Madrid North Itinerary

Hi, sounds like a fun trip all around!

The only big thing is if you are interested in Roman/Moorish history, might I suggest you shave 1 night from Madrid and Bilbao, to spend 2 nights in Zaragoza, located just a bit farther east of Pamplona, and is connected by direct high speed train to Madrid, making for an easy journey back to Madrid.

Zaragoza has more than 2,000 years of history including Roman ruins of the city walls, forum, and amphitheater. Also don't miss la Aljafería an 11th-century Moorish palace, the most northern Islamic palace in Europe. Throughout Zaragoza you'll find Mudéjar architecture, a unique mix between Moorish and Christian styles and motifs, designated a UNESCO world heritage site. Zaragoza is also the home to the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica, which has one of the best church exteriors in all Spain imo.

I think that Zaragoza is one of those undiscovered gems that Rick Steves calls "back doors". The vibe reminds me a lot of Barcelona before international mass tourism really took off.

Done! Thank you! Jo.

Just a thought, but many flights from the US to Europe arrive in the morning before check-in time at hotels. Perhaps you could travel directly to Segovia and save your time in Madrid for the end of the trip. This eliminates one hotel check-in/check-out, and makes better use of your first day in Spain.

If you go to Segovia and find you have extra time for side trips, there are Coca castle and Pedraza castle. Each is about 45 minutes from Segovia. A couple miles from downtown Burgos is Cartuja de Miraflores. It is very much worth visiting.

Helpful! I've got a flight out of Detroit that gets in 5pm Madrid.
Looking into bullfight tx there - Hemingway again - and RS says he found tx readily available. Agree? Or online in advance through Servitoro? I may have to leave but want to try the experience.
Another forum suggests a day trip to Belchite from Zaragoza for Hemingway fans.
And also a night in Tudela.
Plus look for wine tours in the Duero region south of Burgos.
Further thoughts welcome and thank you.

Hi Jo,

you don't say what dates your are coming, but in the Fall there are bullfight. In Logroño (which should be on you Hemingway itinerary as he liked visiting the wineries) there are fiestas the 16th to the 22nd, and usually there are some bullfight.

The 8th to 14th are the fiests del Pilar in Zargoza, and there will be some bullfighting then too.

I also second all the places mentioned by Jaimeelsabio. Belchite is also very interesting, don't know what part Hemingway played, but the story of the Lincoln Battalion is impressive.

I’d use the Servitoro site to check if there is a fight when and wherever you’re going to be. The fights are listed by province, so to find where the fight is, look at the address. The town will be after postal code. The last fight I went to was in Madrid in 2007, it was a festival, and we had no trouble getting tickets the day of the fight. Tickets can get pricey and you won’t get a refund if you decide not to go, or your itinerary takes you in a different direction.

Belchite is worth visiting, but may be easier to visit with a rental car. There were only a couple tours a day. We arrived 15 minutes after a tour began and we couldn’t get in. All was not lost however. Since we had a car, there was a dirt road that follows the fence around the old town and we just drove around the town. We could see the destroyed town just not walk the streets. It was hot that day, so I’m rather happy we drove in the air conditioned car.

Also somewhat near Zaragoza are the civil war trenches Las Tres Huegas in Liceñena, monument to the fallen/Posición de San Simón in Robres, and Orwell Road - Vestiges of the Spanish Civil War in Alcubierre. I haven’t been to these sites yet.

I drove through Tudela but didn’t stop. After visiting nearby Tarazona, Ágreda, and Trasmoz, we ran out of time. Another nice town, not that you have the time, is Olite. Its Royal Palace is amazing. There are also a couple wineries right in town, so you don’t need to drive after drinking. There are plenty of places to visit in that part of Spain.

Back again...at Detroit airport now. Is bus or train better from Madrid to Burgos on Tuesday Oct. 3. 3 sisters, adventurous travellers but we like comfort. Car and driver seems to run $350 (online) to $750 (per hotel). Thank you. Jo.

There are fast trains from Madrid to Burgos taking less than 2 hours. Departure times for Oct 3 are 7:25 AM, 8:43 AM, 2:50 PM, 5:38 PM and 7:54 PM. There are other trains as well, but they are much slower and probably require a connection.

Great! Got the 8:43 train for us.
Now...insight about getting from Hondarribia to Bayonne and from there to Pamplona? We'll likely get a rental car in Bilbao/Hondarribia. But I read somewhere the border crossing can be time consuming. Thank you. Jo.

But I read somewhere the border crossing can be time consuming

Was it a guidebook from 1973? Joke aside, you might not even notice the border crossing. Nothing to worry about.
And I would suggest getting the rental car in Bilbao. There is plenty to see along the coast between Bilbao and the border; you could go to Guernica and then I especially like Elantxobe, Lekeitio, and the coastal road from Lekeitio to Ondarroa.

Working on car rental now. Thanks! Jo.

I agree with Balso. If you miss the sign, you won’t realize you crossed the border. On our trip in 2017 we went from Hondaribbia to Bayonne to St. Jean Pied du Port and then continued on to Pamplona.

Now in Bilbao. One sister's birthday is tomorrow and what she wants is a late, large lunch with find food and drink overlooking the sea. Ideas??

Barely noticed the border. Happy to have had the car from Bilboa to Pamploa as we did lots of backroads. Hondarribia a welcome delight + 2 of the best restaurants of the trip. Pamplona+ Hemingway all I hoped for. Zaragoza a treat...glad it was suggested. Final days now back in Madrid...and dinner every night, again, at Entre Santos. Thank you all! Jo

Segovia - if you can swing it, try to stay at the Parador. Exquisite.

Full up. Tried.

Stayed at El Pilar: windows that opened onto a plaza a church hosting a choral presentation. A gift.

How long does it take to travel by train from Madrid to Zaragoza, please?

The fastest trains between Madrid and Zaragoza take 75 or 81 minutes. (It's not much farther from Barcelona.) The Madrid-Zaragoza trip is much slower by car--about 3-1/2 hours at least.

You can find Renfe travel times here: https://www.renfe.com/es/en.