From Madrid, it’s easy to visit smaller cities where vestiges of the once vibrant Jewish community survive. Traveling on day trips via high-speed AVE trains is an easy and comfortable way to go, luggage-free.

The train from Madrid’s Atocha Station to Toledo—which once had the largest Jewish population—takes 35 minutes. Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived in this multicultural medieval. Of 10 synagogues, two that were converted into churches post-1492 survive. Sinagoga del Tránsito is now Museo Sefardi, and the 12th-century Sinagoga Santa Maria la Blanca has stunning Mudejar arches and floor tiles (notably, it’s on the street of the Reyes Catolicos, the Catholic kings). The El Greco Museum is worth a visit, and so is the Parador.

The AVE rail trip to Segovia leaves from Chamartin Station and arrives 35 minutes later. The former Sinagoga Mayor, now the Corpus Christi church, opens the Jewish quarter. Segovia’s highlight is the medieval menorah that dates from the Jewish Golden Age in Spain. It is located at the Jewish Museum in the JuderÃ­a within the former home of a prominent resident Abraham Seneeor.

Córdoba, a UNESCO World Heritage Sight, is less than two hours via AVE from Madrid. The Juderia—near the Tourist Office in Plaza Juda LevÃ­—is notable because its 14th-century synagogue is the only one in Spain not turned into a Christian building, and because there’s a monument to Maimonides, the Jewish doctor and religious thinker.

More time is required for some destinations. By adding an overnight, visitors can leave Cordoba for Seville in time for dinner and stay at a charming, small four-star hotel in Santa Cruz, Sevilla, called Hotel Casas de la Juderia. It’s located on Calle Santa Maria de la Santa, next door to a church with that same name that once was a synagogue.

This hotel resembles a tiny village comprised of a series of pastel townhouses, some dating to the 16th century, fronted by flower-filled courtyards and siding narrow paths. There are arches and columns, expansive rooms, and suites. Add another day for Granada, where the Fountain of the Lions at the amazing Alhambra Palace was a gift from the Jewish community. At the entry to the palace, visitors can see artisans at work creating taracea—geometric patterns inlaid into wood boxes, tables, and chessboards.

In Cosmopolitan Barcelona, just two and a half hours from Madrid via the AVE rail, Jews, including the 13th-century sage Nachmanides, once comprised 15 percent of the population. Here, like many places in Spain, there are hints of a vanished world—but one that I never tire of exploring.

Irvina Lew (www.irvinalew.com) is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Society of American Travel Writers.