Madrid makes an ideal base for excursions. Most of the day trips listed here range from 14 to 100km (9-62 miles) outside Madrid, allowing you to leave in the morning and be back by nightfall. Quickest to reach now is Toledo (just half an hour by high speed train from Atocha), which makes the most manageable day out. Others are an hour or more by bus or train.
Should you choose to stay overnight I've also included a selection of hotels in each town.
The trips are divided into two parts: villages and towns inside Madrid province, and three cities in provinces bordering it to the west.
Madrid province -- also known as the "Comunidad de Madrid" -- is a geographical kaleidoscope of plains, valleys, rivers, and mountains that belie the clichéd image of a beleaguered capital surrounded by arid badlands. The trips I recommend take you to a variety of places ranging from the known to the unknown, from the wondrous palace of Aranjuez and monastery of El Escorial to the picturesque hill village of Patones de Arriba and the castle town of Manzanares el Real.
In the provinces radiating around the "Comunidad de Madrid" you can explore the world-famous cities of Toledo, with its El Greco masterpieces; Segovia, whose fairy-tale castle seems to float in the clouds; and Avila, the most complete walled city in Europe.
