thanks for the tip. we are probably going to stay in a hostal as well, i think we've got it narrowed down to two... one is closer to the train station, the other is closer to plaza mayor. having a hard time deciding between the two since we're planning on doing a lot of traveling by train.

did you prefer Toledo or Segovia? we're going to attempt to hit one of them, but haven't made up our minds which. i heard the train station in Toledo was out of server for repairs for a while.. do you know if it's back in operation?

We're just a few days away from starting our trip...

Remember - use www.tripadvisor.com for informative, honest traveller hotel reviews!

I'm still not completely oriented with the layout of Madrid, but the hostel I'm staying at (Cat's Hostel; Google it or look it up on hostels.com ) is fairly centrally located from what I can tell. You might want to look into that. It's about $20 US per night, but they only have availability for "dorm style" rooms, which may not be some people's thing. I've seen a lot of highly rated hostels and B&B type places in Madrid, so I'm sure you'll be able to find something.

We decided to go with Hostal Barrera while we're in Madrid.
http://www.hostalbarrera.com/

We wanted to be relatively close to the train station since we'll be traveling a bit.

Right now, our schedule for this week is:
Wednesday: Depart US
Thursday: Arrive at Madrid in the morning. Spend the day wandering around Madrid.
Friday: Possible day trip to Toledo or Segovia, otherwise more Madrid
Saturday: High speed train to Cordoba, but leave in the late afternoon for Granada
Saturday night: See Alhambra at night
Sunday: Alhambra during the day and/or any other sites in the area, but leave that night for Sevilla
Monday: Spend the day and night in Sevilla
Tuesday: Catch the high speed line back to Madrid as early as possible. Spend the final day in Madrid.
Wednesday: Flight back to US

It's hectic, so we may deviate, but right now that's our plan.

Sorry I just found this thread...
my itin:
9/29/05 BOS-EWR-MAD
9/30/05 Arrive MAD; train to Sevilla (Ave train ~ 11am). Overnight at Sol Melia Colon for E115.
10/1/05 Train in Afternoon to Madrid. To HH Campomanes. Possibly El Prado
10/2/05: Thyssen-Bornemisz Museum, Palacio Real, possibly this Madrid bus thingy
10/3/05: Recovery/the Park :)
10/4/05: Return on CO MAD-BOS-EWR
Drop a line if you're interested in getting together during these dates.

How could we assume that the reviews are honest when there is no basis for trust with Tripadvisor? With Flyertalk, many of us know each other thanks to all the Do's. That is why Flyertalk is so successful.

I'm just speaking from experience. I've never been steered wrong using tripadvisor. You're right, a hotel owner and his 46 cousins/friends can put in phony reviews, but it's still the biggest independent traveller hotel review site out there. I trust it much more than whatever the hotel/travelocity/etc say about the property... YMMV. :)

How much will the train cost you? I'm still a bit undecided on our itn.

My original plan was 3 days in MAD, and 3 in BCN.

3 weeks and counting.

I'm in Madrid often, in fact probably next week. Ping me if you want to hook up for tapas.

Is there a "central location" or something where all the busses depart for places that are good for day trips, like to Segovia, Toledo, Guadalajara, etc.?

I hope you guys already have tickets for the Alhambra. If not, you're going to be spending a lot of time touring the urban blight that is Granada. Each time we went and tried to buy entrances at the gate they were already sold out for the day. Also note that night visits only give you access to some of the palaces, not nearly the whole thing, and that your visit is limited to 90 minutes.

http://www.alhambratickets.com/

Toledo train - Don´t know. The tourist office (love these people, there are many throughout the cities, don´t be shy about asking them anything) told me to take the bus. If you take a bus out of town, make sure it´s the DIRECTO (EXPRESS) otherwise you get the bus that stops in every little town along the way.

Enjoyed the Plaza Mayor. You can´t go wrong with $3 sangria.

I prefered Toledo. The cathedral is a must-see. The maze of medieval streets is wonderful. Touristy though. Segovia is still a lovely trip and I´m glad I did both.

I´m heading home tomorrow. You must continue the all-night tapas crawl for me. Let me know how your trip goes!

For those there next weekend, I investigated and there is a bullfight on Sunday in Madrid. Tickets are still widely available. It is accessible by metro. Let me know if anyone is free/interested.

I was planning on going to that as well. I mean, you can't see Madrid without seeing a bullfight if possible, right? :)

That would be cool, but I'm not sure if I'll be in Madrid then. How much are the tickets?