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Suggestions for a week in and around a smaller town or city before going to Madrid.

Hello. My wife and I are planning to go to Spain at the end of May. We typically visit cities when we travel, and we’ve been to Sevilla and Madrid in the past, and I’ve been to Barcelona for work. (We/I loved all three.) On this trip we will meet our son and son-in-law in Madrid for three nights, and for a week or so before that we are thinking of staying in a smaller town and having a car and exploring from a home base. We'll probably get a car at the Madrid airport so would not want to drive more than 3 or 4 hours from there and ideally less. We’d very much appreciate any suggestions. We are pretty low-key travelers – we like to wander around cities and towns, do easy or moderate-level hiking and biking, eat and drink at local/casual places, and in cities visit botanical gardens, an art or historical museum or two and overall just absorb the local flavor. We like “aparthotels” or independent hotels or similar within walking distance of places to eat, and we love having a terrace or garden to sit in (if we can have it all…..). Somewhere on the coast is appealing (though not Costa del Sol), but we’re very open to inland as well.

So, if any of you have any suggestions for particular towns or areas and/or places to stay in, or good sources for accommodations (we’ve used Airbnb with decent success but I know there are other good sources), please let us know, and thanks so much in advance!

Posted by
11052 posts

We had a few days after landing at Madrid to wait for the rest of our group. We were advised to drive to Rascafria and stay at the Monastery of El Paular. Magnificent dining room. I didn't realise that there were still monks living there but there were in a different section.It was November and I recall a ski area nearby, beautiful mountains.
Other ideas are Cuenca and Salamanca. Leon is farther but wonderful. Whenever there is a Parador we stay there.

Posted by
3874 posts

Consider Zaragoza; More than 2,000 years of history including Roman ruins of the city walls, forum, and amphitheater, and the Aljafería; an 11th-century Moorish palace, the most northern Islamic palace in Europe. Throughout Zaragoza you'll find Mudéjar architecture, a unique mix between Moorish and Christian styles and motifs. Zaragoza is also the home to the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica, which has one of the best church exteriors in Spain.

I think that Zaragoza is one of those undiscovered gems that Rick Steves calls "back doors". It reminds me a lot of Barcelona before international mass tourism really took off.

Posted by
387 posts

I'm spending a week this summer in Valladolid, not because the town itself is so picturesque, but because it's right in the middle of lots of other towns I plan on visiting:

Leon
Burgos
Segovia
Salamanca
Avila
Zamora
Palencia

Another idea in a different direction might be Caceres. From here you could visit Merida, Trujillo, Guadalupe, Alcantara, Badajoz, Plasencia, Oropesa, Zafra and at the end possibly Toledo on the way into Madrid.

For my trip to Spain this summer I'm using a variety of Airbnb, Booking.com and hotels just depending on what had the best listings and prices. You may need to check all three depending on where you decide to go.

Posted by
6384 posts

Salamanca- 2 hrs drive from Madrid
Zamora - 2.5 hours drive from Madrid
Burgos - 3 hours drive from Madrid
Zaragoza, León - 3.5 hours drive from Madrid

Each is nice to visit with a plethora of options for day trips depending on what you decide to do. We like to stay at Paradors if there’s one in the town we’re visiting. Paradors are a government run hotel chain with many in historic buildings such as, monasteries, convents, castle, hospitals, etc. from the cities I mentioned, there are Paradors in Zamora, León, and Salamanca.

Posted by
672 posts

Consider using Cáceres in Extremadura as a base. The historic center of Cáceres is intriguing and a great place to wander. It is about two and a half hours by car from Madrid. Extremadura is a wonderful area to explore. It does get very, very hot in summer but May should be fine. From Cáceres there are all kinds of doable daytrips. My top recommendation is the town of Trujillo. It is like going back in time. I found the town almost eerily spooky at night. Guadalupe with its historic monastery is quite pretty and the town is very picturesque. Mérida or Badajoz with their impressive Roman ruins are close enough for a daytrip with a car. There are lots of very unique small mountain towns nearby that haven't changed much in centuries. You said you like hiking. The nearby Jerte River Valley has lots of outdoor activity options and is famous for its many cherry trees, but they blossom in late March so you would miss that. If you go to Valle del Jerte you could stop for a visit in Plasencia.

Posted by
2922 posts

Granada is worth a visit and buy tickets for the Alhambra Palacios Nazaries before leaving home.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you all - Mary Pat, Pat, Jaime, Bill, Carlos and Suki - for your great suggestions. There are too many good options! For the moment we are thinking of Caceres and exploring from there.... but ask me next week and we'll see if we've changed our minds..