AboutVíctor Díaz Expertise I live in Madrid,and travel frequently to Valencia. I have also travelled to many places all over spain, if haven't been there i'd try to help anyway providing my knowledge and links.
I enjoy trekking in the mountains, and know pyrinees, Picos de Europa and mountains in the center.
Expert: Víctor Díaz Date: 5/10/2008 Subject: Travel from Madrid
Question QUESTION: Hi Victor,
Your tips are very useful to me when I do my travel plan to Spain in July. I will fly from China to Madrid and stay in Spain for 2 weeks. I have couple of questions which need your advise.
1) I plan to go to Segovia and Salamanca for 1-2 days as I think Segovia and Salamanca are in same direction. Is it easy to find bus between Segovia and Salamanca? If I want to stay one night in Segovia or Salamanca, which one you suggest?
2) I will plan one day trip to Toledo and Consuegra by bus, is it too rush? may i buy bus ticket (Madrid-Toledo-Consuegra-Madrid) in Madrid?
3) I also plan to go to Granada from Madrid by bus. Stay there for one night and go to Seville by bus. And then take flight from Seville to Barcelona. Do you know it will be too hot to visit Seville at the end of July?
I have too many questions here.. Many thanks for your help!:)
Sun Hong
ANSWER: Hello Hong
1) Yes Salamanca and Segovia are in the same direction, but not right in the same line of train or buses. Both cities are linked by bus, but not by train directly.
There seems to be only a couple of daily buses from Segovia to salamanca with Auto-Res bus company http://www.auto-res.net/index.html?a
One at 07:45 arriving at 10:30am and the second at 14:00 arriving at 16:45.
Cost 9,88 euros.
By train with Renfe http://www.renfe.es
you should take one from Segovia station (not the new Ave station which is near Segovia but not really in Segovia.) back to Villalba and from there another train to Salamanca.
It takes much more time as you have to do many km heading to Madrid to get to Villalba. Despite there are more trains everyday i think bus is a better option here.
One idea: Do Segovia as a daytrip from Madrid, go there and get back in the same either by train (Avant or Ave trains = high speed) or by bus with La Sepulvedanda company (from Principe Pio underground bus station find it as Madrid La Florida) (metro station Principe Pio L10,L6,R) http://www.lasepulvedana.es/
(similar web as both companies belong to the same group)
I think that trains may be cheaper if you buy tickets in advance, and is much faster. Train station in Madrid is Chamartin.
And instead of a Segovia-Salamanca couple two days trip, do Avila-Salamanca two days trip. Avila is effectively in the same bus and train route to Salamanca (north-east) while Segovia is in the north route.
From Avila to Salamanca, again with Auto-Res you have four buses at 9:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 22:00 hours
Cost 5,58 euros, takes 1h30.
By train
Several types of train may take 1h30 from Chamartin train station.
What i would do:
I prefer Segovia to Avila, but Avila have things to see and it's also a typical daytrip from Madrid.
If you have time do Segovia as a daytrip and Avila-Salamanca.
I would do
Madrid-Avila, arriving in the morning, around 10am is ok even before 12am.
Leave to Salamanca around 17h by bus or even later by train arrive to Salamanca late in the afternoon. Overnight in Salamanca.
Return the following day to Madrid by bus (Auto-Res again) or by train in the afternoon.
If you do Segovia-Salamanca
Get to Segovia early in the morning, arriving before 10am if possible, probably by train. Leave to Salamanca by bus at 14:00. The rest is the same.
2) The problem is finding buses to Consuegra from Toledo and Consuegra Madrid.
You could get to Toledo early in the morning and leave just after having lunch around 15h. Bear in mind that Alcazar and El greco house are currently closed, so you don't need to spend much more time in the city, and the most important things can be seen in the morning if you arrive soon.
Bus company linking Toledo and Consuegra:Samar http://www.samar.es/frgrsamar.htm
(web page says it's under construction and some data may be outdated)
Consuegra is 64km far from Toledo.
Can be done, a bit stressing but can be done.
You can do Madrid-Toledo and seek in the Toledo bus station the schedules to consuegra and see if you can do it or not. Probably don't need to buy the ticket in advance.
You can buy in Madrid, Madrid-Toledo with Samar, and see how goes the day, if you want to spend more time in Toledo, then leave Consuegra and stay more time in Toledo. If at 15h you feel you have seen enough, then you may think about doing the Consuegra extension.
3)Yes Sevilla can be really warm in July, but most of Spain is very warm. If you are lucky you can have warm but not too warm temperatures, if you are unlucky there may be a heat wave from Sahara and you'll melt anywhere in Spain but specially in Sevilla.
I hope this helps, if you have more questions ask me again whenever you want.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Victor,
I work out my plan based on your advise, I have 13 days/nights in Spain. I will arrive in Madrid at 10pm of day0 and leave Barcelona at 8:30pm at 13th day. I booked the cheap ticket from Seville to Barcelona in midnight of 9th day. So I will have 4 days in Barcelona. Can you help me to check my 9 days plan around Madrid, I have to book hostel before visa application. Thanks a lot
day1 Madrid (Sunday, free Museum)
day2 Madrid-Toledo-Consuegra-Madrid
day3 Madrid-Segovia-Madrid
day4 Madrid- Avila-Salamanca, stay night at Salamanca
day5 Salamanca- Madrid
day6 Madrid-Granada, stay night at Granada
day7 Granada, stay night at Granada
day8 Granada to Seville, stay night at Salamanca
day9 Seville, take flight at 10:30pm
My question is:
1) do you think i need more days in Madrid? I planned 1 whole in 1st day, take other time when I back from Segovia, Salamanca, and before I start for Granada.
2) When I back from Salamanca, do you suggest me to go to Granada on the same day or do it next day?
3) Which place need more time, Granada or Seville? Which place you suggest me stay 2 night, Granada or Seville?
4) Do you think I still can add one stop in Cordoba on the way from Madrid to Glanada? Or stay in Cordoba for one night instead?
Thanks for your help again
Hong
ANSWER: Hello again
You have planed well, and arriving to Barcelona with some days before your departure is the best option, so you won't need to rush to the airport from a long distance.
In your 4 days in Barcelona, you can add a datytrip to Tarragona, Montserrat or Girona.
Some museums in Madrid have changed the free entry day recently, check their websites, for example instead of a free day they have everyday the last two hours before closing.
sundays and mondays are days to plan carefully if you just want to walk around the city and see places from outside there is no problem. But if you want to visit a museum or palace you must check their opening times.
In Madrid i recommend also the royal palace, which opens also on mondays, when many other museums are closed.
You'll be a full day in Madrid and some hours after your daytrips. It can be enough but it depends on what do you want to see. If you enjoy museums and art, then probably you would like to visit Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyseen museums, that will take you a lot of time even focusin only in the most important collections.
If you are not into art, then just aquick visit to Prado and/or Reina Sofia may be enough.
You also may risk with the Segovia option, don't buy the ticket until the same day or the day before. By them you'll have realize if there are more things interesting in Madrid that you want to visit and drop the Segovia daytrip.
Toledo is also ok for a monday, from the things not to be missed: cathedral is open all the day, Santo Tome church probably too (just for the El Greco most famous painting, it worths)
Synagoga del Transito seems to be closed (sefardi museum), a pity, the msuems is interesting but the building is quite nice inside.
Sinagoga Sta Maria La Blanca will be open.
Cloister of S Juan de Los Reyes will be open.
And of course the gates, the bridge, etc toledo still worths the visit.
It's also a good place for souvenirs, damascene art is everywhere and marzipan. http://www.t-descubre.com/mt1/ta/stad.php?#damasquinos
2) After coming from Salamanca, both options staying in Madrid for one night or depart inmediately to Granada have pros and cons.
Stay in Madrid: have some more time for Madrid, relax on your trip, no problems with loosing trains if the first one is delayed for some reason. And notice that you have to change from Chamartin to Atocha.
You can do either by metro (L1) or by commuter trains (Cercanias, many lines) being this one the fastest option. Commuter trains leaves you in Atocha commuter train station (and passing by trains), need to walk to the long distance trains and ave trains which is side by side (have the tropical gardens inside). http://www.renfe.es/cercanias/madrid/index.html
Cons: need to open your luggage just for 1 night, again.
Move to Granada:
pros: you don't need to be booking an hostal just for 1 night in madrid
cons: need to get on time to madrid to get the other train in other station. You spend many hours travelling that day.
I think it's better the first option, book a night in madrid in the same hostal that for the first nights, and travel without being stressed and have some more time for madrid. This is even a better option if you do the Segovia daytrip.
If you prefer you may change a Segovia daytrip for half day trip to El Escorial (with commuter trains) http://www.sanlorenzoturismo.org/
but as you have planned seems ok to me.
3) Granada and Sevilla have many things to see, whatever you choose you wont' regret.
In granada Alhambra takes some hours to see completly. Book tickets in advance to save time in the queues. http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/
4)is i have told you, Cordoba is ok for a daytrip from Sevilla or Granada, but also can be visited in your way to Granada. I would be important to know if lockers are available at the station as i have read that they were closed for security reasons and the management of spanish train stations don't say anything about lockers in that station http://www.adif.es/estaciones/index.html
As your plane departs from Sevilla in the afternoon, you already have 1 and half day for Sevilla, which looks ok (i think, never been there), so 2 nights at Granada sees fine.
I hope this helps a bit, aske me again whenever you want.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Victor,
Many thanks for your advise, if do help me to build a good plan. I revise my plan based on your advice, and I have questions to bother you again.
1)Based on my plan around Madrid, where you suggest me to find hostel? I think the location is important so that I can save time for more sightseeing and fun as well.
2)Aqueduct is only attraction in Segovia I am going to see, so I will try to do it within the morning, and I can go on visit Madrid in the afternoon and evening. But it takes 2 hours to go Segovia from Madrid, either by bus or train? You mentioned train will be cheaper if I book in advance, can you advise where I book the cheap train ticket? I will start my Madrid trip from Jul 20, when I can start to book train ticket?
3)Anything you will recommend for Avila? I have not found much attraction from website. Any hostel you will recommend if we stay one night in Salamanca?
4)I will think of skipping Consuegra if there no enough time in Toledo. It seems there are many things to do in Toledo.
5)I will go with my 2 friends. One of them is football fan. Any place you recommend for him to see, either in Madrid or Barcelona?
6)Same question as 1), which location you will recommend me to find hostel as we will stay Barcelona for 4 nights. I look the map for long but really don¡¯t know where is better
Thanks again for your help. You are so kind!
Hong
Answer Hello again Hong
You know you can ask me again whenever you want.
1)I recommend something centrical, many hostals can be found near Puerta del Sol and by Fuencarral street. Anything centrical is ok, you will be nera the main things to see and have also several metro stations around.
As a Madrid resident, i haven't ever used hostels in Madrid so ican't recommend any from my experience. You can look for some hostas in this website and choose a few suitable for your budget, you can ask me which one is best located. http://www.infohostal.com/
you can search for recommendations also here http://www.madridman.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi
A couple of them i have seen recommended in forums http://www76.pair.com/navarro/
http://www.hostaldulcinea.com/
2) In Segovia it would take you not much time to walk by the main street up to the main square and cathedral and from there to the Alcazar.
I think that Aqueduct, Cathedral and Alcazar are the must see of this city.
At the Maribels guides you have a section for Segovia and an explanation of the weird Renfe ticket system in english http://maribelsguides.com/
Train tickets are normally available with 62 days in advance.
trains takes only 30 minutes to get to Segovia Ave station, as they are high speed and use the new tunnel under Guadarrama mountains, saving a lot of time. But the station is far from the city and need to get a bus adding 15 to 20 minutes.
3)Avila is famous by its walls. Also visit the Cathedral. http://www.avilaturismo.com/?set_language=en&cl=en
http://www.turismocastillayleon.com/cm/turcyl/tkContent?pgseed=1210252406884&idContent=65079&locale=es_ES&textOnly=false
I have been there a couple of times and can't remember well some other churches or places to visit, but it worths a visit and more if it's in your way to Salamanca, spending there half day or even less is ok.
Don't forget to try a famous sweet sold there called 'yemas' small dessert,very sweet a bit expensive but very good, can be found in cake shop (pasteleria). http://www.avilaturismo.com/touristic-guide/cuisine
About hostels in Salamanca, i don't know of any and haven't read of any recommended.
4)I recommend you not to buy tickets to Consuegra until the last minute, study well all the schedules and see if you have time to get there and return to Madrid.
