Combining Barcelona and Madrid

You can certainly see both in 10 days, even with a couple of side trips, but not every side trip suggested on your last thread. The fast train takes only 2.5 hours and is the clear winner for connecting the cities. Tickets are cheaper if purchased in advance at www.renfe.com, when you make your final decision.

@johnadrian1014: Which neat cities are you thinking of near Madrid? Toledo is really accessible by train, but if you're thinking of the White Hill towns (they're in one of the RS videos), I would consider taking the AVE to Sevilla, then renting a car/driving from there.

Agree with previous post that Barcelona is definitely doable thanks to the really fast AVE train. Have you considered flying into Madrid and flying home from Barcelona? I did this just recently in May and the costs were the same as a flying in and out of the same city.

Also, I would caution against driving in Spain unless you're already used to driving in Europe. The highways are chill but once you drive into the city limits it's super confusing and parking is difficult.

I agree that if you want to see both of these cities, fly into one and out of the other rather than a round trip to one city. But do check the price both ways. When I went in September 2015 from New York, it was about $80 cheaper to fly into Madrid and out of Barcelona rather than the reverse. Be sure to look at these as "multi city" on one ticket, rather than two one-ways.

With ten days, you can certainly split your time, but you will have to be choosy about daytrips so as not to shortchange the main cities. My itinerary was 4 nights in Madrid, 1 night in Toledo, and 5 nights in Barcelona. While in Barcelona I took a daytrip to Girona. On a prior trip I saw Segovia as a daytrip from Madrid. Most daytrips from both Madrid and Barcelona are dead easy by train, so a car is just a hassle.

I booked my train tickets in advance from the Renfe web site from Madrid to Toledo (round trip which saves about €1) and one way from Madrid to Barcelona. I was too late to get the best prices, but still saved substantially over last minute tickets. If you want to do this, you will need this tutorial from TripAdvisor, and be sure to use PayPal (don't waste time trying to get your US credit card to work on Renfe's site): http://tinyurl.com/cu48wk5

You can certainly do both in ten days, but be careful about how many days you allocate to each. If you arrive in Madrid and spend five nights there, figure day trips to Segovia, Toledo, and El Escorial—you won't have time for Madrid which deserves three days, not counting the day of arrival which is a jetlagged throwaway. Train or bus is a toss up for Toledo, bus is better for the other two. (Actually check this in Rick's book, it's been a while since I was there). You can get to Salamanca and Avila on the train, too. I would not want to drive into Salamanca, too big of a city. No way should you drive from Madrid to Barcelona when the train is so convenient. My wife and I did rent a car in Spain on our 2005 trip, but mostly because we wanted to drive to Gibraltar from Ronda. We could have done the whole thing on the train if not for that. The white hill towns have never called out to me so much, so for me Spain is a train country, not one for a rental car.

Madrid and Barcelona in 10 days is very doable and gives you a reasonable amount of time in each (about 5 nights each). As the others have said, the AVE is the best way to travel between them and flying into one and out of the other makes the most sense (often cheaper and even if a little pricier, why waste time and money backtracking?).

You don't say what daytrips you are thinking of but most do not require a car. I would certainly not drive in or park in Madrid or Barcelona. Toledo is very easy to get to by train (30 minutes) and is pretty much carless. There are some nice hotels outside the city center that a car would be more useful, but only if you are staying a few nights. El Escorial is best by bus, Segovia by train and some of the others mentioned by train. Outside Barcelona are easy train rides to Girona, Figueres, Sitges, Tarragona and Montserrat. These are all easiest without a car.

Both regions do offer far more rural and small town opportunities to visit by car but you'd need the entire 10 days for just that one region (a 4-5 night stay in the city and 4-5 nights in the region).

Someone mentioned the White Hill towns - those are nowhere near Madrid and would need to be a separate trip.

Forget hiring a car if you are just looking at destinations from Barcelona and Madrid.
In Spain, a car comes into necessity if you are planning an in depth discovery of Andalusia in the south.
With 9 nights ...

Day 1 - Arrive Barcelona - 4 nights
Day 2 - Barcelona sights
Day 3 - Day trip to Montserrat, or Girona+Figueres, or Tarragona
Day 4 - Barcelona sights
Day 5 - Train to Zaragoza - 1 night
Day 6 - Train to Madrid - 4 nights
Day 7 - Day trip to Toledo
Day 8 - Madrid sights
Day 9 - Day trip to Segovia
Day 10 - Depart Madrid

Personally the last time I went to Madrid I wound up ditching all my "side trips:" and spending a full week there. So I am not sure the advice to not waste your time there is valid. It's a great city!

I'll soon be heading to Spain (early October) and will spend several days in Madrid - my 7th trip there - and I don't feel as if I have ever wasted even one of them. There is always something to do or something to see that I find entertaining, enjoyable, or educational. Madrid has great museums, great art and great restaurants - enjoy them!

Two great cities, ten great days. We did something similar a few years ago, loved it.

Fly into one and out of the other, take the train in between. The AVE train goes 180 miles an hour, leaves/arrives on time, and serves a nice lunch. In addition, the travel day will provide a "down day" that will allow you to recharge your batteries a bit.

I wouldn't get a car, I don't think it's worth the trouble or expense, but that's just me. If you want to go somewhere, check out Rick's recommendations for day trips and guides. El Escorial and Toledo are good day trips from Madrid.

Enjoy!!