My husband and I are thinking of flying to Madrid in late February and leaving after two weeks from the same hub.
We have already gone to Barcelona and to Lisbon but have not seen any other parts of the area. We kind of like slow travel, versus a whirlwind of seeing 10 places in 14 days. We’d be more like max five places and maybe just two! I love it when the person that I get my coffee from every morning recognizes me after a couple days but I’ve also made the mistake of staying in one place for too long.  I wouldn’t say we are budget travelers but some would. We do like a great deal and are open to all sorts of experiences.
If you were me going on this trip what would you do?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions, warnings, and whatever else you offer.

Seville and Granada. I’ve also heard great things about Valencia. From Madrid you can day trip to Segovia and Avila. Everything by train.

We spent a week in Sintra and loved it. We got a bnb near the center of town and walked or took tuktuks everywhere. The train station is close too. Taxis are very reasonable. Be sure to go to the castle built for the Knights Templar it is sooo interesting. QUINTA REGALEIRA!

Joyce we were there in 2014. We love to Sintra and I would love to spend more time there. Did you visit the little toy museum? We were fortunate enough to meet the man who owned all those toys!.

Joyce loved it too

We did costa del sol. Loved it. Easy to drive. Get a car and do ronda, Gibraltar and so on. Great home base. We even took a ferry to Tangiers morocco one day.

Pam loved Ronda

Jennifer agree on your recs. we did southern Spain for 5 1/2 weeks last year &
. Mallorca could be fun but I'd say a week minimum to make worthwhile. Not sure about small towns in Feb so would suggest digging into it to ensure there's enough "open"

Take a day trip to Toledo, it’s magical! Well worth seeing!

Mechelle my husband has heard that. Thank you.

Suzanne I agree - we stayed in old Toledo for a few nights and really enjoyed roaming the streets.

Colleen will be nice to stay overnight there. I love smaller centres at night.

Have breakfast on a side street cafe. Enjoy cafe con leche & pan con tomate with the locals. Fun to people watch & feel the local vibes

Toledo... otherwise if you really want to take a few days for a side trip, either San Sébastien or Granada (with a stop in Cordaba).

It's funny that you posted this as my wife and I are thinking about February in Madrid too but I haven't pulled the trigger and I was hoping airfares would drop a bit. Having been to most of Spain except only flying out of Madrid, it is a perfect stop for train travel on high speed rail. You can be in Toledo in 35 minutes and Toledo is amazing for history and great shopping deals. It is another 5 hours by rail to Seville or 3-4 to Valencia and both those places are great but would probably require an overnight stay. I have found a car in Spain isn't that great IF you can use public transportation instead as rental fees are high and it is hard to use them in larger cities.

Jeff very cool. We are actually thinking maybe five or 6 days in Madrid and then a few days in Seville or elsewhere.  we actually only have 13 days because we lose one on the way. I think with all the tips we will not rent a car.

A side trip up to Basque country to see a different aspect of cultural Spain.

Use Iryo or Ouigo for your train tickets. International competition means cheaper! Iryo serves a lovely meal if you buy the most expensive tickets.

Brian Flack

Only since you mentioned Lisbon, I’ll suggest joining Portugal Travel & Discovery
for great tips and inspiration.

https://www.raincouverbeauty.com/.../ultimate-2-day... seville was a lot of fun!!
RAINCOUVERBEAUTY.COM
Ultimate 2 Day Seville Travel Guide — Raincouver Beauty

Angela thanks for the link. I loved your guide!

Rhonda is beautiful too as is Toledo.

I am also flying into Madrid in February. My plan is to spend 5 nights in Madrid, then onto Bilbao to see Basque Country. I will be flying home out of Bilbao.

Stacey nice!

Stacey make sure you make it to a cider house for a meal and the sidra experience...

Girona, Cadaques, St Sebastian, Toledo, Valencia

Cindy Barnes
Toledo is an easy train ride from Madrid, amazing little town, very picturesque. Was busy with tourists until about 4 in the afternoon, but still not "overcrowded", after 4 it quiets right down and lovely town to stay over for at least a day!

Took my soccer fanatic nephew to Madrid last year to see a Real Madrid game -highly recommend! Spent 10 days in Madrid in total, doing a couple of day trips to Toledo and Segovia/Avila (which were well worth it) and otherwise never bored. Madrid had so much to do/see. We had an airbnb near the Plaza del Sol which was a hub for the metro system so super easy to get around the city.
If you do split it up with another stay, I echo a couple of the others who recommended Granada or Seville. Each is worth a 3 night stay! Enjoy!!

We have visited Spain a few times. We always fly into Madrid. Last year we took high speed train from Madrid to Alicante for three days, then took a Tram ( very cheap) to Benidorm ( many English tourists there. A few days later we took the tram to Denia. We stayed at the Port Denia hotel. ( fun nightly entertainment). Then we took the bus to Valencia. Valencia has a beautiful park, imax theatre, oceanographic zoo and a science centre along the refurbished river bed. It was amazing to see the modern architecture. It was so different from Barcelona. Then we took a train to Barcelona. There are high speed trains that go from Barcelona back to Madrid.
Other towns we have enjoyed in Spain are Terremolinas (touristy), after visiting the Alhambra .
Estepona (small town with great Oceanside promenade, close to Gibraltar ( We walked across the airport runway border for the day)
Seville is lovely for walking along the river. The public transportation is so good in Spain that you do not need a car. Parking is horrendous, often underground and expensive. So many places, so little time.
Buen Viejo!

Just went to Madrid in April then high speed train for 2 hours to Valencia, homevof paella. Great city with beautiful beaches. Later went back to Madrid then out to Malaga. Spent 10 days in each and it was just right. Have fun.

Visit Seville

High speed trains are great in Spain, you can get almost anywhere in 2-3 hrs from Madrid. Toledo is close and definitely a must, Rhonda is cool and Alicante as well.

Try Palma, stayed for a month was great

Organized one day tours from Madrid to Segovia and Avila. Beautiful!

You mentioned Lisbon - how far into Portugal are you wanting to go? We spent a week in Ericeira and it was GORGEOUS and slow-paced, and 30 mins from hubs like Lisbon and Sintra.

Jonelle we are not going there on this trip. I just mentioned it because it’s in the area. Though by that logic, perhaps I should’ve mentioned that I’ve been to Paris! Lol.
Only in Madrid and traveling out from there this time.
 Thanks for the suggestion, though. Perhaps on another trip we will investigate more parts of Portugal.