Things To Do

Getting Around

The metro is easily accessible throughout the city center and definitely the cheapest way to travel. We also recommend downloading the app "Free Now" (which is like Uber for taxis) as well as Uber. Taxis are readily available throughout the city, but usually end up costing more than with these apps.

SANDEMANs NEW Madrid, Free Walking Tour & Pub Crawl

A great way to see some of the major sights in the center along with an interesting history. The tour is totally free! (Tips are encouraged at the end)

Royal Palace of Madrid

El Retiro Madrid

One of the largest parks of the city of Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until the late 19th century, when it became a public park.

Plaza de Cibeles

The history of the building dates back to 1904, when the post office was constructed. Nowadays visitors can enjoy drinks or dinner with a view on the terrace on the eighth floor. There’s a space for exhibitions, a grand hall for events, a library and an area on the ground floor, the Centro Cultural, with couches, tables and free wi-fi where locals and tourists alike can stop in to escape the cold or simply take a little break to read the newspaper or surf the web.

Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor was built during Philip III's reign and is a central plaza in the city of Madrid, Spain. It is located only a few Spanish blocks away from another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol.

Puerta del Sol

The Puerta is located in the very heart of Madrid. It serves as the kilometre zero from which all radial roads in Spain are measured. This is demonstrated by a plaque on the floor of the square, marking the exact point of Km.0. Take a picture of your feet on the plaque!

Mercado de San Miguel

Originally built in 1916, San Miguel Market is the most popular market in Madrid among tourists since it is located in the center of Madrid, within walking distance from Plaza Mayor. The market is not a traditional grocery market but a gourmet tapas market, with over 30 different vendors selling a wide variety of freshly prepared tapas, hams, olives, baked goods and other foods. Beer, wine and champagne are also available. It can get pretty crowded during weekends, but it's one of Alex's favorite spots!

Library Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Spain's national museum of 20th-century art. Home to Guernica, a mural-sized oil painting on canvas by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso completed in June 1937, at his home on Rue des Grands Augustins, in Paris.

Museo Nacional del Prado

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Spain's national museum of 20th-century art. Home to Guernica, a mural-sized oil painting on canvas by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso completed in June 1937, at his home on Rue des Grands Augustins, in Paris.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum offers visitors an overview of art from the 13th century to the late 20th century. In the nearly one thousand works on display, visitors can contemplate the major periods and pictorial schools of western art such as the Renaissance, Mannerism, the Baroque, Rococo, Romanticism and the art of the 19th and 20th centuries up to Pop Art. The museum also features works from some movements not represented in state-owned collections, such as Impressionism, Fauvism, German Expressionism and the experimental avant-garde movements of the early 20th century. In addition, it boasts an important collection of 19th-century American painting not found in any other European museum institutions.

How to go out for tapas!

click to see a helpful video

How to order beer

How to order coffee

Pro Tip:

When at a bar/restaurant, order only drinks first (even if you plan on ordering food). That way, they'll bring you complimentary tapas with your drinks first!