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Top things to do in Madrid

Attractions, tours and activities in Madrid

Recommended museums in Madrid

Where to discover culture and the arts in Madrid

Madrid: the city's best neighbourhoods

Find a great area to stay in Madrid

About Madrid

Including tips for the best time to visit Madrid

Madrid is all bustling plazas, lively tapas bars and a rich variety of museums that showcase Spain’s most celebrated artists. The mesmerising Prado Museum is perhaps the best-known of these, featuring works by Goya and Velázquez. It forms a ‘golden triangle’ with the Reina Sofía Museum – home to Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ – and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, a massive private collection that highlights a breadth of artistic styles.

Centuries of history are evident in Madrid’s medieval architecture – including the intricate portico arches of Plaza Mayor – and sites like the baroque Royal Palace, where state ceremonies are still held. You can visit top attractions like these using the city’s efficient and high-speed Metro service.

Spain's sprawling capital is also a city that lives and breathes football. If you’re a fan, be sure to catch a game at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium – the home of Real Madrid football club – and join in with the roars of the crowd as the ‘Galácticos’ enter this famous pitch.

Madrid’s weather is pleasant for most of the year, with comfortably warm temperatures either side of summer. But a winter vacation still virtually guarantees clear blue skies – a brilliant sight when approaching Madrid airport during the day.

Tonight

From £70 per night

This weekend

From £132 per night

Next weekend

From £116 per night

Most popular time to visit October–December
Cheapest time to visit January–March
Local currency € 10 = £8.57
Language Spanish
Average weekend price £100 per night
Average weekday price £102 per night
Typical stay 2 nights

Points of interest in Madrid

Stay near the top sightseeing spots in Madrid

Madrid reviews

What other travellers say about Madrid

8.0

Loved the city, cool vibe.

28 March 2024

Loved the city, cool vibe. Easy to navigate & walk around. In the 4 days did not take public transport. Great restaurants. Flamenco show a must. Easy from airport to city on the airport bus. 5 euros.

Tracy
Tracy United Kingdom
10

Beautiful city with so much to see and do.

27 March 2024

Beautiful city with so much to see and do. Loved Plaza de Mayor and nearby museums, Prado and Reina Sophia as well as the Royal Palace and Cathedral. I wish we had had more time to tour the parks. People are lovely too.

Vicki
Vicki United States
10

I had an overnight connection and required a hotel with a...

27 March 2024

I had an overnight connection and required a hotel with a shuttle service. We were able to have dinner and some drinks at The Hotel Mardrit, inside the restaurant and bar downstairs and it was lovely. We would love to come back to really explore Madrid.

Jason
Jason United States
8.0

Lovely city, very clean and walkable.

26 March 2024

Lovely city, very clean and walkable. Carlos Sainz karting is well worth a look if you're looking for something fun to do couldn't recommend highly enough. Also the food is amazing, Plenty options outside of Tapas.

GCOFFEY
GCOFFEY Ireland
8.0

Nice couple of days to see the sights with our Niece who...

23 March 2024

Nice couple of days to see the sights with our Niece who speaks Spanish so very helpful. There are a few sights, mainly within walking distance of the centre, many galleries, loads of restaurants and plenty of shopping. It's a bit touristy but it is a European Capital. We joined one of the 'free' tours which worked well to get some background. We didn't pre-book for anything and were lucky with queues, at on time we went past the Prada and the line for tickets was 300m, I think as at times it is free entry. The queue is mainly caused by security, not ticket sales. Get out of the town centre for Tapas, we took a recommendation and went to a location, La pequena grana in a residential side street, packed out, no other tourists and still they made us welcome, found us seats and served us really well. Use Uber for travelling, well represented ,average wait 4 minutes.

PBow
PBow United Kingdom
10

A beautiful city.

22 March 2024

A beautiful city. Clean and safe. Lots to see and do, and much of it within walking distance. Getting around was easy, with fantastic public transport. Great architecture, fantastic shopping, and all interspersed with beautiful open and green spaces.

Richard
Richard

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