Madrid and Castile are best discovered at two complementary speeds: the rhythm of a great metropolis, with its world-class museums, its markets and its endlessly animated nights, and the golden silence of the historic cities of the Meseta, where medieval Spain seems suspended in amber.
For a short trip (3-4 days), Madrid alone is more than enough. A full day at the Prado (book tickets online), a morning at the Reina Sofía for Guernica, an afternoon in the Retiro park, an evening in La Latina for tapas, and a final morning at El Rastro flea market or the Mercado de San Miguel. On the fourth day, take the AVE to Toledo for the medieval old city.
Over a week (7 days), the classic itinerary combines three days in Madrid with the essential excursions: Toledo (30 min by AVE), Segovia and its aqueduct (1 hour by bus or train), and possibly Aranjuez and its royal gardens (45 min by train). The final days can be devoted to Salamanca (2h30 by bus or Alvia train from Madrid) — a 900-year-old university city whose baroque Plaza Mayor is, for many travellers, the most majestic in Spain.
With 10 to 15 days, the Castilian journey reaches its full scope. Add Ávila and its intact medieval walls (1h30 from Madrid), Cuenca and its hanging houses clinging to cliffs above the gorges, and, for lovers of Cervantes, a loop through La Mancha via Consuegra and Campo de Criptana for the windmills. The medieval castles of Castile — Peñafiel, La Mota, Medina del Campo — anchor themed itineraries that plunge deep into the Spain of the Catholic Monarchs.
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- Madrid, Europe's most vibrant capital — The Prado, Reina Sofía, La Latina tapas and Madrid's legendary nightlife, in Goya's city.
- Toledo, City of Three Cultures — Gothic cathedral, synagogues, mosque and El Greco in a medieval masterpiece above the Tagus.
- Spain — Complete guide: visa, budget, regions to explore and the best time to visit.
- Catalonia — Barcelona, the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees — the other great Spanish region.