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Classical Castile: Madrid, Segovia & Salamanca by Rail

Journey through the heart & soul of Spain
Capital highlights | Madrid showcases many great art treasures across three world-class galleries.
Salamanca | An ancient centre of learning that once rivalled Oxford and Padua.
Golden Age | Among the spires of Segovia, trace the foundations of the Spanish state.
Local delicacies | Enjoy tapas in historic city plazas.
Excellent locations | Stay in three hand-picked hotels, each chosen for their setting
What is included
  • 6 nights
  • 6 breakfasts
  • notes for walking tours
  • detailed cultural information
  • rail travel Segovia-Madrid
  • Classical Castile: Madrid, Segovia & Salamanca by Rail
    Journey through the heart & soul of Spain
  • Cathedral, Segovia
  • Views over Segovia
  • Convento de San Esteban, Salamanca
  • Cathedral, Salamanca
  • Plaza Mayor, Madrid
What is included
  • 6 nights
  • 6 breakfasts
  • notes for walking tours
  • detailed cultural information
  • rail travel Segovia-Madrid

Holiday information

A rail holiday in Castile

Delve into Spain’s Golden Age by visiting the great cities of Segovia, Salamanca and Madrid on a journey by rail. Thanks to our detailed cultural notes and self-guided city walking tours, you’ll learn about their rich history as you explore famous sights and hidden corners.
Embark on a historical and artistic voyage through the heart of Spain that explores the extraordinary cultural explosion that occurred in the 16th century. Journeying by rail, and accompanied by our detailed notes, you learn about the pivotal events that paved the way for the Golden Age, discover something of its remarkable monumental legacy, encounter the centre of 16th-century Spanish thought, and enter the worlds of El Greco, Cervantes and Velázquez. Little by little, each of our chosen cities reveal their unique contribution.

Beginning amid the soaring spires of Segovia, you trace the very foundations of the Spanish state, as it was here that Ferdinand and Isabella united the dynasties of Castile and Aragon. From here you travel westwards to Salamanca, an ancient centre of learning that once rivalled Oxford and Padua – its ornate secular and religious buildings are testament to its prestige and make it one of the great jewels of Spain. Last, but certainly by no means least, is Madrid. Spain’s capital since the Golden Age, it is the heart of the country, not only geographically, but culturally, too, boasting many Spanish art treasures in its three world-class galleries.


Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • Arrival in Segovia
    Night 1: at Hotel Don Felipe (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of exploration.
  • Explore Segovia
    Segovia was once one of the most illustrious cities in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula. It is a UNESCO-listed cultural gem that remains delightfully off the tourist radar and richly repays exploration on foot using our self-guided walking tour. Wander the medieval back streets, gaze upwards in awe at soaring spires and the astonishing Roman aqueduct, and pay a visit to the ornate Alcázar where the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon came together, giving birth to ‘Spain’ itself. Treat yourselves too, perhaps, to the local delicacy, suckling pig, in one of the many traditional restaurants.
    Segovia's Roman aqueduct
  • Segovia to Salamanca
    A scenic train journey via the rolling Castilian plain takes you west to Salamanca, a renowned seat of learning where you stay two nights at the Hotel Rector.
  • Explore Salamanca
    One of the great jewels of Spain, Salamanca’s ornate secular and religious buildings are testament to the city’s prestige as a centre of learning that once rivalled Oxford and Padua. Climb the great bell towers to admire the city skyline, rest in one of the many tranquil cloisters, marvel at the extraordinarily intricate masonry of the cathedral and pause for tapas in the remarkable Baroque central square, a lively gathering place for old and young alike.
    Glorious Salamanca
  • Salamanca to Madrid
    The train ride from Salamanca to Madrid takes about two-and-a-half hours, meaning that, with a morning departure, you can enjoy a full afternoon in the capital after dropping off your cases at the Hotel Catalonia las Cortes, where you spend two nights.
  • Explore Madrid
    Spain’s capital since the Golden Age, Madrid is the heart of the country, not only geographically, but culturally, too, boasting many Spanish art treasures. As well as great masterpieces, it has parks, extraordinary food and, more surprisingly, a collection of traditional working neighbourhoods. From your centrally located hotel, try one of our two walking tours, the first focusing on the world-class museums of the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza and the surrounding quarter, the other exploring the Barrio de los Austrias district, where you might be tempted to linger among the many small shops and tapas bars before taking in the grand royal palace and cathedral.
    Explore traditional neighbourhoods

Accommodation

You stay at three high-quality hotels hand-picked for their excellent locations.

Extend your stay

Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 6 nights: 01 January 2026 - 31 December 2026

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price *
    1 - 31 Jan 2026 from £963
    1 - 28 Feb 2026 from £1043
    1 - 31 Mar 2026 from £1118
    1 - 30 Apr 2026 from £1213
    1 - 31 May 2026 from £1223
    1 - 30 Jun 2026 from £1218
    1 - 31 Jul 2026 from £1088
    1 - 31 Aug 2026 from £1153
    1 - 30 Sep 2026 from £1193
    1 - 31 Oct 2026 from £1178
    1 - 30 Nov 2026 from £1008
    1 - 25 Dec 2026 from £1188

    * Final price is subject to change due to the customisable nature of our holidays and is dependent on accommodation availability for the dates selected. We will contact you to confirm the final price. Single supplements are applicable on many of our holidays. Please contact us for full details.

    Includes accommodation, meals, travel between hotels and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus a detailed information pack, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Included travel: Madrid-Segovia-Salamanca-Madrid by rail
    Pay locally for travel arrangements between city stations and hotels

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Madrid
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Madrid. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Madrid British Airways,  Iberia,  Ryanair 
    Birmingham - Madrid (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Madrid easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Madrid easyJet,  Iberia 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Madrid easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Madrid British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Madrid Air Europa,  easyJet,  Iberia,  Vueling 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Madrid British Airways,  Iberia 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Madrid easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Madrid Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Madrid Iberia,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Madrid (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Madrid. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together.

    Unless otherwise stated, connecting travel by rail or bus tends to be from the city centre station, rather than from its airport, and connections between the two should be paid for locally.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Madrid

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Madrid Chamartin to Segovia AV (0h30) included 1700
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    own travel arrangements hotel to Madrid airport pay locally flexible
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 6 reviews
  • G&S
    18 September 2025

    We very much enjoyed the holiday.  The hotels were all very good and very well located, with good facilties and good breakfasts.

     

    Some other thoughts, mostly about food for vegetarian visitors:

    In Segovia, the vegetarian La Almuzara restaurant (recommended in another review) was closed for annual vacation.  On two of our three nights we ate at Tomatito Perry which had an interesting selection of vegetarian (and non-vegetarian) dishes.  English menu and English spoken. (No.3 Calle Valdelaguila, close to Plaza Mayor, on the route of the short optional detour to Plaza de San Estaban).  

    In Salamanca, particularly enjoyed Museo Lis.  Grateful to the memebr of hotel staff who made bar and restaurant recommendations.  Good veggie and non-veggie food at Vinodiario (English menu and English spoken). 

    In Madrid, the jazz at Cafe Central was excellent.  Book in advance online (but note that there is no obligation to have a meal).  

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Mr G Fisher
    Canada
    01 December 2024

    You might want to alert potential clients of the cold temperatures in December, which I as a Canadian should have realized!

  • Mrs D Richards
    Reading
    13 March 2024

    The Cities of Castile trip was a fantastic experience, rich in history and culture with two Unesco World Heritage locations. If you like fabulous palaces, towering cathedrals, amazing art galleries, awesome museums and al-fresco dining even in March, then this holiday is the one to do. Inntravel pick the best hotels to put you right in the centre of the action and provide detailed background information and notes to help you make the most of the experience.

  • Mr B Tahmazian
    Canada
    07 March 2024

    We were happy with our choice of combining the Classical Cities of Old Castile with Mountains and Villages of Mallorca. Adding some days here and there allowed us to pace our journey and make the most of it. The formula allows for much flexibility and it was easy to shorten longer walks by taking taxis which would drop you off or pick you up at convenient spots. Hotels and taxis are very knowledgeable and ready to help you organize your day.

  • Mrs S Dilley
    Worthing
    30 September 2023

    Highlights:
    Guggenheim in Bilbao - amazing setting and building by the river - Segovia - magnificent buildings and playa major + Balloons! - Amazing old town of Salamanca, even larger square and Roman bridge - vibrant seaside setting of San Sebastián - Cite du Vin and style of Bordeaux.

     

    INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our 'Classical Cities of Old Castile' and 'Flavours of Bilbao, San Sebastián & Bordeux' journeys.

  • J Roberts, Somerset
    09 March 2023

    This was our third Inn Travel Rail Journey and, again, was very much enjoyed.  We always add an extra night to our stays in each place.  This gives us a chance to explore further, to relax and to really appreciate each place without the feeling of constantly moning on. I highly recommend doing likewise. 

    The weather helps any holiday and we had perfect Spring days with chilly evenings and early mornings. One wet afternoon was accuately forecast so we saved a couple of visits knowing we'd prefer to be inside. 

    Despite being slightly apprehensive about visiting a capital city, we really enjoyed Madrid. We loved its squares and cafes, the happy atmosphere and helpful, friendly people. 

    Segovia was beautful - golden spires in the sunshine. It was quite special watching 3 hot air balloons graduallly get bigger and then drift off over our heads or into the distance - all from our balcony early in the mornings. 

    We loved the Art Deco museum in Salamanca. Unexpected and fun, it brought smiles to faces. Spacious, suberb displays. There are, of course, many other wonderful places here to explore too. 

    Cordoba was our 'Add On.'  We have visited Cordoba before but the unique wonder of the Mesquita drew us back.

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • The information that we send to you 2-3 weeks before your holiday includes practical information about each stage of your journey so that you can travel confidently from one hotel to another, recommendations for places to visit and eat out in each place, plus cultural information about the area. Where applicable, we also provide notes for a self-guided walking tour of most cities, and some large towns. Sample travel pack >
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Spain, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • (Castilian) Spanish is one of several official languages; Catalan, Basque and Gallego have equal status in Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia, respectively. The currency is the Euro. Spanish time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
Classical Castile: Madrid, Segovia & Salamanca by Rail
6 nights
Price from £963pp
Classical Castile: Madrid, Segovia & Salamanca by Rail
6 nights
Journey by train
Price from £963pp
Last fetch time is : 1/14/2026 6:56:49 AM

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