You can easily organize day trips from Madrid since Madrid is in the center of Spain and is super well connected.
Even if you don’t want to rent a car you can easily see other regions and areas by public transit.
Therefore, landing and departing from Madrid is a great idea if you want to be in the middle of the country and to have easy options to travel to.
I recommend to think about how you will be getting around from point A to point B because that can help make planning easier.
How to get around Madrid:
- Train – Omio trains
- Rent A Car – Skyscanner rentals, great, reliable, and budget friendly
- Bus – Avanza Bus
- Blabla Car – Trusted Carpooling
1. cuenca
1st of the must see day trips from Madrid is Cuenca. A charming city with a lot of history, great views, hanging houses, and an underestimated reputation meaning not too many tourists you’ll have to swarm through.
Information: Tourism website
Distance from Madrid: 1 hour 47 minutes by car.
What to see/do: Hanging houses, San Pablo Bridge, Cuenca Cathedral, Plaza Mayor and its colors, Go for a hike near Rio Huecar, when you get to the top you’ll have a nice view of all of Cuenca.
Where to eat/drink: Parador, it’s a bit of a splurge but totally worth it, you get to have lunch looking out at all of Cuenca and the food is 10/10. Bonus tip: You honestly can’t ever go wrong eating at any Parador.
It’s a high end hotel chain (4.5-5 stars) all throughout Spain. For drinks you can go to Grotte Del Huecar that is a gastropub inside a cave with a special ambience.
When to go: We went in February and it was beautiful out. We comfortably went for a hike and sight saw in light jackets. Granted 65 degree weather isn’t typical in February, we got lucky.
Spring and Summer would be really pretty when the trees and flowers are blooming/have blossomed and you can go for a swim in one of the clear blue lakes.
How to get there: Train, bus, or car rental.
2. toledo
Number 2 of the must see day trips from Madrid is Toledo. It is a beautiful ancient city. I personally find it to be one of the most beautiful cities in Spain.
Information: Tourism website
Distance from Madrid: 54 minutes by car.
What to see/do: Go ziplining and see the town in seconds, Monasterio de Los Reyes (pictured), Alcazar de Toledo, visit and walk on Puente de San Martin, go to Mosque of Cristo De La Luz, Puente de Alcantara, look at all of Toledo from the Mirador del Valle (Viewpoint) Enjoy the religious history of Toledo, there’s a lot of it in Toledo.
When to go: All year round.
How to get there: Car, bus, train
3. RASCAFRIA
Number 3 of the must see day trips from Madrid is Rascafria. This is a very popular and scenic area where you can go for hikes, go cycling, picnics, and/or hang at the lake.
Information: Tourism website
Distance from Madrid: 1 hour 15 minutes by car.
What to see/do: Hike to the waterfalls all the way at the end and go for a swim once you are there. There is a lake/natural pool prior to getting to other hiking routes, in the beginning of the entrance. It is named Las Presillas Piscinas Naturales de Rasca Fria.
Where to eat/drink: Feel free to go to Rascafria’s city center where there are tons of eateries in the area. You can also search the tourism website to get recommendations regarding gastronomy.
When to go: In the spring/summer.
How to get there: Car rental would be best.
4. sepulveda
Number 4 of the must see day trips from Madrid is Sepulveda. This town is in the region Segovia and is super close to Madrid. It is a cute more suburban town in Spain.
Information: Tourism website
Distance from Madrid: 1 hour and 38 minutes by car
What to see: The tiny pueblos in the town. You can go for a hike like we did. It’s quite easy but it is long, about 5 hours round trip. There is a chiringuito (bar) at the end of the hiking route that offers drinks and snacks.
When to go: Spring – Fall if you are going for a hike or whenever if you are going to check out the pueblos.
How to get there: Car is easiest.
5. Pedraza
Number 5 of the must see day trips from Madrid is a tiny pueblo in Segovia, named Pedraza. Don’t let it’s size fool you, it might be tiny but its a very pretty town with lots of artisanal shops and rustic brown and pink hues.
They have a candle light festival in the summer that I’m going to try to make it too this year. They basically light the whole city up with candles (wicked, I know!)
Information: Tourism website
Distance from Madrid: 1 hour 32 minute by car
What to see: There is a “Ignacio Zuloaga Museum” I didn’t go to. We walked around prior to going to eat at Segovia and bought bread at 2 artesenal shops.
When to go: We went in the fall, if you are trying to walk around outside, I would recommend to go Spring – Fall.
How to get there: Car is easiest.
6. Segovia
The last but certainly not least of the must see day trips from Madrid is Segovia. Stop here for history about the Romans. This pink and brown town has a lot to say when it comes to history and its Spanish origins.
Information: Tourism website
Distance from Madrid: 1 hour and 5 minutes
What to see: The Aqueduct, Segovia Cathedral, Alcazar, Segovia City walls, Plaza Mayor
Where to eat/drink: La Portada de Medio Dia is a top notch restaurant not too far out of the city if you have a car. Stop at Plaza Mayor to people watch for a cup of tea/coffee at one of the cute cafes.
When to go: All year round. Day or night the aqueduct will look amazing!
How to get there: Car, train, bus.
Whether you are thinking of renting a car or going by bus or train, you definitely have options of easily getting out of Madrid during your stay. I would recommend to come up with a route to have a starting point and an idea of where you want to go. Then I would start with transporation next, will you be traveling by car, train, or bus? Sometimes it’s best having an itinerary vs going in blindly. **** (IS-ST)
Let me know in the comments below how your day trips are coming along!!
