Itinerary question......go north or south of Madrid?..

How long is your total trip, and how much time is already allotted for other places? So, how much time do you have for this excursion?

Will you have a car or not?

Who is taking this trip (how many people, ages, etc)?

What do you consider a "place of interest?" Conversely, what does not interest you?

When you say "using Madrid as our base," do you mean you have to return to Madrid? Or could you fly home from somewhere else?

The more details you provide, the better the answers you will get.

And what time of year are you traveling?

And how's your Spanish?

When you say you want to use Madrid as a base, are you wanting to just take day trips from Madrid, or do you mean Madrid is your starting point?

I had a similar question about Madrid as a home base - so I don't want to interrupt this thread, but I was interested in what answers might appear here. If those who replied are still willing - what are your suggestions? Based on your questions, what do you suggest for this? - no car, limited Spanish, solo female traveler but fairly experienced and flexible and not too fussy, public transportation is good, budget isn't a major concern but always of interest. Want the "must sees" in the area but also get a feel for the local culture and avoid heavy "touristy" stuff...

At the risk of being criticized for not having the proper attitude - BUT all of this questions are easily addressed in any good guide book especially Steves' Spain book. View some travel DVDs to get a feel for what would appeal to you. All of the "must see" sites are the same from guide book to guide book. Without some idea of what you like or don't like, time available, time of years, budget, it is hard to make suggestions. It is a two way street - help us help you.