My husband and I (60) will be in Madrid 6 or 7 days. We love wine and would like to know if you have any suggestions on touring some wineries outside of Madrid. We will also day visit Segovia and Toledo (different days). Any other must do’s outside of Madrid? We will be spending 2-3 solid days in the city. We are also going to spend a few nights in Seville, Granada, and Córdoba (dropping off car and then taking train to airport). We will be renting a car in Seville. Could you recommend a quaint town for us to stay in for a night? I heard Ronda was lovely, but too crowded.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Any other must do's outside of Madrid?
Not necessarily "must do's" but there are:
El Escorial
Valley of the Fallen
Avila
La Mancha (the latter if driving between Toledo and Granada)
Posted by
Washington DC
27190 posts
Alcala de Henares is an old university town outside Madrid with frequent train service. It's very pretty, though the historic center is a bit of a walk from the train station. I'm not a fan of Avila, which to me seemed to have not much of interest besides a wall. I happily spent about a full day wandering around Segovia (and two days in Toledo) but was ready to leave Avila after about 2 hours. For me it doesn't make the cut on a short trip unless you're driving pastit in the way to somewhere else.
Can't help with wineries or white-town options for overnighting beyond noting that I believe Arcos de la Frontera is the largest place outside Ronda. I have no idea whether it would feel less crowded than Ronda, because I've never been to Arcos and was last in Ronda over 20 years ago.
Posted by
OP
29 posts
Thank you for all of your suggestions. I don’t really care for sherry. I do like Tempranillo, though.
Posted by
3 posts
Ronda is lovely, and definitely worth it -- apparently, it is most crowded during the day, but by dinner empties out as many folks from cruiseships do day-trips up there. I recommend staying overnight if you go so you can experience it when the crowds leave. Honestly, if you are going to Sevilla and Cordoba, you are going to experience crowds anyway, and Ronda is unique and beautiful. Stay at the parador, if you can!
Posted by
Barcelona ☀️ Sweden ❄️
3910 posts
The La Mancha region just south of Madrid is the largest of our wine regions, the Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes are the kings here. Look at the Ribera del Júcar (DO) area close to Cuenca (a lovely medieval cliff-town) it has the highest density of wineries. Here is a small list of Bodegas from the official website of Ribera del Júcar: https://www.vinosriberadeljucar.com/es/22/Bodegas.html
Posted by
OP
29 posts
Thank you so much Carlos and Sharon. Definitely good suggestions