Day trips are are great way to see other parts of a country without having to lug your suitcase over yet another cobblestone street. And Europe has some of the best day trips around! On our recent trip to Spain we visited Madrid – but wanted to see some of the historic towns in the area. Here are our highlights, trips and tricks!

Avila: An adorable walled city outside of Madrid with all the classic Spanish trappings  – including the Convento de Santa Teresa which is a church dedicated to… you guessed it – Saint Teresa. It is built over the location of Saint Teresa’s family home and features Baroque ceilings and beautiful details. It also has a religious relic – one of Saint Teresa’s fingers…. so there’s that… Take some time to walk the original medieval walls of the city for a different perspective. Avila is not a huge town and unless you are obsessed with churches or have lots of time to spend in Spain we think half a day is plenty of time to see this cute town. It takes about 1.5 hours on the train to get from Madrid to Avila.

**PRO TIP** Head up to The Four Posts view point for a sweeping vista of the whole town of Avila. It’s a great way to see the famous walls of the city!

Segovia: About a 2 hour train ride from Madrid this former Roman city still features the original aqueduct with over 160 arches! This is a much larger town and boasts many good restaurants, bars, sights and shops. Of course the biggest draws are the aqueduct, the huge cathedral and the fairy tale like alcazar – rumored to be the inspiration behind Disney’s Cinderella Castle. The Gothic-style Segovia Cathedral is HUGE – like “break your neck to take it all in” huge. You could easily spend 2 days here and we would recommend at least spending the night to take in the town after dark if possible. But if all you have is a day then you can easily hit all the highlights!

**PRO TIP** The famous view of the Segovia Alcazar is actually from a narrow bridge that large vans/buses cannot drive on. If you want to see if make sure to take a car (or taxi) to it for your photos!

Salamanca: Getting to Salamanca is easier than it ever has been. Hop on the high speed rail from Madrid for an easy 1.5 hour ride to one of Spain’s most beautiful and youthful cities.  Salamanca is home to Spain’s oldest university, two beautiful cathedrals and one of the most gorgeous plazas you will ever visit.  Visit the Old and New Cathedral with a combined entrance ticket to take in the impressive Gothic and Baroque architecture. If you’re lucky, you’ll even spot an astronaut hiding in the ornate design! After you visit the famous cathedrals, don’t forget to spend some time wandering the small streets around the university.  While you can easily hit the highlights in a day, we highly recommend an overnight here if you can swing it, as the city comes to life after dark.

**PRO TIP** Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor is one of the most photographed plazas in all of Spain and is a popular meeting place for locals in the evening.  Come here around dusk to witness locals enjoying that very Mediterranean tradition of the “passeggiata”.

Toledo: This is probably the easiest day trip from Madrid as it’s a quick 30 minute train ride to the Toledo l station, from there, you can catch a cheap taxi to the main square. Toledo has a unique history and was known as the “City of The Three Cultures” for it’s co-existence of the Jewish, Christian and Islam faiths. Make sure to check out the main sights but don’t forget to explore the Jewish Quarter and the beautiful synagogues – our favorite was the stark and stunning, Synagogue of Saint Mary the White. Don’t forget to grab a cab and head up to the Mirador de Valle for a gorgeous view of the town of Toledo!

**PRO TIP** Toledo is an old city that has resisted too much modernization and because of this, most of the paths are cobblestones. It is also a very hilly city so you will be walking up hill, both ways, on cobblestones – wear comfortable shoes! Please just trust us on this one!

With Madrid’s lucky location, right in the center of the country, it easily lends itself to being a great jumping off point for day trips. We picked a few of our favorites – tell us about yours!