Madrid Daytrips

You can check wwww.renfe.es, the official train website and then, once you change the language, go to Cercanías, that is the commuter trains that will take you from El Escorial to Segovia and to/From Madrid. I will take you about 1.5h because it´s the commuter train and will stop frequently. It´s a pleasant ride, and unless you try to take the train at peak hours, when people are going to work, it won't be a problem at all.

As a local, I definitely recommend taking the train, throwing a book or good music in your backpack and enjoy the ride!!!!

Enjoy your visit to España!
Mar.

First off, I would consider the bus. Much cheaper and in someways more convenient. For those trips the time difference is not that great. Second, the train stations especially the AVE tend to be on the edge of town so you additional time and cost getting to the city center. The bus will dump you in the downtown area.

No need to buy tickets in advance unless you are on a high holiday weekend. You didn't indicate your time.

It is very difficult to get to-from Escorial and Segovia if you've only set aside a day and don't have a car. I would consider scrapping the El Escorial part and concentrating on Segovia alone, simply because of the logistics. Bus or train, not too much different. Toledo, tho, is best done by train, since it's a longer distance to cover. Fares don't change if you buy them on the web. What purchasing on the web does is assures you of the seats on the trains you want going out, and coming back to Madrid. This train gets booked up very quickly, especially in the touristy times. You'd hate to lose an hour or 90 minutes waiting for the next train, and/or find out the only time you can come back to Madrid is at 3 in the afternoon!!

This trip will be in late November, so no problem with holidays/festivals. You're right about travel time considering proximity of the AVE stations to the city center. My real issue is how to get from El Escorial to Segovia (or visa versa) without going back to (or toward) Madrid first. I'm not sure there is a good train or bus option that would allow me to fit both of these into a single daytrip. Maybe there is, but I just haven't found it yet. I've driven in Europe before, and I guess renting a car is an option, but I would rather use public transportation. Appreciate any help.

As I mentioned, Michael, you are correct in assuming there's no good direct connection between El Escorial and Segovia. With the advent of the new AVE route Madrid-Segovia, there's not even the old option of taking a commuter train back from El Escorial to the suburban station of Villalba and connecting there. On the hypothesis that you want to spend 3 hours at El Escorial (which opens at 10 am), the best you could do would be to come back to Madrid-Chamartin and board the AVE to be in Segovia by about 3 pm. The last AVE leaves Segovia at about 9:30 pm, (same time as the last bus) so you'd have about six hours there. This all depends on split-second timing to catch the AVE, providing schedules don't change between now and when you are travellng. I might suggest you do a google search to check the availablility of one-day tours that include both locations. You'll get far more time on the ground and, to boot, a look at the Valley of the Fallen as well.

Thanks for all of the helpful information, everyone. Norm, you're right. I checked the Renfe, Cercanias, and Duetsche Bahn (BTW, DB is a great site - covers rail for all of Europe) websites, and there is no good way to get directly from El Escorial to Segovia by rail without going back to Madrid first. I'll consider splitting these daytrips up, but given my limited time, I'm going to look into your suggestion regarding day tours that cover both. Thanks again!

I am planning a trip to madrid in late June and I will be renting a car. I plan to stay in Toledo for one night and in Segovia for one night before driving back to madrid. Is there a certain or "better order" to to this? and is there any specific day not to travel to these towns, i.e. museum closings, etc. thanks for any advice.

You can get some helpful tips at www.maribelsguides.com.

mchelle....probably better to post a new question, rather than tag a question onto someone else's....that way, you'll get response notifications into your e-mail box, rather than the other person.Try and avoid Mondays...that's when many museums are closed. Churches and cathedrals, however, are usually open 7 days a week, and the Catedral de Toledo is the place to see some wonderful El Grecos. Same for Segovia.
I don't know how long you plan to have the car, or where you're arriving from or heading off to....but be aware that Segovia is northwest of Madrid, while Toledo is southwest. If you drive from one to the other, you'll have to skim the outskirts of Madrid on the M-50, which can get VERY busy....avoid morning and afternoon rush hours. There are other less travelled routes to miss Madrid completely, but they'll take longer to drive. IF you can work it into your schedule, the AVE fast trains, which run from Madrid to both cities are much faster, cheaper, and avoid traffic and parking hassles.

mchelle....if you do keep a car for these trips, you might also want to visit the walled city of Avila, and maybe even Salamanca, also northwest of Madrid