daytrips vs overnights - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

ehk47 · 02-07-2005, 04:32 PM

I'm going to be staying with family in Madrid for 4-5 weeks in May. It will be nice to see my relatives and to have free accomodations, but a whole month with my over protective family is not an option. They won't even let me eat out at night because the streets are too dangerous(!) So I'm trying to figure out the best way to see as much of Spain and Portugal as I can using Madrid as my base.
I'm thinking of making two 5-7 day trips (one to Portugal and the other to Andalucia) and two shorter 2-3 trips to Salamanca and Toledo. By splitting my time about evenly between travel and family hopefully I won't get tired of either.
How does that sound? My family will be pressuring me to not stay overnight in "strange" towns (especially in "seedy" hostels), but apart from bringing my mother or one of my aunts along as a chaperon *shudder*, I don't see any other practical way of visiting some of my destinations.
Thanks

**kingcrazylegs** · 02-07-2005, 06:28 PM

Dude, yea, get out and around. You could certainly go to parts of Spain and Portugal on short overnighters or make some nice day trips. Badajoz is not to far from Madrid and a bit nicer in my opinion.

**urOZm8** · 02-07-2005, 10:47 PM

Just outside of Madrid no more than two hours by autobus are three cool little towns. They are Segovia, Toledo and Avila. Segovia has a roman aqueduct and Toledo is famous for El Greco. Avila is my pick of the bunch - its less touristy and has a really well preserved city wall that you can walk on.
Salamanca is gorgeous and I'd give it two days at least. The Plaza Major there is possibly my favourite squares in Europe. Hope that helps out a bit.

ev

**kingcrazylegs** · 02-07-2005, 11:35 PM

How did I forget to mention Avilia!!! Right on OZ. Avilia is considered the oldest fully intact castle city in the world...and yes it is certainly worth a visit. Much smaller then one would imagine. Salamanca is one of my favorites too! I remember a really old library there was was amazing...

**worldwidemike** · 02-08-2005, 07:00 AM

Well, if the only way to go overnight is with a relative as a chaperone, then you CAN do them as day trips (there and back, same day). Take the first train there in the morning and last one back at night.

Your call, though. Would you rather see Toledo, Segovia (my fave) and Avila *alone* and in one day, or overnight with a relative?

Good luck...hopefully you can manage to snap the shackles while you're over there...

worldwidemike

ehk47 · 02-08-2005, 11:59 AM

Thanks guys,
The funny thing is that I've already been to all the places mentioned (except Badajoz). I was 15 at the time and wanted to travel but was too young to go on my own, so my aunt took my mother and I on a bus tour

It was so lame that I now want to return to all the same places, but on my own.
I was just kidding about the chaperone thing, there is NO WAY I'm putting up with that again.
My real question is, which destinations would you recommend as overnighters and which would you recommend as daytrips? Travel distance is not the only factor I'm looking at. Good hostel accomodations and a lively night atmosphere are just as important.

PS. Right on the money with Avila! I'm looking at a giant poster of it on my wall right now. Now I feel I have to add it to the list!

**kingcrazylegs** · 02-08-2005, 12:11 PM

I would seriously judge overnighter vs. day trip by how long it takes to get there and how long you want to spend there. You can also always sleep on the train as you know you will be able to go back and sleep where you are staying in Madrid the following day.

**urOZm8** · 02-10-2005, 07:38 AM

Hey there ekh, lets try help you out again.

I did daytrips to all 3 towns out of Madrid. Avila is definitely only a daytrip - the historical centre is quite small. Toledo and Segovia seemed a bit larger. Toledo is the only one with a youth hostel but Im guessing you could get a reasonable pension/hostal in either 3. I think you could do daytrips to all three so long as you got the bus from Madrid early morning.
Salamanca I know a little more about. Its 3-4 hours by train. I spent a couple of nights here and would recommend to do so. As a student town it does have a lively nightlife with really good deals on drinks. The youth hostel is central and although I was in a 20 bed dorm which was a bit hot I met most people in the dorm in one afternoon and we all went partying in a big group that night

Andalucia I would give 4-5 days. 1 for travel and a couple each for Sevilla and Granada.
What's the plan for Portugal?

ev

ehk47 · 02-10-2005, 07:53 AM

No plan yet really. I haven't been to Portugal yet, so I'm really looking for direction here. Apart from the obvious places like Lisbon and Coimbra, I've heard good things about Salema on the south coast.

**urOZm8** · 02-10-2005, 08:21 AM

I haven't been to Salema but to Lisboa and Coimbra. I recommend a daytrip to Sintra from Lisboa which is spectacular. In the North I have been to Oporto, Regua and Guarda. Guarda is set in the mountains and really old with hardly any tourists. Relaxing and slow paced. It's a bus ride away from Salamanca. Oporto is great for sampling port and wine!

ev

ehk47 · 02-14-2005, 12:07 AM

Is it practical to settle into a hostel in Cordoba and then to daytrip Sevilla and Granada from there? I chose Cordoba because it is right in between the other two and about 2 hrs by train from each. It also happens to be my favourite town from what I recall, especially at night.

**urOZm8** · 02-14-2005, 01:16 AM

^Staying at all three places you will use more time up trying to find your accomodation and feel maybe more unsettled. There is also the fact that travelling in the morning means when you arrive you'll probably be sightseeing in the middle of the heat of the day. Seville gets extremely hot.
The Cordoba HI is really nice, clean, modern and right in the Jewish Quarter. I guess only you can decide on these factors.

ev

**worldwidemike** · 02-14-2005, 03:41 AM

I think it is a good plan, ehk47. The only drawback I can think of is you need to get tickets for the Alhambra in Granada. Sometimes you have to wait a few hours for your "slot" to go in and see. So, I'd recommend tromping up there right away upon arrival in Granada. Then, if you have a couple hour wait, you can see city's other sigts in the meantime...

worldwidemike