Madrid to Toledo

A taxi's the quickest, and will probably cost about 30 Euro, once all the supplements and luggage are counted (you pay an airport suppliement AND a train station supplement, plus a small fee per bag.)
Metro will cost 2 Euro per person, take about 45 minutes, and involve two changes before you get to the Atocha RENFE metro stop.

Also you might consider the bus to Toledo. Maybe a little slower dumps right in the center of town by the plaza. The train is on the edge of town and it is look hike or a taxi ride up the hill. Spain has an excellent and cheap bus system.

Thanks to you both. We'll look into both options. I'm not much of a taxi kind of traveler, but 2 metro changes with a suitcase after a long trip doesn't sound too inviting.

Hi, I asked the same question to Norm (a poster on this site that seems to be very experienced with Spain), here is his reply...
the best ways is definitely the fast AVE train...takes half an hour and costs less than 10 Euro per person, each way. There are trains hourly from Madrid's Atocha station, and you can either catch the bus up to Plaza de Zocodover, or have a taxi run you up to your hotel...since you'll have luggage. There's no discount for booking ahead, but I would still reserve your tickets up to 62 days out at www.renfe.es to make sure you get the train journeys you want. The site is in Spanish, but I can help you walk thru it if you have problems. As for accommodations, I stay with friends in the new part of town when I am there....so I don't really know the hotels. But post a question on the board and you'll get lots of responses. Have a great trip!

just got back from spain in mid march. metro from airport to atocha renfe very easy even with bags. ave train to toledo, also easy did it twice without reservations. some standing in line, get reservations if you can nail down your time. i would taxi from toledo train station to your hotel. it is cheap. bus is fine as well. you can do it. have fun.

I think Norm may have misspoken in his reply above - I suspect he may have misread your question and thought you were asking how to get between Madrid and the Madrid airport. I'm guessing it's more (a lot more?) than 30 Euro for a taxi from Madrid's airport to Toledo. I could be wrong (and I could be the one who misunderstood your question).

Personally, I think it makes the most sense to take the metro from Madrid's airport to the Madrid train station, then catch the high-speed train to Toledo. Exit the cute train station, grab a taxi, and have them drop you at your hotel deep in the old city. Easy, reasonably priced, pleasurable.

Hope that helps.

Hi David...you're right, the high speed train is probably the best way to get from Madrid to Toledo. I had assumed the OP had already decided on that route, since they had ruled out a car and were asking how to get from Madrid airport to the "station." I somehow assumed that was the Madrid train station....not the one in Toledo! ;)

Thanks to all who replied. Sorry about the confusion with my question. We will be going from the Madrid airport to the Madrid train station and then taking the train to Toledo. Husband has been having some back trouble, so we will probably take a taxi to train station rather than metro.