Dear Reader. I would greatly appreciate your advice and input for a planned visit April 2009 please. Madrid is my base, this I cannot change.
Up to you, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly, will help fine tune the schedule.
Many thanks to all who participate.
Aussieflyer

Day 1
PM Arrive, Madrid, Spain – Accommodation arranged in the Gran Via area.

Day 2 Madrid
9:00AM Confirmed Panoramic Tour of Historic Madrid

PM Confirmed El Escorial Monastery and Valle de Los Caidas

Day 3 Madrid
Noon Confirmed Time with friends

Day 4 Madrid
8:00 AM Confirmed Full Day History & Culture Tour of Toledo• Imperial City

Day 5 Madrid
AM Visit, Temple Of Debod , The 2400 YO Egyptian Temple To The God Amon In La Montana Park

PM Royal Palace

Day 6 Madrid
8:l5:AM Confirmed full Day History And Culture Tour of Cordoba

Day 7 Madrid
9:45 AM Confirmed The Prado And The Reina Sofia Museums

Day 8 Madrid

Segovia

Day 9 Madrid

Cable car ride to the hills.

Day 10 Madrid

Morning Departure from, Madrid, Spain

gudaye aussieflyer
even if you are not sports minded you have got to try the Bernabau stadium tour,for around 9 euros you can spend as much time as you need or want to go around the ground.You go into the kift first to the top of the ground to give you the most panoramic view, then through the ground to see the magnificent trophys and photos they have won over the last 100yrs, then into the dugout followed by the club shop, it doesnt sound good to a non sporty person,but we had 4 female non football loving people in our party and they loved it.
have fun whatever you decide to do!

Thank you Billy, I was thinking about that issue. I shall do some more investigating.Cheers Aussieflyer

Do not forget Segovia( Roman Aqueduct) and Aranjuez (Palace of Aranjuez )to 50 Kilometres of Madrid

Thanks Jazz, My problem is two fold. Firstly tme availabilty,
and also for my body to keep pace with everything. This is just my first visit to Spain. Thier will be many more I think, and hope.Your adcice is appreciated, cheers Aussieflyed

You really don't need a guided tour of Retiro Park; but if Day-8 or 9 is a Sunday, I like to stroll thru the park (around 11:00 AM) and enjoy Street Performers who gather there. They line the path from the Puerta de Alcalá entrance to the pond. That's only on Sundays.

You don't mention a tour of the Palacio Réal; I recommend that!

You don't mention Segovia, which I prefer over el Valle de los Caidos, especially if you dine there on cochinillo asado

Do go to Segovia, it's amazing, beautiful Cathedral, Alcazar, take the train, it's only 30 minutes on the high speed train..

I´m going to echo a lot of other people here . Go to Segovia ! It´s easy to get to . And think about Chinchón .. A beautiful village/town but only accesible by bus or car .
Templo de Deblod will not be time consuming , and I recommend something that not a lot of visitors here do : a 2000 metre cable car ride from Argüelles ( central madrid ) to the hills of Casa del Campo ... In April it should be beautiful . The return trip is about 4 or 5 Euros .
<avoid guided tours as much as possible ! You definitely , as Eddie said , do Not need a guided tour of the park . Parks are for strolling around and relaxing . Yes there is a lot to see ... It´s my very favourite place in the whole of Madrid .. but get a guide book , stroll around .. take a seat at a terrace cafe in the park ( I recommend the one by the statue of the fallen angel ) , and read , contemplate , and just relax .

El Escorial and Valle de los Caídos will blow you away . No matter what your political views are about Franco the views from his mausoleum are beautiful .Remember to take your passport or national ID card .. They have a strict control before you go in ,
The town of El Escorial is great with wonderful restaurants and cafes .

Day6 for you is going to be a heavy day .. Cordoba.. I´m guessing you´re going by train and yet a little further and you´d be in one of the gems in Spain´s crown , Granada ´. However i´d recommend AT LEAST one night stay over . Granada is fantastic !!!!

Just another note . Bear in mind that some Spaniards ( friends of mine included ) will REFUSE to go to Valle de los Caídos . Franco and his dictatorship is still a very emotive subject here . I asked friends to take me there and they said no ! But I found someone willing , eventually .

By the way ... something you cannot miss . Segovia is famous for "cochinillo" .. Roast suckling pig .. It´s to die for ! Forget the diet .. Segovia has the best restaurants in Spain for cochinillo , patronised by King juan Carlos himself !

Steve

Very nice the Valle de los Caidos but.VINI;VIDI and to go away,for if he's wakes up.

Another zone,Lozolla's walley, Valle de Lozoya, near Navacerrada, the monastery of the Paular.The village of Rascafria, the best lamb that l have eaten.

Eddie, many thanks for you info on Retiro Park. It is such a great help recieving usefull info like this, appreciated.

Apology, The Royal Palace is on my to do list.I will try and add Segovia.

As Jazz, Eddie, Kipper and Steve are all of the same opinion, I have added Segovia. As this will be my last day in Spain. If I go there in the morning,and return to Madrid after lunch. Will that work OK ???
A very big thank you to each of you, for your really helpful advice.

Jazz, I unfortunately will not have the time available. As an Aussie I love Lamb. Can you suggest a good Lamb place in Madrid that is open for lunch. No way I could wait till 11 PM.

Thanks Steve, I will certainly add the Cable car ride, Great idea, love it. Aussieflyer

Here you have one that enough good.
Restaurant The Segovian Aqueduct, near station of atocha
Avenida ciudad de Barcelona 108
www.segoviano.es

Thanks Jazz for the "lamb" recommendation . I too have a passion for lamb so i´ll be checking this place out ! Steve

Tough it is a bit expansive, the young lamb (lechazo) is exquisite.
Now l go away to eating to a new place......Good bye

Gentlemen, I am over weight just thinking about your postings.

Many thanks, Aussieflyer

Alredy l have returned,tell you.
Tapa: Alitas of chicken 0€
Starter:Beans with sausage (Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm)
Main course:Roast Cabrito (very good)
Dessert:Rice with milk
coffe with milk,bottel of the house red wine(!!!wow!!RIOJA),and <pacharan and licor de hierbas> 30€ two persons.I recommend it to you.
Address:Meson la ALHAMBRA calle La Victoria Nº 7 near Puerta de El Sol.And now a SIESTA. Bye

Dont forget to go rowing on the lake in the Retiro Park. Its great fun and very cheap.

Thank you mate for all your valued advices. You deserve a siesta.

Thanks Sally anne, appreciated.

Jazz, thank you for your eating recomendations.

Thank you Kipper - it is now in my schedule.

Thank you all for your fabulous advice.I have ammended my schudule in line with your collective advices.
To be honest, I have been overwhelmed with the generosity of your time, in response to my request.I doubt, thanks to you that I could improve upon my time in Madrid, without extending my allocated time. This is something I could not do.
I must give my heartful thanks, to Billy,Jazz,Eddie,Kipper,and Steve.Finally to Madridman for the wealth of knowledge he has poured into his sites. Very best of wishes,

Aussieflyer

You're so welcome, enjoy your visit and have a blast!

There's a place in the village of San Fernando de Jarama that's very popular: you can gorge yourself with rib lamb chops right off the grill. It's very popular with Families' weekends. It's on the riverbank. I think you can get there on a cercanias train from Puerta de Atocha or on a Bus from Avenida de America Bus Station.

In Segovia, roast suckling pig is not the only thing 'on the menu.' You can also find roast suckling lamb. That's what I had the last time I dined at Meson del Duque

I had the cochinillo at Meson del Duque .. Great place .. with photos of the King with the owner .... Suckling lamb is something I haven´t tried and sounds wonderful ... I´m assuming you enjoyed it Eddie ( ? ) Steve

Yes, I enjoyed the Roast suckling lamb at Mesón del Duque in Segovia but I really prefer the 'char-grilled' rib lamb chops that they (Parrita's?) serve in San Fernando.

Another treat: there was a Wedding Party at Mesón del Duque and they were doing a Queimada Gallega with the Incantation to seal their Wedding Vows. It was very impressive! I wasn't aware that the Gallegos did that. Maybe I'll have someone do an Anglicized version of a Queimada at my Wake (i.e., Funeral Viewing). I have a bottle of Orujo (de Liebana, the best kind) in my Liquor Cabinet.
BTW
If you ever get to Portugal, go to the Mealhada region: you'll find really great leitao (pronounced lay-tone, which is Portuguese for Cochinillo) at truck stops along the old Lisbon-Porto highway.

Here l leave you, www.galinor.es it pagines also in English.
In gastronomy,The Recipe an The Conjuration of the Queimada

def add Segovia and visit the Alcazar, cathedral and aqueduct with a nice lunch at the plaza mayor.
palacio Real ,do it,and have lunch in its cafeteria.
templo de Debod is nice at parque del oeste,one of all time favorite places when i used to live in Madrid. you might consider taken the Teleferico ,cable car to casa de campo,many attractions there zoo,aquarium,attraction ride park; even just to take the cable car and go over bridge of segovia, very nice.
El Escorial and Valle de los Caidos is nice, too.
the Retiro park, for a boat ride in the lake and ice cream with horchata drink ::)

you have a nice trip going ,enjoy it.