San Sebastian to Madrid in December

Posted by andib (CA) on 08/05/24 08:49 PM

Hi all - excited that our son is studying abroad in San Sebastian in Fall so we (parents & older son) are planning to meet him at the end and travel from SS to Madrid (3 weeks total). I would love to get some feedback! We are fairly slow travelers anyway but we'll be traveling during Christmas & New Years, which may slow things further. In between San Sebastian and Madrid, I'm thinking Pamplona, Segovia, Toledo and, lastly, Madrid. I know Toledo is a little out of the way (south) but I thought it might be nice to spend a night there and that would be easier before Madrid as opposed to a day trip from Madrid.

Does spending Dec 24-27 makes sense in Segovia (big enough that we'll find a few businesses open for food, etc?)?

Thoughts on renting a car vs taking the train? Thanks! Andi

Sat, Dec 14 - Arrive MAD, Fly to SS

Sun, Dec 15 - 7 nights in San Sebastian with day trips to Bilbao & St Jean de Luz

Sat, Dec 21 - train to Pamplona - 3 nights

Tues, Dec 24 - Train to Segovia - 3 nights

Fri, Dec 27 - Train to Toledo AM - 1 night

Sat, Dec 28 - Train to Madrid PM - 6 nights

Posted by Jazz+Travels

Chicago

08/05/24 09:13 PM

8165 posts

I'd do just 4 nights in San Sebastian and skip Pamplona.
Segovia and Toledo can be done in day trips from Madrid.
I better trip would include Seville, Cordoba and Granada; it is beautiful weather wise in Andalucia that time a year compared to the north.

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

08/05/24 09:16 PM

7157 posts

The main holiday isn’t Christmas, rather Three Kings day on 6 January, so most things will be open 24-27 December. The main site tourists visit in Segovia is the Alcázar and you can check its website to see if it will be open when you’re there. The aqueduct can be seen anytime of the time or night.

I’d take a night from Pamplona to and add it to Toledo. Pamplona doesn’t have much to offer and a full day there is sufficient.

To get to Segovia and Toledo by train you need to go through Madrid.

No need for a car in SS or Madrid, but it could be handy for stopping at places between Pamplona and Segovia, then Toledo since you could bypass Madrid completely until you turn in the car at the airport. If you don’t intend on stopping to see places between your destinations there’s no need for a car.

Personally, I wouldn’t go south with the time you have. If you wanted to reduce your time in SS or Madrid you could add other locations closer to your start and end points, such as, Burgos or Alcalá de Henares.

It really comes down to what you want to see and do with the time you. To help determine the number of nights to stay in a location, start by making a list of what you want to see in each and how long you think it will take to see them. You’ll probably find you have too many nights in some places and not enough in others.

Posted by MikelBasqueGuide

Bilbao

08/06/24 07:18 AM

743 posts

Seven nights in Donostia-San Sebastian seem a lot to me, it´s a small city with not that many things to do or see. I´d spend at least two of those nights in Bilbao. Do not miss Bayonne-Baiona on the French Basque side. And I would visit Rioja wine region (not to be mistaken with La Rioja autonomous community), with Haro and Laguardia as most relevant visits.