First days of our trip (Toledo and Madrid)

It's hard to comment without the entire itinerary, but here goes. Your instincts are right to stay overnight in Toledo - but I would not start a trip with a one night stay, especially one that requires a bus or train ride after landing. Madrid is worth three full days even without day trips to El Escorial, Segovia, and Toledo (if you did not stay overnight in Toledo). We were there for five nights in 2005, did day trips on three days and felt as if we had shortchanged Madrid. Consider the Thyssen museum in Madrid as well. It's right across the street from the Prado. (Full disclosure, I spent about a week in Madrid on my own in 2001 and it gets my vote along with Budapest and Lisbon for one of the most underrated big cities in Europe. Barcelona is a very enjoyable visit; I have been there twice and will go back, but it is somewhat overrated.) I have done both a day trip and overnight to Toledo, and the latter is preferable by far. I would consider taking time from other stops to avoid compromising at the beginning. Are you spending the remaining time in Barcelona itself? That is way too much there IMO.

Thanks for your comments.. after this we are going to barcelona for 3 1/2 days and thwn Paris 4 days. I wrote our wish list first if we have more time in between the plces we want to see we will try to fit other things.
About Toledo i put an itinerary first putting it as a day trip from madrid but most people suggested for us to stay the first night there.

We spent our first night in Toledo - just one night - and it was great. Smartest move of our whole trip.

thanks Adam..
do you remember the Hotel. and what you guys where able to do, so we know if we are trying to much or is ok...? thanks

Shira, I never recommend hotels because we are such cheapskates about that and most people would not be happy with our choices. But here are some notes of that visit, for what it's worth: "The old city is about 15 minutes walk from the bus station, steeply uphill, through an ornate gate in the old walls, then up cobbled streets. We parked ourselves at a budget pension, then went out to look about.
By now, it must have been about 10 or 10:30." Lunch: "Our first meal was typical, which is to say, not memorable." "Back at the hotel, we had a siesta at around 2 or 3....It was hot. Anywhere in the sun in the afternoon was an invitation to bake. We saw tour groups everywhere we went. "We continued to roam the city, stopping in its cathedral (with a peak at its visigothic chapel) and to see some El Grecos, a mosque-synagogue-church, and a monastery with a beautiful two-decker cloister; but also not being terribly well organized and arriving too late at one synagogue. No problem, we said; we'll stop by the next morning. "Around 5:30, we found ourselves at the edge of the old city walls, watching all the tour groups trudge out to their buses. We made our way back to the other end of town and sat outside and got our dinnersnacks from a bar.... As the evening progressed, the townspeople, who had been hidden all day, began their paseo. Things were starting to get hopping when we went to bed. "Toledo is an old city with real presence. Starting here, rather than Madrid, was tricky but may have been the smartest move of our trip." Have fun!

Thanks..so i guess we are ok with this..at least toledo... What abou the days in Madrid...???
Thanks

Hi Shira, I've sent you a Private Message for a link to a good website for your trip to Spain. I like your overall plan for Madrid, as far as Barcelona I've never been but I've spent over a month in northern Spain walking the Camino de Santiago, so if you have any questions about that just let me know. As far as getting to the Atocha train station from the airport it is easy, I recommend taking the airport express bus, it goes directly from the airport to Atocha for only 5 euro, it was 2 euro but I read something recently that said it is 5 now. Here is a links for info http://madridisuserfriendly.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-airport-express-bus.html