Hi all,

I am going to Valladolid for 6 days over Thanksgiving to visit my husband who is working out there for a while. I am flying into Madrid. Should I rent a car when I get to Madrid and so that we have it while in Valladolid? Is there good public transportation there or does everybody drive? I was thinking about driving to Porto for an overnight (I've been before and loved it), or somewhere closer...but not sure if renting a car is worth it or not. Any help will be great. Thanks!

Porto, Portugal would be a long drive. Anyway you need not a car to get to Vallodoid - trains are great - check www.renfe.com for schedules and fares - cheapest discounted tickets should be booked long in advance as they are sold in limited numbers -Vallodolid is just about an hour by direct train to Madrid - if want rental car do it in Vallodolid but for just one trip? Trains are great - check out closer Segovia and Avila for starters or even a weekend in Madrid and Toledo. Train info - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com -check those for places to go by train.

All larger cities have great public transit and can be rather hard to drive into and around - if husband gets by without car why need one - again for short overnight excursions take the train.

Yes, take the train to Valladolid. And once there, taxis are cheap.

And yes, Porto is a long drive from Valladolid, just under 5 hours. Not something I'd want to do for only one night.

Enjoy Valladolid!

Thanks for the fast replies!
Ok so if Porto is out, what about a train to the coast for a day? Bilbao or somewhere closer? Or would you recommend Segovia or Avila over the coast? What about an adorable border town of Portugal?

We will definitely do Madrid and Toledo, both of which I've done before as well so I wanted to do something I haven't done.

Bilbao is about 4 hours by train from Vallodolid.

If you enjoy wine, the Ribero del Duero wine region is close to Valladolid.

I would suggest you consult a map of Spain and the RENFE schedule.

Why not just go to Madrid for long weekend with hubby? Maybe do the short day trip to Toledo from there. Maybe he could meet you in Madrid?

I would suggest Leon or Burgos for an overnight trip.

Yes Leon and Burgos were surprises to us - really nice and not huge cities not far from V.

Chersh - what do yuh think?