Spain Itinerary - Madrid - Salamanca - Seville - Please comment
 

My wife and I are planning 10 day trip to Spain in late Sept. and early October. I was in Barcelona, Granada, Coast 2 years ago. We want to explore Madrid and then get to Seville where we are meeting up with friends. We will return to Madrid on day 9 to fly home.

Is an itinerary involving Madrid - Salamanca - Seville doable? We are not the type of travelers who have to see a bunch of sights just to get a photo. In fact, we like getting lost, we've stumbled upon some of the greatest memories that way.

Both my wife and I speak Spanish and I have driven in Spain before. So if needed we can rent a car but I would prefer train if possible.

Here are a few questions:
How many days do you recommend for Madrid 3 or 4 (including at least 1 day trip?

What's the best way to get from Madrid to Salamanca?

What's the best way to get from Salamanca to Seville? & How long does it take.

We plan on taking AVE train from Seville back to Madrid on day 9. Sleep in Madrid and fly out the next day.

Thanks in advance for your help.

REP & TEL

I prefer the non-stop bus to reach Salamanca. Spend a night in this great town.
http://www.auto-res.net/index.html?a
As Salamanca is NW from Madrid you must go back to Madrid before go to the southern Sevilla.
My suggestion for a day trip from Madrid is Segovia.
http://www.segoviamint.org/english/segovia.htm

I agree with Revulgo on taking the bus to Salamanca, as you wont need it there, especially if you book a hotel in the city center. You may rent it upon leaving. There are some trips you can do now, to Bejar, Candelario, La Alberca or/and Ciudad Rodrigo; or you can drive to Seville via Plasencia, Caceres, Merida, and Zafra, a 5h30min drive, but with many possibilities to make a night stop. Leave the car upon arriving in Sevilla.

Three days in Madrid seems reasonable for a 10-day trip. Madrid exploration must start up with a good guidebook and research as Madrid is one of those cities with plenty of undiscovered gems. One of my favorites is the Museum of the Americas with outstanding displays of the Colonization of the New World. An exploration activity I did on one of my trips to Madrid was to get a copy of a book titled "The origin of the names of the streets of Madrid" with great notes on the history, architecture, and details that otherwise I would had completely missed.

A one-day trip to Toledo, Segovia, Avila/El Escorial, Aranjuez, Alcala de Henares present all great choices.

Salamanca is a great couple of days. Bus from Madrid and book a central hotel, you do not want to look for parking in Salamanca! I loved the NH Palacio de Castellanos.

I have use the train, bus, and car from Madrid to Seville. Best value is the bus, most convenient to train.

Based on the type travel you said you like to do, I would actually drive from Salamanca to Seville. Plan for an overnight somewhere; don't book any hotel. Caceres and Merida are worth exploring. You can drop the car at Estacion Santa Justa in Seville; Auto Europe has a number of rental stations throughout Spain with no drop-off charges. You may want to look into this. Have fun!!

If you drive from Salamanca to Sevilla (Via de la Plata route) is a must one stopover in Caceres to walk the old downtown and to spend one day in Merida.
http://www.spain.info/TourSpain/Dest...tm?Language=en

Regarding your inquiry about how to get from Salamanca to Seville if you choose to use public transport. The following information was provided to me by lreynold1 in response to a question I posed.

If you check www.auto-res.net, you'll see there are two buses from Segovia to Salamanca, one at 9 a.m., one at 6 p.m. They take about 2 hrs. 45 minutes.

And on www.movelia.es, there are several direct buses, run by Alsa, from Salamanca to Sevilla. Leaving Salamanca at 1 a.m., 10, 12, 2 pm, and 6, and it's about an 8 hour ride.

Madrid has three great museums, the Reine Sophia, the Thyssen, and the Prado. If you like art, 3 days is an awfully short visit.

reptel,

You are getting advice from the experts and I have nothing new to add except to say that you may find the following link of interest:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35001438