One of the best things to do in Madrid is to use the city as a home base for exploring nearby destinations. And there are a handful of incredibly cool places to go.
Walk the fortified walls at Ávila, see the amazing Roman aqueduct in Segovia, explore the cobblestoned streets in Toledo, tour a historic palace, go wine tasting, and visit the windmills that inspired Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote …these are all some of the best day trips from Madrid.
We spent quite a bit of time in Madrid and day tripping to Toledo, Segovia, and Ávila were some of our favorite experiences. While in Madrid, it is definitely worth including a few days in your itinerary for several of these day trips.
In this guide, we list the best day trips from Madrid, with practical information about the best way to get around and how to plan your trip.
This list starts off with the 8 best day trip options, followed by a few more outliers. It’s possible to day trip to places like Barcelona and Seville from Madrid, but these are longer days, and not quite as worthwhile as Toledo or Segovia, as we’ll get to in great detail later in this guide.
Day Trips from Madrid: Transportation Options
When planning which day trips from Madrid you will take, one of the biggest factors to consider is how you will get around.
Madrid is well connected to other Spanish cities by train and bus. In addition to these buses and trains, you also have the option to rent a car, hire a driver, or join a tour.
Getting Around By Train
Taking the train is one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get around Spain. Within an hour, you can travel to Toledo and Segovia. Plus, the Spain’s high-speed trains can get you to some places faster than you can drive there.
However, not every place we list in this guide is easily reachable by train. Some small towns do not have a train station, so you will be better off renting a car, hiring a driver, or taking a tour to get to these sites (we provide the details for each day trip option later in this guide).
You will also have to pay attention to the speed of the train. In Spain, there is a high-speed AVE train and the Larga Distancia (long distance high-speed train), run by Renfe, and there are the regional trains, which are much slower.
The official website for the Spain Rail service is Renfe. You can look up train timetables and book your tickets directly on this website. We are also a big fan of the Man in Seat 61 website, which has tons of useful information about the trains in Spain (and all around the world) as well as Omio and Rail Ninja. We have heard that Renfe does not accept all credit cards, so if you run into this same problem, you may need to use a third party website like Omio, Rail Ninja, or Rail Europe to book your tickets.
The best day trips from Madrid by train:
- Toledo
- Segovia
- Royal Palace of Aranjuez
- Córdoba
- Cuenca
- Salamanca
Getting Around By Rental Car
Getting around by rental car allows you to travel at your own pace. You can pack as much into a day as you want, and since you won’t be traveling with a tour group, can spend as long or as little in each place you visit.
Rental cars give you a lot more freedom, but they still have a few disadvantages. Driving in Madrid is a bit challenging plus you will have the daily cost of the rental car plus fees for parking.
All of the day trips from Madrid can be done with a rental car, but it’s not a good option for cities that are far from Madrid, such as Barcelona and Valencia.
Getting Around By Private Driver
If you want the freedom of the rental car but don’t want the hassle of driving and parking, hiring a driver is the way to go. This is the most expensive way to travel, but it eliminates most of the headaches and hassles…no long waits for a bus and no need to research where to park in advance.
Several of our readers have written in recommending a service called Welcome Pickups, which offers city transfers, airport transfers, and sightseeing rides. They used Welcome Pickups as a driver for day trips to places like Segovia and Toledo. We have not used them ourselves but click the link above to learn more.
Getting Around on a Tour
Joining a tour is perfect for those with limited time and those who don’t want to go through the hassle of planning a day trip. Tours include your transportation and a knowledgeable guide, and some also include lunch. And many day trip tours from Madrid include multiple destinations, so you can see several places in just one day.
Here are some of the most popular day trip tours from Madrid:
Best Day Trips from Madrid
Here is a list of the best day trips from Madrid, starting with our top picks and then continuing on to places that are farther from the city or lesser known.
1. Toledo
Let’s start with one of the most popular day trips from Madrid. Not only was Toledo our favorite day trip from Madrid, but it was also one of our top experiences in Spain.
Toledo is our #1 pick as the best day trip from Madrid. It’s easy to get to, tons of fun to visit, and one of the most interesting small cities to explore in a day in Spain. There is a lot to do in Toledo so a day trip here will take a full day of your time.
This small, extremely photogenic city was the capital of Spain until 1561. The city center of Toledo is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located about 70 km southwest of Madrid and is easily accessible by car and train.
Things to Do in Toledo:
- Stroll through the historic city center
- Visit the Toledo Cathedral
- Tour the historic monuments and churches
- Try some Marzipan
- Go Manchego cheese tasting
- Visit the viewpoints of Toledo
Alcantara Bridge
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
How Much Time Do You Need: It takes one busy day to visit the main sights in Toledo. However, there are many tours that combine Toledo with another city, giving you a half day in town. With that limited amount of time, pick a few key attractions to visit.
Transportation: High speed trains connect Madrid to Toledo in 40 minutes. By car, it takes an hour to drive from Madrid to Toledo and parking in Toledo is limited.
Planning Your Time: If you want to thoroughly explore Toledo, plan on spending a full day here. This gives you enough time to see visit the top sites in town, photograph Toledo from its various viewpoints, and dine with a view (we cover how to do this in our article One Day in Toledo). If you have limited time (for example, you plan to combine Toledo with Segovia or Ávila), visit the amazing Toledo Cathedral, explore the historic city center, and try to get to one or two viewpoints of the city.
Tours of Toledo: This full day tour of Toledo from Madrid gets great reviews, includes the viewpoints across the river, a guided tour of the city center, and free time to explore the city. This tour from Madrid includes Toledo and Segovia.
Our Guides to Toledo: How to Plan a Toledo Day Trip from Madrid and Best Things to Do in Toledo
2. Segovia
Segovia is a gorgeous city that sits northwest of Madrid. It is often paired with Ávila on a day trip from Madrid.
We really enjoyed our time here, with the highlights being the bell tower climb, scoping out various viewpoints of the aqueduct, strolling the city streets, and visiting the various viewpoints in and around town. Segovia is a very photogenic city and fun to photograph.
Things to Do in Segovia:
- See the Roman Aqueduct
- Visit the Alcázar
- Go for a stroll on Calle Juan Bravo
- Get a bird’s eye view of Segovia from the bell tower
- Mirador del Alcazar y los Dos Valles
The Roman aqueduct
The Alcázar
The view from the cathedral bell tower
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
Transportation: By high-speed train, it takes about 30 minutes to travel from Madrid to Segovia. If you have a rental car, it takes much longer, about an hour and 15 minutes.
How Much Time Do You Need: It takes about half of a day to see the main sights in Segovia.
Planning Your Time: Since it takes roughly half of a day to visit Segovia, on a day trip from Madrid, you can either spend all of your time in Segovia or combine it with another site or city. Ávila or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial are the best options, due to their proximity to Segovia.
Tours of Segovia: This full day tour from Madrid includes both Segovia and Ávila. This very popular and highly rated tour from Madrid includes guided tours of Toledo and Segovia.
Our Guide to Segovia: Best Things to Do with One Day in Segovia
3. Ávila
Ávila is famous for its medieval walls. Walking these walls is one of the most popular things to do in Ávila, but visitors can also visit a few museums, climb the bell tower for a view of the city, and tour a few important religious sites.
This city has a relatively short list of things to do, so a visit here takes about half of a day. With the rest of your time, you can add on El Escorial, Segovia, or return to Madrid and spend the afternoon here.
Things to Do in Ávila:
- Walk the medieval walls
- Visit the Ávila Cathedral
- Visit the Basilica of San Vicente
- Tour the Royal Monastery of Saint Thomas
Walking the medieval walls
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
Transportation: By train, it takes an hour and a half to two hours to travel from Madrid to Ávila. By car, it takes an hour and a half to drive to Ávila. The advantage of having a car is that it makes it easier to add on the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and Segovia.
How Much Time Do You Need: A half of a day is all you need to walk the walls, visit the Ávila Cathedral, and visit the Basilica of San Vicente, three of the main places to visit, plus go through a stroll through town.
Planning Your Time: Since it takes roughly half of a day to visit Ávila, you can either solely visit Ávila or combine it with another site or city. Segovia or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial are the best options, due to their proximity to Ávila.
Tours of Ávila: Visit both Ávila and Segovia on a day trip from Madrid on this very highly rated tour.
4. The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world. It is a Spanish royal site and it is a historical residence of the King of Spain. This building also functions as a basilica, monastery, museum, university, and library. It is the burial site for many of the Spanish kings in the past five centuries and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
El Escorial is located in the town of Escorial, which is located between Ávila and Madrid.
The library
Teniers Tapestry Room
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
How Much Time Do You Need: Since it is the largest Renaissance building in the world, this place is massive, and even if you move quickly, it takes at least an hour to tour the various rooms. If you take your time, budget 2 to 3 hours for the entire visit.
Transportation: By train, it takes one hour to travel from Ávila to El Escorial and by car it takes 50 minutes. By car, by bus, and by train, it takes an hour to travel from Madrid to El Escorial. Learn more on the official website for El Escorial.
Planning Your Time: It is best to combine El Escorial with Ávila, since they are located near one another. We visited Ávila in the morning and El Escorial in the afternoon, doing this by rental car.
Tours of El Escorial: This day trip tour includes El Escorial and the Basilica of the Valley of the Fallen.
5. The Royal Palace of Aranjuez
The Royal Palace of Aranjuez is one of the residences of the royal family. It started out as a hunting lodge, which was later rebuilt as a palace, and then enlarged several times over the centuries. The palace is surrounded by gardens, and these gardens are one of the highlights of a visit here.
The easiest gardens to see are the ones that sit right outside the palace walls, including the King’s Garden, Queen’s Garden, the Garden of the Island, and Jardin del Parterre. Farther away is the immense Prince’s Garden. Highlights of this garden include Casa del Labrador (it was closed during our visit but we have heard that the rooms are beautiful) and Estanque de los Chinescos (a small, picturesque lake).
With its close proximity to Madrid, this is one of the easiest day trips to do. Visiting this royal palace is a good option for those with an interest in palaces (a visit here is similar to visiting Versailles in Paris).
The Throne Room
The Arab Study
Estanque de los Chinescos
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
How Much Time Do You Need: It takes about half of a day to visit the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
Transportation: From Madrid, take the Commuter Line C-3 to Aranjuez. This takes 15 to 20 minutes and trains run frequently throughout the day. By car, it takes 50 minutes to drive here.
Planning Your Visit: Tickets to the palace are timed entry, so it is best to purchase your tickets in advance on the official website.
6. The Consuegra Windmills
To visit one of the most iconic landscapes in Spain, and to visit the windmills that are said to have inspired Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote, journey to Consuegra.
Twelve windmills sit atop the Calderico ridge, each with a different name taken from Don Quixote. Several windmills are still functional and many are open to visitors. There is also a small castle, Consuegra Castle, that can be explored and this is one of the best places to photograph the windmills.
Inside the castle
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
How Much Time Do You Need: It takes about an hour to visit the windmills and castle.
Transportation: The best way to get here is by rental car, which takes an hour and a half. The next best option is to join a tour.
Tours of Consuegra: This small group tour includes both Consuegra and a visit to Toledo.
What We Did: We had a rental car. We visited Consuegra on the drive from Madrid to Seville.
7. Córdoba
Córdoba is one of our favorite cities in Andalusia, Spain. Brimming with charm, a visit to Córdoba is more about strolling through the city center, exploring picturesque side streets and alleyways, and dining on tapas and local foods than checking off a bunch of museums and landmarks from a to-do list.
However, visiting the breathtaking Mosque-Cathedral is an absolute must-do and just may be one of the highlights of your trip to Spain.
Things to Do in Córdoba:
- Visit the Mosque-Cathedral
- Enjoy the view from the bell tower
- Historic city center of Córdoba
- See the patios of Córdoba
- Stroll across the Roman Bridge
- Photograph Córdoba from the top of Calahorra Tower
- Visit the Alcazar
Mosque-Cathedral
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
How Much Time Do You Need: It takes one full day to see the main attractions in Córdoba, so on a day trip from Madrid, you will have to choose a few key sights to visit. We recommend the Mosque-Cathedral, the historic city center, seeing a few patios, and walking across the Roman Bridge.
Transportation: Direct trains can travel from Madrid to Córdoba in just under 2 hours. By car, the drive is 4 hours one-way, so traveling by car or bus is not a good option for day tripping to Córdoba from Madrid.
Planning Your Time: With 4 hours of travel time (by train), that gives you 6 to 8 hours in town, which is just enough time to visit the most essential sites.
Our Guides to Córdoba: Top 10 Things to Do in Córdoba and How to Spend 1 and 2 Days in Córdoba
8. Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero is a wine region located in Castile and Leon, about a 2-hour drive north of Madrid. Most of the wine produced in this region is from red grapes, in particular Tinto Fino (the local name for Tempranillo).
The easiest way to visit the Ribera del Duero wine region on a day trip from Madrid is by tour, which takes care of your transportation and visits to the wineries.
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
How Much Time Do You Need: Given its distance from Madrid, plan on spending the full day here, to visit a few wineries and have lunch or dinner.
Transportation: The best way to get here is on a tour, but you can also get around by rental car, which makes it easier than public transportation to travel between the wineries.
Guided Tour of Ribera del Duero: This guided tour includes a visit to three wineries plus your transportation to and from Madrid.
9. Cuenca
Cuenca is a small city in Castilla-La Mancha that is famous for medieval walled town and stunning cliff top setting. It is home to a 12th century cathedral, remains of an Islamic fortress, religious buildings from the renaissance and Baroque periods, and its iconic hanging houses. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nearby is Ciudad Encantada (the Enchanted City), a natural area comprised of unique rock formations.
Cuenca | shutterstock.com
Ciudad Encantada | shutterstock.com
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
Transportation: Direct trains connect Madrid to Cuenca in about an hour, which is faster than traveling by car, which takes just under 2 hours. However, traveling by car makes it easier to add on the Enchanted City to your visit.
How Much Time Do You Need: Plan on spending the full day in Cuenca, to visit the main attractions and have lunch or dinner in town.
Tour of Cuenca: This highly rated tour from Madrid gives you the option to add on the Enchanted City.
10. Salamanca
Salamanca is a beautiful city in Castile and Leon. It is famous for its university, which is the oldest active university in Spain, and its historic city center, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Things to see and do in Salamanca:
- Visit Plaza Mayor, one of the largest squares in Spain
- Tour the University of Salamanca
- Visit Casa de las Conchas
- See the Old and New Cathedrals
- Walk across the Roman Bridge
Salamanca | shutterstock.com
Plan Your Day Trip from Madrid
Transportation: By train, it takes 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel to Salamanca. By car, it is actually faster, taking just over 2 hours. The driving route goes right past Ávila, so it is possible to visit both on the same day, just be aware that you will have very limited time in Salamanca.
How Much Time Do You Need: There is a lot to see and do in Salamanca so plan on spending the full day here.
Tours of Toledo: This full day tour from Madrid includes both Ávila and Salamanca.
3 More Day Trips from Madrid
The three places listed next are frequently listed in other guides as great day trips from Madrid. However, these bigger cities are farther from Madrid, so you’ll spend more travel time to get there. Plus, due to their size and long list of things to do, we think it is better if you can dedicate several days to each of them, rather than just a few hours. However, I am listing them here, just so you are aware that they are possibilities.
Seville
Seville is a beautiful city located in Andalusia, Spain. Ideally, it is best to spend 2 days here, to thoroughly explore the city and all of its amazing places to visit.
From Madrid, you can get to Seville in 2 hours and 45 minutes by direct train, which gives you several hours in town. On a day trip from Madrid, you will spend about 6 hours on the train, but for those who are curious and want a glimpse of this very pretty city, it could be worth the day trip.
See more of Seville in our articles Best Things to Do in Seville and How to Spend One Day in Seville.
Plaza España in Seville
Barcelona
It’s hard not to pass up a trip to Barcelona, even if just for a few hours. Looking at Spain on map, Barcelona is quite far from Madrid, but by high-speed train, you can be in town just two and a half hours.
It’s best to dedicate at least 3 full days to Barcelona, as there is so much to do here. Barcelona also makes a fantastic home base for day tripping to its own nearby sites, such as Girona, Montserrat, and Costa Brava. But like Seville, if you don’t mind a whirlwind tour, it’s very doable to travel to and from Madrid in a day.
Barcelona
Valencia
This beautiful seaside city is remarkably quick and easy to get to from Madrid. By high-speed train, it takes just under 2 hours to travel to Valencia. However, it is the third largest city in Spain so there is a lot do here. Visit the City of Arts and Sciences, grab a bite to eat at Mercat Colon Gastro Market, explore the old town, dine on paella, and go to the beach. Like Seville and Barcelona, we think it is best to spend a few days in town.
Best Day Trips from Madrid: On a Map
How to Use This Map: Click the icons on the map to get more information about each point of interest. To take this map with you, click the star next to the title of the map which adds it to your Google account. Next, within your Google Maps app, select ‘Saved’ and then select ‘Maps’. This map title will now appear in your list.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do you need in Madrid?
Ideally, plan on spending at least three days in Madrid. This gives you one to two days to visit the sights in the city plus one to two days to take day trips to nearby places (such as Toledo, Segovia, and Ávila). You could easily spend a week in Madrid, splitting your time between city sights and multiple day trips.
What are the best day trips from Madrid?
The three best day trips from Madrid are Toledo, Segovia, and Ávila. These are very easy to visit independently, either traveling by train or rental car, although there are many great tours from Madrid that visit all of these places.
Can you day trip from Madrid to Barcelona?
Yes, it is possible to day trip to Barcelona from Madrid. By high-speed train, it takes two and a half hours to travel between these two cities, which leaves a nice amount of time to visit a few of Barcelona’s top attractions.
If you have any questions about the best day trips from Madrid or if you want to share your favorites, let us know in the comment section below.
More Information for Your Trip to Spain
We have TONS more information about Spain in our Spain Travel Guide, including Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Andalusia, and the Rioja Wine Region.
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