Please sign in to post.

March 2025 Trip Report: Galicia, Madrid, Toledo

My wife and I went to Santiago de Compostela and Madrid, plus a day trip to Toledo between 22 and 29 March, and it was incredible! Santiago, Madrid, and Toledo were breathtaking, stunning, and wonderful! Santiago and Galicia in general were our favorite places..... we loved the dense forests, rugged mountains, and architecture.

We spent our first night in Spain at the Melia Castilla so we could quickly get to Chamartin for the AVLO to Santiago, spent two nights in Santiago before returning to Madrid.

Santiago de Compostela:
We stayed at the Hotel Compostela, wonderful hotel with good breakfast, easy walk to the historic district and train station. We did a 2 hr walking tour of the city with a wonderful guide, who explained the history/architecture of the city and Camingo de Santiago, ending with a tasting of Galician wine and cheese. We also strolled on our own around the historic quadrant and marveled at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, homes, and smaller churches, including one from the 10th century. We ate at Abastos 2.0 and O Siendo, and visited a food hall near Hotel Compostela. Weather was perfect....slightly chilly to mild and overcast/drizzly.

Madrid:
Before our trip to Santiago, we stayed at the Melia Castilla Hotel, excellent room and good breakfast. We ate at Cabo do Mundo before crashing at the hotel for the night.

On our return to Madrid, we stayed at Catalonia Las Cortes near Plaza de Santa Ana, smaller room, but exceptional breakfast and excellent bar. We did a guided tour of the Museo Reina Sofia and Prado Museum, explored the area around Plaza de Santa Ana and Plaza Mayor on our own. One of the days was dedicated to a guided tour of Toledo (see below) plus flamenco that night at Cafe Ziryab--both were incredible! In Madrid we ate at Botin, Cervecería Santa Ana, Revoltosa Prado, and Ocafú Prado, all were excellent! Weather was nice and mild.

Toledo:
We joined a half-day, guided tour of Toledo, and the guides were excellent, but unfortunately glossed over significant portions of Toledo history, and I wished the tour guides spoke more about Toledo's complex history and cultural influences. The guides overwhelmingly focused on the Reconquest and Inquisition, barely touching on Toledo's Carpetani, Roman, Visigothic, and Islamic periods. Toledo's layout reminded me of older cities I've been to in Jordan like Madaba, As-Salt, and 'Amman, since much of Toledo's ancient sector is a labyrinth of narrow streets radiating out from squares and public buildings--such as the stunning Toledo Cathedral. In Toledo we ate bocadillos and marzipan, yum! Weather was noticeably warmer than Madrid.

Transportation:
We had a layover in Lisbon between IAD and MAD both ways. First layover cut it close at 70 min, but 2nd layover provided ample time at 3 hours. Both legs of the flight were chill.

We took an AVLO to Santiago, and returned to Madrid on an AVE, both trains were excellent, fast, and punctual. The route was very scenic and beautiful, showcasing the diversity of Spain's landscape.

We walked/took taxis around Madrid. Taxis were convenient, cheap, and a great way to explore the city.

Practicalities:
Never used cash except for giving 10 euros to the bagpiper in Santiago--I also play bagpipes so we had to support a fellow piper! Compared to what we are used to, prices were extremely low, the most we paid for a meal was roughly $140 at Abastos 2.0, and approx. $350/night at Catalonia Las Cortes. My wife and I speak decent Spanish, so we were able to get around, order food, and interact with people without issue.

For souvenirs we got a rosary in Santiago, some postcards, marzipan, and lots of pictures.

Next time we go to Spain we plan on going to Seville, Cordoba, and Grenada.

Posted by
4471 posts

Lovely trip report, it brought back memories of our 2 trips to Spain. You will definitely have another great trip when you return to Spain.

Posted by
7616 posts

It’s nice you had a good trip. Hopefully you’ll be able to return at some point for a longer period of time.

We stayed at the Melia Castilla in 2007 and enjoyed it. Its location is good for getting to Chamartín, but not for getting to the main sights.

Posted by
2759 posts

Thanks for sharing. You're going to love Andalucía!

Posted by
356 posts

Lovely!

So glad you liked Abastos 2.0. We had a wonderful dinner there last May and I plan to return when I visit Santiago again this spring..that city has improved so much as far as restaurants go....!!

Posted by
17 posts

@Barbara: Thank you! We are very much looking forward to our next Spain trip.

@jaimeelsabio: Thank you! Yea, it would be great to do a much longer trip in Spain. In lieu of that happening, 7-9 day trips we've done to other locations have been a sweet spot for us.

I agree on the Melia Castilla, great location for getting to Chamartin and a very nice hotel overall, but not super great for getting to the more historic parts of Madrid, or the main sites. Catalonia Las Cortes was a perfect spot for us in Madrid, in the heart of it all and very convenient to Paseo del Prado, the Royal Palace, and Plaza Mayor.

@Mary: Thank you! We can't wait to explore Andalucía :)

I'm very interested in Spain's Islamic history, so I'm excited to explore Cordoba, Sevilla, and Grenada.

@ekscrunchy: Yay! Abastos 2.0 was amazing, and probably our favorite meal in Spain, even though all the restaurants we tried were excellent, Abastos 2.0 just took it to a whole new level, and we loved their chef's menu. Their percebes and oysters were great, also the first time my wife and I tried them, we will definitely get percebes next time we go to Galicia.

There are so many more restaurants we want to check out whenever we return. Our tour guide was from A Coruna and recommended several cafes and restaurants in the city. We'll check those ones out next time we're in Santiago.

Posted by
7616 posts

When planning your Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada trip you might get some ideas by looking at the spain.info website’s brochures specific to Andalucía for Muslim Travelers and Córdoba. There are also city specific pages.

Posted by
356 posts

That's so good to hear about Abastos 2.0!
We sat in the dining room; is that where your table was? I also had the percebes there!! Honestly, a lot of work for a little meat but they were tasty. Next time you MUST go to O'GROVE and eat at D'BERTO. I am hoping to begin again in Santiago but if flights are ok I could put A Coruna at the end of the trip, after La Toja.

https://www.gastromondiale.com/2019-8-23-dberto-a-galician-seafood-temple/

Posted by
17 posts

@Mary: Thank you so much, this gives me some wonderful ideas for when we visit Andulacia!

@jaimeelsabio: Thank you! This is a great resource, I like the city specific pages and the Spanish heritage city pages, very informative.

ekscrunchy: Yup! We were in the dining room as well, we had the closest seats to the door. I'm definitely down to try both those restaurants, thank you for the recommendations!

Posted by
1707 posts

Thank you for your trip report. Spain is one of my favorite countries in the world. Each region is so different from each other. Love the diverse regional flavors too. I have not been to Andalucia but it's on my to-go list for sure.