Hello,
Plan to explore the CASTILE area of Spain in September 2016. Would like suggestions of towns/cities to visit….SALAMANCA, TOLEDO, SEGOVIA,AVILA,VIGO??? Would like to do travels via train or coach…could rent car. I am flexible on time… from 3 to 4 weeks to travel. Be nice if I could catch festivals in any of these places.
Hope to have some wonderful ideas from Rick Steves travelers.
Thanks,
Bonnie, FLORIDA
Posted by
back in the Americas
677 posts
Look into these places not far from Madrid: la Granja de San Ildefonso, Aranjuez, el Escorial. If you do go all the way over to Vigo then consider a visit to Santiago de Compostela. If you go to Toledo, you can do a daytrip by bus or car to the small town of Consuegra with its windmills and castle on the hill. If you are a fan of Don Quijote, look into the Trail of Don Quijote (la ruta del Quijote) in Castilla La Mancha. I'd like to suggest that since you will be in Salamanca you consider these destinations in Extremadura: Cáceres, Trujillo, Guadalupe. I thought all of those places and the places on your list were wonderful.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
There are two Castile areas of Spain - Castilla La Mancha and Castilla Y Leon. They're adjacent to each other but they cover a lot of territory. I personally like this area for pre-1492 architecture and history.
Toledo shouldn't be missed, it's the best medieval town in Spain IMO.
There are a group of cities that I think give a visitor the best overall view of Castillian Spain - Salamanca, Vallodolid, Zamora, and Burgos (Leon too but it's out of the way). Around Valladolid are three great castles - Coca, La Mota, and Penafiel. If you visited these cities and these castles, you would have a great "classic Spain" experience.
If you have limited time for the area and can only stay around Toledo, I'd add Segovia (a lot to see in a small area) and Avila (great preserved medieval walls).
If you can go further and want to get some exposure to La Mancha, Belmonte castle is the best castle I found in the area. You will see dozens of classic windmills dotting the hills through this region. Rick Steves likes Consuegra for the windmills and castle. If you can visit Belmonte, it's much better than Consuegra (but a little further).
You can get anywhere by coach, but it's only convenient if you spend the night at each stop. The castles work better with a rental. Roads are great and you can easily avoid the toll roads. We went for a month. Here's our trip report:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/spain-clean-toilets-affordable-lodging
Posted by
Port St Joe Florida
513 posts
Hi Bonnie in Florida -
I love this area of Spain! I have, over the years, visited most of the towns you mention - Segovia, Avila, Toledo (several times on both daytrips and overnight stays), and Salamanca. Of these Salamanca and Segovia are, by far, my favorites. I have also spent a few days each in Leon and Burgos. The Burgos cathedral alone is worth the trip there. I traveled to and between all of these places by rail. Rail in this part of Spain is plentiful and efficient. The new AVE line between Madrid and Salamanca should make this area even more accessible.