Museo del Prado
ModerateVelázquez, Goya & the Spanish masters
Go early and pick a few rooms: Las Meninas, Goya's Black Paintings and Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights.
Paseo del PradoBook aheadHalf day
Madrid, Spain
Ideal: 3 daysBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–NovPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Madrid in 60 seconds
Madrid has three of Europe's great art museums within a short walk of each other, a royal palace, and a way of eating that suits a visitor perfectly: a drink and a small plate standing at one bar, then on to the next. The city eats late and stays out later. The Prado is free for the last two hours of each day, and the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen are a short walk along the Paseo del Prado. Stay around Sol, the Barrio de las Letras or Malasaña, where everything is on foot, and keep Sunday morning for the Rastro market and a walk in the Retiro. Three days covers the museums and the old quarters; add a day trip to Toledo or Segovia.
ArtHistory
Best for
- Food
- Nightlife
- Museums
- Weekend
Known for
- The Prado
- Tapas
- Late nights
Skip if
You want the sea or quiet evenings. July and August are very hot and many locals leave.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Madrid fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Museo Reina Sofía
ModerateModern art · Picasso's Guernica
Guernica is the reason most people come; the collection around it tells Spain's 20th century.
AtochaArtHalf day
Royal Palace of Madrid
ModerateRoyal residence · State rooms
The official royal palace, with lavish state rooms and the armoury; the gardens and cathedral sit beside it.
PalacioBook aheadPalace
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
Local
Where to eat the food this city is actually known for.
Sobrino de Botín
ExpensiveRoast suckling pig · Since 1725
The world's oldest restaurant by Guinness's count, roasting suckling pig and lamb in its original oven.
La LatinaHistoricRoasts
Casa Alberto
ModerateTavern · Since 1827
An old tavern in the Barrio de las Letras for callos, oxtail and a vermouth from the tap.
Barrio de las LetrasTavernVermouth
Taberna Antonio Sánchez
ModerateLavapiés tavern · 1830
One of the city's oldest taverns, with bullfighting memorabilia on the walls and traditional Madrid cooking.
LavapiésHistoricTavern
Casual
No booking, no ceremony, reliably good.
Casa Labra
InexpensiveCod croquettes · Since 1860
A standing-room bar off Sol for fried cod and croquetas, ordered at one counter and eaten at another.
SolQuickStanding
La Ardosa
InexpensiveOld tavern · Tortilla and vermouth
A tiled Malasaña tavern famous for its tortilla, croquetas and draught beer.
MalasañaClassicTortilla
Mercado de San Miguel
ModerateIron-and-glass market hall
Tapas counters under a 1916 market roof by the Plaza Mayor. Touristy, but good for a quick taste of many things.
CentroGrazingMarket
Special occasion
Worth planning the evening around.
Lhardy
ExpensiveCocido madrileño · Since 1839
Madrid's grand old restaurant, upstairs from its own deli, for the city's three-course chickpea stew.
SolCocidoHistoric
Coque
Very expensiveMario Sandoval's tasting menu
A tasting menu that moves through several rooms, from the cellar to the dining room, by the Sandoval brothers.
ChamberíBook aheadTasting menu
DiverXO
Very expensiveDabiz Muñoz's avant-garde kitchen
Spain's most theatrical tasting menu, from Madrid's own chef. Booking opens months ahead.
ChamartínBook aheadTasting menu
Coffee & fika
Mornings, and the slow hour between things.
Chocolatería San Ginés
InexpensiveChocolate con churros · Since 1894
Thick hot chocolate and churros in a passage off Calle Arenal, open from morning into the small hours.
SolChurrosLate
Café Gijón
ModerateLiterary café · Since 1888
A grand old café on Paseo de Recoletos, long the meeting place of Madrid's writers.
RecoletosClassicHistoric
Hola Coffee
InexpensiveSpecialty roaster
One of the city's best-known specialty roasters, with cafés serving its own seasonal lots.
SalamancaFilterRoastery
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Temple of Debod
Egyptian temple in a park
A 2nd-century BC temple given to Spain and rebuilt on a hill west of the palace. Come at sunset.
ArgüellesFreeSunset
Museo Sorolla
InexpensivePainter's house and garden
Joaquín Sorolla's home and studio, full of his light-filled paintings, with an Andalusian-style garden.
ChamberíArtGarden
Museo Cerralbo
InexpensiveA marquis's palace as he left it
A 19th-century aristocrat's mansion, crammed with his collections, and almost never busy.
ArgüellesInteriorsQuiet
After dark
Bars & nightlife
La Venencia
InexpensiveSherry bar · 1922
Sherry poured from the barrel, tabs chalked on the bar, no photos and no tipping.
Barrio de las LetrasHistoricSherry
Museo Chicote
ModerateCocktail bar · Since 1931
An Art Deco cocktail bar on Gran Vía where Hemingway and the film stars of the 1950s drank.
Gran VíaArt DecoCocktails
Salmon Guru
ExpensiveCreative cocktail bar
Diego Cabrera's colourful bar near Huertas, one of the city's most decorated for cocktails.
HuertasCocktailsLively
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
La Latina
Old Madrid and Sunday tapas
Medieval streets around Cava Baja, packed with tapas bars; the Rastro flea market fills it on Sundays.
Malasaña
Bars, vintage and nightlife
The centre of Madrid's 1980s Movida, still its liveliest quarter for bars and small shops.
Lavapiés
Multicultural and unpolished
Steep streets, old taverns and the city's most international mix of food.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Sol and the Barrio de las Letras
ExpensiveCentral and walkable
Between the Puerta del Sol and the Prado, close to everything.
CentralMuseums
Malasaña
ModerateFor nightlife
Lively at night and well connected by metro; ask for a room off the street.
MetroNightlife
Salamanca
Very expensiveElegant and quiet
Grid streets of boutiques and restaurants, a short walk from the Retiro.
QuietShopping
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Metro line 8 and the Cercanías train run from Barajas airport to the city.
- Getting around
- The metro is extensive and the centre is walkable; tap a contactless card or buy a multi card.
- Money
- Euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere.
- Mealtimes
- Lunch is around 2pm and dinner rarely before 9pm; tapas bars fill from early evening.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1561
Philip II moves the royal court to Madrid, making it the capital.
- 1819
The Prado opens as a royal museum of paintings and sculpture.
- 1980s
The Movida madrileña turns post-Franco Madrid into a byword for nightlife and culture.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Toledo
Medieval city on a river bend
Cathedral, synagogues and El Greco in a hilltop old town, half an hour by high-speed train.
By high-speed trainFull dayHistory
Segovia
Roman aqueduct and a fairy-tale alcázar
The aqueduct, the cathedral and the Alcázar, under half an hour by high-speed train.
By high-speed trainFull dayHistory
El Escorial
Philip II's monastery-palace
A vast royal monastery in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama.
By local trainMountainsPalace
Go further
Routes through Madrid
Multi-city trips that stop here, with the transport between them.