Being based outside Madrid

Personally, I feel there is false economy on daily commutes while on vacation....both financially, and physically. Add in the return train costs for two every day and see if you can afford a short let apartment near the Museums...even for two or three days. Staying near Atocha station would provide easy access to anywhere. I can see also wanting time outside of Madrid and oh how lucky if one has time for that, but depending where else you want to go, many transports route back through Madrid anyway,
I will admit, I haven't been yet, but I have a short let apartment booked via AirBnB for $85Cdn for November. It is in las Lettres area a few blocks from the three museums and I am really looking forward to time in Retiro Park for quietude and green space.
One does not have to be in a hotel in the middle of the city.

How many nights are we talking about, and would you also plan to visit other points of interest from the non-Madrid base? As already pointed out, transportation tends to radiate from Madrid, so there's a risk that you'd be starting every day by traveling to Madrid, and on some days you'd then have to head back out of the city, possibly via a different means of transportation departing from a different station.

As an alternative, you might consider staying in a more residential neighborhood of Madrid. You'd still have transportation to deal with every day, but it would be local transportation, presumably running much more frequently than inter-city trains and buses.

Another possibility is to skip the big cities entirely. You could have a lovely time in Spain, going to places like Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, Cuenca, etc.

Hi Jeff.
In Sydney terms...
Would you stay at Campbelltown over Potts Point?
Or in Melbourne terms...
Would you stay at Werribee over Richmond?

I understand your thinking, and why such a proposition may seem attractive, but I also think it's a false economy, and you would end up wasting too much precious time in transit.

Apologies to those people who have replied to my original post. I don't see a 'Reply' button anywhere on the responses I've received. In any case, I'm ditching the idea of 'being based outside of Madrid'. Thanks very much to all who replied.

You could try for something like this, but the more you move, the more you have to drag luggage, and spend time in transit.

Day
1. Train to Toledo (2 nights)
2. Toledo sights
3. Morning train to Madrid Atocha. Store bags. Madrid sights. Evening train to Segovia (3 nights)
4. Segovia sights
5. Day to Madrid
6. Depart Segovia

Hi Jeff. Here, you just add a reply to your thread, like everyone else, and the discussion continues. What you've done is exactly what's right.

Look at the Europa Hotel. It's reasonably priced, modern, comfortable and very well located - walking distance to many sights, a big supermarket a block away, just meters from the cercanias/metro station for easy access to the train station for day trips and for getting to other locations around the city, and the HOHO buses stop close by too.

Someone I trust recommended another place to me when I was considering a 3rd visit to Madrid but in the end I dropped it from my itinerary. The location was a tad less ideal, but the price was lower for a single person. I'm not sure how much less it would be for a double. (The Europa doesn't have single rooms) I won't list it here since I didn't stay there. If you want more info on it, send me a PM (click on my name - that links to a page with a PM link).

For quieter and less touristy, consider spending a couple nights in Toledo or Cordoba. Both are busy during the day, both have wonderful sights, and both are pretty quiet in the evening.

acraven, thanks for you reply. I've given up on the idea of being based outside of Madrid, and now I'm getting some recommendations regarding affordable accommodation options. We'll be in Madrid for about two weeks, hence the desire to find something in a good location relative to museums/galleries, etc., but relatively inexpensive.

djp_syd, I liked the Campbelltown:Aranjuez analogy... But seriously, I take your point. I'm going to stay in Madrid. Thanks to everyone who has shown me the error of my ways.

Maria, thanks for your reply. I'm going to stay in Madrid after all.

Chani, thanks for the guidance re replying to replies, and for the tip re the Europa.

Thanks again to everyone who replied. I think our work here is done. We're going to stay in Madrid.

Jeff, now that we know it is two weeks, you can certainly consider some short breaks out of the city. There are places a little further out, like Salamanca, that are too far for day trips. I could understand a week in Madrid, but would you consider two 3-night stays somewhere that would allow further daytrips from there? Just a thought.