A Stroll Around Madrid

Madrid itself has plenty to keep you occupied for more than a week itself and I look upon this holiday as an opportunity to get a feel of the area in order to return at a later stage and spend more time at your places of interest. With this in mind I would highly recommend the first day walk about in Madrid as you get to find out where all the main sights are to be found, including restaurants, gardens and museums.

Plaza Mayor in Madrid is a must and regarded as one of the most beautiful squares in Spain. Make a note to pay it a visit on a Sunday morning when the place is full of coin dealers. It really is a sight with all the locals joining in.

We were there during September when there was a great display of Spanish costumes as they celebrated the wine festival.

Royal Palace and the associated cathedral are also worth a visit….we even saw King Carlos…..be it from a quarter of a mile away! The Palace claims to have more rooms than any other palace in Europe; some 2,800…..not a lot of people know that…..

Prado for the ‘culture vultures’ there is the famous Prado Art Gallery that houses some of the finest works of art in the world.

Segovia is a must. There are so many unusual things to see: the roman aqueduct, the Alcazar or Moorish fortress, the Palace of Riofrio with its magnificent views. The town itself is full of magnificent buildings and will keep your interest all day.

Toledo, famous for its swords. The Santa Maria Synagogue with its many arches is very impressive and well worth the visit, together with the Toledo Cathedral…..an amazing sight….awesome it is!

El Escorial with the renowned Monastery of San Lorenzo, giving an overall impression of grandeur and austerity that has never been equalled, is well worth visiting.

Aranjuez with but yet another Royal Place and gardens should not be missed.




Destination Madrid, Spain
Categories Singles, Over 50's
Flight Time 2 hours from UK. Our flights to and from Madrid were very civilised, flying by BA schedule aircraft from Gatwick Saturday mid morning and returning the following Saturday, mid afternoon.
Travel Agent Ramblers Holidays Ltd. We were escorted throughout by the Ramblers’ Leader, although you could do your own thing if you wished.You tend to meet the Leader at Madrid airport and more or less travel on your own to the holiday destination. We know a couple of people who have visited this area many times and continue to book through Ramblers Holidays but do their own thing when they arrive. The reason being that they are unable to compete on price when it comes to arranging the holiday themselves. The cost of all trips were included in the price of this holiday but this is not usually the case. An allowance needs to be made for local costs. As I mentioned, you can do your own thing and spend as much time as you wish at any particular place. Should one of your trips fall into the holiday itinerary, then the Ramblers Leader will give you the cost of the fare. The Leader in the meanwhile will stick to the itinerary as listed, where those who wish to trail along are welcome to do so. A flexible arrangement that keeps everyone happy. Although Madrid is currently unavailable, Ramblers Holidays do offer similar arrangements for trips to Barcelona and Seville.
Length of Stay 7 Days
Accommodation We were based in the Hotel "Italia" - strange, seeing we were in the Spanish Capital, but there you go. The hotel has a three star rating with an ideal location in the centre of Madrid in good reach of busses and trains for branching out in any direction. The holiday was on a half-board basis.
Itinerary Saturday - arrive Madrid Sunday - Madrid walk-about Monday - Madrid Palace & Gardens Tuesday - Toledo – by train Wednesday - Avila/El Escorial – by train Thursday - Aranjuez – by train Friday - Segovia – by bus Saturday - Madrid/Home
Travelogue My wife and I travelled with ‘Ramblers Holidays’ on this particular seven day trip and I should emphasise that this was a stroll! None of that hill climbing and a ten mile hike before breakfast stuff - this was an interest filled holiday at a leisurely pace, believe me. If you are into hill walking then Ramblers Holidays certainly have an itinerary to suit you, but for me it was the interest of the city, it’s architecture, palaces, gardens and the surrounding area that caused me to select this holiday. We travelled the area with the aid of local busses and trains. The tickets are purchased by the Leader at the time of travel and this is what enables flexible travel arrangements between those wishing to go solo and those wishing to have an escort to guide and point out the various sights and scenes together with the history of the area. The train system is excellent - all running on time and spotlessly clean. We were fortunate enough to travel on one of the double-decker trains which proved to be quite an experience. Each carriage has an illuminated sign that gives you running details of the next station and how long it will be before you arrive. From the upper deck you get a wonderful view of the countryside as you seemingly glide along…..don’t miss it! We couldn’t help noticing that when the ticket collector passed among us he was ‘chaperoned’ by a guard who, very conspicuously, was wearing a large a gun holster……..definitely no problems with fare dodgers! The buses are equally as good, with the one to Segovia actually stopping en route to enable us to take a few scenic photographs…….can you imagine that happening back home?
Must-See Attractions Madrid itself has plenty to keep you occupied for more than a week itself and I look upon this holiday as an opportunity to get a feel of the area in order to return at a later stage and spend more time at your places of interest. With this in mind I would highly recommend the first day walk about in Madrid as you get to find out where all the main sights are to be found, including restaurants, gardens and museums. Plaza Mayor in Madrid is a must and regarded as one of the most beautiful squares in Spain. Make a note to pay it a visit on a Sunday morning when the place is full of coin dealers. It really is a sight with all the locals joining in. We were there during September when there was a great display of Spanish costumes as they celebrated the wine festival. Royal Palace and the associated cathedral are also worth a visit….we even saw King Carlos…..be it from a quarter of a mile away! The Palace claims to have more rooms than any other palace in Europe; some 2,800…..not a lot of people know that….. Prado for the ‘culture vultures’ there is the famous Prado Art Gallery that houses some of the finest works of art in the world. Segovia is a must. There are so many unusual things to see: the roman aqueduct, the Alcazar or Moorish fortress, the Palace of Riofrio with its magnificent views. The town itself is full of magnificent buildings and will keep your interest all day. Toledo, famous for its swords. The Santa Maria Synagogue with its many arches is very impressive and well worth the visit, together with the Toledo Cathedral…..an amazing sight….awesome it is! El Escorial with the renowned Monastery of San Lorenzo, giving an overall impression of grandeur and austerity that has never been equalled, is well worth visiting. Aranjuez with but yet another Royal Place and gardens should not be missed.
Overall Rating You could say that Ramblers Holidays have packed in as much as possible into this short holiday and in so doing have selected probably the best and varied sights to visit in the time available. Definitely a holiday not to be faulted! Ramblers Holidays only operate this particular holiday at certain times of the year in order to take into account the climate. Certainly June/August might be regarded as being too hot for trekking around the city and even September hit the upper seventies (old money) while we were there, although you are pretty well assured of good settled weather at this time of year. This holiday is suitable for most people, although not recommended for young children or the infirm. We found that the Rambler Holiday leader to be as interested in the sights as we were which is refreshing and this, I suspect, is due to the fact that they do not spend the entire year in one place. In this particular case the leader was only in Madrid for a few weeks of the year.
Fab Tips Do not miss Sagovia or riding on the upper deck of a double-decker train! Try to organise your holiday during the wine festival period.Plaza Mayor is a must, particularly as it is almost on your doorstep!
Useful Contacts Ramblers Holidays Ltd. Box 43, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6PQ. Telephone 01707 331133 e-mail : info@ramblersholidays.co.uk www.ramblersholidays.co.uk Spanish National Tourist Office, 57-58, St. James Street, London SW1A 1LD.
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