My husband and I are flying into Barcelona at the end of April and are flying out of Madrid 2 weeks later. We plan to stay a few days each in Barcelona and Madrid, with a day in Toledo as well. We are still looking for somwhere to go that is between Barcelona and Madrid however. We thought about Valencia, but are looking for suggestions on how we can spend a couple of days while traveling from Barcelona to Madrid.
We are adventerous people and open to all suggestions!
Thanks!
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
A wealth of possibilities! Frankly, I'd head northwest towards San Sebastian and stay there overnight, then come back down through la Rioja, stay in one of the lovely country inns and drive through the wine-making country, then into Madrid.
Posted by
baton rouge, la, US
269 posts
My vote goes to Zaragoza. That's how we broke up our trip a few years back. We also flew into Barcelona and out of Madrid. Zaragoza is an amazing find. I recommend Hotel Las Torres, which is directly across from the amazing El Pilar cathedral (www.hotellastorres.com). Despite the unbeatable location, it was (at least two years ago) the most reasonably priced hotel I found. Zaragoza also has the Aljeferia, which was described to me as a mini-Alcazar, and some small but great Roman ruins.
Posted by
Washington, DC, USA
8 posts
The medieval gem Segovia, with it's Disney-esque Alcazar castle and it's incredibly well-preserved and enormous aquadect, is also definitely worth a stop if you're going to be traveling in the area around Madrid--it's also a day trip from Madrid, about the same distance away as Toledo I think.
And if history interests you then I would also recommend an additional day trip combining El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen. El Escorial is a massive palace-monastery complex built by the enigmatic Phillip II (of the Armada and the Black Legend) where you can see his royal apartments (as well as those of his daughters) with the bed he died in, impressive halls and chapter rooms, gardens, and a crypt with every king of Spain (starting with Phillip's father the powerful Emperor Charles V) is buried, up to the current king's father (soon--they have to undergo a decomp process first).
Valley of the Fallen meanwhile is a HUGE memorial/monument to the fallen in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), built by the dictator Franco and featuring his tomb....
Madrid and Barcelona in themselves are worth 2-3 days each I'd say....good luck!
Posted by
Breckenridge, CO
239 posts
We stayed at a Parador in Calahorra, which is about half the distance from Madrid to Barcelona. The town was nothing special, but it was authentic Spain, which we enjoyed. I also loved Segovia! It is not along the way, but very close to Madrid. It was my favorite town in Spain!
Posted by
Breckenridge, CO
239 posts
We stayed at a Parador in Calahorra, which is about half the distance from Madrid to Barcelona. The town was nothing special, but it was authentic Spain, which we enjoyed. I also loved Segovia! It is not along the way, but very close to Madrid. It was my favorite town in Spain!
Posted by
Chicago, Illinois, USA
586 posts
Any reason why you can't spend a few nights in Toledo (30 min from Madrid via AVE train), and even Sevilla for 2 or 3 nights (2.5 hours via AVE train) before returning to Madrid for a night before flying home? These are AMAZING cities, and the high-speed train makes them very do-able from Madrid...and then back to return home.