Madrid
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City guide · 2026 edition

Madrid trip planner,
your way.

The Royal Palace, the Prado, the Retiro and a night of tapas. Build your itinerary, see how far it is to walk, and add a late dinner and an evening out.

Plan your perfect Madrid trip

How long are you staying?
Who are you travelling with?
First time in Madrid?
What do you want to do?
Your budget?
or start from our suggested plan below
01

Itinerary

Your schedule

Day 1

  1. 09:00 Puerta del Sol (Kilometre Zero, Bear and Strawberry Tree) – Madrid's central square, with Kilometre Zero, the Bear and Strawberry Tree statue and the Casa de Correos clock.
  2. 09:30 Chocolatería San Ginés (chocolate con churros) – Madrid's classic churros with thick hot chocolate since 1894, in a narrow passage near Puerta del Sol.
  3. 10:15 Plaza Mayor – The 17th-century arcaded square of the Habsburg city, with the Casa de la Panadería frescoes and the King Philip III statue.
  4. 11:00 Mercado de San Miguel – A cast-iron 1916 market hall turned gourmet tapas market, with stalls of ham, oysters, pintxos and wine.
  5. 12:00 Royal Palace (Palacio Real) – Europe's largest working royal palace, with 2,000 rooms, the Throne Room, Royal Armoury and Royal Pharmacy.
  6. 15:30 Almudena Cathedral – Madrid's neo-Gothic cathedral facing the Royal Palace, with a colourful modern interior and a dome terrace.

Day 2

  1. 09:30 Barrio de las Letras (Huertas) – The old literary quarter where Cervantes and Lope de Vega lived, with quotes set in the pavement and lively tapas bars.
  2. 10:30 Prado Museum – Spain's national art museum, with Velázquez's Las Meninas, Goya's Black Paintings and Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights.
  3. 13:00 Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum – A private collection from Italian primitives to Pop Art, filling the gaps left by the Prado and the Reina Sofía.
  4. 15:30 Plaza de Cibeles & CentroCentro (Palacio de Cibeles) – Madrid's emblematic fountain square, facing the Palacio de Cibeles with its rooftop viewpoint over the city.
  5. 16:15 Puerta de Alcalá – The 18th-century neoclassical triumphal gate on Plaza de la Independencia, next to the Retiro Park entrance.
  6. 16:45 Retiro Park (lake, Crystal Palace) – The great city park, with a rowing lake, the glass Crystal Palace, rose garden and shaded promenades.

Did this plan help? ☕ Treat me to a café con leche

02

Eat & drink

Restaurants near your stops

Book your meals into your day. Every day has a breakfast slot (avg. 45m, or mark it as at your hotel), a lunch slot (avg. 1h 15m) and a dinner slot (avg. 1h 30m). Use “＋ Add to schedule” on any place below, or pick one straight from a slot in your schedule.

  • Casa Labra (Tapas & bars · € · Sol & Gran Vía)
  • Lhardy (Traditional Madrid · €€€ · Sol & Gran Vía)
  • La Casa del Abuelo (Tapas & bars · €€ · Huertas & Paseo del Arte)
  • Museo del Jamón (Carrera de San Jerónimo) (Tapas & bars · € · Sol & Gran Vía)
  • La Barraca (Regional Spanish · €€ · Malasaña & Chueca)
  • Sobrino de Botín (Traditional Madrid · €€€ · Austrias & Royal Palace)
  • Casa Ciriaco (Traditional Madrid · €€ · Austrias & Royal Palace)
  • Taberna La Bola (Traditional Madrid · €€€ · Austrias & Royal Palace)
  • Café de Oriente (Café · €€€ · Austrias & Royal Palace)
  • Mesón del Champiñón (Tapas & bars · € · Austrias & Royal Palace)
  • Bodegas Ricla (Tapas & bars · € · Austrias & Royal Palace)
  • Posada de la Villa (Traditional Madrid · €€€ · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • Casa Lucio (Traditional Madrid · €€€ · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • Malacatín (Traditional Madrid · €€ · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • Taberna Tempranillo (Tapas & bars · €€ · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • Taberna La Concha (Tapas & bars · € · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • Casa Amadeo – Los Caracoles (Traditional Madrid · € · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • Lamiak (Regional Spanish · € · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • Taberna Almendro 13 (Traditional Madrid · €€ · La Latina & Lavapiés)
  • La Musa Latina (Modern Spanish · €€ · La Latina & Lavapiés)
03

After dark

Madrid by night

04

Good to know

Practical info & fares

Meal times and the menú del día

  • Lunch is 14:00–16:00 and dinner 21:00–23:30; many kitchens close between 16:00 and 20:00, so a restaurant at 18:00 is often shut
  • Most restaurants offer a menú del día on weekdays at lunch: a starter, main, dessert and a drink for a fixed price, usually the best-value meal of the day
  • Between meals, tapas bars and cañas (small draught beers) keep going; many serve a free small tapa with the drink only in some bars, not everywhere

Tipping and paying

  • Tipping is optional: round up the bill or leave 5–10 % for good service in a restaurant; nothing in a bar
  • Cards and phones work almost everywhere; keep a little cash for El Rastro stalls and small bars
  • Tap water is safe and good: ask for agua del grifo; the table water is not free by default, so say so if you want tap water

Pickpockets

  • Madrid is safe, but pickpockets work Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, El Rastro, the Royal Palace area and the metro (L1, L3, L5, Sol and Atocha)
  • Keep your phone and wallet in front pockets, your bag zipped and in front of you, and never on a café table
  • Be wary of strangers who bump into you, "help" with a ticket machine or ask you to sign a petition

Sundays, Mondays and August

  • Many restaurants close Sunday evening and/or Monday; check the closing day before you plan a dinner
  • Small shops often close 14:00–17:00 (the old siesta hours) and on Sundays; department stores like El Corte Inglés and the big shopping streets stay open
  • In August some family-run restaurants and shops close for two to four weeks; the city is quieter and hot

Free museum hours

  • The Prado is free Mon–Sat 18:00–20:00 and Sun 17:00–19:00 (queues; a free online reservation helps)
  • The Reina Sofía (closed Tuesday) is free Mon and Wed–Sat 19:00–21:00 and Sun 12:30–14:30
  • The Thyssen permanent collection is free on Mondays 12:00–16:00; the Royal Palace and the Archaeological Museum have their own free slots: check each site

Metro, the Tourist Travel Pass and the airport

  • The metro is quick and cheap: single tickets cost €1.50–€2.00, and the airport adds a €3 supplement; the Tourist Travel Pass zone A covers it
  • Buy a reusable Multi card (€2.50) and load 10-trip tickets, or use the pass if you will ride a lot
  • The Exprés Aeropuerto bus (24 h) and the €33 flat-fare taxi within the M-30 are the simple airport options

Driving: Madrid 360

  • The centre is a low-emission zone (Madrid 360): many central streets are closed to cars without a suitable environmental label
  • Parking in the centre is regulated (SER) and expensive; the guides on this site explain where it is free or cheap
  • You do not need a car: the centre is walkable and the metro reaches everything

Day trips

  • Toledo (about 35 min by high-speed Avant train from Atocha, or bus from Plaza Elíptica)
  • Segovia (about 30 min by high-speed train from Chamartín, or bus from Moncloa)
  • El Escorial (Cercanías C-8 from Atocha, or bus from Moncloa), also Aranjuez (Cercanías C-3)

Weather and the siesta hour

  • Summers are hot (often 35 °C or more): do outdoor sights in the morning and early evening, museums at midday
  • Autumn and spring are the nicest seasons; winter days are sunny but cold at night
  • The late afternoon (17:00–19:00) is a good time for a walk in Retiro Park or a vermouth in La Latina
05

Local life

Markets

Markets run on set days, so they are info only and not part of your schedule.

All markets, with a full guide →