Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Madrid & Surroundings Self-Drive Vacation
Preferred
Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
- Combine the beauty and history of Madrid, with its fascinating surrounding regions!
- You have the choice - follow our suggested itinerary, switch the order around, or customize your own!
- Known as the "city of three cultures", don't miss a visit to Toledo, a city with a great wealth of impressive monuments.
- Enjoy the charming, 4-star Eric Vokel Madrid Suites located in a trendy neighborhood.
- Try the Gaudeamus Cafe, a restaurant on top of an old University, don't use the elevator or you'll miss the building!
Short Description
Spain’s capital city offers the culture and appeal of a sophisticated modern city, while retaining the charm and elegance of its early years. This self-drive adventure will give you the freedom to explore the city or venture out and visit Toledo or Cuenca at your leisure.
Visit the city’s 18th century Royal Palace, explore Retiro Park and savor a few plates of tapas at one of the local bars.
Feel free to take a drive out to the medieval city of Toldeo or the UNESCO World Heritage City of Avila. Visit Segovia, which lies on high ground between the Eresma and Clamores Rivers. Madrid is such a central location to enjoy as a home base- you’ll be in a perfect location for day trips to El Escorial, San Lorenzo and Cuenca.
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Madrid!
Accommodation: Eric Vokel Boutique Apartments: Madrid Suites
This capital of Spain offers the culture and appeal of a sophisticated modern city, while retaining the charm and elegance of its early years. Upon arrival, pick up your rental car and make your way to your hotel and home for the next five nights. From here you’re free to begin exploring the city! Among the splendid attractions of Madrid are the Prado Museum, home to masterworks of Goya, Velazquez and El Greco; the 19th century Villahermosa Palace, now the Thyssen-Bornemizsa Museum; the Reina Sofia Art Centre, showcasing more than 300 modern works by Dali, Miro and Picasso among others; the 18th century Royal Palace, situated on the lovely Plaza de Oriente; the bustling Puerta del Sol with its many shops, restaurants and tapas bars; Rastro Market on Sundays, one of the oldest outdoor markets in Europe; and Retiro Park for strolling while admiring local artists.
Day 2: Madrid - Toldeo
Following breakfast, set out for Toledo – approximately 45 miles southeast of, and one hour from your hotel. This marvelous city enjoys a picturesque location upon a hill – and behind its medieval walls lies much evidence of its rich history. In the Middle Ages Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures lived side by side here, and it was during the same period that the Cathedral, the city’s most outstanding monument, was built. The Mudejar Art style is well represented in Toledo and two of the best examples are the synagogues of Santa Maria La Blanca and El Transito. The latter, of the late 12th century, embodies an exotic influence and mixture of arts. The former, of the 14th century, has one of the best coffered ceilings in Toledo. Other interesting places to visit are the Taller del Moro (Moor’s Workshop) and The Cristo de la Luz (Christ’s Light).
Day 3: Madrid – Avila - Segovia
Today, you should head to the medieval city of Avila, 70 miles northwest of your hotel, and approximately 75 to 90 minutes away. Sheltered by the Sierra Gredos Mountains, the Old Town of Avila has been a World Heritage City since 1985. Avila’s medieval walls protect an incredible wealth of history and heritage – with a valuable set of churches and Renaissance palaces that bear witness to the past wealth of the town as a textile center. Don’t miss the Cathedral (dating back to the 11th century) and its museum, and the 17th century Santa Teresa Convent – as well as the rich local cuisine made up of excellent roasts and the famous Avila veal cutlet!
From Avila, travel 40 miles east to the World Heritage City of Segovia, which lies on high ground between the Eresma and Clamores Rivers. Its buildings speak of times long past, with numerous Romanesque churches, the Cathedral and Fortress forming a magnificent landscape. Segovia’s magnificent Roman Aqueduct (also a World Heritage Site), recalls the immense power and reach of the Roman Empire.
Day 4: Madrid – El Escorial
From Madrid, drive approximately 35 miles northwest (45 minutes) to El Escorial. This spectacular monastery-palace stands in the heart of the Guadarrama Mountains, and was built between 1563 and 1584, in honor of St. Lawrence (San Lorenzo). Its artistic wealth includes important works of the royal Habsburg collections and over 40,000 books in the library, with ceilings decorated with frescoes by Tibaldi. Of special interest are the Royal Pantheon and the Museum of Art.
Day 5: Madrid - Cuenca
After breakfast, make your way to the magical, medieval fortified city of Cuenca – located approximately 105 miles southeast of Madrid (estimated driving time is 1.5 – 2 hours). This UNESCO World Heritage Site lies between Júcar and Huécar river canyons – and it will charm you with its cobbled streets, incredible Hanging Houses (Casas Colgadas), Cathedral, San Miguel Church, San Pedro Church, Descalzas Convent and San Nicolas. Discover the beauty of the nearby Enchanted City (Ciudad Encantada), where stone comes to life. The Museum of Abstract Art will appeal greatly to art lovers. And for the curious of mind, what better than a visit to the Castile-La Mancha Museum of Sciences and the provincial archaeological museum.
Day 6: Depart Spain
Following breakfast (or depending on the time of your return flight), make your way back to the airport and return your rental car, in preparation for your journey home.
Availability
18,296 Great Value Vacations Travel Reviews & Ratings
Madrid & Surroundings Self-Drive Vacation
Company Reviews
Most organized and easy to use site!
Good value and ligit package.
I love discounted and the reservation…
Too many flight changes
So was adequate, but took away from the enjoyment
We had an amazing time in Iceland
WARNING!
This company seems like the right choice based on price. BEWARE! DO NOT USE! They are not helpful prior to trip. They mislead you when you speak with customer service. We took a trip to Ireland and were told by customer service that the hotel was in Sligo and Cork after asking prior to our trip. When we arrived, the hotels were both over one hour out in very small towns. This is one hour to the city we were told we were going to by customer service and one hour back.
The rental car we got prior to trip with our package, we paid to upgrade to a larger car. Then we paid extra to have an automatic car. When we arrived, we were told that we could have paid much less by just doing it onsite at Dublin airport. The car rental was in shock for how much Great Value charged us for the car rental.
You can save a lot of money if you book this Ireland trip on your own. And save many headaches. The kicker to all of this is when I got home and tried to speak with customer service. The lady told me she could not do anything to help me. I must instead email a supervisor. I did have email communication with GVV and they were quite snappy and rude. They refused to help me in any way. I asked them to change their wording so that the next customer would not be misled like we were. I would NEVER recommend nor use this company. There are too many reputable tour groups out there.
Please don't waste your money on a company that does not care about you.
**Edited**
In response to the reply that GVV gave to my negative review.
It is pleasing to see how quickly you can reply to a negative review. If only you were so quick to respond to my queries prior to my trip.
To begin, my review is public. However, it is NOT OK to include my name when replying to a review when the name was not included by me in my review of you.
Next, when responding to my review you must be truthful. For you to say: "We are not surprised to receive this review as we did not agree to your request for a cash refund in exchange for you not posting a negative review." is false. In my initial phone call to customer service I was told to tell you what I wanted. Since you never asked, in my email communication toy I stated "I will be happy to complete your survey with my negative concerns and complete multiple reviews on your company if you choose to not correct this grand misleading mistake. I do not want to receive a discount for a future trip. I believe some money back to me is fair due to the amount of gas money and time I lost for travel due to the poor locations of the hotels."
I did not say I was disappointed with the hotels in Cork and Sligo. I said I was angered that I was misled by customer service prior to my trip when they did not inform me the distance to the cities on the tour. I asked if they were centrally located and was told that they were. Again, when I arrived, I discovered that they were over two hours round trip, without traffic. My initial communication to you was to inform that this was misleading. Your company seemed to be defensive of my comments from the start.
I called customer service before the trip because you switched my hotel in Dublin. My original hotel was one 45 minutes away from the city. You switched me to a hotel that was in Dublin after finding the original hotel was unable to host us. The new hotel in the city was centrally located. Great news. But the closest parking garage was 3/4 mile away. Perhaps you could suggest a hotel in the future that has closer parking so that when your flight is at 7am one does not need to walk the streets of Dublin at 5am.
My complaint to you is the absolute disdain and lack of concern that you have for customers after the trip. Even after my trip was booked I was unsuccessful at receiving any positive support.
I do not want this communication to continue. You are trying to prove your point as I am mine. But keep in mind, you should not use the name of the consumer if they did not disclose first themselves. Please check
in house legal for affirmation. Also, please be accurate and truthful when disclosing your side.
Just as you had to get the last word to our email thread by sarcastically stating "dully noted".
Your lack of professionalism speaks volumes. Perhaps this is why you get so many complaints and low stars on your reviews.
Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
Roundtrip air to/from trip start & all internal transport
Group Size
Independent
Accommodations
Check In - Eric Vokel Boutique Apartments: Madrid Suites
Madrid, Spain
Safeguarded by its historical value, Eric Vokel Madrid Suites is a gorgeous, charming and incredibly refurbished property. Its outstanding location in the Malasana district, next to the Gran Via, allows guests to experience and enjoy a more pure, authentic Madrid. This central district, now the height of fashion, has great public transportation links that make it incredibly easy to get to any point of the city. Its 17 apartments feature a fully equipped kitchen with designer appliances (including Nestle Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine) and kitchenware, living/dining room and private bathrooms with a bathtub or shower. Two bedroom/one bath apartments sleep up to two people, while the 2 bedroom/2 bath apartments can sleep up to six. Additionally, the property offers 24-hour automatic check-in machines; free local calls; complimentary Wi-Fi, internet and lobby computer for guests' use; and free "Eric's Corner" in the lobby, with extras such as coffee, tea, sugar, dishwasher detergent, etc. Daily cleaning and food delivery service can be requested.
Cancellation policy
All Payments are non-transferable and non-refundable except that for flights to/from the United States, you may cancel the ticketed reservation without penalty and receive a refund provided that you cancel the reservation within 24-hours after making it, if the reservation is made one week or more prior to a flight's departure. non-refundable All tours will incur a $50 fee per change to any land components plus any additional incurred costs. For air changes penalties vary. Minimum fee for changes to airline reservations is $100 per person per segment. Spelling corrections to clients’ names after tickets have been issued are subject to airline change fees. If documents have been issued a shipping fee will apply to send revised travel documents. Changes made inside of 45 days are considered a cancellation. Fees are subject to adjustment at any time at the Operator’s discretion. If you are booked in a double or twin room and your roommate cancels, you will be responsible for the single supplement. Name changes and transfers of reservations are not permitted.
Cancellation penalties for Escorted Vacations:
On departure day or later: 100% of total price
See additional terms and condtions enclosed within your document package for specific details
see additional terms and condtions enclosed within your document package for specific rivercruise details
Trip ID#:
MadSurGre
We respect your privacy and take great care to protect your information. By clicking «Send my questions» you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. An account will be created for you to track your submission and a temporary password will be emailed to you.
×
You can access members-only savings of up to $700 on over 6,000 Travelstride Select trips.
Sign in to see trip eligibility
With your FREE membership you get to:
- Save up to $700 per person!*
- Access private deals and offers
- See personalized trip recommendations
- Save favorite trips
We respect your privacy and take great care to protect your information. By joining you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
You could save $ 300 per person on this trip!
