One Week Spain (Madrid)
 

I am starting to plan my solo trip to Spain in late May. I have 7 days flying in and out of Madrid.

Is there enough to do in Madrid and the surrounding areas to fill a week? Or would I be better off doing 3/4 days in Madrid and then heading to either Lisbon or Barcelona for the remaining days?

I am not a Spain expert, but I definitely think there is plenty to do. Two nearby places to daytrip to would be Segovia and Toledo. I think each could easily fill a day. And I think Madrid could keep you busy for 3-4 days even if you like a quick pace. There are lots of other places to visit near Madrid. (I could fill a whole week, but I like to take my time.) From what I remember (we went to Spain in 2004), the Rick Steves guidebook had a bunch of good day trips listed - perhaps enough to fill a couple of weeks. If it were me and I had one week, I would stay put in Madrid and do daytrips.

Have a great trip!
Sally

You shouldn't have any problem filling your time in and around Madrid. As already mentioned, you can do a day trip to Toledo, one to Segovia and don't forget Chinchón, with its classic mediaeval square, which is also used as a bullring (http://www.turismochinchon.nopanic.com/).

There is also the hanging village of Cuenca, about 100 miles southeast of Madrid. The village sits high atop a cliff in La Mancha and well worth a day trip.

The rest of your time can be spent exploring Spain’s capital and all it has to offer.

Hi

Madrid is a fabulous city so you'll have no problems finding things to do. There is also El Escorial which is 50kms from the city - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Escorial. You could do Avila too - http://www.cyberspain.com/ciudades-p...nio/iavila.htm.

from the wording of your question it sounds as though you would only go to barcelona if there wasn´t enough to do in madrid for a week.

if barcelona is a place you are interested in seeing, or sevilla, for that matter, with a week in spain, i think you can do the last two nights at either of these destinations, and still feel you have visited madrid, and perhaps have a side trip,too.. PLUS see another capital if that interests you.

fly to bcn , open jaw so you leave from there.
ave to sevilla. open jaw to leave form there, too.

however, if your tickets are already bought in and out of madrid.. i would stick to the hub around madrid for my touring, perhaps takng the bus to avila one night to stay in parador there, then going to daytrip to segovia,returning to madrid, or go straight there, or to toledo, when you land, leaving all your nights at end in madrid.

around madrid:
toledo, segovia,El escorial
pedraza
avila
la granja ( can be seen with segovia)

if you go to cuenca.. you might want to sleep over/eat at the parador. good bus and train service to town from madrid.

Another Cuenca accommodation choice in the old town is Posada San Jose - http://www.posadasanjose.com. I didn't stay there but I thought it was rather special - the friendly staff let me have a peek.

This may help you, too...

http://www.maribelsguides.com/

Hi, worldin a bag, I second your choice of Posada San Jose, we stayed there at it is charming providing you get a room with a nice view. May beall of the rooms have nice views our was spectacular .
It is an old place, very charming and much cheaper that the parador, one day we walked over to the Parador and had breakfast there. I noticed a nice quaint hotel almost same location than the Posada called Leonor de Aquitania. ( Historical remark :they meant Leonar Plantagenet , her daughte rwho was Queen of Castille, but made a mistake I was told when I asked)

Madrid's San Isidro (15 May) festivities will still be going on until the end of May. That includes daily bullfights in las Ventas and Vista Alegre (Carabanchal).

You can daytrip to Toledo & Segovia on MotorCoach - some will have Hotel pickup; others you have to board on San Bernardo & GranVia. I don't recommend the 'gastronomic' tour; you're better off finding your own restaurant to dine on roast suckling pig (or lamb).

If you're in Madrid on a Sunday, I like Retiro Park: Street performers are not as agressive as NY's Washington Sq. or San Francisco's Pier 39.

Thanks for the information. I think I will just spend my time in Madrid and do some day trips.

I'm going for a week in mid-March (5 full days), flying in and out of Madrid.

I'd be interested in day trips but not staying overnight elsewhere.

But one thing I realized is that it's hard to get to Seville without going through MAD or BCN. At least if I want to fly nonstop from SFO to CDG or some other West European hub.

So how long and how much is the train trip from Madrid to Seville?

Actually a day or two in Seville probably wouldn't be doing it justice, not to mention giving short-shrift to Madrid.

The AVE to Sevilla is 2-1/2 hours. You can check the cost of the trip, and make reservations, at Renfe.es.

check out www.vueling.com, www.clickair.com for flights to sevilla from paris.

do not try to connect closely, though, as you do not have nay control over what time your sfo flight will get in.

What is the best way to make these day trips?

My Eyewitness Madrid guide suggests renting a car to go to Segovia, Escorial, Toledo.

But doing a quick search, renting a car for just a couple of days is running at least 170 Euros and more.

The go-madrid.com site suggests using motorcoach tours, using Viator, which seems to be using Pullman Tours.

Viator charges $45 for about half a day tour of Toledo with no entrance to Cathedral. For a full day with lunch, it's $75. With Escorial, it's $111.

Full day for Avila and Segovia with "Segovian" lunch is $100.

But I wonder if most of the time spent in these 9-hour tours is in the coach. Looking at renfe.es, I see that trains to these locales take about 80-120 minutes, so I would assume the coaches would take similar amount of time.

Train tickets are fairly cheap but I would imagine I'd have to find other way to get around once I arrived in Toledo, Avila, Segovia, etc.

The other thing is, Seville by AVE is 2.5 hours so not much further by train than these closer locations. But then again, you have to stay there at least a few days and go to Cordoba and Granada, in which case it would be taking more time away from Madrid.

scrb,

Toledo, Segovia and Avila are pretty compact cities which are very easy to walk around on your own. You can go either by bus or train.

If you already have a good guide book it will tell you what the highlights are. Another thing is to go to the local tourism info office for a local map which also pinpoints the main sites.

I'm guessing you leave for Toledo from a Atocha while the others you have to go to Chamartin?

Avila, yes from Chamartin. Segovia I think from both. But I think Segovia might be better to do by bus, it is more direct. I think the trains that go to Segovia are "Cercanias" which is a commuter train that seems to stop everywhere and it took forever( I made that mistake).
Check the bus schedules at: www.lasepulvedana.es

I found it very easy to get to Segovia, Avila, Salamanca, and Toledo by public transportation (train or bus). When I went to Spain a few years ago, there was no public transportation from Madrid to El Escorial or the Valley of the Fallen - for that, I took a tour by Viator that I booked ahead of time. Hope that helps!

Can you get to Pedraza by public transport? How?
Thank you

Count me in as a Cuenca fan... I also stayed in the Posada and LOVED it. Had coffee on my balcony hanging over the gorge.... I am scared of heights but it was so beutiful I just had to do it :D

I would stagger days in which youwith days in which you stay in Madrid. It will avoid the over-extended feeling.

Are you a museum person? If so, Madrid can fill an entire week without day trips. There are many smaller musuems which are treasures (Museo Sorolla, Fundacion Lazaro Galdiano, etc..).