North from Granada to Madrid

Personally that is what I would do BUT that is because I am not a big fan of driving. Too much work. But your plan also works. I thought there was a train that stopped in Toledo. If not, you could catch a train back to Toledo. I would spend the night in Toledo. That is more than worth it.

No trains stop in Toledo. They would have to go to Madrid and then to Toledo. But it's only a 30 minute ride. The question I always ask, is what would you do if you drive? Would you see sites along the way? Stop in small towns? See rural scenery and vistas? If none of the above, then take the train. I can't answer those questions because I don't know the region between Granada and Madrid, but research that and you'll have your answer.

If there are sights that you really want to visit at Ubeda or La Mancha then the car is likely the best way. Its a long drive so I think that will be a very full day, fortunately it is light out until 9pm at that time of year. If you just want to see the countryside then I recommend the train. You could leave Granada at 9:10am and be at Madrid Atocha at 13:35. A train leaves for Toledo at 13:50, probably from the same waiting area of your arrival. You could spend the night at Toledo and return to Madrid late morning or early afternoon on the 17th. Unless you have been to Madrid often and you're tired of it, I suggest staying at a hotel in Madrid and spend the afternoon and evening sightseeing, strolling and dining rather than at an airport hotel (was that for convenience of car dropoff?). It takes about 45 minutes to travel from Madrid to the airport via the Express Bus that leaves from Atocha (my recommendation) or the metro or cercanias train, so unless your flight leaves very early you probably don't need to sleep next to the airport. If you need suggestions for a "last night in Spain" restaurant in Madrid or other suggestions you can get lots of advice here I am sure!

'Its a long drive so I think that will be a very full day' ..... (paraphrasing) 'the train takes four hours and twenty-five minutes' To be fair, you can drive it within five minutes (either way) and that's not counting the time needed to get to and from the train stations. Toledo is about four hours from Granada. Ubeda is pretty interesting, so is Ciudad Real. The detour to either would add about an hour to the driving time regardless of the final destination. You're already paying for the car for that day, right? So why not throw some more money on the table and buy some train tickets? Pay for two modes of transportation of the same day. The bear is going to be getting from Toledo to Barajas. The best thing you can do is head northeast until you hit the E90 and then don't loose those signs for a minute until you see signs to the airport.

When four out of four replies strongly suggest that driving is a waste of time and effort, I think we should take your valued advise! So I will book the train from Granada to Madrid and then get another to Toledo....much more sensible. We will have to stay at the Hilton (#1 son works for them) at Barajas on the 17th, as our flight home leaves at 0'dark 6 a.m.! How uncivilized is that? I also need suggestions for car hire. We shall train it from Madrid to Jerez on the 9th leaving Jerez on the 12th. We will be there for the Feria del Caballo and are so excited about that. We will then have the car until our departure from Granada on the 16th. Any opinions on the merits of one company over another? Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to my questions. The answers were very helpful and I think we will avoid a great deal of hassle.

When four out of four replies strongly suggest that driving is a waste of time and effort, I think we should take your valued advise! So I will book the train from Granada to Madrid and then get another to Toledo....much more sensible. We will have to stay at the Hilton (#1 son works for them) at Barajas on the 17th, as our flight home leaves at 0'dark 6 a.m.! How uncivilized is that? I also need suggestions for car hire. We shall train it from Madrid to Jerez on the 9th leaving Jerez on the 12th. We will be there for the Feria del Caballo and are so excited about that. We will then have the car until our departure from Granada on the 16th. Any opinions on the merits of one company over another? Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to my questions. The answers were very helpful and I think we will avoid a great deal of hassle.

Betsey..we have just done the opposite of what you are thinking of doing..we picked a car up at Atocha and drove to Granada and then used the car for the next 7 days touring around Andalucia. It is approximately the same amount of time to drive between Atocha and Granada as it is to take the train. The hardest part would be driving and parking in Granada and then making your way to either Atocha or Barajas...neither of which I would want to do again...the drive itself in between was easy. I would recommend dropping the car off in Granada before you get anywhere near the closed traffic zone. You will not need a car to get around Granada. Take the train to Madrid and then if you want take the 30 minute ride on another train to Toledo and then back to Madrid-Barajas..You will love the Hilton Barajas...especially if you get an executive room..made all the difference after traveling for 3 weeks!

Chris....sorry I didn't see your message until today. Driving in Granada won't be a problem as we are staying northeast of there. We will, however, drive near to see the Alhambra. The hassle will be on the 17th traveling from Toledo to Barajas by public transport and humping the luggage. Personally, I,d like to hire a car and driver but, at $300, I find that a bit much? Oh well, I reckon we shall survive. Do you have any suggestions for car rental companies.

We used Auto-Europe the two times we went to Europe....had no problems. If you decide to keep the car to drive to Toledo I would recommend dropping it in Toledo and then taking the train to Madrid-Barajas to avoid driving into Madrid or even around it. This way you wouldn't have to train to Madrid and then train back to Toledo. The drive once out of Madrid city was easy breezy. You will love the Alhambra.....but make sure to get your tics 90 days out and don't miss your half hour window to get into the Palace.....one woman was loudly sobbing....no wailing as she beat on her husbands chest that they missed the window and that was their sole reason for their entire trip.....it wasn't pretty.