Three Free Days
 

Hey all --

I'm leaving one friend @ CDG on 8/11 and meeting another in MAD on 8/15. Any ideas what I should do in the interim? I've spend considerable time in Barcelona and Paris, and would like to go somewhere interesting, so long as I arrive in Madrid on 8/15 in the AM....?

Any ideas?

There are so many nice and interesting places in France and Spain that I wouldn't even know where to start! Why not hire a car, buy a guidebook and just explore? (You'd probably need to decide where you'd want to end up in the evenings so that you can pre-book accommodation as it's peak time - but other than that you would be free to roam)

Yep I would drive to Madrid. You can always drop the car off at Barajas and taxi into the city. But I wouldn't make any reservations along the way. Just stop in whatever city or village interests you and inquire about hotels. If you aren't in a big city, the hotels are quite cheap throughout France and Spain. Maybe head to Bilbao and the Guggenheim? Or Provence?

It's a long, long way:
http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...MaHomePage.htm

http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...rStep1Choice=0

1300 km in three days is not exactly a lot - I'd say it's a fairly leisurely touring pace.

Fly on down to Madrid and take the train 70 KM to Toledo. Try to get a reservation at the Parador in Toledo for a couple days stay. You may want to ask your friend in Madrid to meet you in Toledo.