Hello all,
My daughter is taking a trimester of studies in Salamanca.My husband and I would like to go visit her at the end of her term and travel through Spain .Unfortunately, we only have a week of vacation time .Does anyone have any suggestions(itinerary,means of travel-car rental vs trains and buses...)? Any and all comments will be very welcome:we are novice to european travel!
Cathy

Hello NCT! And welcome to our ALL SPAIN Message Board!

Your question is VERY broad so I'll only give a couple of my own suggestions.

You only have 1-week of vacation in Spain and you'll use this visiting your daughter in Salamanca. Will you be flying into Madrid? Has your daughter already spent some time in Madrid? If not, why not have her bus to Madrid to meet you at the airport and from there you can start your travels? If you were planning to meet her in Salamanca then you might consider renting a car at Madrid Barajas airport - IF you're flying INTO Madrid, that is - and drive to Salamanca to spend a couple days there with her. From there, you might go NORTH to Galicia or SOUTH Andalucia or even WEST to Portugal.

You might contact your daughter and ask her where she would like to go or where she thinks YOU might like to go. Upon knowing that, we can expand our suggestions.

Have a great time in Spain! Shame it's such a short visit.

Saludos, MadridMan

Your question caught my attention, as my parents came to visit me in Salamanca under very similar circumstances when I was studying there a few years back. My folks had about a week as well and had an incredible time. While there are infinite combinations of possible itineraries, here are some points suggestions based on a great trip had by my parents:

·When you arrive in Madrid, it's probably best to tell your daughter to meet you at the airport. Spain is accommodating to visitors, but it can be overwhelming if you don't speak Spanish... especially after a long flight. I just remember things going smoothly when I was there to greet them and help them adjust, etc. Spend your week exploring one or two cities with your daughter… not city hopping…. Spain has too much to see in a week, or even a month, so don’t push yourselves by trying to do every last thing in such a concentrated amount of time. We had an amazing time just sticking to two cities… Salamanca and Madrid.

·There is no need to rent a car. Save you money for other things. From the airport, take the metro or a taxi to the bus station. Get EXPRESS tickets to Salamanca. Express is the key, as you will be riding in style for only a few bucks more. Express buses have bucket-style seats, generous legroom, comfy seats, free newspaper, and movies. They're also non-stop, making the trip to Salamanca from Madrid clock in around 2.5 hours. If you take a regular bus, you'll be squished and may have to stop along the way. The Express busses run regularly every day, usually on the hour. They also drop you off in a somewhat central location in the city of Salamanca.

·Explore Salamanca for two or three days. If your daughter is living with a host family, make arrangements to meet them. My host mother had my family over for dinner. It was amazing…. Maybe the best part of their trip. The language barrier is a complete non-issue. Also meet your daughter’s local friends. My parents had a great time going out to lunch with my Spanish friends… getting to meet my friends, see what I had been doing, etc. They were amazed at just taking in the incredible city that I had been living in for a long time.

·Salamanca is a walking city, though there are cabs and busses. Find a hotel in town, hopefully near where your daughter is living. You can honestly walk to and from any place in the city without overdoing it. Renting a car and trying to navigate it will be a challenge on some of the city’s narrow streets. If you don’t drive a manual, forget it over there, as I never saw an automatic (even the rental agencies that said they offered them really didn’t). Check out the message board for suggestions on things to do in Salamanca. Your daughter, obviously, will also know what to do. Let her play tour guide.

·Take the Express back to Madrid and stay locally for the remainder of your trip. Grab a hotel downtown and depend on the many easy ways to travel across the city. Use this message board for info on taxis, the metro (subway), and tour busses. You will find PLENTY to do in Madrid to keep you busy for days… again, use this sight as a resource. If you want to travel a bit more, go to one of many travel agencies and book a day trip to Toledo or Avila, two amazing cities close to Madrid. For a low price, you usually get bus fair, a guided tour, and admission to local sites. Again… use this message board for info on those towns.

·Again, remember to enjoy what a few places have to offer rather than attempting a whirlwind tour of a vast, diverse country.

·Hope that helps. Let me know if I can help some more.

MMH166 has given you some excellent advice based on his/her personal experiences.

Saying you have a week to "travel through Spain" is like saying you have a week to travel through Texas. Spain is very geographically diverse, from the mountains of Asturias (in the north) to the Plain of la Mancha in the center and the Minarets and Mosques in Andalucia. Spain has 1,300 miles of seacoast (Mediterranean & Atlantic). It's just too much to cover in a week (or even a month).

You could go to Santiago de Compostela or Bilbao (where the Guggenheim museum is and where Basque cuisine is exquisite). You could go to Barcelona or Madrid, or even Sevilla. It's an 'either-or' thing. If you try to do too much in one week you may regret it. Let your daughter make the call.

My parents visited me while I studied in Salamanca, as well. We did pretty much the same as recommended by mmh, except we also went to Barcelona. When they first arrived into Madrid, I met them & we took the express bus to Salamanca where they enjoyed seeing my host family's apartment, meeting the family & my friends, and exploring the city. Then we went back to Madrid for about two days via the express bus and then flew to Barcelona for about two days, so they could see some major highlights of each place. We weren't too overextended or tired. Salamanca was actually their favorite stop on the trip, though.

When we visited our son last April, we took the train one day from Madrid to Segovia for the day. It was a fun trip, beautiful scenery and the town with it's acqueduct, cathederal and alcazar and good restaurants made for a wonderful day trip.

I vote for staying in Salamanca and Madrid with day trips to Avila and Segovia.
I agree you have had some good advise so far.
Don't try to go too far away and do too much if it is just a week.Maybe plan trip back again some day.Your gonna love Spain.The countryside is awesome,people nice and food is great.
You already have some beautiful and amazing things in those places.

Just another point regarding car rental.Renting a car is a bit on the expensive side in Madrid.You'll have to shop around to get a good deal.I spent approx $800 US dollars for a week rental which is almost four times the price as it is in the US.
I decided to go for it because I knew I was going to Andalusia and wanted to drive.They asked me for a $500 deposit on my credit card which I got back in the end.Car can be fun if you know how to drive standard.There are no automatic cars available.
Bus would be fine if you don't plan to go very far outside of your chosen cities.