Madrid or Barcelona? Barcelona or Madrid? Madrid and Barcelona? It took us such a long time to make up our minds when we were planning our Spain and Portugal itinerary. Eventually, we committed ourselves to Madrid and couldn’t be happier with our decision.
With only two full days in Spain’s capital, we knew we had to use our time wisely to see the highlights and eat all the tapas we wanted. Except for planning to visit one of Madrid’s world-famous art museums, we had no real plan before arriving, so upon arrival, we grabbed a city map from our hotel and designed our own self-guided walking tour of Madrid.
Our self-guided walking tour of Madrid is a perfect introduction to the city. But let’s be honest: with only two days and being first-time visitors, it doesn’t feature any hidden gems. It’s definitely not a local’s guide to Madrid. Instead, you’ll get to see the highlights of Madrid at a leisurely pace over two days and our recommendations for where to eat.
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Where to Stay for this Madrid Walking Tour
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. And price. We stayed at Hostal Met Madrid which is just across the road from the Mercado de San Miguel. The room was spotless and quiet, and the location couldn’t be beaten.
Being so central, this guesthouse is the perfect base for exploring Madrid. We walked everywhere we mention in our Madrid walking tour, except for taking the metro to the Reina Sofia museum.
Don’t think it’s a hostel ala bunkbed though. A hostal is a budget-midrange hotel, almost like a guesthouse and quite popular throughout Spain. The room was spotless, with a small fridge, and the AC was very welcome during our siesta sessions.
Hostal Met Madrid offers exceptional value for money and comes highly recommended. The money we saved on accommodation and transport went straight into our tapas/churros/sangria kitty 🙂
Madrid Self-Guided Walking Tour Map: Day 1
On day 1 of our Madrid walking tour, we will visit the major sights and monuments and stop at places to indulge in the city’s fabulous food.
Start Your Walking Tour at Puerta Del Sol
Puerta del Sol, or simply Sol, is one of Madrid’s most central points, from which all the city’s roads stem. It’s also one of the busiest metro stops, and the plaza is always buzzing. Sol is the starting point of our walking tour and also the gateway to many of the bars and restaurants in the immediate area.
The Tio Pepe sign advertising Andalusian sherry is one of Madrid’s famous landmarks. The man on horseback in the plaza’s centre is King Charles III of Spain.
Other than tourists, street performers and businessmen, you can also find the Bear and Strawberry tree statue here, a popular meeting spot.
The statue represents Madrid’s coat of arms, and while it’s the pride of Madrileños, you don’t have to go out of your way to see it.
Another quirky point of interest is the Kilometre Zero slab in front of the Town Hall. All major roads in Spain radiate outwards from this point.
Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor is one of the most beautiful and famous landmarks in Madrid. The arcaded square is intimate rather than grande, and it’s indeed very picturesque. Three stories of residential buildings with wrought-iron balconies completely wrap around the Plaza Mayor.
Nine entranceways lead into the square, where you’ll find an equestrian statue of King Phillip III, who overlooks the international crowds and street performers.
Surrounding the square are cafes and restaurants that could be nice places to have a drink or bite. But don’t eat here (yet), as our breakfast/brunch stop is just steps away. If you are staying in the area, you should also come back to Plaza Mayor after dark since it has a totally different feel at night. Then, you can have a drink and a bite to eat here.
Eat Tapas at Mercado de San Miguel
By now, you should have worked up a nice appetite. That’s great since the stylish Mercado de San Miguel might as well be called the Mercado de Tapa Nirvana. The iron and glass art nouveau structure is one of the best places to experience Madrid’s excellent tapa culture. Not only are all the tapas here mini works of art in themselves, but everything we had here was damn good.
Established in 1916, this gastronomic paradise is one of Madrid’s oldest and hippest markets. The covered market has over 30 vendors, each stall perfecting one or two tapa dishes. All the tapas are beautifully displayed, and we wanted to eat them all. It’s a good idea to walk through the market to see everything there is before going back to get your favourites.
Good to know that alcoholic drinks are available. So if you feel like living it up here in Madrid, go ahead and have breakfast sangria, vermouth or beer. If saving yourself, then perhaps get a coffee. The market is open every day from 10:00 until midnight and makes a perfect stop any time of day or night. We came here a few times since our hotel was just around the corner.
Spot Unique Street Names
Keep an eye out for the street names as you follow our walking tour. Even if you don’t speak Spanish (like us), the pictures will tell you what each name means.
We really liked looking at street names in Madrid. It seems that in days gone by, each street was known for something special.
As you walk around, spot all these different streets: the street of the embroiderers, the street of the blacksmiths, the street of the clowns, etc.
See the Modern Almudena Cathedral
Situated adjacent to the Plaza de Armas of the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral might look old, but it was only opened in 1993. Uniquely modern inside, it is Neo-Gothic in style.
With its colourful patterns and designs, the cathedral looks like a rainbow exploded onto the ceiling. The stained glass windows have a nice modern twist as well and can perhaps be described as religious pop art. Entry to the cathedral is free of charge, but you’ll need to pay if you want to visit the museum.
Feel Royal at the Madrid Palacio Real
The monumental Royal Palace of Madrid is next to the cathedral, the largest palace in Western Europe. The palace is home to Spain’s royal family but is only used for state ceremonies these days.
The long line kept us from looking inside, but the palace was still impressive from the outside.
Top Tip: Avoid the lines and book your fast-track entrance tickets online.
Is the Plaza de Espana Open?
We came here to see the monument to one of Spain’s most beloved figures: Don Quixote. When we arrived at the plaza we were disappointed to find it all boarded up due to construction work. The text on the boards read SUMMER BITCH!
Apparently, while construction was going on they found major historic artefacts and because extensive excavation will need to be done, it will be months before the plaza reopens. Staff at our hotel told us later that it will only reopen in 2020, but no one is sure when.
Stroll & Shop on Gran Via
Plaza de España marks the southern end of Gran Via, Madrid’s most famous shopping street. Beautiful buildings from the early 1900s line the entire length of Gran Via, and you can also find Spain’s famous fashion stores, such as Zara, Mango, Stradivarius and Bimba y Lola here if you’re in the mood for burning money.
Gran Via is also known as the Spanish Broadway, thanks to many theatres and exciting nightlife options.
Indulge in the Best Chocolate Con Churros in Madrid
Is it possible to put heaven into a cup?
ABSOLUTELY!
Time for chocolate and churros! You’ll find Madrid’s, if not the world’s, best hot chocolate tucked away in alley Pasadizo San Ginés just off the busy Calle Arena. Madrileños have been coming here since 1894 for their chocolate-churros fix.
Order a cup of thick, sweet chocolate and a plate of golden-fried churros from the marble counter, and the waiter will bring them to your table within minutes.
Dip your churros into the rich and smooth chocolate, and you’ll soon understand why Chocolatería San Ginés has been around for over a hundred years and people are still lining up.
This place has ruined every other hot chocolate that we will ever have.
Best of all, it’s open 24 hours a day to cater to all our choco-junkies.
Siesta
As a national pastime, siesta is as Spanish as Sangria, Jamon and bullfighting. After being on the streets since the morning it’s a good idea to have some downtime and experience this essential aspect of Spanish life.
Dinner in Madrid doesn’t start until well after 21:00, so go back to your place, do as the Spaniards do, and take a nice long siesta. Take a nap, read a book, watch a movie, make love, open a bottle of wine or all of the above in no particular order.
Dinner at Museo de Jamón
It is not a museum in the traditional sense, but indeed, a place that belongs up there with the Prado and Reina Sofia. The Museum of Ham is a casual stand and eat-at-the-counter tapa bar.
One part bar, one part meat deli, the Museo is always loud and packed, and everyone seems to be enjoying life here. But then, who wouldn’t with cheap beer and ham under the same roof? It was actually so good and cheap that we came here three times in two days!
A little intimidating at first, it’s best to dive right in and join the crowd at the bar. Ask for jamón, and the barman will present you with an English picture menu. Ham is not simply ham here. Hundreds of pig legs hang from the walls, so you must specify whether it is jamón Ibérico or jamón serrano. There are also plates of cheese and crispy sandwiches on the menu. We really liked the Iberico and melon plate and old sheep cheese portion.
Museo del Jamón is a chain with branches scattered throughout Madrid. The next day, we visited the one on Plaza Mayor. The one on Plaza Mayor has seating outside on the square, which is good for having a bite and drink, but the branch on Calle Mayor was our favourite by far.
Madrid Self-Guided Walking Tour: Day 2
Today is museum day, but we chose to visit only one of the world-famous art museums. We think that doing more than one would be draining. You can choose to visit either the Prado or the Reina Sofia, which are located near each other anyway.
The second day of our self-guided walking tour of Madrid involves less walking than the first day. You’ll also have plenty of time to eat tapas and drink sangria. That sounds like a plan, so let’s get going!
Breakfast at Cerveceria 100 Montaditos
For breakfast, you can return to the Mercado de San Miguel for tapas or Museo de Jamon for more ham and perhaps a morning beer. You can also try the small but popular Cerveceria 100 Montaditos.
Offering breakfast options from €1, it makes the perfect spot to start your second day of our Madrid walking tour.
The breakfast set of Pan con Tomate (crushed tomato toast with olive oil), jamon toast, and coffee is an excellent choice for only €1.90. Throw in a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for €2, and you have a great start to your day for €3.90. As the name suggests, they also have cold beer on tap.
After breakfast, walk to Sol before taking the metro to Atocha station. Known as the golden triangle of art, the Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen museums are all a short walk away from Atocha station.
See The Guernica in the Reina Sofia
One thing we really HAD TO DO in Madrid was to visit one of its world-famous art museums. Just like our Madrid vs. Barcelona predicament before coming to Spain, we were stuck with Prado vs Reina Sofia.
In the end, Reina Sofia won since we are more interested in seeing modern and contemporary Spanish art. The Reina Sofia boasts a collection of over 21 000 works of art from the 20th century. So if modern art is your thing, you’re in for a treat.
The big draw of the Reina Sofia is Picasso’s Guernica, but it also has a handsome collection of works by modern Spanish masters, including Dali, Miro, and Gris.
The Guernica is huge, much bigger than we had anticipated. Photos showing how it evolved and how Picasso changed the painting before completion are very interesting. Photography is not allowed in the exhibition area where the Guernica is displayed.
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We recommend buying your ticket online before you visit as lines to get in can apparently get ridonkeylously long. When we arrived just after opening time we walked right in without having to wait.
The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Opening hours are 10:00-21:00. The entrance price is €10 when buying at the museum, or €8 when buying online. Plan to spend at least 2.5 hours here.
Lunch at Venta el Buscon
Take the metro back to Sol and walk a block to Calle Victoria. This little street is chockablock with great restaurants and tapas bars. All of them have lunch menus displayed outside for about €15. We ended up at Venta el Buscon, which is a great little place with generous portions and friendly staff.
The lunch menu includes bread, starter, mains, dessert, and a drink for €14. Our enthusiastic and charismatic waiter tried his best to explain the menu options to us in English.
We didn’t understand that dessert was included, so when we asked for the bill after our main course (we were stuffed by then anyway) the waiter said: NO! POSTRE INCLUDED!! Not knowing what postre is, he went on to say CAKE.
Jin had a beer, prawns, calamari and tiramisu, while I went with vermouth, curry samosas, oxtail and cheesecake.
Venta el Buscon has superb service, a great atmosphere and fantastic food. We definitely recommend a meal here.
Siesta
With your tummy full, head back to your hotel to escape the hottest part of the day.
Blame the jet lag, blame the hot weather, blame all the walking or tell yourself that you’re respecting local culture, but don’t underestimate the power of a good old siesta.
Cafe Culture in La Latina
The colourful and vibrant neighbourhood of La Latina is great for walking around and having a drink outside at one of the countless cafes and bars. Away from the main streets, you will find many small squares filled with tables and chairs and waiters willing to take your order.
If you are in Madrid on a Sunday, you should also visit the El Rastro flea market, which is held near La Latina metro station.
See the Best View in Madrid at the Circulo de Bellas Artes
The best view in Madrid is even better at sunset.
What is the best place to see this view?
At the Circulo de Bellas Artes of course.
The trendy rooftop terrace and bar on the 7th floor offer fantastic views across the Gran Via and towards La Plaza Cibeles.
In summer, the sun sets around 21:30 in Madrid, so come here about an hour before. We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes before we could take the elevator up to the rooftop.
You need to pay €4 to take the elevator up to the rooftop, but once there, you don’t have to order anything unless you want to, of course.
When you’re done drinking in the views and your drinks, head back to the street where you’ll see the magnificent Metropolis Building, or Edificio Metrópolis, on the corner of Calle de Alcalá and Gran Vía.
It’s one of the most iconic Madrid scenes.
Dinner in Plaza Mayor
As we mentioned before, dinner in Madrid does not start until late at night. After seeing the sunset (around 22:00) we walked back towards Sol and on to Plaza Mayor to see it lit up at night. We decided to have dinner at the Plaza Mayor branch of Museo del Jamón.
At this branch, you can sit at tables outside on the plaza, unlike the branch around the corner, where you have to stand at the bar. There’s no better way to end our Madrid self-guided walking tour than putting your feet up and having sangria and ham in Plaza Mayor.
Now it’s your turn: Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions. As always we will try our best to help. Did we miss anything? Go put on a pair of comfy walking shoes and hit the streets of Madrid!
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