Madrid, Spain with a day trip to Segovia/Toledo March 2023

 Madrid, Spain with a day trip to Segovia/Toledo March 2023

MADRID, SPAIN


ITINERARY: See itinerary & tour links here: Itinerary - Madrid with day trip to Segovia & Toledo March 2023


Traveling to other parts of Spain or Portugal? See Seville, Spain Itinerary or Lisbon, Portugal Itinerary


PHOTOS: See photos here: Instagram - Madrid, Toledo, Segovia


TRANSPORTATION:

  •    Taxi: Apps to Download : (1) Cabify (2) Uber

    • Check which one is cheaper prior to ordering. Both worked with similar success for us in Madrid

  • Train: We took the AVE High Speed train from Seville to Madrid.

    • The train station within Madrid was easy to navigate and it was easy to get a rideshare to the hotel.

    • Purchase RENFE AVE tickets as early as you can through the Renfe app - up to 60 days in advance!

  • Flight: We flew out from Madrid back to the states via Delta

    • The airport is about 30 minutes away from city center

    • We would recommend getting to the airport at least 2-3 hours prior to your flight.

      • It was an easy airport to navigate, however, going through security and immigration when departing did take longer than usual.

HOTEL: Stay in city center

  • It is within walking distance to the main sites such as The Prado Museum and Retiro Park

PAYMENT METHODS:

  • CASH: Recommend bringing a small amount of euros, but most places took credit cards.

  • CREDIT CARDS: Make sure and use credit cards with No Foreign Transaction Fee - always charge the credit card in Euros, not USD

SAFETY: Emergency number is 112

  • Very safe city overall; follow common travel precautions

  • Tons of tourists in the city center area; we felt safe walking in the evenings.

WHAT TO BRING:

  • Sunscreen is a MUST

    • Temperature tends to be a bit cooler than Seville but still very hot in the spring/summer. Recommend going in the winter.

  • Print color copies of passport to carry in wallet

  • Need to use plug converter if coming from the USA

LANGUAGE: Within city center, you will be able to get by with English. It is helpful to know basic Spanish phrases for when in doubt.

  • Download Google Translate App to help communicate

RANDOM TIPS:

  • Download Google maps offline for any city you will be visiting

  • Download WhatsApp to communicate with tour guide/groups

  • If possible, avoid visiting any major tourist attraction on weekends / holidays due to heavy crowds. Morning & weekdays are much better to visit.

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN FOOD: 
  • Lots of vegetarian/vegan options
  • Water OK to drink from tap
  • Recommend Menu del Día for lunch at vegan/vegetarian restaurants


Menu Del Día
  • Make sure and try the churros at Chocolateria San Gines. The churros and hot chocolate are less sweet compared to what we get in the states.


Chocolateria San Gines

  • Honest Greens and Falaferia were great for a healthy meal


Honest Greens

Falaferia


OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • 1) Madrid free Walking Tour – very detailed and gave a great intro into Madrid including its history and main sites. The city doesn't have many sites to see so you can knock a lot of them out with this tour.
Plaza Mayor in Madrid

Viewpoint of Toledo

Roman Aqueducts in Segovia


  • 3) Madrid: Retiro Park - similar to Central Park in New York. Easy to walk through and very peaceful.

Retiro Park

  • Honestly, Madrid was not the most interesting place in the world for us to visit. If you're ambitious, you can knock out most of the sites in one day in Madrid. We enjoyed Seville and Toledo/Segovia more.








Location: Madrid, Spain

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