I've been to Spain a few times before and done the standard Madrid, Barcelona, Andalucia bit. This time I land in Madrid and fly out of Barcelona and was wondering the most scenic and logistically optimal way to get between the two. I am relying on public transport for the below.
On my list of things to definitely do:
Toledo (2 nights)
Segovia (1 night on way to Salamanca)
Salamanca (2-3 nights)
From Salamanca I thought I could go visit Leon, then Burgos, then Zaragoza and onwards to Barcelona, and spend maybe a day or two in each town. But the transit between Salamanca and Leon (3hr ALSA bus best option it seems) and then Burgos to Zaragoza (3hr 40m ALSA bus or train via Madrid) is less than ideal.
So one option is to skip Leon and just go from Salamanca to Burgos (2.5hr on the ALVIA train) and then to Zaragoza (maybe 1 night?) on the ALSA bus and then to Barcelona on the high-speed train.
Another option is to skip both Leon and Burgos and leave them for a future trip to Asturias or Cantabria, and go back from Salamanca to Madrid via a different route from the one through Segovia, like through Avila instead (no overnight; just a stop to walk the walls and town), and then go to Zaragoza and Barcelona.
Assuming I have 5-8 days after Salamanca, any thoughts on which of these options would be better?
And any opinions on whether to try to fit in any of these: La Granja de San Ildefonso near Segovia, Aranjuez palace near Madrid, and The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial? Not so interested in castles per se but definitely interested in beautiful gardens or impressive interiors.