Madrid, the capital city of Spain, situated in the middle of the country on an elevated plane around 190 miles from the sea. Often less popular than rival city Barcelona, Madrid has many gems to offer in terms of attractions, restaurants, bars and accommodation. The Jewel in the crown is it is certainly an affordable European capital city. We spent 3 nights there, so here are some things to do in Madrid to enjoy the city and its culture.
Explore Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace)
One of the first things to do in Madrid is visit one of the most popular attractions in the city; the spectacular Palacio Real de Madrid. Having 3418 rooms (don’t worry you don’t visit them all!) and being 13500m2 it is Europe’s largest palace. For an hour or two you can amble through its variety of rooms. Highlights include the porcelain room and the music room containing a collection of Stradivarius instruments. Queues build up quickly, so it is worth booking in advance on their website. Straight across the square from the palace is the beautiful Cathedral – Catedral de la Almudena.
Wander around El Retiro Park
Visiting El Retiro park is one of the popular free things to do in Madrid. You can stroll at a leisurely pace around this vast open space. In the middle of the park you find Lago del Retiro, an artificial lake which you can walk around. There also the opportunity to get on the water by renting a paddle boat.
Another popular attraction in the park is Palacio de Cristal (The Glass Palace), which was modelled on London’s Crystal Palace. Surprisingly, it is free to go inside and view some contemporary art exhibitions. In addition, whilst in the park visit the museum Palalcio del Valazquez and La Roselade (Rose Gardens) with over 4000 roses.
Just outside the park is Madrid’s famous art gallery Museo Nacional del Prado.
Go on a tuk tuk tour around Madrid
This now popular method of transport is a fun thing to do in Madrid. It is perfect for orientating yourself in Madrid. We spent one hour and a half zipping around the streets of Madrid with our private guide. He was both informative and knowledgeable about the city and its history. The tour gives you a real feel for the city, visiting the main attractions from Santa Ana Square to the Royal Palace, Parliament, The Fountain of Neptune and El Retirio Park.
Our favourite stop was the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple gifted to Spain for their help in restoring the Abu Simbel Temples. It is another beautiful area to stroll around, Just beyond the temple you get an amazing view across Madrid.
We booked out tour with Eco Tuk Tuk ; the guide was flexible and adapted the tour to our needs. It was a real highlight of our trip to Madrid.
Drink beer and eat tapas.
This popular combination cannot be separated and trying the local specialities one of the popular things to do in Madrid ! In most of Madrid when you order a drink you often get a tapas plate for free. This includes olives, dried meat or even a small portion of Paella. The opportunities are endless, but the most famous street for tapas bars is Cava Baja. Here you find bar after bar, each offering their own affordable take on the traditional tapas dishes.
Casa de Barcelona and the streets around is another perfect location to find a tapas bar suitable for your tastes. Popular dishes include Patatas Bravas, Croquetas, Jambon Serrano and Iberico, Chorizo a la Sidra and Oreja de Cerado (pigs ears) to name just a few.
Our rented apartment was a little further out, conveniently situated near Puente de Callecas station. The metro is affordable and this is a good location for travel into Madrid centre. We visited a few tapas bars in the area, with more of a local feel. Our favourite tapas of the trip was at El Puente Cerveceria, a small local bar near our apartment, where the food was tasty, the service was good and as with many local bars, the prices were very affordable.
Visit and Eat in Plaza Mayor
A great way to start your visit to Madrid is to visiting the grand square at the heart of the city. It is a popular place to visit, grab a drink or some food and watch the world go by. There are nine arched entrances and on entering through one of them the beautiful view of this pedestrianised square, with smaller arches all the way round, is in front of you.
In the early evening buskers perform around the square and the bars and restaurants were fill up. Take the time to sit back, relax and enjoy a Mahou beer!
Many reviews suggest not to eat in the square, as there are many more authentic places in the streets around. Most of the dishes were between 10 and 15 Euros, which for a major square in a European capital seemed quite affordable. Restaurants in the square offer similar menus with food geared towards the tourist.
Menus include foods traditional to Madrid, such as Huevos Estrellados (egg and chips), Bocadillo de Calamares(squid sandwich), many tapas dishes and of course Churros con Chocolat. Huevos Estrallados con Jambon (with ham) was a firm favourite, simple yet delicious, particularly when served with Iberico ham. The meals we had were tasty and the atmosphere of the square, along with the pitcher of Sangria led to a pleasant evening on an unusually warm October evening.
A 3-minute walk from the square is the famous San Miguel Food Market. Although it is usually busy, this is one of the best things to do in Madrid just to experience the vast array of tapas and other delicacies available.
Use the Metro
This is a popular, convenient and affordable way to navigate your way around Madrid. If you arrive by plane, it is the cheapest and perhaps best way to get into the city. Head though passport control and across the airport to the metro station.
The easiest way to purchase tickets is through one of the machines. A trip on the metro costs between 1 and 2 euros depending on how you buy your tickets, there is a 3-euro charge for going as far as the airport. It is cheapest to buy tickets in blocks of 10. You can put all tickets on the same metro card and then pass it to the next person in your group after you have scanned to enter the station. All metro stations have a machine outside the barrier to top up your card with metro tickets and the extra surcharge for going to the airport.
We used the metro every day as we had chosen a more affordable apartment, close to a metro station, slightly out of the centre of Madrid. Trains were frequent and we found it easy using them to reach Puerto del Sol. This square was a good starting point for us as it was walking distance from many of the places we wished to visit. It is also the home of the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, which is symbolised on Madrid’s coat of arms. It also appears on the logo of football team Atletico Madrid.
More detail on metro travel can be found on the Metro Madrid website.
Take a day trip from Madrid to Toledo
Toledo is a popular medieval city around a 40 minute train journey from Madrid’s Atocha station (make sure you take some time to view it’s 4000m2 tropical garden). On arrival in Toledo, the station is around a 20 minute walk from the centre.
A good alternative is the hop-on hop-off bus tour as this starts from the station and its timetable means that you do not have to wait long after the arrival of your train. Tickets for this can be purchased on your arrival. The tour is particularly good for a day trip as it is good for orientation and viewing places just out of the city. The commentary was informative and the highlight was the view of Toledo from Mirador del Valle.
Toledo is a maze of cobbled streets and stone buildings, including the Moorish fortress of El Alcazar, the first building you see as you approach Toledo. Other places of interest include the cathedral, monastery, two main bridges and the town gate. It is a fascinating city to stroll around, peeking in the shops and admiring the architecture. There are restaurants a plenty and we chose Terraza Quiosco de Caracena; it has a varied menu, and it is the perfect place to find the sun on a warm October day.
If you are planning a day trip to Toledo from Madrid book your train tickets in advance as trains are booked seating only and they quickly fill up. We booked our tickets through trainline.
While not as popular as some other Spanish cities, Madrid is a fascinating and affordable option. It is easily reached from the UK, being served by several budget airlines. If booking well in advance and during school holidays, it is also worth checking both British Airways and Iberia; for us at October half term, they were our cheapest option.
If you would like anymore information on things to do in Madrid then please contact us.