Madrid is the capital of Spain, and has endless things to do and see. We recommend this as the first stop in our ‘one week in Spain’ itinerary.
🏰 Attractions and Museums in Madrid
- 🔝 Top museums to see in Madrid: Prado Museum, Reina Sofía Museum and Thyssen are the main art museums.
- Royal Palace
- Madrid’s Cathedral
- Retiro Park
- Plaza Mayor
- ⭐️ Círculo de Bellas Artes Rooftop: The best views of the city, you can not mis this one!
🥘 Restaurants and Tapas Bars
If you are like me, a travel foodie, you are in for a treat with the Spanish gastronomy . So this a short list of some restaurants I love in Madrid are those:
- Casa Alberto is a centenary tavern with traditional Spanish food. Tripadvisor.
- El Caldero is a nice place for rices like paella. Tripadvisor.
- Ana La Santa: in Santa Ana square. Tripadvisor.
- Cava Baja street and Cava de San Miguel street are truly crowded for diner time, with lots a lots of bars for tapas.
- La Mi Venta: Next to the Royal Palace, place for all kind of Spanish tapas and sharing dishes, really delicious and great service. Tripadvisor.
- Gran Via Gourmet Experince: with panoramic views to the Gran Via street and many different stalls with different kinds of food.
👗 Shopping in Madrid
- Las Rozas Village: Outlet for high-end fashion brands.
- Salamanca Area: High-end fashion.
- Gran Via and Preciados street for regular fashion shopping.
- Carretas street and Arenal street for Spanish shoes.
🤸♀️ Madrid with kids
- Boating in El Retiro
- Chocolate con churros: Churros are a sweet to deep in a thick cup of hot chocolate, very traditional in Madrid and perfect for kids, the most famous one is “San Gines”, very close from Puerta del Sol.
- Madrid cable car: It goes to the Casa de Campo park, with views of the Madrid Royal Palace.
- Egyptian temple: The Debod temple has hieroglyphics, gates and small rooms for the kids to explore.
👉Read about it in our post ‘Things to do in Madrid with kids’
🚩 Tours and Itineraries
Walking is the best option in Madrid. Many parts of the monumental city are not reachable by a vehicle, as pedestrian streets and parks are very common.
📣 Book a private tour with me!
💡 Travel tips
- Public transport in Madrid is very efficient: Read more about it.
- Some hotel locations are better than others, read this post to help you decide.
- As in the rest of Spain, you can use credit card almost everywhere.
- Tips are appreciated in restaurants, taxis and guided tours, but not necessary a high percentage as in the USA. A little amount is also welcome.
🚆 Daytrips from Madrid
Madrid is in the centre of Spain and very well communicated with high speed trains. Read our posts about things to see in those amazing cities:
