Day trips from Madrid → Toledo → Getting there
Madrid to Toledo by Train, Bus or Car
Trains run from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Toledo in about 33 minutes, with the first departure at 06:45. The ALSA bus from Plaza Elíptica takes 50 minutes and starts at €6.55, with 83 services a day. Toledo is 75 km south of Madrid, and both options drop you a short walk below the old town.
By Saad Madhoun · Living in Madrid since 2023 · Updated 10 August 2026
| Fastest | Train — ~33 min from Atocha |
|---|---|
| Cheapest | Bus — from €6.55 one-way, 83 a day |
| Distance | 75 km (47 miles) via the A-42. No tolls |
| First departure | Train 06:45 · Bus 06:00 |
| Station hours | Toledo station open 06:00–22:30 |
| Book the train the day before for Friday and Saturday mornings. Those fill up. | |
| Last checked: 10 August 2026. Bus data from ALSA’s route page. Train times and first departure from Renfe — their timetable search was returning an error when I checked, so the 33-minute figure is Renfe’s published time rather than one I confirmed in the booking engine. | |
What it actually costs you
Door-to-door time and total cost, including getting to the station and up into the old town. Change the number of travellers — it flips the answer.
The train from Madrid to Toledo
Renfe runs Avant high-speed services from Madrid Puerta de Atocha – Almudena Grandes, the station’s full name since it was renamed. The journey is direct, there are no intermediate stops, and it takes about 33 minutes. The first train leaves at 06:45 and Toledo station closes at 22:30, which sets the outer limits of your day.
Toledo’s station is worth arriving awake for: it’s a 1919 neo-Mudéjar building with tilework and a wooden ceiling that most people walk straight past. From there it’s roughly 20 minutes on foot up to Plaza de Zocodover, or a short ride on the local bus if you’d rather not climb.
One thing in Renfe’s favour, and I say this as someone who takes Cercanías regularly: the Avant leaves on time. If it’s late, it’s late by three minutes, and someone will apologise.
Buying tickets
Book on renfe.com or at the machines in Atocha. Fares move with demand, so a Tuesday in February costs noticeably less than a Saturday in April. There’s no need to book weeks out for a weekday, but Friday and Saturday morning departures do sell out — get those the day before.
The bus from Plaza Elíptica
ALSA runs 83 services a day between Madrid and Toledo, which is the bus’s real advantage: you’re never tied to a specific departure. Direct services take 50 minutes; the ones that call at villages along the way take up to an hour and a half, so check which one you’re boarding. Fares start at €6.55, roughly half the train.
Buses leave from the Plaza Elíptica interchange, on Metro lines 6 and 11. It’s an underground bus station and it is exactly as charming as that sounds, but it’s efficient and it’s central.
Driving to Toledo
Seventy-five kilometres straight down the A-42, no tolls, about an hour depending on how you hit the Madrid ring roads. The driving is easy; the arriving is not. Toledo’s old town is closed to non-resident traffic and the streets that are open are medieval-narrow. Park in one of the car parks below the walls and use the free escalators at Puerta de Bisagra.
A car earns its keep in one scenario: you’re three or more people, or you want to combine Toledo with somewhere the trains don’t reach — Consuegra’s windmills, for instance.
Or skip the logistics
If you’d rather not deal with tickets and connections at all, the bus transfer with free time in the old town costs about the same as a return train ticket and handles both directions.
Madrid to Toledo questions
How long is the train from Madrid to Toledo?
About 33 minutes, direct, with no intermediate stops. Trains leave from Madrid Puerta de Atocha – Almudena Grandes, and the first one departs at 06:45.
How far is Toledo from Madrid?
Seventy-five kilometres, or 47 miles, due south. By road it’s a straight run down the A-42 with no tolls, and it takes about an hour by car.
Is the bus or the train better?
The train if you value the time — it’s 17 minutes quicker each way and drops you at a nicer station. The bus if you value the money, at roughly half the fare, or the flexibility, with 83 departures a day against the train’s handful.
Do I need to book Madrid to Toledo tickets in advance?
Not for a weekday. Fares rise closer to the date and Friday and Saturday morning trains do sell out, so book those the day before. The bus rarely needs advance booking.
Can you walk from Toledo station to the old town?
Yes, about 20 minutes, and it’s uphill for the last stretch. There’s a local bus from outside the station if you’d rather not, and free public escalators at Puerta de Bisagra that take you up through the walls.