Madrid Tips

Southern Europe Spain
#1

¡Hola Obscuranos! In a couple of days I’m heading to Madrid for a short trip and I thought I’d consult community in case anyone has any recommendations… :slightly_smiling_face:

My main aim is to make a life-affirming pilgrimage to the Museo del Prado and see as many AO sites as I can in my time there. What I’m looking for is any other advice or tips - practical things, food, things that aren’t on AO that are worth seeking out, etc.

Any thoughts would be gratefully appreciated and thanks in advance! :grinning:

4 Likes
#2

Hola !

Sure , I have plenty of recomendations.

Madrid City

These are already in the Atlas but I really reccomend visiting the Museo Arqueológico Nacional to see some of the Celtiberian artifacts that they have there , many of which are amazingly atmospheric.

You might want to check out the other Art museums too like the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia which is just across the street which I would say is a really good complement to the Prado in terms of also checking out Spain’s extensive modern artistic movements. If after seeing the Pradoyou want to see an even more extensive and fantastic collection of Goya’s works then definitely check out Museo Lazaro Galdiano.

Also , I highly reccomend the Botanical garden as its literally 5 minutes away from the prado and it really is a very singular and beautiful place , you will definitely love it. Then there is the Buen Retiro park with its cool sculptures and beautiful walkways and of course the indoor jungle garden in Atocha station.

Outside of Madrid

I dont know if you like visiting National parks and hiking but I reccomend visiting either Peñalara or La Pedriza National parks both of which are located in the Sierra de Guadarrama and can be reached using trains and public transport like buses. Here you will see lots of wildlife (Ibex , deer, wild boar , vultures , eagles etc. ) and get some fantastic views of the landscapes of Spain which are breathtakingly beautiful.

Another place you might want to check out is the Palace of El Escorial which was once the residence of the Kings and Queens of Spain and the sort of administrative centre of the vast Spanish empire which at that time encompassed most of the Americas both North and South , the Caribbean and many parts of Africa and South East Asia. Here you can see the tombs of Spain’s rulers and the ornate monastic library.

Then there are the cities within reach of Madrid and chief among these in my opinion would be Segovia and Toledo. Segovia has the incredible Alcazar castle which has mindblowingly gorgeous architecture and Toledo is steeped in the old history of Spain as it actually used to be the Capital of the country.

Food

In Madrid city check out the churros at chocalateria San Gines and sample the many different bocados you can buy literally everywhere in the streets outside of la reina sofia , there are all different kinds and they are ridiculously cheap.

6 Likes
#3

If you want to see a lot of sites across the city, there are tourist “hop on/hop off” buses that go to almost all of the major stops and are quite affordable for an all-day pass. Most of them give you headphones to connect to an audio tour. When we were there (5 years ago now), museums were free on Sunday, even El Prado. If you get to the Plaza Mayor, there was almost always something going on: street performers, musicians, etc. If you long for some greenery, El Retiro is a former royal park, with an artificial lake, and lots of people outside enjoying themselves. As a general traveler warning, if a woman tries to hand you a sprig of rosemary or a flower, do NOT take it. She will grab your hands and read your palms, whether you want it or not, and then demand payment and won’t let go. Saw this in Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona. I had been warned ahead of time so didn’t get “nabbed”.

3 Likes
#4

Hola @JamazingClayton! Spain is the best! Now, to business. As always, @Monsieur_Mictlan has offered up some great recommendations. On the art front, I prefer the Thyssen Bornemisza myself. It’s sort of caddy corner from El Prado. You should certainly stop by Prado (it’s an anniversary year and when I went by this summer for the first time in years, the lines were quite long) and Reina Sofia if you can. Shoot for the morning. Reina Sofia has a free admission night, but I’m sure it’s insanely busy then.

At night, go down Calle de Santa Isabel (it’s the street in front of the entrance of Reina Sofia with the square), until you hit Mercado de Antón Martín. It’s a market, but you’ll find lots of tapas and eateries and cool bars. It seems to be the new things where fish markets turn into eateries after hours.

Two places in the database that are totally worth visiting:


The accompanying educational video is about 5 minutes long, but the cool part is going down to the station and waiting for a train to go by.

The Royal Palace. If you love old things, you’ve got to take a tour. Inside the palace is this incredibly cool Stradavarius set from the top of the 18th century. You can’t take photos beyond a certain point in the palace, so be prepared to photograph everything with your mind.

Some of the neighborhoods I think are worth exploring include La Latina, Cuatro Caminos, Malasaña and Chamberí. Food wise, oh man. There’s so much to take in. The great thing about Spain is that it’s really hard to find a bad restaurant. Definitely make time for churros like Monsieur said at San Gines. Try to grab a cafe con leche and pastry at La Malloquina in Sol.

I definitely echo checking out El Escorial, Segovia and Toledo. Toledo has a lot of cool artisans and Goya’s tomb. Speaking of tombs, my last rec if you can get to it, is Valley of the Fallen or Valle del Los Caídos. As our page states, “Despite the possibly troublesome origins of the Valley of the Fallen, it still manages to retain a monumental sense of awe even if it is a fascist masterwork.” Could not agree more.

Have fun exploring Madrid!

4 Likes
#5

Thank you @Monsieur_Mictlan, @JoJo and @alexaharrison for the tips! :smiley: Much appreciated and it all helps and gives me further inspiration!

I’m only in the city for a few days so don’t see myself venturing further outside. I’ll save those ideas for the future though. Thanks again for all these thoughts! :slightly_smiling_face:

4 Likes
#6

Hola, Real Basílica de Sanfranscico is SO beautiful inside!!
It is close to the Royal Palace so you should not miss this…you wont regret it!
Enjoy Madrid!
Kind regards Merete from Denmark

3 Likes
#7

¡Hola a todos! Just to say, having freshly returned from Madrid, that I had a great time and that the AO entries and tips from the community were excellent! :grinning: I appreciate the advice!

August isn’t the best time to visit Madrid, it appears. (A lot of restaurants are closed for their summer holiday.) Nonetheless, I got high on art and museums and managed to do a lot in only a few days (which is quite astouding considering the amount of time I spent in the Thyssen Bornemisza and the Prado!). Thanks again to everyone here for the insight and I can’t wait to return! (Maybe as part of a long pan-Iberian odyssey…)

5 Likes
#9

Thanks for sharing how your trip went and letting us know about the summer holiday! Glad you had a good time anyway.

2 Likes
#10

Clayton , did you see Goya’s famous “black paintings” ? and Brueghels “triumph of death”

2 Likes
#11

Absolutely! :heart_eyes: :star_struck:

Honestly, going to Museo del Prado was the top reason for my trip to Madrid. I spent a lot of time with those paintings and with Hieronymus Bosch. Life-affirming moments for me, personally… :smiley:

2 Likes
#12

Awesome ! Glad to hear you had a good time over there :slightly_smiling_face:

So I take it that Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly delights” was the highlight of your Prado trip right ?

I love that painting , first time I saw it in the flesh it really blew my mind.

2 Likes
#13

Probably, yes! And I came away from the Prado with two big books full of Prado masterpieces and Bosch so I know that I can turn to something mind-blowing at any moment I see fit… :smile:

2 Likes
#14

Thanks @Monsieur_Mictlan I may use these excellent recommendations myself :sweat_smile::laughing:

1 Like
#15

I’m so happy you had a great time! Thanks for letting us know how it went :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#16

I also want to visit Madrid. Thanks for the tips! Very useful!

2 Likes
#18
I love Madrid. It's a fantastic city and although there are tourists it's quite easy to avoid them if you really want to. I love the food and drink there, it's reasonably priced, and for me, still feels very Spanish. Madrid is full of tourists but and it has affected it`s character a bit. But its still very Spanish. Streets full of good natures locals and a large portion of the foreign tourists are culture vultures, shoppers or nightlife seekers that like to mingle with the local population of all ages whom love to stay in the streets and plazas till the early hours of the morning. Madrid is also a larger city. And unlike Barcelona all the shops are open till late at night on Sundays. Barcelona is also a beautiful unique city. But I honestly feel the tourists have taken over. They are having lots of problems with the airbnb apartments that have popped up all over the city and thus have compromised the locals lifestyle. Pushing rents of locals to unrealistic prices and pushing many of them out of the city. But I do certainly find Madrid yo be alot more authentic these days. And with the number of tourists increasing at such a high rate lets cross our fingers things don`t change in the Spanish capital. Even in Madrid you`re starting to see quite a few of those tacky tourist gift shops and fastjoints.
4 Likes
#19

As a “madrileño” I am, I couldn´t agree more with Jellykiss. Maybe Madrid hasn´t the allure of another large cities but you’ll always find very special and charming nooks to discover. I’ve lived here all my life and I keep finding incredible locations.
Another advantage of this city (apart not to share the vulgar tourism where the tourist are regarded as a sheep like in Barcelona) is the posibility to do short trips to medieval towns like Toledo, Segovia, Alcalá de Henares, El Escorial, Ávila, Cuenca…
Well, jellykiss I´m glad that you enjoyed my city.
Best regards from Madrid!

1 Like
#20

I’d love to see Spain’s magnificent old sites and architecture, and also the countryside but I will boycott Spain until animal cruelty is addressed. No more bull “fights” or lighting horns on fire or hanging hunting dogs in the mountains.

#21

Last fall - 2019 - my friends and I’ve been to Barcelona and Valencia, wonderful cities: architecture, nice people, delicious sangria yummy :yum:
We’ve got a lot of impressions! So many cool stories, there is something to recall. Everything was cool, except that we all planned ourselves: we spent a lot of time, but saved money
This spring - 2020 - we plan to go to Madrid for 10-14 days
I decided to search in advance for information, I will definitely consider your advice when planning a trip

If someone is interested in learning something about Barcelona / Valencia, ask, I will share my experiences :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes
#22

That’s wonderful to hear , What are places you recommend visiting in Barcelona and Valencia ? me and friends have trip planned in June for 6 days we are planning It ourselves also…Id love to hear from your experience any tips In regards to planing and maximizing the time we have there are totally welcome :slight_smile: