we will be spending a week with a car about 25 miles north madrid(guadarrama-i think its about 25 miles please correct me) my question is ,in addition to visiting madrid (2 days) segovia (1day) toledo(1 day0, el escorial(1day) where else that is driveable in a day is a "must see' and why ? muchas gracias!

cuenca?
salamanca?
both are a few hours drive...

chuck, I think you'll get great comments/insight from of the 16-post " Day trip from Madrid " thread from a couple weeks ago in this forum.

Have a GREAT time in Spain! Saludos, MadridMan

Search "favorite castles"...there was a thread from Calibasco about castles between Segovia and Valladolid. Even if you don't "do" castles...many are in beautiful ares with nice little towns nearby.

I recommend Avila which is about 45 min from Segovia...perhaps about a half hour from Guadarrama. It is one of the few (if only)towns in Spain that has its mideval wall completely intact/restored. It´s impressive to see at night. Try doing a google search for Avila Spain and you might come up with some other pages that go into more detail about the history of the town. Apart from the wall, I don´t think there is much else remarkable about it (correct me if I am wrong). I haven´t been to the cathedral, but am sure, like other Spanish cathedrals, is worth a visit.

If you go to Valladolid, apart from its Cathedral...there is a beautiful park where the peacocks roam free. And there are ALOT of peacocks there!

[ 02-10-2002: Message edited by: Chica ]

Burgos is nice (and there are wineries around there). We visited a place called Gran Canyon del Duraton with its vultures and a hermitage of San Fructosa; and then there's Pedraza - also very nice.

Hi Chuck:
You may be the same Chuck at Fodors, don't you?

Well, as I live very close to Guadarrama (Galapagar), I know some places you can't forget.

Very near Segovia is La Granja de San Ildefonso, a beautifull palace at the foot of the mountains with incredible gardens.

Between the mountains is a valley called Valle del Lozoya: you must go to the first village from Puerto de Navacerrada, Rascafria, where you will meet Monasterio de Santa Maria del Paular (there is a free guided tour by monks but they only speak Spanish- you will pay only what you want). You will find very good restaurants in the same 'Hotel Santa Maria del Paular' (Domingo is the maitre) or in Rascafria (Casa Juanito is very cheap, but great meet; El Barondillo, where Manolo Hiruela will be very pleasant with you). I think the travel time from Guadarrama can be 1-1.5 hours.

In the Madrilian side of the mountains is Manzanares del Real with it castle, separate from Rascafria by Puerto de la Morcuera. Travel time from Guadarrama: 30 minutes.

Perhaps, cities as Burgos or Leon are impresive but a little far away for a day trip.

Sure that with these day trips (Segovia-La Granja, El Escorial-Avila, Toledo, Rascafria-Manzanares del Real....) and some other days for Madrid (Museo del Prado, Palacio Real), you will have a complete week.

Sure you will enjoy.

I'm with Chica--Avila is really pretty and a manageable side trip. Be sure to take the tour of the walls (you get to climb up)!
Tara

Hola, I,m with the folks who favor Avila. The walls are awesome. En route, check the miles of stone fences laid out in the fields. How many rocks and how many yrs. to construct. Nobody pointed south to Aranjuez. The old summer palace, a copy of the palace of Versailles for the Kings of the 17th & 18 th century to "chill out " in the summertime.