Here’s the thing: everyone plans on a crazy countrywide exploration of Spain until they research Madrid and find 1,220 reasons to stay in Spain’s capital.
Madrid is such an immersive city that leaving is harder than saying goodbye to your friends at summer camp. You’ll want as much time in Madrid as possible, which means anytime you leave the city must be worthwhile.
Well, do we have some good news for you.
Check into one of the best hotels in Madrid for your entire stay, download the Trainline app, and let us hook you up with cheap tickets to the best day trips from Madrid by train, including Seville, Barcelona, and Toledo.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Jeremy Walker. Image Location: Alcázar de Segovia, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain
Best day trips from Madrid by train
Turn the trains in Spain into your own traveling tapas bar with these day trips from Madrid Atocha train station.
Day trip to Segovia from Madrid
Arrival train station: Segovia Guiomar
Journey time: ~25 minutes
Don’t get us wrong: we love the La Sagrada Familia, but if you can’t get down to Barcelona, the Catedral de Segovia will delight you all the same. Segovia is just up the road from Madrid and will make you wonder why this wasn’t your first stop in Spain. The Alcázar de Segovia is a medieval castle that rivals the Disney-like palaces in France and Germany and the ancient Roman aqueduct will convince you to dig deeper into Segovia’s Roman legacy.
Day trip to Toledo from Madrid
Arrival train station: Toledo
Journey time: ~35 minutes
Toledo's Old Town is one of the best day trips from Madrid that you will probably turn into an overnight adventure. Slim medieval streets snake you around the walled UNESCO World Heritage Site, leading you to monuments built for the many cultures and religions that called this former Spanish capital home.
Image Credit: Getty Images, RossHelen. Image Location: Virgen Square, Valencia, Spain
Day trip from Madrid to Valencia
Arrival train station: Valencia Joaquín Sorolla
Journey time: ~2 hours
Keeping with Spain’s historical trend, Valencia is another city showcasing the Visigoths, Romans, and Moors’ time in the region. You could also buff out these history-buff-highlights from your itinerary, trading the past for plates upon plates of Spanish paella. Barcelona does have some amazing paella, but there’s no better place to try it than in Valencia, the city that created this iconic dish.
Day trip from Madrid to Barcelona
Arrival train station: Barcelona Sants
Journey time: ~2.5 hours
Madrid and Barcelona are field-trip buddies for most travelers in Spain, not only because they’re two of the greatest cities in the country, but also because traveling between them is so darn easy. The Sagrada Familia, the Picasso Museum, the Mercado de La Boqueria: the best of Barcelona can be explored in a single day without having to check out from your Madrid hotel.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Joe Regan. Image Location: Plaza de España, Seville, Andalusia, Spain
Day trip to Seville from Madrid
Arrival train station: Sevilla Santa Justa
Journey time: ~3 hours
Seville is a hot spot for those seeking a sun soaked day trip from Madrid by train. It’s a very walkable city with loads of riverside bliss that’ll give you a tan as a souvenir. Architecture admirers should totally train their cameras towards the Plaza de España, the Royal Alcázar complex, and the Seville Cathedral for Gothic, Renaissance and Moorish-styled structures.
Day trip to Alhambra from Madrid
Arrival train station: Granada
Journey time: ~3.5
Getting to Granada might seem like a lengthy day trip from Madrid if you’re unfamiliar with the Alhambra. This complex was a self-contained city, palace, and fortress at one point in history, so it’s not a shock that it’s one of Spain’s most popular attractions today. You could spend days wandering the gardens and learning about its history since its 9th century origins…or one long day trip packing in as much as possible before returning to Madrid.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Gonzalo Azumendi. Image Location: Alhambra, Granada, Andalusia, Spain
What is the easiest day trip from Madrid?
What’s the easiest day trip from Madrid? That’s like asking which tapas bar in Madrid is the tastiest. A trip to Toledo is the opposite of time-consuming and ideal for short Spanish getaways.
Visiting Valencia, Barcelona, or the Alhambra in Granada are equally good options that, along with being beautiful train rides, allow you to trade a little more time for access to one of Spain’s other amazing cities.
What’s the best site to buy train tickets in Spain? Trainline.
If you download the Trainline app, you can buy the cheapest Spanish train tickets available right now, saving you from wasting time, energy, and money when you get to Madrid Atocha.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, SeanPavonePhoto. Image Location: Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain