Things to Do in Madrid
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Madrid, Spain, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Madrid. Dinner's late here, adjust your body clock now, a genuinely grand, confident capital city, one of the finest art collections in the world sitting alongside a royal palace with more rooms than Buckingham Palace and nobody's actually lived there full-time in over a century. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Madrid: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the queue. Five main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
The Royal Palace of Madrid
A vast royal palace, though no longer the king's actual residence, is still used for state ceremonies in Madrid, more rooms than Buckingham Palace, apparently, nobody's actually lived there full-time in over a century, the current royal family uses a considerably smaller, more modest residence elsewhere, genuinely one of the largest functioning royal palaces in Europe, and the state rooms open to visitors are lavishly decorated, gilded ceilings and elaborate frescoes throughout.
It's a proper couple of hours, worth allowing time for both the palace interior and the surrounding gardens and armoury, this is genuinely one of the grander royal residences you can visit anywhere in Europe.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am–6pm, shorter in winter
Address Calle de Bailen, Madrid
The Prado Museum
A world-famous art museum in Madrid houses works by Velazquez and Goya, the Prado Museum, genuinely one of the finest classical art collections anywhere, Las Meninas and Goya's darker, later works among the essential pieces, worth allowing a proper half-day given the depth of the collection.
The Reina Sofia is the modern art one nearby, with Picasso's Guernica, worth combining both museums into what's often called Madrid's 'Golden Triangle of Art' alongside the smaller Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, all within walking distance of each other.
Hours Mon–Sat, roughly 10am–8pm, shorter Sundays
Address Paseo del Prado, Madrid
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
Madrid's home football stadium, one of the most famous in the world, is called the Santiago Bernabeu, Wanda Metropolitano is the other Madrid team's ground, a genuinely significant piece of footballing history, home to one of the most successful clubs in the sport, stadium tours cover the trophy room and pitch-side areas.
Match tickets, particularly for major fixtures, sell out and command genuine premium prices, worth booking well ahead if attending a live match is a priority, otherwise the stadium tour offers a good, more accessible alternative.
Hours Tours daily, roughly 9.30am–7pm
Address Avenida de Concha Espina, Madrid
Retiro Park
A genuinely large, elegant park, once a royal retreat, now Madrid's most popular green space, boating on the central lake, a striking glass pavilion (the Crystal Palace), and wide, tree-lined paths, worth a proper afternoon given the park's real scale.
It's free and genuinely one of the best ways to see how Madrid residents actually spend their leisure time, particularly on weekends when street performers and impromptu gatherings fill the wider paths.
Best time Weekend afternoons for the liveliest local atmosphere
Address Retiro Park, Madrid
Madrid's Late Dining & Tapas Culture
Madrid genuinely eats late, dinner rarely starting before 9pm and often running considerably later, worth adjusting your own schedule accordingly rather than expecting an early meal, restaurants aimed at earlier diners tend to be more tourist-oriented and less representative of how the city actually operates.
Tapas bar-hopping through areas like La Latina or Malasana, one drink and small plate per stop, moving on before settling in, is the classic Madrid evening, worth doing across several stops rather than committing to one restaurant.
Best time Evening, genuinely starting later than most visitors initially expect
Address La Latina and Malasana districts, Madrid
Best time to visit Madrid
April through June and September through October give the most comfortable weather for the amount of walking this list involves, mild without summer's intense heat.
Madrid's summer heat is genuinely significant, regularly well past 35°C in July and August, worth avoiding if possible, or planning around late-evening activity given how the whole city adjusts its schedule to the heat during these months anyway.
Getting around Madrid
Madrid's metro is extensive, cheap, and genuinely efficient, covering the whole city well. Central areas, including the Golden Triangle museums and Retiro Park, are walkable in sections.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Madrid worth visiting?
- Yes, easily, the Prado alone is one of the finest art museums anywhere, and the Royal Palace, Retiro Park, and genuine tapas culture add real depth beyond it.
- How many days do you need in Madrid?
- Four days covers the Royal Palace, the Prado, Retiro Park, and a proper tapas evening comfortably.
- Is Madrid expensive?
- Moderate, generally comparable to or slightly cheaper than other major Western European capitals, Retiro Park remains free and tapas culture keeps dining genuinely affordable if you're not eating at tourist-oriented spots.
- What is Madrid famous for?
- The Prado Museum, one of the finest classical art collections in the world, the grand Royal Palace of Madrid, and its genuinely late-running dinner and nightlife culture.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
