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San Sebastian or Madrid

Hi! My husband has a conference to attend in Toulouse. We are flying into Madrid and renting a car to drive to Toulouse. We're bringing our two kids (2 years old and 6 months old) along with my parents, who are in their late 50s. We're a relaxing, strolling, eating group of people and while the guys like museums, we all know that's hard to do with a 2 year old running around. We love the open top bus tours, as well as walking and bike tours. So things on the move, outdoors and relaxing.

We fly in early one Wednesday morning and we want to be in Toulouse on either Saturday around lunch or Sunday around lunch so my husband can enjoy a smidge of the city before being in a conference all week. My question is: which schedule do we do based on our dynamics? I'm leaning toward San Sebastian because we don't go to beach often and it sounds more relaxing.

Option 1:
Wednesday - Saturday in Madrid
Saturday - Drive to Toulouse
Sunday - Toulouse

Option 2:

Wednesday - Saturday in San Sebastian
Saturday - Drive to Toulouse
Sunday - Toulouse

Option 3:

Wednesday & Thursday in Madrid
Friday drive to San Sebastian
Saturday San Sebastian
Sunday drive to Toulouse

Thanks everyone! Keep in mind the children when you give suggestions! Toddlers are wonderful, but definitely can't do the same things as adults with longer attention spans! :)

Posted by
16895 posts

I would definitely prioritize San Sebastian for the reasons you mentioned. That might mean one day in Madrid but definitely not four days.

Do you need the car for the whole time and have you checked the fees if you're dropping a Spanish car in France?

The fastest direct trains between Madrid and San Sebastian depart from either train station - departures at 8:00 or 16:00 from Madrid Chamartin take 5.5 hours and departures at 7:15 or 15:15 from Madrid Puerto de Atocha take 6 hours; others in the middle of the day take longer. A toddler can walk around on a train and everyone can bring food and relax.