If you could only take one day trip from Madrid, where would you go?

Toledo... I'd go to Toledo. It's about a two hour train ride from Madrid I believe (Madridman, correct me if I'm wrong) and it's worth every minute. If you can stay overnight, go to Seville!!! Have fun!

roses

Wow! That´s a tough call! I´d have to agree with Roses...my choice would definitely be Toledo closely followed by Segovia then Avila!

Another vote (two, actually--my husband adds his) for Toledo. It's our favorite.

Tara

Yup! I concur. Toledo is TOPS on most everyone's day-trip list. And as stated above, I too would next choose Segovia, Avila, and don't forget El Escorial! (missmadrid98 would kill me/us if we didn't mention HER town! )

Well, I'm going to vote for Segovia. I love everything about it including the drive from Madrid.

I also have to vote for Segovia - the town is fabulous, charming, special and the drive and view are simply fantastic!

Too many great options to choose from. We chose Toledo. Very convenient train ride - the Regional express train out of Atocha (in Madrid) took only an hour each way. Were told the bus station was more convenient, but found a taxi from Toledo train station to central Toledo was only 600psts (3-4 Euros?). For me, Toledo was exciting to experience the history of three (!!!) "civiliztions" (Moors, Jews, and Christians), at one time coexisting with each other. I'd say my vote is for Toledo for the convience and cultural experience - it's a biased vote, though, as I havn't been to the others.

Thank you so much for all of your input!
My husband and I are split. He wants to go to Segovia and I want to go to Toledo. I wish we had time to do both. We might just decide that the place that gets the most votes from all of you is where we will go. That seems fare right? We know you guys have good taste. So far Toledo is the winner! Thanks again for your help.

We solved the problem by going to Segovia on our first visit to Spain (it seemed an easier city to see in a limited time) and are planning to see Toledo in March (we are debating spending the night so we won't miss anything).