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Madrid is a bit in the background when you decide to visit Spain, but it certainly does not disappoint travelers who are well-planned and know what to expect from it. It will definitely satisfy you if you want a local-like city tour. Here we go: The Most Practical Travel Guide for Madrid
Although it is not a super touristic city, Madrid impresses with its architecture. There are many famous museums where important artworks can be seen, so it is like heaven for art lovers. With its lively life, it certainly can’t be defeated by the other European metropolises like Paris or Istanbul. It is a gastronomic paradise with hundreds of cafes and restaurants to suit every budget and taste.
Planning your trip to Madrid
Madrid is a fairly large city, so you will have to mingle with the metro a lot. But you can make your trip easier by choosing the region you want to stay in line with your interests.
I set the goal of this trip as seeing the main tourist spots of the city and living like a local. For this reason, we stayed in La Latina, one of the most colorful areas of nightlife, very close to the metro. We are more than satisfied with the house we rented through Airbnb.
My restaurant and café recommendations are on another article. Because Spanish cuisine is quite extensive 🙂
How long to stay in Madrid?
I think those who want to see only the tourist spots can visit the city in 2-3 days with good planning. But when you want to live this city like a local, I would suggest a 1-week trip. Thus, we saw both the tourist attractions and the live city to the full satisfaction. 1 week stay is also very convenient to catch the weekly activities. I even tightened my plan a little and managed a day trip to Toledo 🙂
Indispensable tourist spots in Madrid
In this section, I’ll list the places you need to see as a tourist in Madrid.
Plaza Mayor
This is the main square of the city. It is surrounded by buildings on all four sides, like we are used to in Europe. There are cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops around.
Puerta del Sol
This is again one of the famous squares. The bear statue reaching to a tree, the symbol of the city, and the kilometer stone, considered as the zero point of the Spanish highways, are located here.
Palacio Real de Madrid
This is the royal palace in Spain. You can go inside, but it was a too touristic activity for me 🙂
Catedral de la Almudena
A cathedral located directly opposite the royal palace. Like most cathedrals in Spain, this took quite a long time to be finished. Construction started in 1879 and finished in 1993 🙂
Basilica of San Francisco el Grande
After visiting the palace and Almudena Cathedral, you can reach it by following the same street. The inside is so majestic, I can say that it impressed me more than the previous one.
Gran Via
This is Madrid’s shopping street. The architecture of the buildings is really beautiful, a tour here is very enjoyable. However, it is very crowded on weekends. The iconic Metropolis building, which you can see in the pictures of Madrid, is at the eastern end of this street.
CentroCentro and Plaza de Cibeles
CentroCentro is an art museum that attracts attention with its façade. It is one of Madrid’s iconic structures. In front of it, the Cibeles square is where Real Madrid fans celebrate the team’s victories.
Mercado de San Miguel
This is a gourmet market very close to Plaza Mayor. It offers a variety of tapas, seafood, desserts, wine and coffee. I think it is very beautiful in terms of architecture. The prices are high because it is quite touristy but the inside is pleasant to visit.
Parque de El Retiro
This is the city park of Madrid. It is quite large and enjoyable. You can rent a kayak in the pond. You can also visit the Palacio de Cristal, which is located in this park, and take great pictures.
If you’ve finished these spots and still have time, you can continue with my second Madrid post!
Hope you enjoy your Madrid trip!
