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6 ideas, picked for these days
Zarateman · CC0A weekend in Alcalá de Henares with the Cervantes Train
In spring the Cervantes Train sets off from Atocha on Saturdays again, with actors on board and a guided visit in Alcalá, and its season usually runs from April to June. If San Isidro joins up with the weekend, the ticket lets you come back the next day and sleep in the old town.
Luis Daniel Carbia Cabeza · CC BY 2.0A weekend in La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia, an hour from Salamanca
In mid-May the Sierra de Francia is in full spring, with chestnuts and oaks coming into leaf, water in Las Batuecas and the Peña de Francia already free of snow. With San Isidro next to the weekend there is room for both nights; the Casa del Parque is open Friday to Sunday.
Segovia: Aqueduct, Alcázar and suckling pig
Every May Segovia celebrates Titirimundi, the international puppet festival, with performances in squares, courtyards and beside the Aqueduct, many on the street and free; it usually falls in the middle of the month, near San Isidro. Check the programme and leave the Alcázar for the afternoon.
Peñalara: glacial lake and monastery
By mid-May the short route to the Laguna Grande de Peñalara is usually free of snow, and the cirque streams run with meltwater. The Cotos car park has 250 spaces and on a holiday it fills by mid-morning: arrive before nine.
Gredos: Laguna Grande and revolconas
May opens the season for the Laguna Grande in Gredos: the route from the Platform can be done, although in mid-month some patch of snow may remain in the cirque. Ask in Hoyos del Espino the night before, bring poles and book a late lunch of revolconas.
Abantos: climb through the pine forest and lunch in the mountains
In May the Abantos pine wood is green and cool for climbing before the heat, and the Felipe II Train, the tourist train from Madrid to El Escorial, runs in spring. The 1918 forest lodge needs booking: a holiday in Madrid fills the hills with madrileños.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is San Isidro a holiday across the whole Community of Madrid?
No. 15 May is a local holiday in the city of Madrid. Each municipality in the region chooses its two local holidays.
Is there snow on Peñalara or in Gredos in mid-May?
Normally not on the main routes any more, although in years of late snow some patches remain. Ask at the visitor centre the night before.
When is Titirimundi in Segovia?
In May, normally in the middle of the month and for about six days. The festival publishes its programme in spring.
And without a car on 15 May?
Alcalá, with the Cervantes Train or by Cercanías; Segovia, by high-speed train; El Escorial, by Cercanías or on the Felipe II Train; and Peñalara, on bus 691 to Cotos.