On a budget, Aranjuez Day-Trip still earns its price.
Train ~€8 return; palace €9
A graceful, leafy escape: the Royal Palace and its lavish formal gardens along the Tagus are lovely in spring, reachable in summer on the vintage 'Strawberry Train'. The catch is it's lower-wattage than Toledo or Segovia, fairly sleepy, and mainly rewards garden-and-palace lovers.