Madrid Travel Guide

Madrid. What a city. Spain’s capital and its biggest city, Madrid is a top destination for most visitors. And for good reason — it’s a lively city that’s not only affordable by Western European standards, but it also boasts outstanding culture, architecture, art, and excellent nightlife. But it’s also a fairly modern city so you’ll discover that much of the architecture is from the 20th century — which can sometimes be a surprise to many visitors looking for “old” Europe. That said, it is a city overflowing with energy that keeps pulling visitors back year after year.

10 Best Tourist Attractions in Madrid

Palacio Real

The huge size of this Palacio Real is the imposing feature. Madrid’s Royal Palace boasts a lot greater than 2,500 brightly colored decorated rooms. Built-in 1764, the palace served as the imperial house you start with Carlos III. The very last royals to live were Alfonso XIII and also Victoria Eugenie from the early 1900s. Even though the palace is used for official ceremonies, 50 of this architecture’s elegant rooms are available to people, for example, an armory, drugstore and also the palace lavish living space, or”Salón del Trono,” which comes with a ceiling painted by the legendary artist Tiepolo. A fresco from the expansive dining hall clarifies Christopher Columbus showcasing presents from the New World into King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

Plaza Mayor

Even the most well-known of all Madrid’s numerous scenic plazas, the Plaza Mayor goes to 16-19, as it places out the town’s boundaries and has been used to host bull-fights. Throughout the Spanish Inquisition, many accused heretics met there. Three sides of this rectangular cobblestone plaza are bordered by block-long rows of three-story apartments completed from the late 18th century. The structures have been decorated with frescoes, ornamented with balconies framed with wrought-iron railings and topped with refined slate spires. A statue of Philip III on horseback stands at the center of this plaza. Facing the plaza is the Casa de la Panadería, that houses a tourist information center.

Prado Museum

The Museo del Prado is among the very popular attractions in Madrid. The 18th-century architecture created by architect Juan de Villanueva houses among the world’s finest art collections. Even a 2007 expansion has really made the famous museum much simpler to browse. With over 7,000 artwork symbolizing history and culture by the 12th century into the early 19th century, but it’s not possible to find everything in one trip. Visitors might want to concentrate on the museum’s group of Spanish musicians, including Goya, El Greco, da Ribera, and Velázquez, which is inarguably the most useful number of Spanish paintings from the globe.

Retiro Park

Called the Parque del Buen Retiro or even El Retiro, the playground has been currently really actually just a 350-acre spread of fountains, gardens, and buildings located at the boundary of their city center. Retiro Park started as a monastery at the 1500s. This has been part of this public domain since 1868. A favorite spot for locals and tourists alike, the playground includes a massive artificial pond at which people are able to rents kayaks and canoes. An arcing colonnade arrangement on the east coast is the Monument into Alfonso XII. The Paseo de la Argentina also called the Statue Walk, is ornamented with figurines from the Royal Palace constituting Spanish championships throughout the ages.

Gran Via

The Gran Vía is popularly referred to while the Broadway of Madrid since it has”the street that never sleeps.” The expansive boulevard runs through fundamental Madrid from the Plaza p España into Calle p Alcalá. Even though the road seems integral into the bustling funding, it is, in reality, a fairly recent addition to this town. Completed in 1910, the Gran Vía is lined with tens of thousands of stores restaurants and companies. Even the most well-known construction in the boulevard may be that the Telefónica Building, which had been the tallest building in Europe as it was completed in 1929. The clock on a peak of this Baroque-American style structure can be a neighborhood landmark.

Puerta del Sol

Located within the middle of Madrid, the Puerta del Sol, roughly “Gate of the Sun,” is merely absolutely a junctions where tens of thousands assume every New Year’s Eve to embrace at the cycle. Recent developments into the square possess minimal vehicle traffic and decayed the square to some spot where visitors could walk and admire the architectural wonders. Central to all these is the clock which chimes from the brand new year in Casa de Correos, the town ideology. At the front of the construction is Kilometer Zero plaque explicating exactly the purpose at which the measuring of this federal highway system begins. The statue of this Bear and the Strawberry Tree Looking at either facet of Puerta del Sol is regarded as a sign of Madrid.

Plaza de Cibeles

Probably one among the most gorgeous plazas in Madrid that the Plaza de Cibeles is surrounded by several buildings assembled in the neoclassical style, for instance, magnificent Palacio de Cibeles, formerly referred to as the Palacio de Comunicaciones, that has been designed by architect Antonio Palacios. At the middle of this plaza is really actually just a statue that’s also deemed a sign of the town: that the Fuente de la Cibeles. The glorious fountain depicts the Roman goddess Cybele to a chariot drawn by lions. Sculpted from purple-colored marble by Francisco Gutiérrez and Roberto Michel in 1780, the fountain formerly functioned as a supply of national water to neighboring houses.

Temple of Debod

Even the Temple of Debod Is Arguably among the most unusual Beaches in Parque del Oeste, a Playground near the Royal Palace. The temple to the Egyptian goddess Isis formerly stood to the banks of the Nile. The building of Egypt’s Great Dam of Aswan supposed that lots of historical monuments must be transferred as a way to keep them from the flood. Spain stepped in to help, as well as a result of appreciation, the Egyptian authorities handed the Temple of Debod into Spain in 1968. The four-thousand-year-old construction is etched with bas-reliefs constituting the gods Ammon along with is.

Mercado de San Miguel

Situated within walking distance of the Plaza Mayor, the Mercado de San Miguel is just a favorite shopping destination for local restaurants and foods. Its complex castiron structure includes glass walls that display goods which range from salted oysters and fish to fresh cakes and pasta. As the market remains open as late as two a.m. on weekends, it has turned into a favorite nightspot where locals and visitors gather to enjoy drinks and tapas, or appetizers. The website also plays host to events such as festivals, cooking classes, and parties.

Museo Reina Sofia

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía was designed like a modern Match to the historical Prado Museum. It had been officially inaugurated by Queen Sofia at 1992. Initially constructed like a hospital, the memorial has been expanded in 2005 having a structure designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Even the Museo Reina Sofia houses a wide variety of works created by Spanish musicians, including broad collections of art by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Picasso’s masterpiece,’El Guernica’, that communicates the horrors of the Spanish civil war, is worth the purchase price of entry.

What to eat in Madrid

People are arriving in Madrid from around Spain for decades. Beyond Madrid classics such as cocido (Madrid’s hearty vegetable and meat stew) and calamari sandwiches, and a number of the most useful regional Spanish festivals are seen at the funding. Have a journey around Spain with all fantastic restaurants comprising the common dishes from northwest to south east west.

Basque Cuisine

The north of Spain is famed for generous cuts of beef, good cheeses, sour citrus, and hearty stews. Sidrerías or citrus homes are principles of Basque household. Get a flavor of Basque tastes at a Standard Basque Sidrería in fundamental Madrid in Zerain (Calle Quevedo, 3). Make sure you try out the tortilla de bacalao (cod omelet) and the broiled steaks.

Asturian Cuisine

The other southern region of Spain known for fish, bean stews and also a yummy filled subsequently fried beef referred to as cachopo. Among the preferred places for Asturian tastes in Madrid is El Cogollo (Calle Lechuga, 3). Share ample portions of the dishes that are traditional and walk off thankfully complete!

Andalusian Cuisine

To get a taste of the southwest, soda into Sanlúcar (Calle San Isidro Labrador, 14) to get Andalucían specialties like grilled fish, fried meats and fresh sauce. Ensure that to take to the cazón en adobo (marinated and breaded fish) of course if you feel adventuresome, try out the ortiguillas, then breaded and fried sea anemone. Wash everything down with a crisp white wine!

Where to Eat in Madrid

From restaurants that are posh, or even gap in the walls cafés, to posh modern tapas pubs, Madrid is actually learning to be a food destination. As long as you are here make sure to try out something new, something fresh, something tried and also something authentic with all our strategies on pubs and restaurants across the entire city.

When to Visit Madrid and Weather

Summers

at Madrid are hot – expect temperatures between 90s°F into 100+°F in July and August. It’s pretty brutal but the humidity is quite low.

Winters are now actually cold. A lot of folks assume that Spain is hot all season but Madrid understands a little bit of snow for many years and also the generally fall around the freezing mark.

We’d recommend seeing late April-Mid June along with September-October as temperatures are an appropriate 65°F-85°F.

Money Saving Tips in Madrid

Eat a large lunch

Steak is a lot more economical in Madrid, and you will find”menu del dia” that can cost approximately 1015 EUR.

Free museum days

Plenty of museums in Madrid are liberated on certain days and times every afternoon. Make sure you test on before you proceed as it’s much superior to find sights such as the Prado at no cost!

Couchsurf

Couch-surfing is a superb method to spend less on accommodation whilst at the same time benefiting from insight out of the natives. While hostels are not overly costly from the town, this continues to be the very ideal method to conserve money.

Go on a free walking tour

– This really is among my favorite tactics to become familiar with a brand new location, and also you also can’t beat the purchase price! New Madrid Walking Tours and Cat’s Hostel Walking Tours would be both popular free tours on the planet.