Segovia El Escorial Avila Salamanca advice for 5 day schedule

Honestly, 5 nights in Segoiva seems like overkill, I would probably couple it with another town, like Salamanca or Toledo. I would skip probably El Escorial and definitively Valley of the Fallen (an active Fascist Monument), there are better things to visit, like the University Town of Salamanca one of the oldest in the world or the impressive Castillo de Coca, also Ávila‎ is worth it too, if you like medieval fortifications (which I do).

Another idea would be to head east (instead of north west) to spend some time at the impressive medieval town of Cuenca, which hangs off the side of a cliff. Since you will have a car, there are many interesting day trips from Cuenca you can do: like the la Ciudad Encantada geological site, or the abandoned Ancient Roman City of Segobriga, Serrania de Cuenca National Park, and the charming town of Albarracín, with its Moorish architecture and fortifications.

We visited Rascafria in the mountains north of Madrid and stayed at Santa Maria de Paular. Beautiful.

Hadn't heard about Rascafria. Is there a hotel Santa Maria de Paular there (looks like it is a Sheraton?) Is there much to do there, or did you use it for a home base to see Segovia? We will be there in January (if that matters).

Rascafria literally means "a Cold-Itch", so it probably will be quite cold in winter lol, maybe ski? ;)

I wouldn't want to drive 55 miles to Segovia after an overnight flight, but perhaps you've done that sort of thing before and know you'll be OK.

Have you been to Toledo? If not, that would be my clear first choice. You could spend 3 nights there without needing to leave the city. I think the criticism a few others have made about how quiet the city gets in the evening is valid, however.

I haven't been to El Escorial; it has just never sounded all that interesting to me. Perhaps I'll get there some day and be very pleasantly surprised. But a Fascist monument would be a "No" for me.

I enjoyed staying in Segovia. It's not tiny, and the aqueduct isn't the only thing to see there. Whether 5 nights is too many depends on how many day-trips you plan to take. Without side-trips I think you'd be ready to move on at some point on your third day.

I've very "meh" on Avila and would skip it if you need to, to fit something else in. I'd only stop there if I was driving past and had a spare 2 hours or so. It has a wall; that's it as far as I'm concerned. And I can normally entertain myself for many hours, just wandering around a town's historic district.

Salamanca is much, much more interesting than Avila. I think it benefits from a night spent there because of its size and the travel time.

I agree with Carlos about Cuenca and Albarracin and would definitely also toss Teruel into the mix. I suspect those places could be a bit cool in January, and I don't know about winter conditions on the road(s) linking Cuenca to the other two. but that group of destinations is ideal otherwise in that you already plan to have a car. Except for Cuenca (on the AVE line between Madrid and Valencia), those spots are slow to access by public transportation from anywhere, and Cuenca isn't connected directly to the other two. Because of the once-a-day bus schedule from Teruel, you have to spend the night in Albarracin if you don't have a car.

Without a car you could easily visit three of Cuenca, Toledo and Segovia. To my mind they are the top 3 side-trips from Madrid, and Toledo is absolutely one of the top destinations in Spain.

Should you find you seem to have an extra half a day, you could visit the handsome university town of Alcala de Henares. It's east of Barajas Airport and not terribly far away. I assume with a car it would be a safe place to stay the night before you fly home. I've only visited it on a too-short day-trip from Madrid.

Have done Toledo (and Madrid) before, so was looking to go north/west this time from Madrid. Was thinking the same thing about Avila (have seen many of those type towns all over Europe before, so sounds like nothing particularly different there, which would make it worth a special visit). I really wanted to see Segovia, and once somewhat headed in that direction, seemed to make sense to see El Escorial also, since so close. And again once in that area, seemed like maybe going a bit further to Salamanca would be worth it also. So grouping those sights together, don't think it makes sense to try to go back all the way east towards Cuenca and other places (although all sound amazing for the next trip). I think I'm now leaning towards maybe Day 1 (arrival day from US) get into Segovia, then have Day 2 and Day 3 nights all there in Segovia (so one day see Segovia, and one day El Escorial and maybe Valley of the Fallen, just to see it because so close). And have all 3 evenings that way in Segovia? Then 2 nights and days in Salamanca (sounds like plenty to do there also). Anyone have recommendations on specific places to stay in either place? Thanks.

We did Segovia on a day trip from Madrid. No way would I spend four nights there.

Salamanca is great, we did it on a day trip while on a Douro River cruise in Portugal. Both Segovia and Salamanca can be done in one full day.

Enjoy Madrid, it is a great city.

Riofrio palace is very close to Segovia by car. It may not be the most interesting palace in Europe, but it's attractive enough area and worth the drive.

Valladolid would be an easy day trip from either Segovia or Salamanca and it is an interesting city well worth a day.

Avila is the obvious day trip with its magnificent walled old town and beautiful buildings inside. You're correct that there are plenty of walled towns in Europe and Britain, but I think Avila's are the most complete and impressive And inside are some attractive buildings (mainly religious), and squares. Still, that's only my opinion for what it's worth.

Even if you can hold your nose and visit Valle de los Caídos, it's not that interesting really. Rather bombastic architecture from the Francoists and their Catholic church friends. It's pretty boring to be honest.

I can understand those who wouldn't suggest either Segovia or Salamanca as places to visit intensively for four or five nights. But as towns to base yourself in and take day trips, both would be fine to us (but we are quite lazy tourists), with plenty of options for evening meals and leisurely walks or "paseo" - Salamanca perhaps more so than Segovia.

Some really good suggestions. The monastery at San Lorenzo de El Escorial, to see the crypt with kings and queens is nice, once, but all there is to see in the town. The Valley of the Fallen is about 8 miles down the road and is interesting. If you think of it as a war memorial for all those who died during the Spanish civil war it’s a nice visit. It was built by slave/prisoner labor; anybody opposed to Franco. The huge cross is nice and the view of the surrounding area is spectacular. Recently, if I read the article correctly, the Spanish government, or court, ruled that Franco’s body is to be moved out of the Monument to a private cemetery, and that his family was fighting the exhumation. If you drive to Segovia, you can see the cross from the A6 highway (AP6 [toll] at that point) near the Guadarrama exit. The drive to Segovia from the airport is an easy one. Whether you decide to drive it after a long flight is up to you. For me, I’d drive it after the flight, but only you know yourself. We spent a few hours at El Escorial and maybe two hours at the valley of the Fallen, so they can both be seen in a day. I agree with you that it doesn’t make sense to drive northwest to turn around and drive southeast to see Cuenca (very much worth visiting.)

If you’re into castles, there are a number in the Segovia area; Coca, Cuellar, Portillo, Penafiel, and Manzanares el Real, to name a few.

I agree with Nick that Segovia and Salamanca are fine places to base yourself if you have appropriate plans for day-trips. I spent multiple nights in both cities and didn't regret it.