This message board was a great source of information and advice for my trip. However, there are always unexpected things that come up that are “learning experiences”. I wanted to share what I learned with others making their first trip.

Madrid:
• The Metro from the airport really is easy to use. I was doubtful because it involves multiple train changes, but I’m glad we tried it.
• The old part of the city is the best place to stay if you are going for a cheap room. There may be a lot of party noise at night, but in other areas we heard a lot of construction noise early in the morning. We stayed at Hostal La Macarena and asked for a quite room. We heard no noise (except the loud ugly Americans in the next room) and were convenient to lots of restaurants and bars on Cava Baja.
• Check websites for museums and other places you are planning to visit before you leave. The Reina Sofia had all the Picasso rooms closed when we got there.
• Buying train tickets at Atocha station can be complicated, especially during busy hours and especially if your Spanish is weak. Here’s how to do it: First get a schedule (horario) from the info booth or customer service office. If you don’t speak the language, be sure to mark the destination and departure time, plus make it clear if you want round-trip; also write the date on the schedule to be clear. Next go to the sales area. You will see two types of lines – “Venta hoy” if you want tickets for the same day, “Venta anticipado” if you want tickets for another day. You can just get in the “hoy” line, which will be long at some hours and short at others. If you are buying for the future, go to the booth in the center of the room to get a number. Then wait until your number appears on the electronic board. The board will have a line number where you then go wait your turn (if all works right, you may not have to wait at all once in line).
• Puerta del Sol sounds very cool in the guide books, but is a massive traffic / people jam at all hours. Currently, construction has much of it blocked.

Toledo:
• Buy your train tickets at least a day ahead of time. We weren’t there during peak season, but the popular morning and evening trains were sold out by that day.
• The easiest way from the train station into town is by bus. Many people exit the station and stop immediately at the taxi line. To find the bus, turn right after leaving the building and go out the gate. Continue right to the bus stop. Number 5 or 6 will take you to the top of the hill.
• Shop around for your damascene, swords, and knives. There are many shops with the same thing, but different prices.

If people are interested, I will continue on this thread with other areas that we visited.

Please continue. We'll be in Spain next spring!

I found buying a ticket at Atocha very challenging as well. Thanks for your explanation, this will surely help other first-timers.

Another advise, trains come and go real fast. So once you find your track #, make sure to not get on the wrong train.

Thanks for the useful info.

Thanks for the info on Atocha. I was there in 2002 when there was major construction and it took me an hour and two visits to figure out where to buy my ticket for Toledo. I was wondering if it would be easier this November.

Did you visit Barcelona? Any tips?

I'm glad to help. The train tickets took so much longer to buy than we thought, especially with my abysmal Spanish. Missypie, we spent one night in Barcelona at the end of the trip, so I don't have much on that but it will be coming. Next up: Cordoba and Seville.

I'm leaving next Thursday for Spain, so I'm looking forward to more of your tips. I bought an AVE ticket online for Madrid to Cordoba - do you have any idea where I would pick that up?

thanks!

I seem to recall buying my AVE tickets from a travel agent's office when I was in Madrid. Perhaps people would find that easier than going to Atocha.

Can anyone confirm this is still possible to do?

Nessundorma,

I recently did just that. I wasn't sure upon arrival at Madrid airport which trains I wanted to take and don't function well just after an overnight flight.

Once I decided I stopped in Atocha day prior and the lines were long (thanks to Sgerhar1 for the explanation--I saw the hoy, but not the venta anticipado). I checked a machine in the ticket lobby for availability (some of the trains the next day were full) before leaving. Maybe you could purchase there if your credit card has a chip?

There was a Corte Ingles travel agency just a couple of blocks up Atocha near my hotel. A helpful agent booked two train trips for me with separate charges and receipts the way I wanted (for reimbursement) for a fee of a few Euros. Well worth the convenience, comfort, and assistance.

You can buy Renfe tickets at Barajas Airport (not in T4) and a lot of travel agents offices, now I recall Halcon Viajes ones but I'm sure there are more. Anyway, if you have bought them online you go to the "venta anticipada" line and just show your credit card to get the tickets. It's an usually less crowded line than the one for the same day tickets

Once I tried to buy tickets at Atocha from the machine, no line, everything went fine, but requested my VISA secret 4-digit number, which I didn't know.

sgerhar1,

Thank you for the information regarding Madrid. I am planning a first trip to Spain in May and appreciate your practical insights.

Looking forward to your comments on Seville and Cordoba.

Sorry this took a while; I'll try to be speedier with the next set.
Cordoba:
· Here is where we learned about lockers in the train station, as we only spent the day on our way to Seville. The lockers are coin-operated and all bags must be x-rayed first. In Cordoba that means taking your bags to the train gate, sending them through the machine, then walking with the security guard back to the lockers. You deposit the required coins and receive a slip of paper after closing the door (don’t close the door until you are absolutely ready). The paper has the section, row and number of your locker, and most importantly the combination. When you return, enter the combo and the door will pop open.
· It’s a pretty easy walk from the train station to the old town, but once there, prepare to get lost!
· Arrive as early as possible to avoid crowds and have time to see everything.
· Remember that many attractions close for siesta. I knew this, but still forgot to plan accordingly. The result was we missed seeing the Alcazar.
· Even if you know the hours, there may be special events that close a site. When we arrived at the Mesquita, it was closed for a wedding (!) Fortunately, we were able to come back a couple hours later and get in. This is absolutely not to be missed – a wonder of space and proportion.
Seville:
· What we didn’t learn: how to find the bus from the train station to Puerta Jerez near the Barrio Santa Cruz. It didn’t matter much because a taxi was only a little more money, but it was frustrating.
· Ignore what you hear about crime in Santa Cruz. It’s a lovely area with lots of people at all hours. Definitely stay there.
· If visiting the cathedral when it first opens, be sure you are at the right door. We went on Sun., when it opens at 2pm and is free. We saw a crowd of people at one entrance even though the sign said (in Spanish) that it was only for worship and tourist should enter on the other side. I’m not sure how long those people waited for the doors to open – they were definitely there after 2.
· If you get to the cathedral at opening time, head straight for the bell tower. It gets crowded quickly.
· The Alcazar is absolutely gorgeous. We spent four hours there and didn’t even do the upstairs tour. The gardens are the highlight (dare I say…better than the Generalife?) They also have night visits, but entrance is timed so buy tickets early.
· We spent two nights in Seville, picked up a car, then returned a week later for another night. It wasn’t nearly enough time for this beautiful city.

When I go to Cordoba, I always visit the Mezquita-Catedral after lunch, at siesta time. It is open, fresh and uncrowded.

A bit more...
Jerez
· There are a lot of signs for sherry bodegas in town that seem to just lead you around in circles – get a map before hitting town.
· We visited Sandeman and were not very pleased. There were too many people on the tour so the guide was impossible to hear. Mostly we were just shown pictures, film and dioramas of the sherry making process, instead of actually seeing it.
Cadiz
· A beautiful city, especially at sunset.
· There is a small bar under the promenade by the beach. Buy a drink, then take it out to the beach and enjoy the view.
· The area near the very north end of the peninsula is a labyrinth of narrow streets with local businesses. The shops and bars are much more interesting than in the tourist area, and the people are extremely friendly.
Gibraltar
· Everyone already knows this, but park in La Linea. It’s just not worth it to try to drive in Gibraltar.
· The cable car to the top of the rock closes if it’s windy.
· The top closes fairly early. We took our time having lunch and looking around town, and then were too late to go up.
· Everything is much more expensive than in Spain. If you decide to spend more than a day there, stay across the border.
· Having said that, a day is plenty of time to see it all.

Thank you for posting this detailed info. It sounds like it will come in very handy as I plan my trip (for next March). I'll probably be bugging you with more questions when I get into "deep" planning mode.