Want to discover the best things to do in Madrid, Spain? If we haven’t met, I’m Gina, and I’m an aesthetic traveler who falls in love with Madrid more and more each time I visit. Although this city is appealing for many reasons, what I love most about Madrid is its authenticity: the family-run tapas bars, unhurried café culture, and everyday rhythm of life. This post is full of helpful info, but if you still have questions, use the Contact Me form at the bottom or message me on Instagram. I love connecting with fellow travelers!
- This year, the NFL is coming to Madrid in November! If you’re reading this post and happen to be a Washington Commanders fan, check out my post about how the Madrid Go City Pass can help you save money on attractions
Madrid is the capital city of Spain and one that attracts millions of tourists each year. But somehow, it doesn’t feel touristy…and that’s why a lot of people love it. Madrid is a city full of historic buildings, amazing food, bustling streets, and lively people. In fact, I’ve heard it referred to as “Europe’s New York City,” and after coming here multiple times, I’d have to agree. Walking down Gran Via (Madrid’s main street) feels like walking through Times Square…just a little less “commercial” and a lot more regal.
Recently, I went to Madrid after spending a little over a month in Barcelona. If you’ve never been to either city, I encourage you to visit both so you’re able to see how the 2 cities compare. Barcelona is a lot of fun yet definitely more touristy, whereas Madrid has less tourist activities but a more “community” type of feel. In short, I feel like Barcelona is a city you could vacation to, but Madrid is a city you could live in. Keep scrolling to read about the must-do activities so you can experience the best things to do in Madrid!
- Pro Tip: Because Madrid is less touristy, you may encounter less people who speak English well. Be sure to download a translator app (I like Google Translate), just in case
Top Things to Do in Madrid (For Your First Visit!)
- Although everything is accurate as of the 2025 update 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!
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.” I loved walking around and exploring the different neighborhoods, although it was sometimes difficult to discern where one neighborhood ended and another began. I felt like many the neighborhoods just kind of….ran in to one another? But that isn’t a bad thing. In the words of my AirBNB host, Madrid is the perfect city to get lost and then found! Below are the 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 that has a lot of cafes, bars, and restaurants. It is also where you’ll find Gran Via, Madrid’s most famous street, aka “the street that never sleeps.”
Chueca – For The LGBQT+ Community
Chueca is as lively, fun, and flaming as you would expect. The first time I came to Madrid, my friend and I (unknowingly) visited 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 I passed here, and the whole neighborhood itself was really bright and vibrant. This is where you’ll find a lot of tapas restaurants, along with Mercado de San Miguel which I’ll talk about further down in this post. I love the food in Spain, so as you can imagine, La Latina was my favorite neighborhood.
Malasaña – For The Hipsters and The Trendsetters
Malasaña is named after Manuela Malasaña, a 15-year-old seamstress executed by French troops after the Dos de Mayo Uprising on May 2, 1808. She eventually became a symbol of resistance to Napoleon’s forces…so much so that this neighborhood was named in her honor. Let’s hear it for badass women. I got to walk through Malasaña on my most recent trip to Madrid and fell in love with its unique vibe. You’ll find laid-back restaurants and coffee shops, but also trendy and hipster shopping around Fuencarral Street.
In addition to the 4 neighborhoods mentioned above, you can also check out:
- Salamanca – glamorous and upscale; where a lot of high-end designer stores are
- Lavapiés – very lively, intercontinental area; where you’ll find Reina Sofía museum
- Barrio de las Letras – the Literary Quarter; near the Prado Museum and El Retiro Park
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, a dress, and 3 bracelets from there. Just make sure you have cash – some of the vendors don’t take credit cards!
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 (remember how I said this is the NYC of Europe??). 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…oh, and you’re able to rent rowboats too!
El Retiro park is the perfect place to go if you want to spend a day relaxing in Madrid. I saw a bunch of people having picnics, other people laying in the grass, and people just walking around. Towards the back of the park, there is also a rose garden. To see the roses in full bloom, it is best to go in May or the beginning of June. If you come too late for the roses, there are plenty of other lovely flowers (and landscaping!) you can admire.
This park is massive, and a great place to wander and get lost in nature. There are so many little pathways you can take that I feel like it’s almost impossible to see everything. I have a feeling you won’t mind getting lost though. I know I didn’t 😉.
4. Take a Day Trip
No trip to Madrid is complete without a tour or a day trip! My friend and I 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.
Museums in Madrid
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. This is where you’ll find Picasso’s most famous painting, Guernica.
One museum I DO love is the Banksy Museum. This one is not unique to Madrid, as they have Banksy museums in multiple European cities – but it’s really cool to walk through here and see all the art. Perhaps the coolest thing, though, is how Banksy’s real name and identity remain unknown and the subject of speculation!
The Madrid Royal Palace
In addition to museums, you can also tour Madrid’s Royal Palace. I have done this and would 11/10 recommend. You get to go through and see a lot of the rooms, and they are stunning. Many have large chandeliers, gold accents on the walls and ceiling, and paintings or decorative wallpaper.
Right next to the Royal Palace is the Almudena Cathedral, which houses a crypt that contains the resting place of noble families and influential figures in Spain. The cathedral is stunning inside with its large columns, chandeliers, and stained glass windows. It’s free to enter the main cathedral, although you have to pay a fee to see the crypt. The photo below shows the Royal Palace in the front and the Almudena Cathedral towering behind it.
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
I love…I repeat, LOVE the food in Spain. 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. In fact, I think Madrid’s food scene is so special that I made an entire blog post called Unique Restaurants in Madrid, Spain that you should check out if you love to eat your way through a city. 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. It is completely normal to eat dinner here at 9:00 or 10:00 pm, and a lot of restaurants don’t start serving breakfast until 10:00am.
10. Do a Wine Crawl
During a Paris/London/Madrid trip, my friend 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.
11. Walk Down Gran Via During Sunset
IMO, there are few things prettier than a sunset in the city. The memory of walking down Gran Via as the sky turned pink and orange and the city lights were just beginning to come on is something that will live rent-free in my head forever. Although many European cities can be pretty at sunset, Madrid’s Gran Via stands out to me because of its gleaming white architecture lining the streets with New York–style energy.
Of course, you also have to see Gran Via lit up at night. While it’s not exactly the Manhattan skyline, some have claimed that it’s even more beautiful because of its old-world cosmopolitan style. My photos will never do it justice – which means you just have to see it for yourself! 😉
12. Get Ice Cream at Maison Glacée
There are plenty of great ice cream and gelato places throughout Madrid, but I was a frequent flyer at Maison Glacée. They have a mix of ice creams and sorbets, but my go-to was always the vanilla with Havana rum flavor. Whichever you choose, be sure to get it in a waffle cones – they’re homemade and one of the best cones I’ve ever tried.
13. Eat Your Way Through Mercado de San Miguel
Spain is famous for its “mercados” – aka fresh food markets with numerous stalls ranging from cheese to dessert to wine to tapas and more. You can think of these markets as similar to Time Out Market in Brooklyn, NY or Chicago. I’ve been to mercados in Barcelona, Valencia, and Madrid, and Madrid’s Mercado de San Miguel is my favorite. IMO, it’s the most organized and has the best aesthetic, not to mention the best food. I can’t even tell you how many times I wandered through here and grabbed a few bites from multiple vendors. If nothing else, give it a walk-through…but I bet you don’t walk out without trying at least one thing! 😉
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. Depending on when you travel, it can be 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. My friend Kelly and I 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.
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
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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!