GREAT SITE!!!
We will be in Spain for a week in November. We are flying in and out of Madrid and would love suggestions for where we should spend our time.

We are very interested in staying at one of the Paradores and placing ourselves in one or two places where we can do some interesting daytrips, food exploration, and people meeting.

Thanks in advance...

David


[This message has been edited by Studley (edited 09-22-2000).]

Toledo, Segovia, San Lorenzo de El Escorial are all nearby day trips!!!!!!!!!!!

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Spain Page!! Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/missmadrid98/homepage.html?957296168010

we've all said this before,"one week! that's so little time to see things" nevertheless this is all the time you have. you're best bet for seeing things would be to base yourself in madrid and branch out to its environs. as missmadrid mentioned toledo, el escorial, segovia and avila are within an hour of the city. all are easily reached and will give you an amazing overview of spanish history. to do justice to each i wouldn't attempt to see them all. i would pick two and go from there. spend the rest of your time enjoying all there is in madrid. as for paradors, i personally have never stayed in one as they are WAY out of my budget. i did however have the opprtunity to walk around the parador conde orgaz in toledo. i went there specifically to see the same landscape that el greco painted his "view of toledo" from. an amazing view and quite a grand place. in regards to food, just walk the streets of madrid and slip into a little place. you'll never be disappointed. have a wonderful trip!!!

My list, in order of priority:
1) Valle de los Caidos and Segovia - One Day
2) Toledo - One Day
3) Madrid - Plaza Mayor to Plaza Espana - One Day
4) Madrid - Retiro, El Prado - One Day
5) Burgos - One Day (incredible Cathedral)
6) Aranjuez - One Day
7) Avila - One Day

Take your pick. Any order and any time, you can't miss. You'll love it. I still believe that Valle de los Caidos to be a "must see". Truly a strange marvel to a great tragedy.
May be cold and rainy in November.
Enjoy!!

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"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

Alarcon has to be one of the best Paradores. It's in a very dramatic location--though there's not much else around. It's an old castle perched on a rock escarpment that juts out over a river gorge. It's really small and hard to get reservations, but it's definitely worth a trip. It's very strange to actually stay the night in the attraction to the area. If you go, make sure you eat in the comedor and request a window seat. The whole place is incredible. It's about a 2 hour drive from Madrid if I remember correctly. I don't believe that there's a Parador as dramatic anywhere else around Madrid -- though there are several nice ones.

Balanceok,

A good list but I would say that I found Burgos to be very boring and disappointing.
Although, I agree the Cathedral is excellent.

Things I like most about Burgos:
1) Incredible Gothic Cathedral
2) Small but interesting castle above town
3) Monastery (can't remember name)
4) Paseo - at night along the river
5) Mild summer weather.
This is an old Spanish town. Here you can still get a good feel for Castilla.


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"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

véste a La Granja, Palacio de los Reyes Borbones... the palace there appeared in the movie "Farinelli," a wonderful Canal + sponsored movie... it is so very 18th century... there is also a little resturant there that has really good pizza...! there are a ton of fountains in a huge garden area behind the palace... my favourite time to go is fall/winter...(NOW!)

La Granja is a day trip and is on the way to Segovia (valle de los caidos)... i laid in a patch of grass in segovia and stared up at the acueduct for half a day... it is so beautiful there. you can sit with your companions and drink wine from a porron and chat and hang out...

also, go to Los Molinos, a little mountain-side city that is friendly and fun. go for the encierro (bull running) which (whoops) is in the third week of september... i guess too late now for that one.. but they do one frequently with saints days...

have fun!

A week is barely enough time for just Madrid and surrounding area (i.e., Toledo, Segovia, etc.). Most of the Paradores are outside of the Madrid area, so that might effectively make your plan to stay in a Parador AND see Madrid competing priorities. If it's your first visit you should tour the Palacio Real (to see excellent frescoes, tapestries and paintings and clocks and other stuff) and some of Madrid's outstanding museums. There are many other attractions that are best seen 'on foot:' Plaza de Espan~a and Plaza de Oriente (across from the Palace), Opera and the Plaza Mayor; the Paseo del Prado to Puerta de Atocha, Cibeles and the Neptune fountain in front of the Museo del Prado; El Parque del buen Retiro and the Puerta de Alcala; Colon and the Americas Monument; and on and on. Take a day tour to Segovia and another to Toledo. Retiro park on a Sunday morning - see the street performers and drop 25-pesetas into their hat. I don't know if they have horse racing in November, but the Hiprodomo used to be a nice place to spend Sunday 'tardes' (visit Ciudad Universitaria along the way). Enjoy Madrid!