In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Toledo is about 30 minutes by Avant from Atocha and Segovia about 30 minutes by train from Chamartín, though Segovia-Guiomar station is 6 km from the Aqueduct. El Escorial and Aranjuez are Cercanías trips, Cuenca is a high-speed train from Atocha, and Salamanca is a long day. Monday is the problem: El Escorial, the Valley of Cuelgamuros, the Aranjuez palace, the Toledo Alcázar and the Cuenca museum are closed, and the Ávila walls close on Mondays from 25 October 2026. The free afternoons are for EU citizens, residents and Latin American citizens only. Or book a tour: Segovia and Toledo, Alcazar and Cathedralad is from €40.60 for 12 hours, Avila and Segovia with tickets to monumentsad from €79, and Escorial Monastery and the Valley of the Fallenad from €62 for 5 hours. A tour covers the transfer and a guide; the Valley of Cuelgamuros and the Enchanted City near Cuenca have no practical public route (GetYourGuide).
The day trips compared
Train, bus and entry prices are the operators’ own. Tour prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult, for tours that leave Madrid. Rail and coach fares are on Renfe and the coach operators’ sites.
Renfe AVE trains at Madrid Puerta de Atocha. Photo: Carlos Teixidor Cadenas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
| Trip | On your own | Entry on top | Tour from | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | Avant from Atocha, about 30 minutes; Alsa coach, 1 hour direct | Cathedral €12; Alcázar €5; bracelet €14 | €29, 5 hours | The Cathedral is not in the bracelet; the Alcázar is closed Mondays |
| Segovia | Train from Chamartín, about 30 minutes; Avanza coach from Moncloa, about 1 hour | Alcázar €7 (€10 with tower); Cathedral €4 | €40, 9 hours with Ávila | Guiomar station is 6 km out |
| Ávila | Renfe train or coach from Estación Sur | Walls €8; Cathedral €10 | €40, 9 hours with Segovia | Walls close Mondays from 25 October |
| El Escorial | Cercanías C-8; buses 661 and 664 from Moncloa | Monastery €14 | €45, 5 hours with Cuelgamuros | Closed Mondays |
| Valley of Cuelgamuros | Bus 660 from San Lorenzo; car | €9 | In the El Escorial tours | Closed Mondays; funicular closed |
| Aranjuez | Cercanías C-3 from Atocha | Palace €9 | €69, 11 hours with Chinchón and Toledo | Closed Mondays; Strawberry Train to 8 November |
| Cuenca | AVE or Avlo from Atocha, first train 06:30 | Cathedral €5.50; museum free | €89, 11½ hours | Station 5 km from the old town |
| Salamanca | Renfe from Príncipe Pío, first train 07:40 | Cathedrals €10 | €69, 11 hours with Ávila | A long day |
| Alcalá de Henares | Cercanías C-2 or C-7, about 40 minutes | Casa Natal de Cervantes free | €47, 5 hours | Tren de Cervantes on Saturdays |
| Chinchón | Bus 337 from Plaza de Conde de Casal | None | €69 with Aranjuez and Toledo | No train |
When a tour is worth it
A tour pays where the day is long, where two cities share a day, or where public transport does not reach. The tour prices set against the entry prices on the operators’ sites:
- Toledo and Segovia together. Segovia and Toledo Tour, Alcazar, and Cathedralad is from €40.60 for 12 hours (10,636 reviews), and Toledo & Segovia Tour w/ Cathedral, Alcazar & Lunchad is from €39.15 for 11 hours (7,207 reviews). Entries are an option on some listings, so check the option you pick.
- Ávila and Segovia together. Avila and Segovia Day Trip with Tickets to Monumentsad is from €79 for 9 hours (5,271 reviews) with the entrance fees in the listing, and Segovia & Avila Day Trip with Optional Ticketsad is from €40.
- Toledo alone. Guided Day Trip to Toledo by Busad is from €34 for 6 to 9 hours (6,181 reviews).
- El Escorial with the Valley of Cuelgamuros. Escorial Monastery and the Valley of the Fallenad is from €62 for 5 hours (1,761 reviews); the Valley has no direct public route from Madrid.
- Cuenca and the Enchanted City. Cuenca, Enchanted City & Devil’s Window Tourad is from €89 for 11½ hours (643 reviews).
- Salamanca with Ávila. Ávila and Salamanca Guided Day Tripad is from €69 for 11 hours (626 reviews).
The Alcázar of Segovia, Patrimonio Nacional and the Toledo Cathedral sell their own tickets online, and each trip’s page links them.
The trips with their own guides
Toledo
Avant about 30 minutes · Cathedral €12 · bracelet €14 · Alcázar €5
The Toledo guide has the Avant and the coach, the walk from the station, the order round the monuments and the Cathedral’s Jubilee Year from 25 October 2026.
Segovia
Train about 30 minutes · Alcázar €7 · Cathedral €4 · Aqueduct free
The Segovia guide has the station 6 km from the Aqueduct, the coach that stops 300 m from it, the Alcázar’s EU-only Tuesday window and the tours.
Ávila
Walls €8 · Cathedral €10 · winter hours from 25 October
The Ávila guide has the walls’ season, the Cathedral and the tours that pair it with Segovia.
El Escorial and the Valley of Cuelgamuros
Monastery €14 · Valley €9 · both closed Mondays
The El Escorial guide has the tickets, the free afternoons, the Museums of Painting and Architecture, and the Valley of Cuelgamuros, formerly the Valley of the Fallen.
Aranjuez
Palace €9 · Cercanías C-3 · Strawberry Train to 8 November
The Aranjuez guide has the palace, the gardens and the Tren de la Fresa’s English Tour.
Cuenca
AVE from 06:30 · museum free · Cathedral €5.50
The Cuenca guide has the Hanging Houses, the station 5 km out and the Enchanted City tour.
Salamanca, Chinchón and Alcalá de Henares
Salamanca
Cathedrals €10 · Renfe first train 07:40 from Príncipe Pío
The Cathedrals ticket is €10 for the New and Old Cathedrals, the cloister, the chapter rooms and the Episcopal Palace exhibitions; reduced prices are €9 (over-65s, students, large families), €7 (ages 7 to 16) and €6 (unemployed), and children under 7 are free. They open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:15, and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:15. Tickets are on the Cathedral’s ticket shop. Renfe’s Madrid to Salamanca page gives 07:40 from Príncipe Pío as the first train, and Salamanca station is open round the clock. Tours: Ávila and Salamanca Guided Day Tripad is from €69 for 11 hours, and Ávila and Salamanca, a day among history and wallsad is from €149 for 11 hours with a maximum of eight people.
The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, with the town hall clock tower at the centre. Photo: muffinn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Chinchón
Bus 337 · no train
Chinchón has no rail service. The interurban bus 337 leaves from Plaza de Conde de Casal, beside the Conde de Casal Metro station on line 6. The town’s circular Plaza Mayor is the sight. The Chinchón, Aranjuez & Toledo day tripad is from €69 for 11 hours.
Chinchón’s Plaza Mayor with the sand laid for a bullfight, below the green wooden balconies. Photo: Javier Perez Montes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Alcalá de Henares
Cercanías C-2 or C-7 · about 40 minutes · Casa Natal de Cervantes free
The university city, birthplace of Cervantes and a UNESCO site, is on Cercanías lines C-2, every 20 minutes, and C-7, every 10 minutes, per the town’s tourism office. The Casa Natal de Cervantes at Calle Mayor 48 is free and open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00 and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 10:00 to 19:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. Alcalá de Henares & Cervantes Museum Day Tripad is from €47 for 5 hours (135 reviews), and Sightseeing Tour of Alcaláad is from €10 (54 reviews).
The façade of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, the University of Alcalá’s original college. Photo: Zarateman, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
The heritage trains
The Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles promotes three historic trains to Madrid’s three UNESCO towns. They run on set days and sell packs that bundle the train with entries.
| Train | To | 2026 dates | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tren de la Fresa | Aranjuez | 3 October to 8 November | English Tour €53; train only €32 |
| Tren de Felipe II | San Lorenzo de El Escorial | October to 12 December, on set days | Packs from €16.15 to €32 |
| Tren de Cervantes | Alcalá de Henares | Saturdays to 5 December | €22 adult, €16 ages 7 to 11, under 7 free |
The Tren de Cervantes leaves Atocha at 10:36 and reaches Alcalá at 11:15, with a welcome at 10:15 at the Cercanías customer service at Atocha. It returns from Alcalá at 18:35, and the ticket includes a guided walk with actors and a return on any ordinary Cercanías until midnight. Details for each are on the Aranjuez and El Escorial pages.
Before you choose a day
| Where | Limited or closed |
|---|---|
| Mondays | El Escorial, Cuelgamuros, the Aranjuez palace, the Toledo Alcázar and the Greco Museum, and Cuenca’s Abstract Art Museum are closed |
| Ávila walls | Close at 18:00 and on Mondays from 25 October 2026 to 26 March 2027 |
| Toledo Cathedral | Opens at 14:00 on Sundays; Jubilee Year from 25 October 2026 |
| Segovia Alcázar | Free window Tuesday 14:00 to 16:00, EU citizens only |
| El Escorial and Aranjuez | Wednesday and Sunday afternoons free for EU citizens, residents and Latin American citizens; 18 May free for everyone at Patrimonio Nacional sites |
| Cuenca Cathedral | Closes at 17:30 Sunday to Friday from 2 November to 31 March |
Madrid airport to the city and Madrid public transport cover the first and last day and the stations the trains leave from. What to book before you go to Madrid lists the city tickets and the entry rules for Spain, Madrid in one or two days shows where a day trip fits between them, and where to stay in Madrid compares the areas. Seville and Barcelona are the other Spanish city guides here, with their own day trips from Seville and day trips from Barcelona. In the city, Madrid walking tours and the Madrid tourist pass compared fit the days between trips.
Common questions
What is the easiest day trip from Madrid?
Toledo by Avant, about 30 minutes from Atocha with the first train at 06:45, or Segovia by train, about 30 minutes from Chamartín, though Segovia-Guiomar station is 6 km from the Aqueduct. Aranjuez and El Escorial are Cercanías trips.
Can you see Toledo and Segovia in one day from Madrid?
On a tour, yes: Segovia and Toledo with the Alcázar and Cathedral is 12 hours, from €40.60, with 10,636 reviews on GetYourGuide. On your own each city is a day trip.
What is closed on Mondays on the Madrid day trips?
El Escorial, the Valley of Cuelgamuros, the Aranjuez palace, the Army Museum in the Toledo Alcázar, the Greco Museum and Cuenca's Abstract Art Museum. The Ávila walls are also closed on Mondays from 25 October 2026 to 26 March 2027. The Segovia Alcázar and the Toledo, Salamanca and Cuenca cathedrals open on Mondays.
Who gets free entry on the day trips?
Citizens of the European Union, residents there and Latin American citizens on Patrimonio Nacional's Wednesday and Sunday afternoons at El Escorial and Aranjuez, and EU citizens on Tuesday afternoons at the Segovia Alcázar, at the box office only. Visitors from the UK, US, Canada and Australia pay. Everyone gets in free on 18 May at Patrimonio Nacional sites.
Is the Valley of the Fallen the same as Cuelgamuros?
Yes. The Valle de Cuelgamuros was formerly known as the Valle de los Caídos, or Valley of the Fallen. GetYourGuide tour titles still use the old name. Entry is €9 and it is closed on Mondays.
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