Extra Days Before Madrid

[Amachant]

Hola! I just finished my second CF. I am in Muxía now to start my transition to ‘normal’ life. I will be leaving Santiago by train day after tomorrow to travel towards Madrid. I secured lodgings over a month ago. But finished earlier than expected.

I need to be there in 4 days. Then on to Barcelona for 3 days and a then our flight home.

What places do you recommend to fill in the gap days? Zamora? Salamanca? Segovia?

 

[henrythedog]

Hola! I just finished my second CF. I am in Muxía now to start my transition to ‘normal’ life. I will be leaving Santiago by train day after tomorrow to travel towards Madrid. I secured lodgings over a month ago. But finished earlier than expected.

I need to be there in 4 days. Then on to Barcelona for 3 days and a then our flight home.

What places do you recommend to fill in the gap days? Zamora? Salamanca? Segovia?

Salamanca’s very worthwhile. Oldest university in Europe and two cathedrals.

I’d add a day to your planned stay in Madrid and use it to take a day trip to El Escorial.

 

[Grousedoctor]

Hola! I just finished my second CF. I am in Muxía now to start my transition to ‘normal’ life. I will be leaving Santiago by train day after tomorrow to travel towards Madrid. I secured lodgings over a month ago. But finished earlier than expected.

I need to be there in 4 days. Then on to Barcelona for 3 days and a then our flight home.

What places do you recommend to fill in the gap days? Zamora? Salamanca? Segovia?

I agree with @henrythedog 100%. When I cycled the VDLP, Salamanca was one of my favorite stops. Had I had more time, I would have stayed longer. However, Segovia is on my list to visit the next time in Spain.

 

[peregrina2000]

I agree with @henrythedog that Salamanca is a great place to visit. Zamora would be high up on that list too. Salamanca has one of the prettiest Plazas Mayores in Spain in addition to the old university, which is composd of one historical Renaissance building after the other. Several convents there are also worth visiting.

Zamora is smaller, has a castle and cathedral, and more than 20 Romanesque churches. If you are a fan of Romanesque, this would be the deal-breaker between the two, IMHO. The tiny Santiago de los Caballeros is where El Cid reportedly spent his night in prayer before being knighted. It is one of my favorite places in Spain. Both cities have a lively atmosphere, Salamanca will be more touristy, but both are great places to sit or to wander.

Salamanca and Zamora are very close, about 60 km apart on the Camino Sanabrés, so it would be easy to go Santiago - Zamora - Salamanca-Madrid, with two nights in both of the places. I don’t think that would be too rushed. Two hours on the train from Santiago to Zamora, an hour bus ride to Salamanca (much easier and quicker than train for that leg), and then a couple of hours on the train to Madrid.

The other thing I’d suggest is to take two two-day trips from Madrid, one to Segovia and one to Toledo. Both are very close, extremely easy to get to, and great places to see. Spending one night in each place will give you time to enjoy the cities at night and without the tons of day-trippers from Madrid.

Segovia has the aqueduct, the Disney-like castle, a cathedral, several Romanesque churches,and if you are a meat-eater, lots of restaurants offering the local specialty, roast suckling pig. Even if meat isn’t your thing,there is a Sefardi restaurant with lots of excellent veggie options, La Taberna del Fogón. There’s not as much to see here as in Toledo, but just seeing the aqueduct lit up at night when the tourists are gone is worth it. Lots of places to sit and just enjoy the great ambiente.

A trip to Toledo in August will mean busloads and busloads of tourists, but it is one of those “jewels”. If you go, I would highly recommend spending a night. Walking around when the tourists are gone and the city is illuminated is pretty great. I would highly recommend getting a 12€ tourist bracelet. With it you can visit 7 sites that are not on the first tier tourist trail but are so interesting - a mosque, a synagogue, a bell tower with a great view, etc. You can use the bracelet over several days, and going to these monuments really takes you through lots of out of the way parts of historical Toledo (not that much is out of the way in historical Toledo but you will see streets without a million tshirt and cheap food shops). Walking to a mirador on the other side of the river and up a hill will give you the famous El Greco view of the city. I walked into Toledo that way on the Levante and it is as beautiful a built environment view as any I’ve seen.

Lots of good options here, let us know what you decide!

 

[Stephan the Painter]

Salamanca and Toledo.

 

[henrythedog]

In Salamanca: find the frog at the university (a good luck charm for student exams) and, on the newer cathedral: the astronaut.

In Toledo: resist the urge to buy a knife or sword as a souvenir (it was a renowned source of high-end swords and armour) - we don’t need another thread on the probable outcome.

 

[Amachant]

What great recommendations! Thank you all!!

It looks like I may not have as much time as I thought. I did not reserve my train tix to Madrid in time. As a result, I’ve lost more than a day of extra time. I’ve been busy doing research and forgot that train tix purchase can disappear very quickly.

I believe I will be able to complete a day trip to Segovia from Madrid. There will be no stop in Salamanca this trip.

I also wanted to go to Valencia-Montserrat. This too will have to wait for another trip.

Will head to Barcelona after Madrid for 3 days. We will then fly home back to Portland Oregon.
Thank you all very much.

 

[Amachant]

Dear Lovely Forum Members…
Thank you thank you THANK YOU for the recommendations you provided more than a week ago. As it turned out, I was able to cancel a few of our reservations in Madrid and escaped to Toledo…in the nick of time!!

After a few short tours and events, we felt overwhelmed by the massive numbers tourists, and underwhelmed by the city layout.

We hopped on a tour bus to Toledo with all of our Camino gear. Took a half day tour there, and then informed the guide that we were going to stay in Toledo. The three days in Toledo were perfect.

We were able to see the sights, take advantage of free attractions, take part in a local festival, and glory in the amazing architecture.

We are now in Barcelona, battling the tourists. But we’ve been able to find a few quiet and picturesque hidden spots, far from the madding crowds.

In two days we fly home to Oregon. The memories of the Camino AND Toledo are what will lull us to sleep on our long flight home.

Muchas gracias!

 

[peregrina2000]

We hopped on a tour bus to Toledo with all of our Camino gear. Took a half day tour there, and then informed the guide that we were going to stay in Toledo. The three days in Toledo were perfect.

Thanks for the follow-up. It’s always good to hear whether our comments were helpful! Buen camino, Laurie

p.s. Did you use the tourist bracelet? I thought it was a great way to see more of old Toledo, but you may have just relied on your own two feet!

 

[Amachant]

Thanks for the follow-up. It’s always good to hear whether our comments were helpful! Buen camino, Laurie

p.s. Did you use the tourist bracelet? I thought it was a great way to see more of old Toledo, but you may have just relied on your own two feet!

 

[Amachant]

Thanks for the follow-up. It’s always good to hear whether our comments were helpful! Buen camino, Laurie

p.s. Did you use the tourist bracelet? I thought it was a great way to see more of old Toledo, but you may have just relied on your own two feet!

P2000 - yes, you are right. I would have used my two feet. However, I developed a bit of sciatica at the end of my CF pilgrimage. I therefore needed time to mend and a peaceful place to explore without my Camino pack on my back.