Madrid – Welcome to a city that will conquer your heart!

I lived in Madrid for nearly 30 years. I don’t know what it is that Madrid has but this city is truly special. Not sure if it’s the people, the weather, the architecture, the atmosphere, the energy or what it is. I can tell you that everyone that comes here loves it.

Unlike other European cities, it wasn’t there forever and it was only historically recently that the city became prominent and as important as it is today. Indeed, the city’s population grew vastly as a result of domestic migration from other cities of Spain. I can count on my fingers how many Madrilenos (people from Madrid) I have met with 4 grandparents born in Madrid. Definitely not my case either…

Maybe that’s why as soon as you get to Madrid you feel at home and part of the Madrid family. Who knows?

What I can tell you is that I have traveled a lot and currently leave very far from Madrid. However, every time I go back I get invaded by this joy, this overwhelming happiness that makes me smile like an idiot and run out of the airport terminal.

If you haven’t been to Madrid and you are planning to visit Spain, there is no way on earth you shouldn’t come here. Once you do, you will understand what I mean.

Bienvenido a Madrid!

Madrid in a nutshell

Fly or drive to Madrid, where you will see one of the most amazing European cities and try some of the finest Spanish cuisines. This is one of those cities that you will mysteriously fall in love with and that you will always remember!

Escape to “upstate” Madrid to have a delicious steak inside a cave in the mountains and/or check one of the most remote, middle-age looking towns in the area, which has amazing food and some good hiking trails.

Then, visit either Segovia or Toledo to feel like you have been teleported to a Game of Thrones site.

 

The details

Interesting facts about Madrid that you possibly had no idea about

So welcome to Madrid! I am always surprised when I go back about how quickly it evolves and improves. But first, here are some interesting facts about Madrid:

• Madrid is the third biggest city in the European Union.
• Madrid lies at around 700 meters (2100 feet) of altitude. People are always surprised to hear that you can actually ski in the area. Actually, Madrid is the highest (would tallest also work here?) capital city in Europe.
• Madrid has a fancy and large royal palace, where no king lives! Indeed, the Spanish King lives in a much smaller and modest palace called Palacio de la Zarzuela.
• Madrid wasn’t founded until the 9^th century and didn’t become the capital until the 16^th King Philip II decided to move the capital to Madrid because of its central geographical position and its abundance of water and game.
• Madrid enjoys more cloudless days than almost any other city in Europe. Before I moved to New York I used to say that weather was not a very important thing to me… Absolute nonsense!
• Madrid is home to several soccer teams and two of the best soccer clubs in history, Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid. Actually, Real Madrid was declared the world’s most successful soccer club of the 20^th
• Madrid’s flag symbol is a bear on its hind legs eating berries. Its inhabitants are informally known in Spain as “Gatos”, which means cats. Some people think that Gatos don’t actually exist since most people have grandparents from other regions of Spain and are not true “Gatos”. A friend of mine declares that he once met a real “Gato” but he has no evidence…

Not excited yet??? Well, maybe take a look at this video before you continue: Let’s Go Madrid!

What to see in Madrid?

There are loads of things to see in several different areas. Thus, some planning and good intel are absolutely key. Getting to visit everything is quite challenging so I have aggregated several milestones that you can cover in one single area, to make your visit as fruitful as possible.

Area 1 – Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Cava Baja and Huertas Street and Barrio de la Latina

• The Puerta del Sol is one of the busiest public squares in Madrid. It is the center of the radial network of Spanish roads (kilometer zero). They say that if you stand in the km. 0 you will surely be back to Madrid. It also contains the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and the beginning of the New Year.

• Super close, you will find the Plaza Mayor, which was built in the 16 hundreds during the reign of Philip III. It is an iconic Madrid site.

• Then head to the Barrio La Latina through the Cava Baja Street. This is one of the most lively and beautiful streets in Madrid. You will find loads of popular tapas bars and restaurants in this area. It is also an excellent area for day (or night) party/drinks.

• Total distance is about 1.2 kilometers (under a mile). Link: Area 1

Area 2 – Palacio Real, Jardines Sabatini, Catedral de la Almudena, Templo de Debod and Plaza de Oriente

• The Palacio Real is the fancy royal palace I mentioned earlier where the Spanish King actually DOESN’T live. It is an amazing building built during the 18^th century. It is only used for state ceremonies. It’s the largest royal palace in Europe by floor area. Don’t forget to check out the Sabatini Gardens, which are part of the Palace and look really nice.

• The Cathedral de la Almudena is a Catholic church of gothic style. It is one of the most beautiful ones in the city and is conveniently located right in the center of Madrid.

• Next, head to the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple that was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid. It was donated by Egypt in 1968 as a sign of gratitude for Spain’s contribution to saving the Abu Simbel temples.

• Last, head to the Plaza de Oriente, which is another iconic square in the historical center of Madrid.

• Total distance is about a mile. Areas 1 and 2 are pretty close so you could combine them if you’re feeling strong. Link: Area 2

Area 3 – Gran Vía Street, Plaza de Callao, Plaza de Cibeles, Preciados, Palacio de Comunicaciones, Librería Nacional, and Paseo del Prado

• The zone of Madrid comprised by the Callao Square, Gran Vía Street, and Preciados Street is highly iconic. Once you get there, you may notice that you have seen the view of Gran Vía Street before in pictures or paintings. Apart from the nice architecture, you will find loads of shops, department stores, and shoe and accessories shops.

• The Cibeles Square is a neo-classical complex of marble sculptures with fountains of the Greek Goddess Cíbeles. You may know this but, when Real Madrid wins a championship or tournament (which happens very often), all fans gather around this square. Right next to the square, you will see the amazing Palacio de las Comunicaciones. Also nearby, you will find the National Library and the Prado Promenade. All of these places are extremely elegant and great for a nice sunny day walk.

• Total distance is about 3 miles. If you start in Plaza de Callao you will walk flat or down, so the walk is a bit nicer and easier. Link: Area 3

Area 4 – Puerta de Alcalá, the Retiro Park and Barrio de Salamanca

• The Puerta de Alcalá is said to be the door to Madrid (or at least it was once). It is considered the first modern post-Roman triumphal arch built in Europe. It is older than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. If you look close enough, you will see bullet marks from the Civil War.

• The Retiro Park is one of the largest parks of Madrid. It used to belong to the Monarchy until it was made public in the 19^th Don’t miss the pond and if you want to do some chill rowing, remember to buy an ice-cream.

• Last, the Barrio of Salamanca is a glamorous 19^th century set of boulevards lined with fine restaurants and designer boutiques. It is home to some of the most expensive stores and houses in the city.
• This area is very close to Area 3. It extends through about 1 mile in total, although that will likely increase as you explore the Retiro Park. Link: Area 4

Area 5 – Paseo de la Castellana, Santiago Bernabeu Soccer Stadium and Cuatro Torres

• Paseo de la Castellana is one of the longest and widest avenues of Madrid. It starts at the Columbus square, where you can see the Columbus statue and a huge Spanish flag. It ends at the north exit of the city. A good plan would be to drive all the way through the Paseo. There is a lot to see.

• On the North section of the Paseo de la Castellana, you will find the Santiago Bernabeu. This is the stadium of Real Madrid, one of the best soccer teams in history and the one with the most relevant trophies in the whole planet. To give you an idea of how important they are, Real Madrid has won the European Champions League (European soccer Super Bowl Equivalent) 13 times, which is as much as the second and third summed. If you happen to be in Madrid during the soccer season, don’t hesitate to buy tickets for a match. Should that not be the case, you can always visit the Real Madrid museum or have lunch at the Real Café. Remember to get a table close to a window to the stadium.

• Finally, the Cuatro Torres is one of the main business districts of the city. Quite honestly, if you come from the U.S. you won’t be very impressed and you can see these four tall skyscrapers from mostly anywhere in the city.

Other things to see

• The Bullfighting arena of Madrid, Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, is quite nice to see.

• Madrid Río, which is a promenade by the Madrid River Manzanares. There is a nice rooftop I’d recommend you to have a drink.

Museums in Madrid

Although the Real Madrid museum is possibly the most visited, I strongly recommend you to visit:

• Prado Museum

• Reina Sofia Museum
• Thyssen Museum

Where to eat in Madrid?

Doing tourism is great but in my modest opinion, drinking liters of red wine, eating some of the best food that you can find anywhere at low prices is way better.

Possibly, the first thing that comes to my mind when I visit Madrid apart from family and friends, is how many days I have, how many meals per day and how many of my favorite restaurants I can go to.

Handle the below list with care, because it is pure gold!

Traditional Spanish

• El Landó. It’s a bit pricey but the value for money is outstanding. Old-school, extremely high-quality food with exquisite service. You won’t regret! I used to go here once a year for my friend’s Christmas lunch. I always book here for my friend’s welcome lunch when I visit Spain.
• Taberna Los Huevos de Lucio. An absolute classic.
• El Asador de Aranda for a great steak and traditional food.
• La Bola, famous for its Cocido (famous Spanish stew).
• Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas, for a unique culinary, historical and cultural experience. Also a must in my opinion!

Tapas and market food

• Mercado de San Miguel, right outside of Plaza Mayor is absolutely amazing. You can find all sorts of great fresh produce, wines, beers and light tapas. Please don’t miss this one!

• La Latina district has loads of good places. My favorite ones are Txirimiri, La Perejila, Juana La Loca and Txakoli.
• There is a small street near the Westin Palace Hotel called Duque de Medinacelli Street with some very traditional options. Check out: Cervantes, El Dolores, and Los Gatos.

Modern Spanish

• La Mucca in Calle Prado is a trendy restaurant that you will certainly enjoy.
• Zerain Sidrería. If you go get the prix fixe cider menu, you will have a bunch of traditional Basque appetizers and the famous Chuleton (Spanish T-bone steak). All you can drink cider included. The Spanish cider is “natural”, which means it’s alcoholic but not carbonated.

Fusion cuisine

• Ronda 14 is an absolute must. It combines Asturian (Northern Spanish), Peruvian and Japanese food. The Gunkan of truffled quail egg makes me cry of happiness.
• Amazónico, which has a very cool speakeasy bar downstairs for a drink after dinner.
• Habanera, for a colonial mix of Caribbean and Mediterranean foods.

Want more?

• For the best Churros with hot chocolate in the city, go to Chocolatería San Gines in the Arenal Street. This small place is between Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. If the day is chilly, this is a perfect plan!
• La Mallorquina, a famous bakery in the Sol district that is good for a pastry or sweet treats. One of Spain’s most famous.

Where to have drinks in Madrid

Tired of walking, shopping, and sightseeing? It’s time for a nice cocktail! My favorite options are the following:

• Plaza de Santa Ana. This centric square is filled with bars with terraces. Check out Naturbier, where they brew their own artisan beer on site. There is also a rooftop in the ME hotel where you can have a cocktail after dinner with cool views of the city.
• Calle Cava Baja, in the Latina quarter. This street has loads of bars. Perfect site to do some tapas and bar hopping.
• If you are looking for a party, I suggest you check out Medias Puri. I will just say that this is a secret place hidden as a typical haberdashery place. It has shows, three floors and it is really fun. Get ready for a different experience…

Want some flamenco in Madrid?

Going to a flamenco show is always a great option. Especially before or after dinner. Some suggestions are:

• Casa Patas
• Las Tablas
• Cadamomo

Shopping in Madrid

Madrid is a great city to go shopping. You will find loads of streets with shops, huge malls, etc. Good thing is that you can do shopping close to some of the areas I suggested you should visit. Two great zones with very different types of shops are the following:

• Barrio de Salamanca has every possible high-end luxury brand that you can think of.
• Calle Fuencarral, which start in Gran Vía Street, is a pedestrian-only street full of shops. There is a mix of alternative, hipster and mainstream shops.

Where to stay in Madrid?

My first suggestion is that you make sure to find a spot close to a metro stop. However, this will be pretty easy since there are metro stops everywhere.

Having said that, my top picks are Malasana, Tribunal, Alonso Martinez, Noviciado, Opera and La Latina. Anything you can find in these districts will be perfectly located.

You can find a link to the metro map below in the logistics section.

Some great day-getaways around Madrid that you should not miss!

Well, had enough of Madrid yet? Let’s get ready for the surrounding areas. Time to make a decision. Toledo or Segovia? This is a question I was never able to figure out myself. Two amazing historical towns, within an hour of Madrid, with loads of things to do and awesome restaurants. No matter what you chose, you won’t go wrong.

Toledo

Toledo is a bit closer to Madrid. You just need to check out the pictures below to start to sense its charm and beauty. If you decide to visit Toledo, walk along the historical center, feel like you have been teleported to the Middle Age and check all the architecture.

When you are done, get ready for a food coma in one of the outstanding local restaurants. I like Hierbabuena restaurant a lot. The food is excellent and the view of the river and the city are worth checking.

Segovia

Segovia is not far either. The city is a bit larger than Toledo. On top of the amazing architecture and the classic old city section, there are three major tourist attractions. The Aqueduct of Segovia dates from the Roman Empire times and is the best-preserved one that exists.

Possible the most famous restaurant is Restaurante Jose María, where the local specialty is piglet and lamb. There are plenty of alternative options in the town, as that one is a bit pricey. The Alcazar de Segovia is a fortress of the Kings of Castile, it looks exactly like a fairytale castle. Climbing up the 300+ steps will help prepare for a good digestion… Lastly, the Cathedral of Segovia is quite nice too.

Hidden gems for a quick detour from Madrid

If you happen to have some extra time in Madrid, I included below a couple of hidden gems that foreigners rarely hear about:

• Patones de Arriba. This is a minuscule town in the north of Madrid in the middle of the mountains. Once you get there, you will feel like time has gone back 800 years. All houses and streets are made of stone. There are a couple of great restaurants, where you can try the local specialty, Migas con Chorizo (i.e. some sort of breadcrumbs mixed with a lot of different things). My favorite restaurant is El Rey de Patones. As a bonus item, there are several trails around the town where you can do a nice short hike after (or maybe better before) the meal.

• Las Cuevas del Molar. Also in the northern mountains that surround Madrid, you will find this cozy and amazing restaurant that has literally been built in caves inside mountains. The experience is quite peculiar and cool. The local specialty is of course steak (Note to reader: ordering anything more cooked than medium is considered an offense all over Spain). My favorite one is La Cueva del Lobo.

Check the logistics section for details on the best route from Madrid.

The Logistics – How to get to Madrid and move around

Getting there

It is extremely easy to get to Madrid from abroad. There are countless flights from every major city in the world. Madrid’s airport, Barajas (also known as Adolfo Suarez Airport), is the busiest airport in Spain and one of the busiest in Europe.

The airport is conveniently located at 15 minutes from the city center. You can take a taxi but I’d suggest you use the metro as it works great and it is fully predictable and independent of traffic.

If you happen to be traveling to Madrid from other cities in Spain, there are several daily flights to Madrid from all Spanish cities with an airport at very cheap prices.

From Barcelona, on top of the plane, you can take the speed train, which takes 2.5 hours door to door and has a cost of about 100 Euros for a roundtrip. Check the link below for train tickets while in Spain.

Link to RENFE: RENFE (Spanish railway system webpage)

While in Madrid

Moving around Madrid with public transport is super easy. There are several apps or Google maps itself which you can use to figure out your itineraries. The metro is system is vast, one of the biggest in the world and most lines are pretty new. Overall, it works very well and Madrilenos are very proud of their metro.

This link is very useful as you can find the map of the metro and a map linked to touristic attractions too. Check it out (Metro de Madrid Map).

Uber is not very prominent in Spain. The app that everyone uses in Spain is called Cabify, which works very similarly and I would say is a bit more luxurious than Uber is nowadays.

If you happen to have time to do some sightseeing in the surroundings of Madrid, the best call would be to get a car so you have schedule flexibility and can adjust as needed. Moving around Madrid or getting to Toledo or Segovia with public transport is super easy but getting to the El Molar Caves or Patones de Arriba can be quite tricky without a car as these are somewhat hidden gems, both in the literal and figurative sense.

A few useful links or the Google Maps itineraries by car:

1. From Madrid to Patones de Arriba: Madrid to Patones
2. From Madrid to Cuevas del Molar: Madrid to Cuevas
3. From Madrid to Toledo: Madrid to Toledo
4. From Madrid to Segovia: Madrid to Segovia

*Special thanks to Patricia and Ara for sharing some great up to date intel. I couldn’t go wrong with these two and my three decades of on-field expertise. 

If you liked this post and you happen to have more time to travel around Spain, I suggest you check out our post Top destinations in Spain and Portugal