Madrid + Beyond: 5 Day Spain Itinerary
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Five days is where this itinerary starts to feel less like a city trip with an add-on and more like a genuine central-Spain base: two days in Madrid, three separate days out. Want a shorter version, the 4-day plan stops after Toledo and Segovia; more time available, the 6 and 7-day plans add Ávila and a lighter half-day trip on top.
Book these before you go
- Prado and Royal Palace timed-entry tickets.
- Toledo AVANT and Segovia AVE tickets, both a few days ahead in peak season.
- El Escorial tickets, online only through Patrimonio Nacional; there’s no walk-up ticket office as of 2026.
- A Sobrino de Botín table if the world’s-oldest-restaurant angle appeals, book well ahead.
Day 1: the Golden Triangle and Retiro
Open with the Prado at 10:00 (EUR 15, two to three hours) for Las Meninas, Goya’s Black Paintings and Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, then walk into Retiro for the afternoon. The Palacio de Cristal is closed for restoration until roughly 2027, so treat it as an exterior stop only. Evening tapas in Chamberí on Calle Ponzano over the more tourist-visible Cava Baja.
Day 2: Royal Palace, Sol, and La Latina
The Royal Palace (EUR 14) opens the morning, then Almudena Cathedral next door. Walk Plaza Mayor toward Sol, skip lunch on the square itself, and eat one block into La Latina at Casa Lucas or Txakolina instead. Sunset at Temple of Debod closes the day, arrive 30-45 minutes early for the light.
Day 3: Toledo, the full-day trip
The AVANT from Atocha runs direct in 33-34 minutes, roughly EUR 14-18 one way. Give Toledo the whole day: the Cathedral, the Alcázar (now the Army Museum), El Greco’s Burial of the Count of Orgaz in Santo Tomé, and the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca. Skip the souvenir sword shops on Calle Comercio, and eat a street or two off the main tourist drag.
Day 4: Segovia, the half-day that earns it
The AVE from Chamartín takes 26-28 minutes; note Segovia-Guiomar station sits about 4km outside the old town, so budget for bus 11 or a taxi. See the Roman aqueduct, the Alcázar and the cathedral, then have cochinillo asado at Mesón de Cándido or Restaurante José María. Skip any combo tour selling Toledo and Segovia together, both cities deserve the separate, unhurried days you’re already giving them here.
Day 5: El Escorial, without the Cuelgamuros bolt-on
Cercanías C-3 or C-8 gets you to El Escorial station in 50-60 minutes, then a 10-20 minute uphill walk or a local bus. Philip II’s monastery-palace complex, closed Mondays, tickets bought online in advance only, no walk-up sales as of 2026. The Royal Pantheon holds nearly every Spanish monarch since Charles V. Skip the tour operators bundling in Valle de Cuelgamuros for the day, the funicular to the cross is closed indefinitely, the two sites sit about 9km apart with thin transit between them, and it turns a clean half-day into a rushed, heavier one. If Cuelgamuros interests you, go on its own day, not as an add-on.
| Day | Focus | Rough cost, excl. hotel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prado, Retiro, Chamberí tapas | EUR 45-65 |
| 2 | Royal Palace, Sol, Plaza Mayor, La Latina, Debod | EUR 40-60 |
| 3 | Toledo: Cathedral, Alcázar, El Greco sites | EUR 50-70 |
| 4 | Segovia: aqueduct, Alcázar, cochinillo lunch | EUR 45-65 |
| 5 | El Escorial: monastery, Royal Pantheon | EUR 35-50 |
Compare Madrid hotel rates on Booking.com before choosing a base; staying near Atocha or Chamartín shaves time off three separate train mornings this trip. Prefer a guide handling one leg, book a Toledo day trip and keep Segovia and El Escorial as independent days. One concrete tip: buy the El Escorial ticket the same evening you fix your dates, not the morning of; there’s genuinely no ticket office to fall back on if you show up without one.