Madrid

We haven't done RS in Spain, but did another tour with only two days in Madrid and it was not enough. Doing a day tour of the city and then the Prado was great, but it would have been nice to do the Royal Palace and some other places in the city.

Also, Segovia and especially Toledo are must see places in my opinion and if you do day trips to those cities you would need two more days on top of day allotted for Madrid.

I was in Madrid in April, 2023, and want to go back. I had planned to use Madrid as a base and travel by train to Barcelona and Seville, but I liked Madrid so much that I stayed there. My hotel was the Appartment Hotel Jardins di Santini, which was across the street from the Jardins di Santini and the Royal Palace. There was real flamenco to the right and left only a block away. The hotel was spacious, and the staff was excellent, courteous, and helpful. There is a rooftop bar at the top of the hotel with excellent views. I walked everywhere I went, but the metro works fine, too. The people I met when I walked and got lost were so kind and good to help.
I ate once at Botin. It’s a touristy place but I had eaten there in 1978 with a friend and, of course, as a Hemingway reader, I enjoyed thinking about his life and his novel The Sun Also Rises where the two main characters eat at Botin.
Another food place I liked for lunch was Honest Greens on the main street, the Gran Via. The food is good, as are the prices, and it’s fun to watch the young—and older—people come in, order, and eat.