Hi
My husband and I will be traveling in early November to both Toledo and Madrid. We are looking for local restaurants that are not expensive but have good quality food. I have some ideas for Madrid from the previous time I visited but welcome any suggestions.
Also, it appears trains could be an issue from the airport to Toledo. It seems cheaper to rent a car and drive and park than take a taxi. We are concerned we might not get a train to the airport from Toledo on a Sunday since they sell out early. Any insight is welcome. Thank you in advance
Posted by
NY
602 posts
trains could be an issue from the airport to Toledo
[...]
a train to the airport from Toledo
Are you traveling from the airport to Toledo, the other way around, or both ways?
Your post has it both ways so it's a bit confusing which way you are traveling.
Posted by
OP
220 posts
HI
We are looking to travel in both directions
Posted by
Washington DC
29672 posts
According to the Renfe website, the first Toledo-Madrid train departs at 9:25 AM on Saturday and Sunday. It arrives at 9:59 AM. You'd then need to get from Puerta de Atocha Station out to the airport. For a flight leaving the Schengen area, your airline will probably being at the airport 3 hours ahead of time. What time is your flight?
Rather than committing to the cost of a car rental or taxi, I'd plan to decamp to Madrid on a late train from Toledo the night before my flight. The schedule shows Saturday flights [<< that should be "trains"] at 7:25 PM, 8:25 PM and 9:30 PM. It's true, though, that trains between Toledo and Madrid do sometimes sell out. The 8:25 PM train would get you to Madrid in plenty of time to have dinner there; Spaniards eat very late.
Posted by
233 posts
Toledo restaurants:
- Restaurante Alfileritos 24
- El Trébol
- Taberna Skala
Madrid is one of the largest cities in Europe. Could you be more specific on neighborhood/cuisine/vibe to narrow it down?
Posted by
OP
220 posts
thank you for the info on the train. I agree it is better to sleep the night before in Madrid. We are staying near the main square
Posted by
233 posts
Assuming you mean Plaza Mayor and not Puerta del Sol:
I would avoid restaurants directly near the Plaza Mayor, they tend to be fairly touristy and expensive for what they offer. But, there's a great street for bars and restaurants just south called Calle de la Cava Baja.
To name a few places, including tapas bars and restaurants:
- Ástor gastro-place
- Casa Lucas
- Casa Julian de Tolosa
- Alto Bardero
- Casa Revuelta
Posted by
OP
220 posts
thank you for the dinner ideas. we are staying 5 min walk from Puerto del Sol and 7 minutes from Plaza Mayor.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8062 posts
To add/clarify to what acraven stated, to get to Toledo from the airport you need to go into Madrid and catch the train at Atocha station. There is no direct train to Toledo from the airport. The train station is a 20 minutes walk from the Puerta Del Sol, or a short taxi ride.
If renting a car from the airport the drive to Toledo will take about 1.5 hours depending on time of day and traffic. There is a pay parking garage just up the hill from Zocodover Plaza. There are also some free lots about a mile walk from the historic center. You can look them up on Google maps. When we last visited in 2024 all the free lots were full so we parked for free in an overflow area that was behind the train station. It was a mile walk to the historic center using the escalator just beyond the Bisagra Gate.
You didn’t specify if you intended to spend the night in Toledo, but if you were planning to, the Parador hotel, a couple miles from town, has free parking. Also, along the street that leads to the Bisagra gate is Hotel María Cristina. It has its own parking garage for a fee. We stayed at the Parador in 2024 and at María Cristina back in 2014.