Itinerary for Madrid/Castile Leon/Cordoba

Posted by ji on 12/28/13 03:39 AM

We're planning a trip to Spain for the week before Easter for 8 days. My husband and I have been to Andalusia, Barcelona, and Bilbao/San Sebastian. We're traveling with our kids (7 and 9) this time and thought we'd focus on Madrid and Castile Leon. Our kids can handle some museums but will probably be more into castles. We'd also like to see some Jewish historical sites and some of the Semana Santa events. We also don't want to move hotels every night. Below is our planned itinerary so far. Any advice on whether we're allotting too much or too little time in any place or whether we're missing any towns we should see would be appreciated. Also, we haven't yet looked into staying in a castle, but if we could work that in, that would be a plus.

Arrive Saturday, stay Saturday night through Wednesday night at Artrip hotel in Madrid, see Madrid for 2 days, do day trips from Madrid to Segovia, Avila and/or Salamanca

Train to Cordoba from Madrid. Stay in Cordoba Thursday and Friday nights (need suggestions for hotels with quad rooms or apartments)

Train from Cordoba back to Madrid, train to Toledo. Stay in Toledo Friday and Saturday nights at Apartamentos Cueva de Hercules III.

Posted by jack333john

St. Joe Beach FL

12/30/13 04:20 PM

9 posts

This sounds like a great trip! I would recommend Avila over Salamanca for your second day trip. It is an easier rail trip, and in my opinion, there is much more to see in Avila.

Posted by Nancy

Bloomington, IL, USA

12/30/13 05:41 PM

9363 posts

Salamanca is one of my favorite towns in Spain! And definitely see Segovia (cathedral, palace, and the aqueduct). You will love Cordoba! The Mezquita is fascinating, and the old town around it is fun to explore. You will want to visit the old synagogue there, too. Lots of pretty patios to peer into along the narrow streets, as well as little shops.

Posted by Maria

Tucson, AZ, usa

12/30/13 07:10 PM

18 posts

What a wonderful time you will have! My husband and I visited Granada and Madrid this past summer and it was an amazing trip! With regard to the day trips from Madrid, definitely do not miss out on Segovia. What an amazing place! The Alcazar palace will take your breath away. It is so beautiful and you could easily spend the whole day touring it. Although it is a steep (and somewhat claustrophobic) climb of over 130 some steps, make sure you go to the very top of the castle for an incredible view of the city. These were some of my favorite pictures from our trip. Either on your way to or from the castle, make sure to stop by a lovely little bakery called Limon y Menta. Ask for the Ponche Segoviano...OMG!!!!! If you remember the scene in the diner from "When Harry Met Sally," it is that good!

If you have the time, I would recommend a day trip to El Escorial (home of the Spanish Inquisition) and Valle de los Caidos as well. Again, this will take up the entire day and is SO worth the trip. You cannot take pictures inside El Escorial, but you can take pictures of the outside. It is an amazing place with so much history. From the bus station, you can buy a round trip bus ticket to Valle de los Caidos. I believe the bus takes you over around 2 or 3pm and then brings you back around 4 or 5pm. A sobering experience for sure.

I know you have mentioned your hotel plans for Madrid, but thought I would share the chain we stayed at in both Granada and Madrid...the Room Mate hotels. These are a lovely chain of boutique hotels with every amenity and the nicest staff you can imagine. The hotels have different names..we stayed at Leo in Granada and Laura in Madrid (I believe there were two other room mate hotels in Madrid) and they were perfectly situated in the heart of each city. They offer a wonderfully hearty breakfast assortment for 8 euros which we really appreciated as we loaded up on breakfast and that fueled our day until dinner when we enjoyed a nice meal at the close of each day.

I hope you and your family have an amazing trip!!!

Posted by Ron

southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.

12/30/13 10:14 PM

1717 posts

Hello ji.
I recommend going to Segovia (one whole day) and Alcazar (one whole day). If you will not have time for going to all of the places that are on your list, I suggest : delete Toledo from your itinerary. I think Toledo does not have anything interesting to see, other than the big church.

Posted by Steven

FL USA

12/31/13 04:56 PM

1520 posts

With four nights in madrid highly recommend you investigate renting an apt.advantages are larger space, kitchen, separate bedrooms, sometimes washer, a place to return and comfortably plomp down and we have found to be of better value than hotels. We also enjoy being surrounded by locals rather than being is a hotel district. In madrid we strive to stay in the latina district.