Central Spain Road Trip: the musts around Madrid

Toledo is known as the City of the Three Cultures because for many years Christians, Jews and Muslims lived peacefully together in its narrow hilly streets. The old city sits on a mountaintop surrounded on three sides by a bend in the Tagus River. As your campervan approaches the city, its view from the distance are unforgettable.

A one-hour drive from Madrid, make Toledo the first stop on your Central Spain road trip. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, the city is packed with medieval churches, synagogues and mosques worth visiting.

The old city walls and gates still stand, as do two stunning bridges over the river: the Roman Alcántara Bridge and San Martin Bridge.

Surprisingly Spain is, after Switzerland, Europe's most mountainous country. Many associate Spain only with beach holidays despite offering a wide range of unmatched natural landscapes.

Sierra de Gredos, still unknown to many Spaniards, is a gorgeous mountain range west of Madrid and home to the Iberian Ibex, the Spanish wild goat.

As you leave Toledo on your Central Spain road trip, drive towards Talavera de la Reina and from there to Arenas de San Pedro, a perfect place where to take a rest or have lunch. One of the main attractions of Sierra de Gredos is the hike to its glacial lake, Laguna de Gredos. From the Plataforma Gredos parking, it takes around two hours to hike to the lake.

The trail is well marked and gentle, though stony at times. Spotting wild goats from the trail is normal, particularly during off-peak season.

There are many trails to explore in Sierra de Gredos. For experienced and fit hikers, one of the most beautiful is the one to Cinco Lagunas (Five Lakes). The return hike is 25 km long, so start very early if you want to complete it in one day, or spend a night camping by one of the lakes.

Another of Spain’s many UNESCO World Heritage sites, Ávila is famous for the walls that surround the old city. Started in 1090, the walls have a perimeter of 2,516 metres, an average height of 12 m, and a total of 9 gates.

It’s possible to walk on the walls themselves for half their circumference. It’s also said that the walls are the largest fully illuminated monument in the world. — so why not try a night walk on the walls?

Don’t just admire them from outside the city but adventure inside them and walk around this small cute city full of history. An impressive collection of old churches, monasteries and museums will teleport you to medieval Castile. 

And while all are worth a visit, pick the main cathedral and the Monastery of Saint Thomas if you’re sticking to the Central Spain road trip itinerary and only staying for the day. If you do, leave Ávila at night to head for your final destination, Segovia.

Segovia’s main symbol is its Roman aqueduct, still used today to deliver drinking water to the city. Due to its length, beauty, and location it’s considered the most impressive Roman structure in all of Spain.

Built with 25,000 granite blocks held together without any mortar, it spans 818 meters. With more than 170 arches, the highest being 29 metres high, the aqueduct is an imposing engineering wonder.

Besides the aqueduct, Segovia is also well known by the Alcazar, the Royal Palace that Walt Disney used as inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle, and its stunning gothic cathedral. Do not miss the chance of tasting Segovia’s main dish, roasted suckling pig, the perfect closing meal to your Central Spain road trip. 

And if you’re still in the mood for more exploration before driving your campervan back to Madrid, it might be worth heading to Pedraza, a well-preserved medieval village considered one of the most beautiful in the whole of Spain.