A Trip to Madrid

The capital of Spain has undergone many changes in recent years, yet it has not lost an ounce of its magic and glamour. It offers a rich history, one of the best cuisines in the world, many green parks and other interesting things that will captivate the traveller!

Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain. The population of Madrid is 3.3 million, making it the third-largest capital city in Europe.

Its climate is continental with many variations. The weather in Madrid during the summer months is mild with few hours of rainfall and temperatures not exceeding 32^o C. During the winter months, temperatures can drop to 2^o C.

It is one of the best destinations for a leisure trip, combining rich history, cultural treasures, and lush green spaces. It is a trip that will delight all types of tourists, whatever it is they want to have a good time on a trip.

The city has 3 important museums which have expanded in recent years, while each year it becomes increasingly filled with new boutiques, restaurants, and bars.

Madrid's neighbourhoods have been enriched compared to earlier years without, however, losing their charm and unique Spanish temperament.

Whatever kind of person you are, Madrid's enchanting aura will surely captivate you. It is a city where you can combine full-day museum visits, picnics in lush parks, all-night entertainment, and shopping on Calle de Serrano, the street with the most luxurious clothing stores, in the best possible way.

What to visit in Madrid

Map of Madrid \\ The most important sights in Madrid

The map of Madrid will help you understand where everything is in the city.

Below we detail most of the most important sights in Madrid.

The most important sights in Madrid

Museums in Madrid

Madrid is an earthly paradise for art lovers, full of museums and galleries. Between the city's two main avenues lies the Golden Triangle, as you can see on the right side of the Madrid map above (Paseo del Arte) which includes the city's 3 most important museums: the Prado, the Thyssen Bornemisza, and the Reina Sofia.

A visit to all three of these museums in Madrid is essential to immerse yourself in the city's artistic spirit.

Museo Del Prado \\ Prado Museum in Madrid

It is one of the most important art museums in the world, featuring works from the 14^th to the 19^th century. It was originally founded as a museum of painting and sculpture and housed the royal collection of artworks, but it proved too small and subsequently needed to be expanded in 1918.

The word “Prado” means meadow and characterised the entire area of the museum.

The works in the Prado Museum in Madrid include 5000 drawings, 1000 coins and medals, and 2000 decorative objects. There are also 700 sculptures and approximately 8600 paintings, to which it owes its great fame.

Only 1/3 of its collection is exhibited in the museum, which is why the exhibits are rotated throughout the year.

Among the works exhibited, you will find masterpieces by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), Goya, and Velázquez, whose work “Las Meninas” is the museum's most important acquisition.

The Prado museum primarily features works by Spanish artists from the 15^th to the 17^th century, the so-called “Golden Age of Spain”.

Prado Museum operating days and hours, ticket costs

The Prado museum is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 19:00.

It is only closed on key public holidays: 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December.

General admission to the Prado museum is 15 euros, while the reduced ticket costs 7.5 euros. A ticket package with an audio guide to the museum is offered for 24 euros, and you have the option to visit the museum twice within one year for 22 euros.

You can enter the museum for free Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 20:00 and on Sundays and public holidays from 17:00 to 19:00.

If you wish, you can book your tickets in advance on the website https://www.entradasprado.com/pradov2/individual/entradaerror.aspx, while if you want to enter during the free admission hours, you will purchase them on-site at the time of your visit.

Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia \\ National Art Museum Reina Sofia

The Reina Sofia museum is a modern art museum named in honour of Queen Sofia of Spain.

It is a relatively new museum, having only been operating since 1992, and is housed in the former General Hospital of Madrid after suitable modifications.

The museum holds many important works from the 20^th century by artists such as Miró, Dalí, Julio González, while its most famous and significant exhibit is none other than Pablo Picasso's “Guernica”.

Ticket Costs, operating days and hours for the Reina Sofia museum

The Reina Sofia museum is open every day except Tuesdays from 10:00 to 21:00. On Sundays, it operates from 10:00 to 19:00, but ticket offices close at 14:00.

Tickets cost 10 euros if purchased on-site, while if purchased in advance via the link below, they cost 8 euros.

https://entradas.museoreinasofia.es/site/MuseoReinaSofia/?lang=en

Thyssen Bornemisza Museum \\ Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

The Thyssen museum in Madrid is an Art museum that fills all the chronological gaps you might find in the previous two.

With over 1600 paintings, the Thyssen was once one of the largest private collections in the world after the British Royal Collection.

Thyssen Museum Tickets

The main entrance to the museum costs 12 euros, and for the same price, you can also choose an audio guide from those available. The guides usually cover the permanent collection exhibited in the museum, some temporary collections, and finally, there are thematic collections that visitors enter in controlled groups every 15 minutes.

At the end of your visit, you can enjoy a wonderful menu made from selected seasonal produce.

The museum offers free access every Monday from 12:00 to 16:00 for a visit only to the museum's basic permanent collection.

Before your visit to the museums

• If you wish to visit all 3 museums, you can purchase the “Paseo del Arte Card” through the website of one of the 3, which costs 29.60 euros, offering you a 20% discount on the entrance price of all 3 museums. After purchasing the card online, you will need to redeem it first at the museum where you bought it, and then you can visit the museums in any order you wish within one year.

https://entradas.museoreinasofia.es/site/MuseoReinaSofia/

• Where free access to museums is mentioned, it is for a specific number of visitors.

A Stroll in Madrid

For a large modern capital, Madrid boasts extensive green spaces. This is incredibly useful during July and August when the weather in Madrid is incredibly hot.

The Parque del Retiro / Buen Retiro Park (retiro - retirement) is located behind the Golden Triangle as you see it on the map of Madrid. It is one of the largest parks in Madrid, covering an area of 1.4 square km.

There you can take a stroll, wander around, enjoy a picnic, or even row a boat on the artificial lake located within the park.

Retiro Park is one of the most famous sights in Madrid and is full of impressive statues and monuments, and you will also find several art exhibitions within the park.

The Casa del Campo is another very well-known park – the largest in Madrid, which is five times larger than Central Park in New York. Within it are the Madrid Zoo and the Madrid Aquarium. There is also a wonderful, open-air municipal swimming pool.

It is located west of the centre of Madrid and immediately to the left after the end of our map of Madrid. You can get there by cable car from Parque del Oeste.

Puerta del Sol

The centre of Madrid. It is one of the most famous squares in Madrid. It is kilometre 0 for all roads in the city, as all distances are measured from there compared to other cities in Spain.

Gran Via

It is the most important tourist street in the city, starting from the Metropolis building to Plaza España, and is full of shops, cafes, and bars.

Plaza Mayor

It is the central square of Madrid and is located very close to Puerta del Sol. It is one of the most famous sights in Madrid and attracts many tourists at all hours of the day. It is one of the most beautiful squares in all of Europe. Walk around it and enjoy it.

How to get to Madrid

The easiest way to get to Madrid is, of course, by air. Madrid Barajas Airport is located just outside the city. You can use the Madrid Metro, specifically Line 8, to get from the airport to the centre of Madrid.

Major airlines fly to Madrid, as do low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and Easyjet.

Book your flights to Madrid on Travelo.gr and benefit from the lowest prices online. You can reach Madrid with direct Aegean Airlines flights from Athens. Aegean flights from Athens cost from approximately 110€ per person per way. The earlier you book, the better for you!

Where to stay in Madrid

Wherever you stay in Madrid, you will find the city's metro system very convenient for getting around, as it has many lines. Choose to stay near the centre to experience the city to the fullest.

Better options are to stay near Plaza Mayor to be able to walk around the city with ease. As a second option, you can choose to stay in one of the hotels located in the wider area near the museums.

Hotels in Madrid

There are many accommodation options for hotels in Madrid. Choose your ideal accommodation here.

From Madrid to nearby destinations

Madrid – Toledo: the distance from Madrid to Toledo is approximately 72 km. Many train services run daily to cover the distance. The cost is 13 euros and the journey takes 33 minutes.

You can also do the same Madrid-Toledo route by bus. The journey takes 50 minutes and the ticket costs 5 euros.

Madrid – Seville: another destination near Madrid is Seville. To get to Seville, you can also go by train or bus.

By train, the Madrid – Seville journey takes 2 hours and 45 minutes. The train fare is 59 euros. By bus, your journey will take 5 hours and 20 minutes with a ticket cost of 25 euros.

Services depart from Plaza Eliptica station in the centre of Madrid, which is the main train and bus station. You can reach it by metro using lines 6 and 11, Zone A.

https://www.goeuro.com/

Book your train or bus tickets across Europe here.

Where to eat in Madrid

You could eat at a different restaurant every day for a year in Madrid and still not manage to visit all the restaurants in the city. You'll need to consider what you want to eat or which part of the city you plan to be in each day to help you decide.

Traditional Madrid dishes are quite heavy, so it's advisable to avoid them during the summer months, but if you want to try authentic Madrid cuisine, choose:

Callos: a dish similar to our tripe with tomato sauce and chorizo.

Cocido: a type of stew whose ingredients are served separately. These include meat and its broth, chickpeas, and various vegetables.

You can try them at L'Hardy restaurant (Carrera de San Jerónimo, 8).

 

For breakfast or after a night out, the classic dish to try is the delicious Churros, usually served with a thick hot chocolate sauce for dipping. The best place to eat our favourite Churros is at Chocolateria San Ginés (Pasadiso San Ginés, 5), which is open 24 hours a day.

 

Another snack-street food you can find at all hours and in all parts of Madrid is the so-called “bocadillo de calamares”. This is fried breaded squid in a bread roll. Locals eat them quite a lot, especially around Plaza Mayor.

What to drink in Madrid

Locals have specific times of day when they prefer to drink particular beverages. The day always starts with a Café con leche – coffee with milk. At midday, they drink vermouth or cañas – small beers.

The combinados – cocktails in Madrid are quite strong, so choose them after you've had something to eat. Bar Cock and Del Diego were Ernest Hemingway's favourites, should you wish to try them.

Conclusion

As the great writer Ernest Hemingway said about his favourite destination, “Madrid is the most Spanish of all cities.”

A wonderful city that teems with life and will remain unforgettable. Choose to stay long enough to see and enjoy it as much as you can.

Walk through the squares and get lost in the city's rhythm. Visit the museums, and you won't regret it. They are as worth your time as the beautiful parks.