Madrid or Toledo

It depends on your exact number of days. You can't see all of Toledo in two days; you can't see all of Madrid in five. You can see a lot of Toledo in one; you can see a lot of Madrid in three. A day trip to Toledo is a waste of time. Going back and forth to Madrid is idiotic. You've hived out where the Toledo train station is right? And studied a contour map?

you should spend an overnight in toledo. it's very quiet after hours to wonder the old town, really cool. also recommend you take the mini bus tour going around the town. it gives you an overview of the city, and taking some really nice pics of the town from outside.

Given your limited time a day trip to Toledo with three days in Madrid would be my recommendation. An overnight in Toledo would be better. Take the bus. It is more convenient, cheaper, dumps you on the square, and about the same time when you factor in getting from the train station to the square which is what Ed was hinting about.

We spent two nights in Toledo and loved it. I would not have traded that for more time in Madrid. I'd say 2 nights in Toledo and 3 in Madrid if you can. Check out Casa de los Mozarabes in Toledo--- it is a great place to stay.

There is much more to do in Madrid. We did Toledo as a day trip from Madrid and were satisfied with this. An overnight in Toledo would be nice, but I think that if you only fit it in for a day trip it is still worthwhile and you will be glad you went.

With the amount of days that you have available, I would stay in Madrid for 5 nights with a day trip to Toledo. We spent 12 days in Madrid and did the day trip. Quite enjoyable and you will be back!

Sure, Madrid is a bigger city and there is "much more" to do. But how "much" do you need? Toledo offers more history, and as a hilltop walled city it is very special, very different from " big city" Madrid. It was lovely to wander the narrow streets and to stay in a building that dates back to the 1500's. Two of the best dinner experiences we had in Spain were in Toledo. It is so nice to be there at night, after the daytrippers leave.

We just returned from Spain and Morocco. Due to time available we spent 3 nights in Madrid and did a day trip to Toledo. I expected to be disappointed to not be able to spend an overnight there but we hired a guide for the day who met us at the train station and took us for an overview of the outside of Toledo before leading us through Toledo's historical center. We were not disappointed at all.

Tom - I recommend reading up on each place and deciding what you want to see in each place. If you are into museums, you may want to spend more time in Madrid. If you don't care at all for museums, spend less time in Madrid, etc. What works for one person, won't work for another.

Toledo is 28 minutes from Madrid (Atocha Station) via the AVE train. I have been to Madrid and Toledo several times. I would recommend a 900 or so AVE to Toledo, spend the day and night there, and then back to Madrid on the second day after lunch at a minimum. Also, the Hostal Posada de Manolo, near the cathederal is centrally located, has a good breakfast over looking the cathedral,and has nice owners as well. Additionally, if you get lost, which is possible, just look for the cathedral and you can easily get back on the winding streets.

Toledo is such a beautiful town, that if you can spend one night there, it could be the highlight of your trip. If you can't stay the night, arrive early and leave late. We rented a car in Madrid and drove there. The drive after you leave Madrid and when you come in the city walls... what can I say? The Cathedral alone is worth the trip. They say "the Cathedral in Seville is the jewelry box and the jewel inside is in Toledo's Cathedral". Those steep narrow streets... well... I love that town.

I have never been to Spain, but am considering a trip in 2013. If we go, we will probably fly into and spend two or three nights in Madrid before travelling to Seville. If two nights, we will spend the entire time in Madrid. But if three nights, we probably will take a tour to Toledo on one of the two full days in Madrid. Except for London and Paris, I find Europe much more interesting and charming outside its big cities. I do not especially enjoy art museums, though I would like to see Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofia. And as far as the Royal Palace, I have seen already both Versailles and the Schonbrunn with my finding the latter interesting but not a must-see. I love Europe for its culture, its people and its history. It seems the only right mix is that which meets the needs of the individual travellers.

So much to see and do in Spain. We ended up doing a day and overnight in Toledo and then a day and overnight in Madrid. I wouldn't have traded the overnight in Toledo for more time in Madrid. Highly recommend it. I liked Seville a lot more than Madrid.

We visited Toledo as a day trip via train from Madrid and city bus from the train station to the Plaza. While we were satisfied with what we were able to see in a day it would have been nice to have spent the night and had time to relax in the plaza and see the town after dark. In September it will likely be hot and you might not want/be able to power up and down those hills, so you may want to allow more time in Toledo. In our case it made more sense to day trip because there was a lot we wanted to do in Madrid and there were more choices there for economical hotels.

leaving on Sept 26th this year we did a 6 week driving tour of Spain and Portugal. We spent 1 night in Toledo before heading back to Madrid for our flight home... I would recommend a night in Toledo, we covered a lot in a 1 1/2 days.... Toledo gets busy during the day with day trippers from Madrid.. The early morning is great as you are there before the tour groups arrive..
We used booking.com and stayed at the Hotel Carlos V which was cheap, clean, included breakfast, there was even a bottle of wine in our room! Our room felt like it had been recently refurbished, it was in a great location with an amazing view from the roof top bar... sadly bar was closed but hey we had our bottle of wine to watch the sunset over the cathedral and rooftops with!! We also stayed in a hotel with the same name in Madrid !

Toledo deserves an entire day to do it justice. But David's correct in that it's like a different city by night than by day. It's much quieter, most of the day-trippers have returned to Madrid, and you feel like you have the city to yourselves. It can be quite romantic at night! You can decide whether it's worth staying over or not. Madrid deserves at least 3-days to do it any justice at all. More would be better, but I understand busy travel plans. Enjoy your time in Spain, Madrid, and Toledo! Saludos, MadridMan @ you-know-where!!