Though separated by only a few miles of rolling Castilian hills, the cities of Madrid and Toledo are very different beasts: the former home to grand boulevards and raucous nightlife that invariably stretches into rush hour the following morning; the latter an older, quieter town of winding alleyways, Moorish courtyards and sedate café-lined plazas. Both however share an abundance of good restaurants and a soft spot for fine wine, hence Wine Tourism Spain launching a new gastronomic self-guided trip straddling both locations.
In Madrid, look out for cocido madrileno —the city’s signature gut-busting stew of chickpeas, pork and vegetables — while visitors to Toledo should snack on tapas of Manchego, produced from sheep’s milk in the surrounding countryside.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Wine Tourism Spain now offers a three-day, self-guided Madrid & Toledo Gastronomic City Break tour, which runs throughout 2017. The rates include accommodation in a four-star hotel in the capital, two meals and high-speed rail transfers between the two cities.
British Airways and Iberia both fly to Madrid Barajas Airport from London Heathrow, while Ryanair flies there from Birmingham, Manchester and London Stansted. Direct metro trains run between the centre of Madrid and the airport, and take around 15 minutes.
