Madrid
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Madrid - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Casa de Campo
MoncloaOver five times the size of New York's Central Park, Casa de Campo is Madrid’s largest park and a nature-lover’s paradise, complete with bike trails, picnic tables, pine forests, lakeside restaurants (seek out Villa Verbena, run by the folks behind Triciclo in Barrio de las Letras), and a public outdoor pool (€5 entry). See if you can spot wildlife like hawks, foxes, hares, and red squirrels—and, from November to May, a flock of sheep cared for by a real-deal shepherd. The park's name ("country house") is a holdover from when the grounds were the royal family's hunting estate. It became public property in May 1931 with the arrival of the Spanish Second Republic, which dissolved royal landholdings.
Madrid, 28011, Spain -
2. El Rastro
Embajadores | Market/BazaarNamed for the arrastre (dragging) of animals in and out of the slaughterhouse that once stood here and, specifically, the rastro (blood trail) left behind, this site explodes into a rollicking flea market every Sunday 9–3 with dozens and dozens of street vendors with truly bizarre bric-a-brac ranging from costume earrings to mailed postcards and thrown-out love letters. There are also more formal shops, where it's easy to turn up treasures such as old iron grillwork, a marble tabletop, or a gilt picture frame. The shops (not the vendors) are open during the week, allowing for quieter and more serious bargaining. Even so, people-watching on Sunday is the best part.
View Tours and ActivitiesCalle de la Ribera de los Curtidores s/n, Madrid, Madrid, 28005, Spain -
3. Matadero Madrid
What was once Madrid's largest slaughterhouse is now one of its most vibrant arts and culture centers. The Matadero Municipal de Legazpi was in operation from 1925 to 1996; at its peak, it comprised 64 buildings and processed over 500 cattle and 5,000 sheep per day. The complex is a stunning example of Spanish fin-de-siècle civil architecture, all stone-and-redbrick facades punctuated by wide doorways and arched windows. Today its bays are thronged with families, tourists, and plenty of pierced-and-tattooed artists. Events range from film screenings to poetry slams to art exhibits and design fairs. La Cantina, the restaurant on the premises, is pleasant for a drink, though the food is nothing special.
Pl. de Legazpi 8, Madrid, 28045, Spain91-318–4670Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
4. Mercado de Antón Martín
Go on an international tapas crawl here—nibbling on tacos (at Cutzamala), sushi (at Yokaloka), homemade croissants (at Cafés Tornasol), and more—without so much as stepping outside. Doppelgänger, an eclectic tasting-menu-only cubbyhole headed by a young Somali–Spanish chef, is currently all the rage.
Calle de Santa Isabel 5, Madrid, 28012, Spain91-369–0620Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Some businesses are also closed Mon. -
5. Mercado de la Paz
Salamanca's gleaming main market is a hangarlike food emporium selling everything from wild game to softball-size Calanda peaches to sashimi-grade tuna to the country's finest jamón and canned seafood. Standout restaurants here include Casa Dani (arguably the city's best Spanish omelet; see separate entry) and Matteo Cucina Italiana (osteria-style pastas and risotto).
Calle de Ayala 28, Madrid, 28001, Spain91-435–0743Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Sat. after 2 pm -
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6. Mercado de Tirso de Molina
Built in 1932 by Luis Bellido, the architect behind Matadero Madrid, this soaring brick market isn't found on the city-center plaza that shares its name but rather in the up-and-coming Puerta del Ángel neighborhood. After stocking up on Spanish charcuterie and pantry items (the best souvenirs!), nibble on Chinese-style tripe stew at Bar Paula, vegan huaraches at El Vegicano, and natural wine at La Desahuciada. Take note, weekenders: this is one of Madrid's only traditional markets that stays open on Sunday.
Calle de Doña Urraca 15, Madrid, 28011, Spain91-464–5235-for general information -
7. Mercado de Vallehermoso
Choose from made-to-order pinsas (ancient Roman pizzas with a cloudlike crust) at Di Buono, local craft beers at Drakkar, refined market cuisine at El 2, updated Spanish street food at Miga Cana, and high-octane Thai curries at Kitchen 154, among other flavor-packed options at this city-block-size market in the heart of Chamberí.
Calle de Vallehermoso 36, Madrid, 28015, Spain91-349–5700Sight Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun. -
8. Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
After a 20-month closure for renovations, this important 16th-century monastery reopened to the public in late 2021 with 200 new works from its art collection on display. The plain brick-and-stone facade belies an opulent interior strewn with paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán, Titian, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder—all part of the dowry of new monastery inductees—as well as a hall of sumptuous tapestries crafted from drawings by Peter Paul Rubens. Fifty works from the collection were meticulously restored as part of the recent renovations. The convent was founded in 1559 by Juana of Austria, one of Felipe II's sisters, who ruled Spain while he was in England and the Netherlands. It houses 33 different chapels—the age of Christ when he died and the maximum number of nuns allowed to live at the monastery—with more than 120 immaculately preserved crucifixes among them. About a dozen nuns still live here and grow vegetables in the garden. You must take a tour in order to visit the convent, and tickets must be bought online ahead of time (they sell out fast); those who don't speak Spanish can access an English guide through the app.
View Tours and ActivitiesPl. de las Descalzas s/n, Madrid, 28013, Spain91-454–8800Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6, Closed Mon., Reservations and pre-purchased tickets required -
9. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Spain’s national museum of contemporary art houses works by all the major 20th-century Spanish painters and sculptors. Its collection breaks from tradition by grouping works of the great modern masters—Picasso, Miró, and Salvador Dalí—by historical context as opposed to artistic movement. So, Goya's Disasters of War engravings (a precursor of the avant-garde movements of the 20th century) sits beside one of the first movies ever made, Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory by the Lumière brothers. Picassos and Dalís are not displayed together but are rather scattered around the 38 rooms. The museum also displays important works by Juan Gris, Jorge Oteiza, Pablo Gargallo, Julio González, Eduardo Chillida, and Antoni Tàpies. The crown jewel is Picasso's Guernica. The sprawling black-and-white canvas depicts the horror of the Nazi bombing of innocent civilians in the ancient Basque town of Gernika in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The work was commissioned by the Republican government for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair in an attempt to garner sympathy for the Republican cause. Rooms adjacent to Guernica reconstruct the artistic significance of Spain's participation in the World's Fair with works by Miró, Josep Maria Sert, Alexander Calder, and others. Guernica did not reach Madrid until 1981, as Picasso had stipulated in his will that the painting return to Spain only after democracy was restored. The fourth floor in the Sabatini Building is devoted to art created after World War II, and the Nouvel Annex displays paintings, sculptures, photos, videos, and installations from the last quarter of the 20th century. The museum was once a hospital, but the austerity of the space is somewhat relieved (or ruined, depending on your point of view) by the playful pair of glass elevator shafts on its facade. Three separate buildings joined by a common vault were added to the original complex in 2005—the first contains an art bookshop and a public library, the second a center for contemporary exhibitions, and the third an auditorium and restaurant. The latter, which got a face-lift in 2017, is a colorful, space-age spot to enjoy a café con leche—or a cocktail—and an eye-catching tapa or two.
Calle de Santa Isabel 52, Madrid, 28012, Spain91-774–1000Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €12 (free Mon. and Wed.–Sat. after 7 pm, Sun. 12:30–2:30), Closed Tues. -
10. Museo Nacional del Prado
One of the world's top museums, the Prado is to Madrid what the Louvre is to Paris: an iconic landmark that merits a visit by every traveler who comes to the city. King Carlos III commissioned the construction of the Prado in 1785 as a natural science museum, the nucleus of a larger complex encompassing the adjoining botanical gardens and elegant Paseo del Prado. But when the building was completed in 1819, the royal family opted to turn it into a museum showcasing the art gathered by Spanish royalty since the time of Fernando and Isabel. In the 21st century the museum got a new building and wing resurrecting long-hidden works by Zurbarán and Antonio de Pereda and more than doubling the number of paintings on display from the permanent collection. The Prado's jewels are by the nation's three great masters, Goya, Velázquez, and El Greco, though the museum also holds masterpieces by Flemish, Dutch, German, French, and Italian artists, collected when their lands were part of the Spanish Empire. The museum benefited greatly from the anticlerical laws of 1836, which forced monasteries, convents, and churches to forfeit many of their artworks for public display. Enter the Prado via the Goya entrance, with steps opposite the Mandarin Oriental Ritz hotel. The layout varies (grab a floor plan), but the first halls on the left coming from the Goya entrance (Rooms 7A–11 on the second floor) are usually devoted to 17th-century Flemish painters, including Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678), and Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). Room 12 introduces you to the meticulous brushwork of Velázquez (1599–1660) in his numerous portraits of kings and queens. Look for Las Hilanderas (The Spinners), evidence of the artist's talent for painting light. The Prado's most famous canvas, Velázquez's Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), combines a self-portrait of the artist at work with a mirror reflection of the king and queen in a revolutionary interplay of space and perspectives. Picasso was obsessed with this work and painted several copies of it—now on display in the Picasso Museum in Barcelona—in his own abstract style. The south ends of the second and top floors (primera planta and segunda planta) are reserved for Goya (1746–1828), whose works range from the bucolic to the horrific in tone. Among his early masterpieces are portraits of the family of King Carlos IV, for whom he was court painter. One glance at their unflattering and imbecilic expressions, especially in The Family of Carlos IV, reveals the loathing Goya developed for these self-indulgent, reactionary rulers. His famous side-by-side canvases, The Clothed Maja and The Nude Maja, may represent the young Duchess of Alba, whom Goya adored and frequently painted. No one knows whether she ever returned his affection. The adjacent rooms house a series of idyllic scenes of Spaniards at play, painted as designs for tapestries. Goya's paintings grew political around 1808, when Madrid rose up against occupying French troops. The 2nd of May portrays the insurrection at the Puerta del Sol, and its even more terrifying companion piece, The 3rd of May, depicts the nighttime executions of patriots who had rebelled the day before. The garish light in this work typifies the romantic style, which favors drama over detail, and makes it one of the most powerful indictments of violence ever committed to canvas. Goya's "Black Paintings" are dark, disturbing works, completed late in his life, that reflect his inner turmoil after losing his hearing and his embitterment over the bloody War of Independence. These are copies of the enormous, hallucinatory paintings Goya made with marvelously free brushstrokes on the walls of his house (known as La Quinta del Sordo: "the Deaf One's Villa"), situated near the Manzanares River. Don't miss the terrifying Saturn Devouring One of His Sons (which Goya displayed in his dining room!), a painting that communicates the ravages of age and time. The Prado's ground floor (planta baja) is filled with 15th- and 16th-century Flemish paintings, including the bizarre proto-surrealist masterpiece Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (circa 1450–1516). In Rooms 60A, 61A, and 62A, contemplate the passionately spiritual works of El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos, 1541–1614), the Greek-born artist who lived and worked in Toledo, known for his mystical elongated forms and faces—a style that was shocking to a public accustomed to strictly representational images. Two of his greatest paintings, The Resurrection and The Adoration of the Shepherds, are on view here. Before you leave, stop in the 14th- to 16th-century Italian rooms to see Titian's Portrait of Emperor Charles V and Raphael's Portrait of a Cardinal. Buy tickets in advance online; to save a few bucks on an audio guide, download the Prado Museum Visitor Guide app ahead of your visit.
View Tours and ActivitiesPaseo del Prado s/n, Madrid, 28014, Spain91-330–2800Sight Details
Rate Includes: €15, permanent collection free Mon.–Sat. 6–8 pm and Sun. 5–7 pm -
11. Museo Sorolla
See the world through the once-in-a-generation eye of Spain's most famous impressionist painter, Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923), who lived and worked most of his life at this home and garden that he designed and decorated. Every corner is filled with exquisite artwork—including plenty of original Sorollas—and impeccably selected furnishings, which pop against brightly colored walls that evoke the Mediterranean coast, where the painter was born. The museum can be seen as part of the Abono Cinco Palacios, a €12 pass that grants access to five mansion-museums.
View Tours and ActivitiesPaseo del General Martínez Campos 37, Madrid, 28010, Spain91-310–1584Sight Details
Rate Includes: €3 (free Sat. after 2 and Sun.), Closed Mon. -
12. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
The far-reaching collection of the Thyssen's almost 1,000 paintings traces the history of Western art with examples from every important movement, from 13th-century Italian Gothic through 20th-century American pop art. The works were gathered from the 1920s to the 1980s by Swiss industrialist Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his father; the museum, inaugurated in 1992, occupies the light-filled galleries of the late-18th-century Palacio de Villahermosa. Critics have described the museum's paintings as the minor works of major artists and the major works of minor artists, and the collection traces the development of Western humanism as no other in the world. One highlight is Hans Holbein's Portrait of Henry VIII. American artists are also well represented; look for the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Impressionists and Post–Impressionists including Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Cézanne. Track down Pissarro's Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain for a jolt of mortality, or Renoir's Woman with a Parasol in a Garden for a sense of bucolic beauty lost. Within 20th-century art, the collection is strong on dynamic German Expressionism and works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, Francis Bacon, Robert Rauschenberg, and Roy Lichtenstein. The temporary exhibits can be fascinating and in summer are sometimes open until 11 pm. In summer, the rooftop terrace (closed Mondays; accessible via a separate entrance on Calle de Zorrilla) is an appealing place to kick back with a coffee or cocktail. You can buy tickets to the museum in advance online.
View Tours and ActivitiesPaseo del Prado 8, Madrid, 28014, Spain91-791–1370Sight Details
Rate Includes: €13. Free Mon. with online reservation -
13. Palacio Real
The Palacio Real was built over Madrid's first defensive fortress, established by Berbers in the 9th century. It overwhelms with its sheer immensity against the city's silhouetted background. The palace was commissioned in the early 18th century by the first of Spain's Bourbon rulers, Felipe V. Outside, classical French architecture adorns the Patio de Armas: Felipe was obviously inspired by his childhood days at Versailles with his grandfather Louis XIV. Look for the stone statues of Inca prince Atahualpa and Aztec king Montezuma, perhaps the only tributes in Spain to these pre-Columbian American rulers. Notice how the steep bluff drops west to the Manzanares River—on a clear day, this vantage point commands a view of the mountain passes leading into Madrid from Old Castile. It's easy to see why Madrid's Berber rulers picked this spot for a fortress. Inside, 2,800 rooms compete with one another for over-the-top opulence. A two-hour guided tour in English winds a mile-long path through the palace. Highlights include the Salón de Gasparini, King Carlos III's private apartments, with swirling inlaid floors and curlicued stucco wall and ceiling decoration, all glistening in the light of a two-ton crystal chandelier; the Salón del Trono, a grand throne room with the royal seats of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia; and the banquet hall, the palace's largest room, which seats up to 140 people for state dinners. Despite being the official seat of the throne, no monarch has lived here since 1931, when Alfonso XIII was deposed after a Republican electoral victory. The current king and queen live in the far simpler Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid. Also inside the palace are the Museo de Música (Music Museum), where five-stringed instruments by Antonio Stradivari form the world's largest such collection; the Painting Gallery, which displays works by Spanish, Flemish, and Italian artists from the 15th century on; the Armería Real (Royal Armory), with historic suits of armor and frightening medieval torture implements; the Real Oficina de Farmacia (Royal Pharmacy), with vials and flasks used to mix the king's medicines; and the Real Cocina, Europe's best-preserved royal kitchens, opened to the public for the first time in 2017 and whose framed handwritten menus, antediluvian wood-burning ovens, enormous copper cauldrons, wooden iceboxes, and nearly 3,000 antique kitchen utensils make it a must-stop for foodies. On Wednesday the Changing of the Guard takes place (every 30 minutes from 11–2) at the Puerta del Príncipe, across Plaza de Oriente, with a more solemn and lavish ceremony (with up to 100 guards and horses) the first Wednesday of each month at noon.
Calle de Bailén s/n, Madrid, 28013, Spain91-454–8800Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €12 -
14. Parque del Buen Retiro
Once the private playground of royalty, Madrid's main park—which was granted World Heritage status in 2021 by UNESCO—is a 316-acre expanse of formal gardens, fountains, lakes, exhibition halls, children's play areas, and outdoor cafés. There is a puppet theater featuring slapstick routines that even non-Spanish-speakers will enjoy; shows are free and generally take place on weekends at 12:30 pm. The park is especially lively on weekends, when it fills with buskers, jugglers, and other street performers as well as hundreds of Spaniards out for exercise. There are occasional concerts in summer. From the entrance at Puerta de Alcalá, head to the park's center, where you'll find the estanque (pond), presided over by a grandiose equestrian statue of King Alfonso XII erected by his mother. The 19th-century Palacio de Cristal, southeast of the estanque, was built as a steel-and-glass greenhouse for exotic plants—and, horrifically, tribesmen displayed in a "human zoo"—from the Philippines, a Spanish colony at the time, and is now a free-admission art exhibition space. Next door is a small lake with ducks, swans, and gnarled swamp trees. Along the Paseo del Uruguay at the park's south end is the Rosaleda (Rose Garden), an explosion of color and heady aromas. West of the Rosaleda, look for a statue called the Ángel Caído (Fallen Angel), a rare depiction of the Prince of Darkness falling from grace. In February 2023, the Montaña Artificial ("Man-Made Mountain") at the northeast corner of the park reopened after nearly 20 years of neglect. Built in 1817, the pink building with a vaulted ceiling was a folly of Ferdinand VII and has a waterfall and cats galore.
View Tours and ActivitiesPuerta de Alcalá s/n, Madrid, 28014, Spain -
15. Parque del Oeste
This is many Madrileños' favorite park for its pristine yet unmobbed paths and well-pruned lawns and flower beds. From dawn to dusk, expect to see dogs cavorting off-leash, couples sprawled out beneath the trees, and groups of friends playing frisbee and fútbol. From Paseo del Pintor Rosales, meander downhill toward Avenida de Valladolid, crossing the train tracks, and you'll hit Madrid Río; walk southwest and you'll find Temple of Debod and, beyond, the newly pedestrianized Plaza de España. This park also contains the city's only cable car (see "Teleférico") and, 100 yards beneath it, a rose garden (Rosaleda free entry) containing some 20,000 specimens of more than 650 rose varieties that reach their peak in May. In the quieter northern section of the park (along Avenida de Séneca), you'll happen upon Civil War–era bunkers interspersed among plane-tree-lined promenades, a sobering reminder that Parque del Oeste was the western front of Madrid's resistance against Franco's armies.
Paseo del Pintor Rosales s/n, Madrid, 28011, Spain -
16. Plaza de la Paja
La LatinaAt the top of a hill, on Costanilla de San Andrés, sits the most important square of medieval Madrid. It predates the Plaza Mayor by at least two centuries. The sloped plaza's jewel is the Capilla del Obispo (Bishop's Chapel), built between 1520 and 1530, where peasants deposited their tithes, called diezmas—one-tenth of their crop. Architecturally the chapel traces the transition from the blocky Gothic period, which gave the structure its basic shape, to the Renaissance, the source of its decorations. It houses a polychrome altarpiece with scenes from the New Testament and a carved alabaster cenotaph by Francisco Giralte that art historians fawn over. Seven cloistered nuns live in the building and hold Mass in the chapel on Sundays at 6:30 pm and at several other times during the week (check the schedule on the door or call for details). To visit the chapel it is imperative to reserve in advance; tours are in Spanish only. The chapel is part of the complex of the domed Iglesia de San Andrés (Church of San Andrés), one of Madrid's oldest.
View Tours and ActivitiesMadrid, 28005, Spain91-559–2874Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4 (Capilla del Obispo), Chapel tours Tues. 9:30–12:30 and Thurs. 4–5:30, Reservation required to visit chapel -
17. Plaza Mayor
SolA symbol of Spain's imperial grandeur, this public square is often surprisingly quiet, perhaps since most locals wrote it off long ago as too touristy. The plaza was finished in 1619 under Felipe III, whose equestrian statue stands in the center, and is one of the largest in Europe, clocking in at 360 by 300 feet. It has seen it all: autos-da-fé ("trials of faith," or public burnings of heretics); the canonization of saints; criminal executions; royal marriages, such as that of Princess María and the king of Hungary in 1629; bullfights (until 1847); and masked balls. The space was initially occupied by a city market, and many of the surrounding streets retain the charming names of the trades and foods once headquartered there. Nearby are Calle de Cuchilleros (Cutlers' Street), Calle de Lechuga (Lettuce Street), Calle de Fresa (Strawberry Street), and Calle de Botoneros (Button Makers' Street). The plaza's oldest building is the one with the brightly painted murals and gray spires, called Casa de la Panadería (Bakery House) in honor of the bread shop over which it was built; it is now the tourist office. Opposite is the Casa de la Carnicería (Butcher Shop), now a rather underwhelming boutique hotel. The plaza is closed to motorized traffic, making it a pleasant place for sidewalk sitting and coffee sipping as alfresco artists and street musicians put on impromptu shows. Sunday morning brings a stamp and coin market. Around Christmas the plaza fills with stalls selling trees, ornaments, and Nativity scenes. Whenever you visit, be sure to watch your phone and wallet.
View Tours and ActivitiesMadrid, 28012, Spain -
18. Puerta del Sol
SolCrowded with locals, tourists, hawkers, and street performers, the Puerta del Sol is the nerve center of Madrid. It was renovated in 2023, and not all Madrileños are wild about its new, more austere look. A brass plaque in the sidewalk on the south side of the plaza marks Kilómetro Cero, the point from which all distances in Spain are measured. Across the square are two important statues: El oso y el madroño (a bear climbing a strawberry tree, Madrid's official symbol) and an equestrian statue of King and Mayor Carlos III. Watch your belongings when passing through, as the area is often packed with pedestrians.
View Tours and ActivitiesMadrid, 28013, Spain -
19. Andén 0
The so-called ghost station of Chamberí is now a locomotive museum managed by Metro Madrid. It occupies the grand old Chamberí Station, built in 1919 and defunct since 1966. There are vintage advertisements, old maps, and other memorabilia. Tours (free) and placards are in Spanish only. Don't wait for staff to come fetch you after watching the introductory film—just head down to the platform.
Pl. de Chamberí s/n, Madrid, 28010, Spain90-044–4404Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Thurs., Free -
20. Arab Wall
The remains of the Moorish military outpost that became the city of Madrid are visible on Calle Cuesta de la Vega. The sections of wall here protected a fortress built in the 9th century by Emir Muhammad I. In addition to being an excellent defensive position, the site had plentiful water and was called Mayrit, Arabic for "source of life" (this is the likely origin of the city's name). All that remains of the medina—the old Arab city within the walls of the fortress—is the neighborhood's chaotic web of streets and plazas, which probably follow the same layout they did more than 1,100 years ago.
View Tours and ActivitiesCalle Cuesta de la Vega s/n, Madrid, 28013, Spain
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