Madrid plus day trips pre-Christmas

Where do you travel from? If east coast, hopping on a train to Cordoba upon arrival is no biggie. If you are coming from the west coast, then you might not want any more travel that day.
If you were staying for nine days, then a jaunt down to Sevilla or Cordoba would be fine. If you end up staying only four days, I'd just focus on Madrid (or maybe a day trip to Toledo).

We fly in to Madrid from the States.

Yes I meant east or west coast because it makes a big difference on how ready you are to do anything else upon arrival.
Whatever you decide, check opening times, not necessarily due to holidays but just so you don't miss something. The Mezquita appears to be open on all days.
There is a fast train and Cordoba is small, so I would choose that over Sevilla, which I think would just be too much for only a couple days (and plenty of reason to come back).

Cordoba is about a two-hour train ride from Madrid, you might consider going there for an overnight if it interests you enough. Seville and Granada are farther away, in different directions, and I think would be too far for your four-day timeframe.

Toledo is about a half-hour train ride from Madrid, which would work for a day trip or an overnight. Another day or overnight option might be Segovia, also about half an hour from Madrid (a different station).

But there's plenty to do and see in Madrid, especially if you have only four days, and especially if you're interested in art. You could spend a whole day in the Prado alone.

If you’re in Madrid, nearby Segovia is a must-see.

Two trips to Spain in the past 30 years, and Cordoba hasn’t been included in either. On our most recent trip, we headed north after Madrid. The earlier trip, way back in 2002, Rick Steves didn’t even include it in his guidebook. It’s been added since, but wasn’t a must-see for us. Maybe next time.

Either way, Granada and its Alhambra is a must-see by anyone’s standards.

My wife and son, 22, and I will be in Toledo for Christmas Eve - midnight mass at the cathedral.

Will the train be running from Toledo to Madrid on Christmas Day?

What one thing should we see in in Toledo, we arrive in Toledo from Seville on Christmas Eve and have to turn in our Avis rental car.

What will be open in Madrid on Christmas Day?

Where in Madrid is the best place to see Christmas lights/decorations.

Is there a best area to stay to get around in Madrid? We want to book an Airbnb, there’s plenty available. It would be great to stay with a family in Madrid.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks Rick for all you do.

Don

Djwatza - as yours is a completely different question, consider a new thread.

With the 4 days option I wouldn’t waste time on long transits. There is plenty to see in Madrid. For day trips consider Toledo, Ávila/Salamanca (Ávila is worth a few hours at most), Segovia, Cuenca, or Alcalá de Henares. Chinchón is probably good for a few hours as it is pretty small. With your 9 day option, then you could head south to Sevilla and Córdoba for a couple days.

I'm a big fan of matching my destination(s) to the time I have available. Naturally one needs to consider one's own interests. Cordoba (about 1 hr. 40 min. by train) is definitely a worthwhile destination, and it's about 1 hour closer to Madrid than Seville (a much, much larger city) is. Granada also requires more train time than Cordoba, and trains aren't as frequent. I think Granada's a bit more manageable on a short visit than Seville but would not be inclined to go that far if I only had 4 days for Spain. I'd be willing to do Cordoba, but as pointed out there are closer possibilities.

I've been to all the places jaimeelsabio mentioned and agree about them--including that Avila is just not all that interesting. I see only one decently fast train to Salamanca in the morning (8:50 AM on a Monday), still taking 1 hr. 41 min. By comparison, Toledo and Segovia are only about 30 minutes away. For me Toledo has more sights, but that aqueduct is pretty special. Alcala de Henares is about 45 minutes away by super-frequent commuter rail (Line C2). It's a bit tricky to find the train schedule for Alcala de Henares, so here's the current weekday schedule to the University station there: https://www.renfe.com/es/en/suburban/suburban-madrid/timetables

By virtue of being on the AVE line linking Madrid and Valencia, Cuenca has frequent fast-train service usually taking just under an hour. However, those trains go to a station outside town, requiring either a bus (not necessarily very frequent) or a taxi into town.

AVE tickets (which you'd also want if going to Cordoba, Seville or Granada) can be pricey if bought late in the game, so it would be smart to take a look at the schedule and fares for places that make your short list. https://www.renfe.com/es/en

Where can I find a dependable holiday train schedule for Christmas Day from Toledo to Madrid?

Don

Renfe runs the trains (except for some regional services), so this will probably do the trick:

https://www.renfe.com/es/en

You'll be traveling from Madrid - Puerta de Atocha to Toledo. I see nine trains listed that day, the first one at 9:20 AM.

You don't have to worry about escalating ticket prices on that route, but trains do sometimes fill up. It can happen on the trip back to Madrid, too. It would probably be smart to buy the tickets once you're sure your trip is a "go" and have pinned down the travel times.

There's also bus service, if you find yourself in a bind, but it takes quite a bit longer.