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You are here: Experts > Food/Drink > Spanish Cuisine > Travel to Spain > 3 Days to Travel
Expert: Víctor Díaz - 10/1/2008
Question
Hi - We're arriving in Barcelona on Oct 31 and leave on the 1st for a 12 day cruise. We will have the first evening and most of the 31st to tour Barcelona. When the cruise returns to Barcelona on the 13th (5am) we would like to travel to Madrid where our plane leaves around noon to return home on the 16th. I have considered plane, train and auto and am leaning toward driving because of the ability to stop when and where we like but I am interested to know if driving from Barcelona to Madrid is a problem in November - is there snow? I thought we would go through Cuenca, then Toledo and spend the last day in Madrid. Is this possible? Will we be driving the whole time? Are there busses that serve these cities? Should we just fly to Madrid and do day trips from there? I'm trying to see as much as I can and spend the least possible. I would appreciate any input you can offer.
Answer
Hello Laurie
November is not specially cold yet, but talking about weather you can't never know.
In the main route between Barcelona and Madrid, A2 highway (called Ap2 when tolled) in the stretch between Zaragoza and Guadalajara there are a couple of places near 1000m of altitude, where could be some snow, but it's not likely in november.
About Cuenca-Toledo-MAdrid in threee days by car, yes it's possible, a bit stressing but possible. Madrid probably deserves more than 1 day, you could do 2 days for MAdrid and Toledo as a daytrip from Madrid (as most people do).
Having a car in Madrid won't help you too much, you may do Toledo as a daytrip by train, just 30 minutes ride. But having so little time i think the best is the route i propose you below.
Cuenca is about 100km from Madrid, you may visit this place and probably pass anight there if you get there directly from Barcelona.
Roads to the north of Cuenca are in montainous area, and may be in not very good conditions if there are a lot of rains and/or some snow. If going by car to Cuenca add a visit to the nearby 'enchanted city' a curious natural rock formations.
The route proposed in Viamichelin looks good and you will get to Cuenca from the south roads avoiding mountain passes to the north of the city.
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/dyn/controller/Itineraires?strStart...
You could do as follows:
13-drive to cuenca, visit the city and enchanted city, travel takes almost 6h. Overnight in Cuenca.
14-drive to Toledo directly in the morning, takes 2h25 according to ViaMichelin, half of the route by conventional roads
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/dyn/controller/Itineraires?strStart...
Drive to Madrid in the evening, leave the car
15-Madrid
16-return home
A second route could be
13-move to cuenca, overnight in cuenca
14-move to madrid whenever you want along the day, return the car
15-visit toledo as a daytrip, return in the afternoon
16-return home
this second route is not as stressing as the first one, it leaves less time to visit madrid but it's more flexible if you want to stay some more hours in cuenca or toledo.
There are buses connecting Cuenca and Madrid as well as Madrid and toledo, but for Madrid-Toledo i think it's better the train, much faster for a similar cost.
A different thing is Barcelona-cuenca, which was difficult to find
http://www.barcelonanord.com
with this company
http://www.touristbus.es/frgrsamar.htm
takes about 6hours, and train connections are not better as you should have to get to VAlencia and then take another one to Cuenca.
If you want to use only public transport i recommend to skip Cuenca and focus in Madrid + Toledo, if you don't want to spend two days for MAdrid, then add Segovia as daytrip or El Escorial, also very easy to do from Madrid by train.
i hope this helps a bit.
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