10 Best Day Trips from Madrid

If you are spending a few days getting to know all there is to see and do in Madrid and you feel like going out to see the surrounding area, you are in luck! Spain's capital is in a strategic area of the map and from here there are plenty of towns, cities and hidden corners worth discovering.

Medieval cities such as Toledo or Ávila, the oldest university in Salamanca, monasteries steeped in history such as El Escorial or dreamy snowy landscapes in the Guadarrama Reserve. Come with me because I am going to show you the best day trips to do from Madrid.

If there is a city near Madrid that receives more tourists and curious people every year, I assure you that it is Toledo, and no wonder. This city was not only named Imperial Capital centuries ago, but it is also one of the references of interculturalism in the history of the country.

During the Middle Ages, it was home to Christians, Muslims and Jews within its walls, with cathedrals, mosques and synagogues living side by side in perfect harmony.

The result? A city that seems to have been taken from another era, and architecture that can be studied in all the art books. If you are visiting Madrid, this is one of the almost obligatory excursions you must do, and don't worry, because you will find many tour offers so you can choose the one that suits you best.

Half day excursion to Toledo

Maybe you've only come to Madrid for a couple of days and don't want to spend too much time outside the city. If you still want to do an excursion to Toledo, there is a half-day tour type, either in the morning or in the afternoon.

Being only 80 kilometres from Madrid, it takes just over an hour to get there and, with this type of tour, you'll be able to enter one of the main tourist attractions, its Cathedral, and get a general idea of what this beautiful medieval city is like.

Full day excursion to Toledo

If you have the time and interest to spend a whole day in Toledo, I promise you won't regret it.

There are numerous tours that offer transfers and full-day guided tours of Toledo, including entry to various places of interest besides the Cathedral, such as the Church of Santo Tomé, the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca or the Mosque of Cristo de la Luz.

With this type of excursion you will get a much deeper insight into the atmosphere of this enchanting place.

All inclusive day in Toledo

Toledo is a city that has managed to exploit its strengths perfectly and if you are looking for a complete experience, you should know that there are also all-inclusive tours that not only include transfers and entrance fees, but also a delicious traditional meal in one of the best restaurants in Toledo, as well as a small tour in a tourist bus. Quite an adventure!

Interesting facts

• Price: depending on the type of tour. A half-day tour costs around €30, a full-day tour around €50 and an all-inclusive tour can cost up to €80.
• Number of people: groups usually do not exceed 20 people.
• Duration: The half-day tour lasts a maximum of 6 hours and the full-day tour lasts up to 12 hours.
• What's included: all include transfers and entrance fees to the attractions on offer and only the all-inclusive tours have food and drink.

There is nothing more traditional for a Madrilenian than taking a short trip to Segovia and eating a suckling pig. If you also want to live this experience during your visit to the capital, you should know that there are many options to choose from. All of them will allow you to enjoy not only its gastronomy, but also its incredible aqueduct, dating back to Roman times.

Located just an hour from Madrid, Segovia is full of history and monuments at every step you take. Nevertheless, it's a fairly small city, so tours are usually half-day or even combined with other destinations.

If you want to focus only on this Roman city, you should know that for less than €30 you can spend the day and not only have your photo taken at the impressive aqueduct, but also enter the 12th-century Alcazar. You'll also have some free time to do some shopping and taste its typical dishes such as suckling pig or lamb ribs.

Interesting facts

• Price: approximately 30€.
• Number of people: no more than 15 people
• Duration: half a day but with transfers it usually takes up to 6-7 hours.
• What's included: transfers by bus and a specialised guide.

Built in the 16th century, the Escorial Monastery is one of the icons of Madrid and it is worth taking a day to visit it both inside and out. If you are interested, here you can see the information you need to get tickets to the monument.

Fortunately, if you're not too familiar with the real history of Spain, there are numerous tours that will take you to the beautiful town of San Lorenzo del Escorial and show you inside and out of this huge complex that has been named a World Heritage Site.

San Lorenzo del Escorial is less than an hour from Madrid and beyond being a pretty suburban village, it contains one of the biggest attractions in the whole of the region. The Monastery is the best reflection of the splendour that the country experienced during the Golden Age and its more than 33,327 square metres between the palace, the basilica, the pantheon and the library reflect this.

In addition, this type of excursion also includes an extra stop along the way to cover the whole day and give a summary of Spain's recent history: a visit to the Valley of the Fallen, a cathedral crowned by an enormous cross that was ordered to be built by the dictator Francisco Franco, but which today pays homage to all the victims of that dark period.

Interesting facts

• Price: around €60
• Number of people: groups are usually no larger than 25 people.
• Duration: between 7 and 8 hours
• What's included: transfers to the Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen, local guide and entrance to the Monastery and the Cathedral.

One of the advantages of Madrid is that everything is close by and you can visit several historic cities in one day. Within this type of excursion, one of the most popular is the one that combines the city of Segovia with Ávila.

Both cities are steeped in history but are quite small in size, so if you want to spend the whole day travelling, you can easily visit both.

With this type of tour, you 'll travel by bus and you'll have half the day to get to know Avila with its incredible wall that still surrounds the historic centre, its Cathedral and the birthplace of Saint Teresa of Jesus and the Barefoot Carmelites.

The afternoon is reserved for Segovia, where you will be able to contemplate its Alcazar, enter its cathedral and see the imposing Roman aqueduct at sunset.

Interesting facts

• Price: approximately €50
• Number of people: groups can be up to 50 people.
• Duration: about 10 hours in total
• What's included: all transfers and guided tours. Entrance fees and meals are not usually included in the price.

If you have just enough time on your holidays in Madrid but you don't want to give up the chance to get to know all the historical and artistic legacy of the city's surroundings, let me tell you that there is a type of express excursion from Madrid thatis designed for you.

In itself, any city in the vicinity of the capital can be visited for a whole day. However, due to time or schedules, sometimes this is not possible. That is why there are offers for quicker excursions that cover the three most popular cities: Toledo, Ávila and Segovia.

The three cities are very well connected, so you won't waste too much time transferring from one place to another and you will have the opportunity to see the most important places in each place.

This way, you can visit Toledo, walk through its streets up to the Cathedral, visit it and then go to Segovia where you can see its aqueduct, its Cathedral and, of course, its tremendous Alcazar.

To finish the day, you'll make a last stop in Avila, where you'll see its imposing wall at sunset and get a close-up view of its Cathedral. All three cities have been named World Heritage Sites, so being able to visit them all in one day is a real luxury.

Interesting facts

• Price: around 70€.
• Number of people: groups can be up to 30 people.
• Duration: covers the whole day with a duration of up to 12 hours.
• What's included: all transfers, guided tours and, on occasion, entrance fees to the Cathedrals and points of interest.

Cuenca is only two hours by bus from Madrid and is one of those cities that will take your breath away due to its architecture and how it has managed to survive the passing of the centuries.

Not only is it a city with medieval features but, due to its location, it has had to adapt to the terrain, giving rise to its famous Hanging Houses, constructions cemented on the edge of a cliff.

There are numerous excursions that will take you to discover and marvel at this beautiful city throughout the day.

You should bear in mind that the round trip will take you 4 hours, but once there, you will have a specialised guide and a whole city to explore, stopping to visit its Cathedral, its Plaza Mayor, the Convent of San Pablo and, of course, its Museum of Abstract Art, located in one of the vertiginous Hanging Houses.

Interesting facts

• Price: around 70€.
• Number of people: usually groups of 10 people.
• Duration: lasts the whole day, approximately 12 hours.
• What's included: bus transfers, a specialised guide and entrance fees to tourist attractions.

Within the Community of Madrid and only 30 minutes away by bus is a town that, despite its small size, is a real gem and thousands of tourists visit it every year.

It is Alcalá de Henares, a place full of history since Roman times, which not only has one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Madrid, but also houses the house where the great Miguel de Cervantes was born.

If you are interested in learning a little more about Spanish history and culture, you can get to know Alcalá de Henares through an excursion that will take you to all the corners of interest.

On the one hand, you can visit the ruins of what was once the Roman city of Complutum, visit the atrium of the faculties and enter an authentic Corral de Comedias, from the Golden Age. Of course, you can also visit the house of Miguel de Cervantes and the Gothic cathedral.

Interesting facts

• Price: around 40€.
• Number of people: groups are usually of 10 people
• Duration: it usually lasts about 6 hours
• What's included: transfers to Alcalá de Henares, guided tour and entrance to the main attractions.

Not all excursions from Madrid are all about visiting medieval cities and bits of history. There is also room for leisure and new experiences, which is why one of the most popular excursions is wine tasting. Just two hours from the capital you can reach one of the areas where the best wine in the country is made; the Ribera del Duero.

There, there are several wineries that you can visit and, as part of an organised excursion, you will have access to a guided tour of all the vineyards and, of course, a tasting and sampling of the grape varieties they handle. Without a doubt, an experience for your senses that will allow you to get to know the area in a different way.

Most of the excursions also allow you to visit several wineries throughout the day so that you can taste as much as possible and also make a purchase.

Interesting facts

• Price: around €150
• Number of people: groups are usually no more than 20 people.
• Duration: about 10 hours
• What's included: wine tasting, transfers, snacks and guided tours of several wineries in Ribera del Duero.

If you want to get to know a place full of wisdom and history, I am sure that Salamanca will leave you open-mouthed. Here you will find one of the oldest universities in Spain, which has given it a youthful, university atmosphere that contrasts with its medieval cobbled streets.

There are several excursions that will take you on a day trip around Salamanca, and you can also take the opportunity to stop off in Ávila, so that you can see its great city walls and cathedral.

If you want to kill two birds with one stone and spend a pleasant day learning and sightseeing, such as the frog hunt on the façade of the Colegio Mayor of Salamanca, this type of excursion is for you.

Interesting facts

• Price: about 80€.
• Number of people: the groups are usually up to 30 people.
• Duration: about 10 hours
• What's included: transfers from Madrid, tour guide in Salamanca and Ávila and entrance to the main tourist attractions.

If you are passionate about nature and hiking, let me tell you that Madrid and its surroundings have a lot to offer you because it has the incredible Sierra de Guadarrama, one of the largest nature reserves in the capital that has a multitude of trails, routes, charming villages and even a ski slope.

Most of the excursions that take you to the Sierra de Madrid are dedicated to explore the natural environment, make different stops at important points such as Puerto de Navacerrada, Cercedilla, or Morcuera and take the opportunity to do some routes or trails adapted to all audiences to breathe the fresh air of the countryside, do you feel like it?

Interesting facts

• Price: around 80€.
• Number of people: maximum 15
• Duration: about 10 hours
• What's included: transfers and a guide and instructor to get to know nature better.

Madrid is a city that lives largely on tourism and that is why you can find all kinds of tours, excursions and activities that are of interest to you. Even so, if you want to move around on your own and discover the surroundings on your own or with your group or family, the two best means of transport to get around are the train and the bus.

The main companies are Alsa for buses and Renfe for the train system. If you organise yourself and plan your route well, you can get to the main nearby cities cheaply, although it is always advisable to have a tour or guide to help you get around and make the most of your visit.

Madrid is hotin summer and cold in winter. However, each season of the year has its strong points. For example, if you come to Madrid at Christmas you can discover many stalls and markets in Salamanca or Toledo that you are sure to love.

Even so, as far as the weather is concerned, my recommendation is that you go in the spring and autumn months, as you won't have to deal with the heat or the cold all day long, as you'll be out on excursions.

Madrid is not only one of the most interesting cities to visit in Spain, but also has some amazing surroundings that are essential to understand the history of the country. If you come to visit the city of cats, be sure to take a day trip, you won't regret it!