Madrid is the capital city of Spain and one that attracts millions of tourists each year. It is a city full of historic buildings, amazing food, bustling streets, and lively people – all of which need to be experienced. If you are looking to spend some time in one of Spain’s most popular tourist cities, this post will highlight all my top things to do in Madrid.
Part of why Madrid appeals to so many people is its authenticity – the royal palaces, the Spanish art museums, the statues, the old (but gorgeous) buildings. Oh – and you can’t forget the authentic Spanish food. Keep reading to discover all my favorite and must-do things so you can experience the best of this historic city.
My friend Kelly and I went to Madrid as the last stop on our 2022 Eurotrip before heading home to the US. Having gone to Barcelona the year before, I was excited to visit Madrid to see how the 2 cities compare.
Related post: The Perfect Barcelona 3 Day Itinerary (for Your First Visit!)
(FYI – Before Madrid, we hit up Paris and London. If you’re curious, you can can read my Paris itinerary post here and my London itinerary post here.)
One thing I did want to point out is that despite Madrid being so tourist-heavy, I found that a lot of people did not speak English very well here. I would recommend having a translator app (I use Google Translate) and practicing with it before you go.
The Go City Pass
One Of The Best Ways to See Madrid
Go City allows you to book numerous attractions at a discounted rate. Simply pick a pass for your desired number of days and start planning the best trip of your life.
Click the photo to explore the Madrid Pass
Top Things to Do in Madrid (For Your First Visit!)
- Although everything is accurate as of the 2022 publication of this post, it’s important to remember that prices and attractions may change with time. Please LMK in the comments if you find anything that is inaccurate!
When I visited Madrid, I was looking forward to taking my time, enjoying the city, and seeing where the cobblestone streets took me. I didn’t have a day-by-day itinerary planned…instead, I wrote down a few things I wanted to do and hit the ground running! There are things I definitely recommend you checking out:
1. Explore Madrid’s Famous Neighborhoods
Madrid has many different areas, and they’re referred to as either districts or neighborhoods, depending on which site you visit. Some sites will include a “neighborhood” within a larger “district.” If you’re overwhelmed, don’t be. Before I went, I researched the different neighborhoods and wrote down the top 3 that I wanted to visit based on the vibe and what each neighborhood was known for.
Another thing that I was relieved to discover was that everything I wanted to see was extremely close together. I felt like the neighborhoods just kind of….ran in to one another? It was sometimes difficult to discern where one neighborhood ended and another began (but not always!). Below are the 3 neighborhoods that I enjoyed exploring:
Sol – Madrid’s Most Central Neighborhood
“Sol” directly translates to “sun,” and the sun is the center of the universe – meaning this neighborhood is the center of Madrid. This neighborhood contains Plaza Mayor, the city’s main square and the place where you’ll see a lot of intersecting roads coming together. It is also where you’ll find Gran Via, Madrid’s most famous street, aka “the street that never sleeps.” Gran Via is bustling with shops, restaurants, and nightlife, all of which are a must-do.
Chueca – For The LGBQT+ Community
Chueca is as lively, fun, and flaming as you would expect. We (unknowingly) visited Madrid during Pride Weekend, so this area was extra flamboyant. This is one of the few neighborhoods that was obvious when you were entering or leaving – the rainbow flags and banners were abundant all over the buildings, shops and homes.
La Latina – For the Foodies
La Latina is Madrid’s best “foodie” neighborhood. There were so many good restaurants that we passed here, and the whole neighborhood itself was really bright and vibrant. This is where you’ll find Mercado de San Miguel, a fresh food market with numerous stalls ranging from cheese to dessert to wine to fish. Make sure to walk through Mercado de San Miguel and try a few things. You can think of this market as similar to Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona, or Time Out Market in Brooklyn, NY or Chicago.
2. Check Out El Rastro Flea Market (Sundays Only)
Madrid has a MASSIVE flea market every Sunday in La Latina known as El Rastro, and it is 100% worth visiting. Hundreds (or thousands!) of vendors line each side of the street selling purses, clothes, jewelry, art, and more. It’s adorable. I bought a romper, a reversible crop top, and 3 bracelets from there.
You can find vendors on Calle de Toledo, Calle de Embajadores, and Ronda de Toledo…along with town squares like Plaza de General Vara del Rey and Plaza de Campillo del Mundo Nuevo.
Expect vendors to be there from 9:00 am to roughly 3:00 pm.
- I feel like this goes without saying, but don’t expect the jewelry to be great quality…it IS a flea market, after all. However, I thought a lot of the outfits were cute!
- This is also a great place to get little souvenirs that aren’t overly expensive.
3. Explore Parque de El Retiro
El Retiro is a huge park towards the outskirts of the city and was giving me major Central Park vibes. You just don’t expect a park like that amongst the buildings and busy streets, but alas, it does exist. The entrance is gorgeous, flanked by a lake with rowboats and a monument to Alfonso XII. This website gives you more information about renting rowboats.
Towards the back of the park, there is also a rose garden, although when we went in July a lot of the roses had begun wilting. To see the roses in full bloom, it is best to go in May or the beginning of June.
El Retiro park is the perfect place to go if you want to spend a day relaxing in Madrid. We saw a bunch of people having picnics, other people laying in the grass, and people just walking around. This website provides a great list of all the things to see and do in the park.
A Few Pro Tips About Visiting Parque de El Retiro
- Whenever we were planning on visiting El Retiro park, we typed in the address to Google maps and it alerted us that the park would be closing soon. We thought this was odd – and probably incorrect – and decided to walk there anyway (it was 1:00 pm on a Sunday!). When we got there, the park was open and buzzing with people!
- El Retiro park’s opening hours vary based on the season and holidays:
- April – September: 6am – 12am (midnight)
- October – March: 6am – 10pm
- Do NOT go by the hours listed on Google maps if they seem wildly incorrect 🙂
4. Take a Day Trip
No trip to Madrid is complete without a tour or a day trip! We booked a day tour to Toledo that included Cathedral tickets and LOVED it! I would highly recommend seeing Toledo, especially since it’s so different looking than Madrid. While Madrid’s architecture is more of a Gothic and Baroque to Neoclassical and contemporary style, Toledo’s is very medieval and makes you feel like you’re stepping back in time.
5. Tour the Egyptian Temple
The Temple of Debod is an Egyptian temple that was gifted to Spain and dates back to the 2nd century B.C. You can see hieroglyphics and other sculptures, but keep in mind that it had to be transported from Egypt to Spain and essentially rebuilt, so some of the writing isn’t as clear/well-preserved.
I did NOT get to do this activity because we learned it existed after we left, but I think it would be really cool to see. If you check it out, LMK what you think in the comments!
6. Soak in the Rooftop Views from RIU Hotel’s 360º Rooftop Bar
I would consider this one a must-do. Hotel RIU Plaza España is a fancy hotel near Sol that has a rooftop bar called 360º Rooftop with stunning views. The bar has a glass floor that you can stand on and see all the way down to the traffic below (also great for an Instagram photo-op!).
You could say my outfit was inspired by the flamenco dresses 😉.
As the name suggests, you can walk around the entire perimeter of the building outside on the roof and see Madrid from every angle. Drinks here are also incredible. The atmosphere itself is absolutely gorgeous – it is the perfect place to watch an epic Spanish sunset.
RIU’s rooftop is a VERY popular thing to do in Madrid, so expect there to be a line. We got there on a Sunday night around 7pm and thankfully did not have to wait that long, but as we were leaving (around 8:30) the line was HUGE.
7. Visit Some of Madrid’s Famous Museums and Palaces
I’m going to be honest with you: I am not much of a museum person. But if you are, you’re in the right place. Madrid is pretty museum-heavy.
Two of Madrid’s most popular museums include the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Reina Sofía Museum.
- Click here for a guided tour of the Museo Nacional del Prado, Spain’s most important cultural institution
- Click here for an entrance ticket to the Reina Sofía Museum, home to the most significant collection of contemporary art in Madrid
In addition to museums, you can also tour Madrid’s Royal Palace by clicking on this link here.
8. See a Flamenco Show
Madrid is known for its flamenco performances – which are passionate dances that include singing, guitar playing, and sometimes, even clapping along. You may recognize the term as being synonymous with flamenco dresses: the red, tiered, ruffly dresses that I secretly want to wear every day of my life.
Although you can find flamenco performances all over the city, the most authentic ones are said to be in tablaos, which offer a more intimate setting than a larger stage. I linked some top-rated options at the beginning of this post, but I’ll link a couple others here for you check out too:
- Madrid: Flamenco Show at Tablao “Las Tablas” with Drink
- Madrid: Flamenco Show at Tablao Las Carboneras
9. Eat Your Way Through the City
In terms of must-try Spanish foods, I always tell people to go for tapas. Tapas are essentially small plates that are meant to be shared.
I love…I repeat, LOVE the food in Spain. In fact, I love it so much that I made an entire blog post called 7 Unique Restaurants in Madrid, Spain that I think you would enjoy. Below is the entrance to Rosi La Loca, one of Madrid’s most vibrant restaurants.
I know, right???
If you’re more of a “food tour” person (and honestly, why wouldn’t you be?), I’ve linked some of Madrid’s top-rated food tours below:
- Madrid: Tapas Food Tour with Drinks and Food
- Madrid: Wine and Tapas Walking Tour
- Madrid: San Miguel Market and Street Food Walking Tour
One important thing to know is that when it comes to food, Madrid, like pretty much all of Spain, operates on a late schedule. In other words, if you are a night person, this is the place for you.
- A lot of restaurants don’t start serving breakfast until 10am. I found a couple of coffee shops that opened at 8am, but don’t expect most places to be open this early!
- In Spain, it is completely normal to eat dinner at 9-10pm or later.
10. Do a Wine Crawl
Kelly and I thought it would be fun to do a champagne crawl in Paris, a pub crawl in London, and a wine crawl in Madrid. TBH, we didn’t plan out any bars for this, since pretty much all the wine is good here. Instead, we walked around and saw a few places that looked interesting and popped in for a glass! I thought this was such a fun idea and would recommend it to anyone visiting Madrid.
If you’re unfamiliar with Spanish wines, Spain is known more for their reds than whites when it comes to traditional wine. However, they are also known for cava, which is a Spanish sparkling white wine – essentially a wine/champagne hybrid. (I thought the cava I got in Madrid was sweeter than the cava in Barcelona – tbh, I liked Barcelona’s better.) Below is a picture of the cava I got in Madrid.
Madrid Hotel recommendation
Hotel Preciados
Hotel Preciados is located in Sol, Madrid’s most central neighborhood. It was one of my favorite hotels I’ve stayed in when I visited Europe. The rooms and lobby were gorgeous, and my shower had color-changing LED lights. What a time to be alive.
Click your favorite link below to book!
Madrid: Getting There, When to Visit, and Getting Around
Getting There
The main airport to fly into in Madrid is Madrid Barajas Airport. It is large and EXTREMELY busy. The lines are long, and not a lot of the employees spoke English very well. Definitely allow yourself extra time when traveling to and from this airport.
When to Visit
I went to Madrid in July, and it was HOT….like, 100ºF hot. For cooler, more bearable temperatures, plan your visit around the fall or spring. I was told by a few locals that the winter months are more drab (aside from Christmas).
Getting Around
The streets of Madrid are very walkable. We only had to take the subway one time, and it was when we were going from El Retiro park back to La Latina (it would have been a 40 minute walk otherwise, and…well…we were tired). If you are staying in the center of Madrid and plan on exploring the inner parts of the city, you should not have to take the metro much (if at all).
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Enjoyed the Madrid trip story! Can’t wait for the next one.
Madrid is definitely amazing! I’m so happy you enjoyed this post!