Toledo Day trip from Madrid

Would you consider going to Toledo on your own by train? We did so last November using Rick’s chapter on Toledo and had a full day there. If that interests you I can send you my trip report. The train takes much less than 2 hours and you can taxi from the train to the tourist area. Toledo is wonderful.

On the other hand there is plenty to do in Madrid, especially if you like art museums.

Edited to add: If you like cathedrals and El Greco’s art, those were the standouts for us in Toledo. In Madrid The Prado and the Royal Palace were our top sites.

AS suggested, I'd do Toledo on your own as a day trip. Just uner an hour by train, and you are not tied to doing all in 8 hours.

Great feedback
We will do a day trip on our own.
Ty
Lorie

I really enjoyed Toledo. My sister and I did it as a day trip from Madreid. We took the ‘ferrobus’., a train that was so low rated that ‘Europe on $5 a Day’ said it was to be avoided! My sister bought several pieces of the inlaid jewelery that were incredibly cheap back then (1970).

As part of our Barcelona & Madrid RS tour we had a day trip to Toledo. I know it was not a two hour bus ride each way. I wonder why your tour says that? We had a great guide once in town. . In RS book it should list his name. Sorry I don’t remember. He wrote a book about the town.

With a guide you learn & see so much more. It was a very cool town

Also with the tour we stopped above the city for amazing views of the walled city & town. Not sure how you would get those views if not coming into town in a vehicle

In theory, the drive from Madrid to Toledo should only take one hour. Traffic, time of day, construction, weather, etc. along the route will add to that time. The last three times I’ve driven to Toledo it has taken about 1.5 hours.

We took the train from Madrid to Toledo.

With 8 people, I suggest that you get 2 taxis at the Toledo train station and asked the drivers to drive you into town with a prior 5 minute stop at the "Mirador de Valle" to take iconic shots/selfies of Toledo from across the Valley. The morning light is perfect.

In our November 2022 trip, we met a nice couple from Texas on the train and agreed to split the cab fare. The Husband could speak Spanish and negotiated a fare of €15. In the end, the driver would only accept €10.

@barbara n, I'd be very interested in your trip report!

Here is my trip report. Scroll down to find Toledo. I hope it is helpful.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-analucia-and-madrid-in-november

SA. We took the Barcelona Madrid tour with Rick Steves and we traveled by train. A bus met us there and drove us up the hill. When did you take the tour. Ours was four years ago.

To the OP. Glad you are using the train.

Also with the tour we stopped above the city for amazing views of the walled city & town. Not sure how you would get those views if not coming into town in a vehicle

There is a cute little tourist train in Toledo that takes visitors out of town and stops at several viewpoints, including the views painted by El Greco. https://www.facebook.com/toledotrainvision/

I wouldn’t skip Toledo. It’s only about one hour each way by van, so an 8-hour tour should give you around six hours there, enough to see the main sights. Toledo is very different from Madrid and well worth a day trip. Just confirm whether the company means two hours each way or two hours round-trip.