Madrid to... anywhere! Suggestions on where to go from Madrid.

The north can be dreary in Jan-Feb...although you could get lucky.
I'd rather head towards Catalunya (by train, 2.5 hours to Barcelona) at that time of the year: good weather isn't guaranteed, but at least it tends to be less wet.

However, if food is the #1 priority, then San Sebastián is probably the #1 destination in Spain and weather does not matter! You can take the train from Madrid, it takes about 5 hours.

Spain and Portugal are poorly linked together so I would not combine them.

The train system is not as extensive as in other parts of Europe so do not be opposed to using the buses. The buses are great and cheap. Spain is a big country and you are just getting started. You head west to Avila, Segovia or east along the coast -- Valenica. Barcelona or south to Tolado -- your options are practically endless.

I don't really mind bad weather, it's slightly the appeal of traveling in February. Fewer crowds and better than the weather in Idaho :)

I totally agree with Balso, one can easily take the highspeed train to Barcelona, maybe with a stop in Zaragoza along the way.

Alternatively you could take the newly opened AVE high speed line from Madrid to the region of Galicia, with a home base in Santiago de Compostela or Ourense. Galicia has my vote for the best regional cuisine in Spain, they have crisp and refreshing white and green wines and the freshest seafood.

The region of Galicia has more in common with Ireland than Andalucía, in both culture and landscape, they are a remnant of ancient Celtic people who would rather play the bagpipes than the castanets. If you like Portugal you'll love Galicia :)

PS This is probably a controversial opinion but I think the cuisine of the Basque country is a tad overrated in the popular imagination outside of Spain.

More info on Galicia:

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/the-most-typical-dishes-from-galicia-you-should-try/

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/10-things-to-know-before-visiting-galicia/

Hi Loren,

so after 4 days in Madrid, I would suggest going to Logroño. There are regular buses from Madrid. It is a little visited place. As for food, you can visit the tapa streets San Juan and Laurel. You can walk across the river and visit Bodegas Franco Españolas or Bodega Ijalba.

Then I would suggest visiting Pamplona on the 3rd of February for St. Blas' Day fiesta. I love the txantxigorri. Very easily reached from Logroño by bus.

After that you could head up to San Sebastian to finish out you trip.

I’m not a foodie, but really enjoyed Galicia, so I liked the Santiago de Compostela suggestion with a possible stop in Lugo. Dave’s suggestion of Logroño is a good one with an additional possible stop in Zaragoza. Zaragoza also has a large area filled with tapas bars. Getting around via bus or train shouldn’t be an issue.

I agree with the posters who suggest Toledo and Barcelona. You could spend 2 nights in Toledo. Perhaps go to Toledo first when you land in Madrid. Take the train to Toledo. About a 30-minute ride. After Toledo, spend 4 or 5 nights in Madrid. Then take the train from Madrid to Barcelona for 5 or 6 nights. And fly home from Barcelona. Open-jaw or multi-city airline reservations.

Or you could visit Porto. You can fly TAP Airlines from Madrid to Porto. However, you have to change planes in Lisbon. Not sure if that appeals to you. If you haven't already visited Lisbon, that would be a good choice, too.

The ALSA buses in Spain are wonderful. They are on time, clean, modern, and very comfortable.

It is true that the food in Galicia is excellent as well!
And if you can fly out of Porto, you could combine Madrid with Galicia and Porto, there are reasonably good bus connections from main Galician cities to Porto (and a train from Vigo).
It will probably be rainy.

Another vote for the east . . . Barcelona has tons to see and do as well as lots of interesting day trips. You could consider spending 2-3N in Valencia but you can easily fill a week in Barcelona without leaving the city.

If your a foodie, Barcelona should be on your radar. Hop on a high speed train and let someone else do the driving. No need to rent a car.

I'll second what was already said above—that San Sebastian is one of the best cities for eating in Europe. If you want a less-touristy option, Logroño is nice for a couple of days for both food and sightseeing. It's not as good as San Sebastian but is pretty off the radar. And the cathedral there has a Michelangelo painting!

You’ve received a lot of good advice already, but as your travel style conforms so closely to my own (public transportation; spending “solid time” in little-known places rather than bouncing around), it was hard for me to avoid saying something. Anyway, as you have already been to Spain, you’re probably aware that though they are all great places to visit, some of the cities mentioned above (Barcelona, Toledo, Avila), or even your own suggestions of San Sebastian and Porto, are not exactly little-known (though perhaps some of them will seem that way in February).
I don't know how important the “little-known” criterion is for you; but generally, for a less-visited Spain, two areas worth considering are Extremadura in the west, and Aragon towards the north-east. In Aragon I’m acquainted only with the city of Zaragoza, and the beautiful medieval town of Teruel, but both are on the train line and in my opinion, well worth visiting.

And in Extremadura, a train trip from Plasencia southwards through Caceres, Merida, and Zafra would probably fulfill your requirements. (However, I’m not a “foodie” at all, so I can’t comment on cuisine, but it seemed fine to me.)
I will also "second" the above recommendations for Galicia, though my experience there is limited to a few days in Pontevedra and whatever I could see from the train on my way in and then out. Though it need not affect your travel decisions, I should point out that while the Galicians have a lot of fun with the idea that they're Celtic (a point mentioned in a preceding comment), serious scholars are not so sure. The only solid evidence of Celtic-ness that ever gets mentioned is that traditional Galician music uses bagpipes. But long ago, bagpipes of some style or other were used throughout the middle east, the Mediterranean, and Europe; it seems that in their respective remote homelands, the Scots and the Galicians were the only ones who kept using them after more melodious instruments were invented!

I sent you a PM.

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@Marbleskies - Morse code?

A few days ago the Ministry of Tourism released a list of the 10 most visited monuments is Spain.

The Alhambra and La Sagrada Familia were 1 and 2, no surprise. I was surprised by Burgos Cathedral at #5 and the Pilar at #7.

The Roman Theater in Merida makes sense as they have a big theater festival there every year.

Here is an English version of the list.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! I even got a few direct messages that were so helpful.

I did mention to a few of you in my PMs that my German relatives would like to meet up with us in Mallorca. Definitely not at the top of my list so I'm hoping I can find my way off of the beaten path while they are getting their sunshine.

I do have 7 days of the trip left to play with and Mallorca seems to have flights to just about anywhere in Spain. I'm thinking I can hop a flight to Barcelona, stay for a few days then take the train back to Madrid but stop at a smaller city along the way(ish). I'm loving the idea of Zaragoza, Teruel or (slightly more out of the way) Girona.