When you think of Spain, the first thing that comes to mind is the color red. It’s in their national flag, their world-famous football club, their brave Matadors wearing bright red traditional robes taming the bulls at a grand arena, their flamenco dancers beautifully dressed in traje de flamenca giving their best performances to the tunes of Spanish guitar and obviously their very best Sangria. Join us as we provide essential information on all the things to do in Madrid.
Madrid, a big cosmopolitan city in Spain, is famous for its breathtaking squares and Plazas. The city has a mix of modern and historical architecture, like most of the popular European cities. As a first impression, Madrid would definitely impress you with the amazing underground metro transportation. There are numerous lines connecting the length and breadth of the city and we never waited over 4 minutes at any station to board a train.
There are information signs posted everywhere in the station and you don’t have to ask anyone about how to get to a destination. The tickets are quite reasonable and only for the airport, there is an additional charge of 3 euros (again, quite cheap). To check out the connections, visit their official site. While on the metro, you might come across musicians playing beautiful and soulful Spanish music in full volume, entertaining you all along the journey. They usually expect some small tips in return for their services though.
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Things to do in Madrid:
What and where to eat:
Madrid is food heaven for people who eat meat. There are many tapas (small sampler-sized portion) bars and you should definitely try bar hopping, tasting the various tapas. Some of the well-known and must-try items are patatas bravas, patatas aioli, and paella. One such place we highly recommend is Juana la Loca, in the La Latina area. Try their fried spinach fritters, tortilla tapas, and sangria. We had our first lunch in this amazing restaurant and went mad sampling their yummiest recipes.
Vegetarian food:
A word of caution for vegetarians visiting Madrid, you will have a tough time finding vegetarian food. To top it, most of the waiters don’t speak English and you will have a hard time explaining to them that you are looking for vegetarian food. Please also remember that fish is considered vegetarian in Madrid restaurants so make sure to ask about the ingredients in the food. Fortunately, there is a restaurant called Pura Vida vegan bar in the La Latina area, that serves amazing healthy vegetarian food. We loved the food there and they are open only for dinner. Another food heaven, away from the touristy spots you find in such metropolitan cities.
Markets and Gelatos:
Another cool place to check out is the Mercado de San Miguel Market. This is an enclosed building and here you can find plenty of shops offering a variety of food items and drinks. Very close to this market, you should visit Amorino for Gelato and macaroons. We have never tasted such delicious macaroons in our travels and even though it’s a bit pricey, it’s worth every penny. They also serve the Gelato in a flower shape which is equally delicious.
There is another ice cream parlor named Mistura, in the Chueca area. They mix the ice cream and the toppings on a very cold stone and the taste is to die for. Do not miss the yummy churros with hot chocolate at the city’s best cafe, San Miguel Chocolatier. It’s a high-calorie experience but definitely needs to be tried out.
Attractions:
Egyptian temple:
Debod Temple is an ancient Egyptian temple built in the 2nd century BC, at the village of Debod, Egypt, and was donated to Madrid and was rebuilt in 1968. We went there during the sunset based on popular recommendations and it was well worth it. We stayed until it was completely dark and put our tripod and long exposure settings to work. The temple looks absolutely stunning at night. We did not go inside the temple but we have heard that it’s gorgeous from the inside as well. It’s a very happening place with loads of tourists and locals chilling around the temple and in the gardens.
Plaza de Mayor:
The Plaza de Mayor is Madrid’s main square. It is a large rectangular area surrounded by a three-story residential building, located right in the center of the city and is just a few minute’s walk from the Puerta del Sol. This is a nice place to just sit, relax, enjoy some tapas and watch the time go by.
Metropolis building:
Visit this place at night. You can compose a really good shot with the use of a tripod, capturing this marvelous architecture alongside the Rolex building. Well, we didn’t have a lot of time in hand, so not so cool, regular daytime shot. You can spend your evening at this restaurant, enjoy a cocktail and look at the sun go down.
Flamenco Dance:
We love experiencing local cultures and performances like the Jazz in Prague and the dance of Dervish in Istanbul. Flamenco Dance, a specialty of Spain is a high-energy dance, which will surely impress you. Flamenco dance is a solo dance with a combination of hand-clapping, some high-energy foot-tapping, and beautiful hand, arm, and body movement. It’s accompanied by a guitar player and a singer and it’s an experience that you shouldn’t miss. We went to Cafe Ziryab for the dance and you need to book your place in advance. The entry fee of 22 euros per person includes a drink and an appetizer. Food wasn’t that great but you won’t go there for the food. 🙂
Day trips:
Madrid is close to many other popular cities and the ones really worth mentioning are Toledo, Segovia, Avila, and Cuenca. There are fast trains covering these cities in a matter of just 30 mins to an hour and it’s really worth visiting at least one of the destinations. We visited Segovia, home to a 2000-year-old Roman aqueduct, just a 30 mins train ride from Madrid.
Accommodation Details
We stayed in this very cost 1BHK Airbnb apartment located in El Rastro. The apartment had all the amenities like a kitchen, air-conditioning (which you will definitely need), etc. The host allowed early check-in and late check-out as our flight was in the late evening. He also provided local suggestions and a long list of things to do, which we wouldn’t have found even on top travel websites. The area is amazing with many restaurants and bars around and near the metro station as well. We highly recommend this accommodation!
Leaving you with some more photos from our trip.
Planning a trip to Europe? Also read about our articles on Tuscany, Vienna, Rome, Edinburgh, Santorini, Amsterdam.