Madrid to Toledo by Train. Suggestions?

It is too nearly to buy for July, at least for dates after July 8 or so. Renfe tickets only appear 62 days in advance. Wait and few weeks and you should see them. But for Madrid to Toledo, you do not need to buy way in advance; there is no price advAntage on that route. And if you have trouble buying on Renfe, you can wait until you arrive in Spain and buy them then.

That's just a commuter train really. There is no need or discount for advance purchase. I do recommend buying the tickets a day or two ahead at the Atocha Train Station. The lines can be long and during peak times some of the trains fill up. And having your return ticket gives you pice of mind during your trip.

You don't have to go to the train station to buy your tickets. Any travel agent can do it. Corte Ingles department store near Puerta del Sol has a good travel office.

Our preference is to use the bus. It is more convenient and not that much slower - maybe 30mins. The bus stops at the town square in Toledo but the train station is on the edge of town below Toledo which means public transit or a taxi to the town center. The bus is much cheaper.

You can either catch a bus, no reservation needed, or wait until 62 days prior and reserve a train ticket. The price for the train shouldn't be much either if you book well ahead but you're tied into a specific time. We dropped off our car and took an AVE from Cordoba to Madrid, mainly because we wanted to experience the high speed train (there are other options, like AVANT, that are also high speed).

"The bus stops at the town square.". What town square? Plaza Zocodover? Ricks map of Toledo shows the bus station outside the city, at the bottom of the hill. He says you have to walk 15 minutes, or take a city bus or taxi to get to Plaza Zocodover from the bus station. Is that wrong?

It did not take us 15 minutes to walk from the bus station in Toledo (which is at the outskirts, but it's a small town) to the old center. And we were carrying our bags. The bus ride from Madrid only took about an hour. I'm sure the train is a fine choice too.

The bus takes about an hour and costs around 5 euros one-way, 9 euros return. The train takes 33 minutes and costs 11,90 euros one-way, 21,40 return. It is an Avant train so Tarjeta Dorada (senior discounts) applies if you are elegible. I don't understand Frank's comment about the bus taking you to the town square. I thought the bus station was at the bottom of the hill, below town, but closer than the train station is. The walk from the train station would not be particularly pleasant. We enjoy walking, but we took a taxi to Plaza Zocodover as we had our luggage (we spent two nights in Toledo). The taxi was around 6 euros.

Actually, Renfe does not offer Web fares for the Madrid to Toledo run. However, they are a great deal if you are traveling from Madrid to Barcelona, Cordoba, Sevilla, Malaga, etc.

Thanks for the information. I think we will wait and buy a ticket on the train when we arrive July 5. I attempted to buy a ticket again today, and again, there is no train schedule b/n madrid and toledo. Not sure what I am doing wrong?

Brad, you aren't doing anything wrong. I checked Renfe today too, and they weren't showing tickets for Madrid to Toledo past June 16. Other routes (Madrid to Sevilla) are there up to July 10. But no worries, you will be fine buying them a few days ahead when you get to Spain.

If you go to Atocha to buy your tickets, the ticket office can be crowded, so it helps to know that you need to get a number-in-line ticket from the dispenser to the far right of the ticket counter. Then you will be called up in order. We showed up around 10 in the morning, and the next available train to Toledo was at 12:22. That was fine with us, but if you want more time in Toledo, go earlier or the day before to purchase your tickets.