- November 29, 2020
- in Capitals, Cultural, Spain
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Overview
Spain’s capital city is a beautiful and cultured city with stunning architecture, tranquil parks and some of the best art museums in Europe. This cosmopolitan city boasts contemporary and historic attractions and is packed with character on every street corner – come with us and spend a perfect day in Madrid.
When
Madrid sits on a high plateau right in the centre of Spain. It is scorchingly hot in summer and blisteringly cold in winter.
Visit Madrid for a day in autumn or spring for the best weather and smaller crowds. You will need to wrap up warm in the evenings and might be unlucky with rain, especially in autumn. Winter offers the best flight and hotel deals. Bizarrely, summer is the most popular time to visit when the city centre is packed with tourists and so hot, all anyone really wants to do is lie by a pool.
Travel
Madrid is an incredibly well connected city nationally and internationally by air and road. The main international airport, Madrid Barajas, is just 13km from the city center.
You have several options to get into the city centre from the airport;
- Transfer – the quickest and most convenient option, you can book in advance with Intui Travel.
- Taxi – grab a cab, which will cost you around €30 and take about 20 minutes.
- Bus – the Expres Aeropuerto (Airport Express) is a 24 hour service which stops in Atocha in the city centre. The bus runs every 15 minutes during the day and every 35 at night with the journey taking approximately 40 minutes. Tickets cost €5.
- Metro – there are metro stations in Terminals T2 and T4. Trains leave every 5 minutes from 6am to 2am. Line 8 goes straight to the Nuevos Ministerios metro station in the centre of Madrid, with a journey time of 12 minutes. Tickets cost €5.
Stay
Madrid de los Austurias is one of the best neighbourhoods in Madrid in which to stay. This historic area is atmospheric and central to most things you’ll want to do making it perfect for a one or two day Madrid itinerary.
Stay right in the heart of Madrid de los Austurias at Pestana Plaza Mayor. This elegant and stylish hotel in an historic building has a rooftop pool for panoramic views and a charming courtyard restaurant. Step out and be immersed in the city, with tapas bars, shops and attractions on your doorstep.
A great alternative choice are the apartments of Palacio Plaza Conde Miranda for their luxe feel, versatility and location in old Madrid. If you want to have breakfast at home or cook your own dinner using fresh local produce, then these apartments tick that box.
See & Do
Madrid is an elegant city, full of wide boulevards, pretty parks and beautiful buildings and many of the top spots are within walking distance of each other making it easy to spend one day in Madrid. The metro also makes the city centre easy navigable, meaning you can see all the top attractions easily, especially if you follow our one day Madrid guide.
Take a Madrid in a Day Tour
If you prefer to have your day organised (and who doesn’t?) then take a guided tour of Madrid. There are lots of Madrid day tours on offer, whether you have just a few hours in Madrid or want to take a one day tour with a local, there’s something here for you and you’ll be sure to bag all the top things to do in Madrid in one day. Whatever you decide, you can be sure that you’ll come away from your time in Madrid richer in knowledge and experiences.
Morning
Visit the Prado
You cannot go to Madrid and not visit the Prado Museum, it is one of the absolute Madrid must sees. The Museo del Prado is widely recognised as one of the best art museums in the world and whilst not all the art will be to everyone’s taste, to be in the presence of such masterpieces is pretty awe-inducing. The building itself is pretty special too!
You will see works by artists such as Spain’s own Velázquez, Goya and El Greco. Representing the low countries are Rembrandt, Brueghel, van Dyck and Rubens, while Titian, Caravaggio, Botticelli and Tintoretto form the Italian contingent. There is a dedicated exhibition of Hyronemus Bosch art, with which most people have a real love or hate relationship. Join a guided tour to fully understand the history and symbolism of the paintings, it will be worth the cost for the knowledge and insight shared and gained.
You can visit the Prado for free between 6-8pm Mondays to Saturdays and from 5-7pm on Sundays and holidays, although expect a long queue for the privilege. Otherwise, book tickets in advance to avoid the queues, which can be monstrous!
Visit Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
It’s not all about the Prado. The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza houses what was Europe’s largest private art collection until 1992, when it was bought by the Spanish state and moved to Madrid.
The museum holds an eclectic collection of world and European art from the 13th to 20th century including works by Duccio, Van Eyck, Carpaccio, Dürer, Caravaggio, Rubens, Sargent, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Kirchner, Mondrian, Klee, Hopper and many more. We enjoyed the more modern art on display, especially after several hours in the Prado.
On Mondays between 12 and 4pm you can visit the permanent collection free of charge, you may find the queues a bit shorter here!
Save time and take a walking tour of the three museums, known as the Golden Triangle of Art – The Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofia Museum – which includes skip-the-line tickets for all three.
Take a Stroll in Retiro Park
Retiro Park is a gorgeous and tranquil bit of greenery literally next to the Prado and a welcome respite from the hustle and heat of the city in the summer; it is one of the most beautiful places to go in Madrid city.
You could easily spend a whole day in the tranquility of Retiro Park. Covering over 125 hectares, with more than 15,000 trees this is a large and fascinating space. Make sure to visit the all the different gardens and the Parterre Francés, which is home to a Mexican conifer that is nearly 400 years old and is believed to be Madrid’s oldest tree.

Afternoon
Take in the Puerta del Sol & Plaza Mayor
Start your afternoon in Madrid by walking between the Paseo del Prado and the Royal Palace. Stop on the way at the Puerta del Sol, one of the busiest and best known places in Madrid. The square is famous as being literally at the centre of Madrid, and the point is marked in the paving stones of the square. Puerta del Sol is also home to the the famous clock whose bells mar the hour and the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes at the beginning of a new year.
Pop over Calle Mayor to Plaza Mayor, one of the must sees in Madrid, and the most important public square in the city. Started by Philip III in 1617, the four storey porticoed buildings which line the square dominate the space, which is full of history and fascinating plaques and symbols.
Visit the Royal Palace
The 18th century Palacio Real is famous for its history, the baroque and neoclassical architecture and the stunning views across the gardens to the campo beyond. This is the largest royal palace in Europe with 135,000 square metres of floor space and 3,418 rooms so there is loads to see. The gardens are also beautiful and well worth a stroll around.
Citizens of the EU can visit for free from Monday to Thursday between 4-6pm (October to March) and 6-8pm (April to September). Expect to queue for at least 30 minutes if you decide to buy your ticket at the door. Otherwise book a priority ticket with tour included and learn about the Royal Palace from an expert.

Shop the Gran Via
Gran Via is Madrid’s premier shopping street, lined with boutiques, chain stores, independent shops, cafes and restaurants.
The Gran Vìa is alive and buzzing almost 24 hours a day; locals and tourists alike come here to socialise and shop. By night, clubs and bars open their doors and people throng onto the street creating a party atmosphere.
Be mindful of your bags here, in fact be mindful anywhere, but where people gather, as they do on Gran Via, the risk is always increased. The hop-on hop-off tourist buses pass slowly along Gran Via if you’d rather see it that way. As with any city visit, make sure you have adequate travel insurance, should the worst happen.
Evening
Watch the Sunset at the Temple of Debod
On a small hill in Cuartel de la Montana Park, located a fifteen minute walk from the Royal Palace is the Temple of Debod. Slightly out of kilter with elegant and historic Madrid, this Egyptian temple dates from the 2nd century BC and was donated to Spain by the Egyptian government to save it from floods following the construction of the great Aswan Dam.
Visit at sunset to watch the light from the sinking sun play across the Royal Palace to the south and the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains to the north. It has to be one of the most romantic spots in Madrid, a city more know for its culture than romantic opportunities.
Eat
Head to Pan Adore for Breakfast or Brunch
We highly recommend breakfast or brunch (with good vegetarian choices) at Pan Adore. There menu is a perfect example of just what a Spanish breakfast should be, and at around €8 per head, its great value for money. Pan Adore is just outside La Latina metro entrance and perfect for a Sunday morning if you’re visiting El Rastro.

Enjoy Churros y Chocolate at Chocolateria San Gines
Typical Spanish hot chocolate is thick, creamy, gloopy and sweet…put together with churros (a sort of long fried doughnut) and you have an irresistible combination of deliciousness! San Gines, just off Puerta del Sol, is absolutely the only place to go in Madrid for churros y chocolate, made just as they should be in the traditional Spanish way.
If you’re heading from here to the Royal Palace, swing by the Teatro Real (Theatre Royal) on Plaza de Oriente. If you’re short on time, there’s no need to enter the opera house, you can grasp the grand design and importance of this building from the outside.
Indulge at Mercado San Miguel
A favourite place in Madrid for many, this art nouveau covered market dates from 1916 and is just off the main thoroughfare of Calle Mayor.
San Miguel is not so much a fresh produce market, more of a gastronomic collection of the best of Spanish food. You will find tapas, cheese, jamon (ham) and sparkling cava all ready to be served as you sit on a stool at the bar. Don’t think about going here for a pre-dinner ‘snack’; there is no such thing! You could do it the Spanish way and have a nibble (called a merienda) at 6pm, then eat dinner at 10pm to make the most of your one evening in Madrid.
The atmosphere is alive and the food and wine delicious but it is not cheap to eat here and it’s probably a bit of a tourist trap but the ambiance and easy chatter makes it a must do in Madrid.
Try a food or tapas tour, Madrid has some excellent bars and restaurants and a tour will take you to the best of them. It’s an ideal way of understanding and trying tapas if you’ve never eaten it before, which done well is a thing of beauty.
Top Five Madrid Tips
- Plan your specific route and Madrid one day itinerary in advance. It’s possible to see all the major attractions in the city center on foot, without ever having to walk more than 30 minutes or so. Use the metro if you get tired, it’s convenient and cheap. Alternatively, try BiciMAD, Madrid’s electric bike service.
- Book major attractions in advance whatever time of year you visit. Don’t spend your precious time in a queue.
- Unless it’s included, don’t pay extra for breakfast in your hotel. Get out, explore the neighbourhood and enjoy a traditional Spanish breakfast.
- Madrid never sleeps – at least not the bits you want to see. Siesta in Madrid does not last the whole afternoon like it does in some smaller Spanish towns. Cafes and bars might shut at 4pm for a few hours but generally places stay open throughout the day and on Sundays too.
- Talking of which, if you’re in Madrid on a Sunday, catch the Metro to La Latina (line 5) and head for Ribera de Coritodores and Plaza de Cascorro, where you will find the enormous and very busy El Rastro flea market. You can buy anything at El Rastro, from tourist tat (more so around Plaza de Cascorro) to handmade items and antiques. For the latter, head down the side streets and away from the Plaza for the best bargains and a flavour of the real Madrid. It does get very busy, so get there early; Spaniards are not known to be early risers but will make an exception for El Rastro. Most stalls will be open from 9am and the market generally shuts up at around 3pm. Make sure you have cash as cards are generally not accepted.
Do you have just a little longer to spend in Madrid?
- If you’re lucky enough to have two days in Madrid, check out other top places to visit in the city.
- After you’ve seen Madrid in a day, how about taking a road trip from Madrid?
- Looking for more places to eat in Madrid? Check out 4 Eats to Try in Madrid.
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