9 Best Sights in Madrid, Spain

Named 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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

An unrenovated building and budget-friendly tapas and groceries make this market a local favorite for both shopping and snacking. The hangar-like space is at its busiest on Saturday from noon to 3 pm, when seafood stalls transform into makeshift fish and shellfish restaurants, frying, steaming, and boiling their freshest wares and serving them on plastic plates alongside jugs of unlabeled table wine—quite the party. 

Forget the architectural fruit displays and polished tapas stalls of Mercado de San Miguel or Mercado de la Paz—this market's allure is its rough-and-ready atmosphere, neighborhood crowd, and rock-bottom prices. In the morning and late afternoon, you'll spot locals filling their shopping carts with always-fresh meat and produce; from 1:30 to 3 pm, all three floors teem with families and workers on their lunch break scoping out menú del día (set meal) options.

Chueca's neighborhood market has been reborn. In 2022, the three-floor complex underwent a massive renovation that gutted and revamped the second floor entirely and added 16 new stalls including an offshoot of the centennial Café Comercial. After browsing the more traditional grocery stalls on the ground floor, take the escalator up to the second for a rollicking tapeo (tapas crawl) or go up one additional floor to imbibe at 11 Nudos, a sceney rooftop restaurant and bar owned by Spanish craft gin Nordés.

Adjacent to the Plaza Mayor, this gastronomic market is a feast for the senses. Its bustling interior—a mixture of tapas spots and grab-and-go counters—sits beneath a fin-de-siècle glass dome reinforced by elaborate wrought iron. Enjoy a glass of wine and maybe a snack here, but save your appetite: the market, as gorgeous as it may be, has become overpriced and underwhelming in recent years. There are two diamonds in the rough: Rocambolesc, with its futuristic ice creams by the Roca brothers, and Daniel Sorlut, a posh oyster bar.