We are traveling to Spain in October, and have roughly settled on an itinerary of 3 days each in Barcelona, San Sebastian, Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla and Granada. In Madrid, we're primarily interested in the museums. In Toledo, we're not sure there's enough to occupy us for 3 days. Would it make sense to stay in Toledo, and day trip to Madrid? We'd probably cut out a day from this leg of the journey, and add a day to Barcelona. Yes, I understand we'll be taking the train with all the other commuters, and yes, I understand we'll need to buy tickets in advance. Eliminating one move to a new hotel is somewhat attractive. Does this idea have any merit? Or will we be wishing we'd stayed overnight in Madrid? Thanks to all, in advance.
Posted by
Chicago
7880 posts
You are lucky to be going off peak there will be a lot less travelers in October; everyone will be back in school or at work after summer vacations.
The amount of days you spend in Madrid versus Toledo I think depends on what you are interested in doing.
I went to Madrid primarily to see the paintings in the Prado and the Sofia Reina and thinking that the rest of the city would be fascinating and for me it turned out not to be. But my disappointed was offset as I was lucky to have access to a car through a friend native of the city who took us to El Escorial and Segovia on daytrips. We also went on a day trip to Toledo on the train. To me there is not enough to do in Toledo to stay there instead of Madrid. 2 nights in Toledo seems enough. So if anything Madrid is a great base to use to explore other parts of the region if you are not impressed by it.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
I would redistribute a night or two.
Barcelona - 4 nights
San Sebastián - 3 nights
Madrid - 3 nights (with a day to Segovia)
Toledo - 2 nights
Sevilla - 4 nights (with a day to Cordoba)
Granada - 2 nights
Posted by
NYC
490 posts
I love Toledo but would do it as a day trip from Madrid, stay as late as you can, check train schedule for a naught time view of city. This way you can add more time in other places or see Córdoba or Valencia.
Posted by
OP
Upstate NY
2 posts
Good advice from both, thank you. I like the idea of going to Segovia if we're not enthralled with Madrid. We've also thought about cutting a day from Granada, so thanks for the confirmation.
Posted by
Chicago
7880 posts
Segovia has that Roman Aqueduct and the cathedral both worth seeing