We have 7 full days to share between Bilbao and Madrid at the end of October. One of those days we will be flying to Madrid.
At the moment our plan is.
We arrive in Bilbao at about 4.30pm and plan on spending two nights.
Day 1 Guggenheim and other art museum.
Day 2 fly late to Madrid and have another 1/2 day in Bilbao
Day 3 Explore Madrid.
Day 4 Day trip to Toledo.
Day 5 day trip to Segovia (I am still checking out access to Aqueduct etc)
Day 6 and 7 explore Madrid
Day 8 We have to fly to Uk
Question. Will this be enough time to explore Madrid , we probably won't return and will we have enough time in Bilbao . I have wanted to visit the Guggenheim of years and finally have the opportunity.
Thoughts ?
Posted by
316 posts
Looks good to me. Madrid is amazing. Will you fully experience Toledo, Bilbao, Madrid, Segovia and Madrid in 8 days? No, obviously. But, you're working with that set amount of time and it sounds like a great trip.
The Aqueduct runs through the city of Segovia, there's no special way to access it. I would definitely visit the Alcazar of Segovia as well.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8685 posts
The time you need in Madrid depends on what you want to see there. If you don’t care about art museums or museums in general a couple days may be sufficient.
The aqueduct in Segovia runs through the historic center of town. It’s available to walk around 24/7. There is nothing to go into. It’s more important to check on the Alcázar hours if you intend to visit it.
Posted by
Bilbao
1063 posts
Bilbao has amazing architecture all over the city, a beautiful old town, a 1915 funicular to Artxanda mountain, Azkuna Zentroa, the Fine Arts Museum,..., and a very, very lively atmosphere anywhere. A fully walkable city. You may also want to take the metro to visit the unique Puente Bizkaia, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument that has been functioning non-stop since 1893.
Posted by
new york
1726 posts
There is no access to the aqueduct--you just look at it from below as far as I know.
For me this would be too much for one week. I would plan to see only Madrid and Bilbao; forget anything else..
Posted by
10239 posts
good plan, don't miss Toledo and Segovia/
Posted by
Sarasota,FL
479 posts
Sounds like a great use of your time. You can pick the best weather for the day trips to Segovia and Toledo since they are mostly outdoor walking. The trains are frequent and easy. The bus meets the train in Segovia to transport you to town by the aqueduct. There is a series of escalators to bring you up to Toledos historic center, plus some walking. You’ll do a lot of walking in both places.
Posted by
Paris
7956 posts
If you don't mind another change of hotels, rather than dealing with airports mid-trip you can take the train from Bilbao to Segovia. It's direct, takes 4.5 hours and leaves Bilbao after 5 PM, getting you in Segovia around 10 PM (the high-speed station is a little bit out of town, there are buses or I guess a taxi could be arranged). Then, you can visit Segovia the next day with an earlier start and continue to Madrid whenever ready.