 24th and the 31st of May. Thanks!

Kenderina-- thanks for the note, most specially for the Spanish reply! Cuidate!

Belle-- The Festivities of San Isidro run from May 2-15, so you will be missing it . That said, there is plenty to do in Madrid~ ! Have fun!!