Madrid, Spain (Jan 2018)
This was my first visit to Spain and I was excited to explore a new country, even if only for a few days. As usual I did my research before going, mainly browsing TripAdvisor, Pinterest and an Eyewitness Travel guide book: “Top10 Madrid”. I loosely planned an itinerary for 2 days in Madrid and left open an option for a day trip to another nearby town, like Toledo or Segovia.
We left our children with their grandparents in England as we were holidaying with the family there over the Christmas period. On New Year’s Day we caught an afternoon flight from London Gatwick.
Arriving in Madrid after dark, during our taxi ride from the airport we were greeted by a city with beautiful architecture, all lit up with festive, colourful lights hanging across the streets. Staying 4 nights we only had 3 full days to experience the Spanish culture. Yet we fit a lot in. Here are my recommendations.
Where to stay
After researching through TripAdvisor I shortlisted a few hotels, including Hotel Atlantico on Gran Via which looked beautiful in pictures and Apartosuites Jardines de Sabatini which overlooks the Palace and has a rooftop terrace. I finally chose Room Mate Mario Hotel in the Centro district for our stay. It had consistently positive reviews, describing it as a boutique hotel with friendly and helpful staff as well as being centrally located, close walking distance from most of the popular sites. The price was good too! I knew we made the right decision as soon we arrived. The decor in the lobby was funky and modern, with its red colour scheme & quirky lighting features. Then in our room there was a handwritten welcome note, wishing us a happy new year with a little bottle of local red wine (Rioja) and a couple of glasses. As it turned out, it was perfectly located, in a side street just off the plaza in front of the Opera Theatre, close walking distance to the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, Gran Via and Calle del Arenal leading up to Puerta del Sol. It wasn’t a huge room and the ensuite bathroom was very small (considering hubby isn’t exactly small he just fit in the shower cubicle); but there was enough room for the two of us, the bed was quite comfortable and it was very reasonably priced. Being up a quiet side street off the square was a bonus, as people tend to stay out well into the late hours and aren’t very quiet as they wander the streets! The optional buffet breakfast was also good value at 9 Euros, offering lots of variety from hot dishes to continental pastries, toast, cereals and yogurt.
Places to visit
The Royal Palace is one of the most popular attractions in Madrid so expect crowds, even in winter. We didn’t bother lining up to get a ticket to go inside, but did walk around the outside, admiring the grand architecture of the pale grey building which was built in the 1700’s. You will find street performers posing outside, grateful for tips in exchange for photos, as well as police guards patrolling, some on horseback. There was also a children’s carousel ride nearby when we were there.
There are beautiful gardens to the side of the Palace, with sculptured hedges & trees, Spanish statues, green ponds and the odd fountain. They are lovely to wander around, quite peaceful despite lots of people being about.
We noticed in the distance a huge colourful striped dome so decided to walk further to find it. After covering some distance, unable to find the dome we were looking for, we passed Plaza de Espana, a large square with a monument, looking oddly out of place, being surrounded by modern, skyscraper commercial buildings.
Finally we found ourselves at the Templo de Debod. We walked around the temple and surrounding grounds, learning the temple was a gift from Egypt to Madrid in the 1970’s although was built much earlier having stood in Egypt for many centuries. Behind the temple we found some cliff tops and stopped to enjoy views stretching to the west of Madrid, while listening to local musicians busking. Then we headed back towards the Palace, discovering along the way the colourful dome we had been searching for earlier, which turned out to be a catholic church.
There are plenty of historic squares all over Madrid. One of the most famous is Plaza Mayor, located in the old part of the city, dating back to the 17th century. In the centre is a statue of King Philip III on horseback. Around the square are beautiful buildings, over priced al fresco restaurants and arcades with touristy shops. Exploring its surrounding side streets we found more shops to browse as well as some less expensive restaurants. Not quite ready for lunch when we were there, we didn’t stop to eat, just long enough for a few photos and to admire the beautiful artwork painted on one of the nearby buildings.
Puerta del Sol is another square worth walking to, although its actually an oval shape, not a square. When we were there they had a huge christmas tree lit up in blue. Also there’s a statue of Carlos III on a horse, another of a bear climbing an arbutus tree (the symbol of the city) and a beautiful clocktower on one of the nearby 18th century buildings. At night, colourful festive lights hung across all the nearby streets – there are 10 streets leading off the square in total. The hanging street lights were really pretty, adding to the welcoming vibe of the city. Whilst many shops were closed later at night (by 9pm), there were still plenty of crowds walking about, due to the number of restaurants and bars tempting locals and visitors to the area.
Plaza de Oriente is another beautiful square near the Palace, its focal point the bronze statue of Felipe IV. We discovered lots of small squares everywhere we walked and noticed in the evenings some had little market stalls set up selling foods like dried fruits and churros, as well as clothing accessories like scarves, hats and gloves, along with other little treasures.
If you like churches, religious or not, Grand San Francisco built in the 1700’s, is absolutely spectacular. Check the opening hours before you go as they do shut early in the afternoon for a couple of hours (as do many places in Spain for siesta). We arrived at 4pm just as they re-opened. The outside is beautiful in its pale yellow, but the detail in the decorative interior is exquisite. There is so much to soak in with its biblical statues, artwork painted on the ceilings and gold decoration all around the walls. We sat ourselves in the pews for a while and just absorbed the quiet surroundings, resting our feet. Then I went for a wander around, for a closer look, while Steve shut his eyes for a moment and dozed (fortunately to others it looked like he was praying!)
The Crypt next to the Palace is also beautiful with its spires, as is the Basilica Pontificia de San Miguel a few blocks away. There are plenty of churches around Madrid you can step inside to admire and/or pray.
Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro) needs a few hours – it’s huge and so much more than just parklands with trees and grass! We caught a metro to “Banco de Espano” station nearby then found the Fuente de La Cibeles (fountain) first and took a few photos of the nearby statues in the middle of the busy roundabouts at Plaza de Cibeles and Peurta de Alcala.
Then we found our way to the north west entrance of the park and walked through the parklands until we came across a lake. There we saw some couples and young families hiring small row boats. We were content to admire the lake from the banks, watching people feeding the ducks and astounded at the gigantic catfish swimming around.
There are al fresco cafes nearby, as well as buskers and some stalls selling hand crafted jewellery and handbags which looked like fake designer brands. Venturing a bit further past the lake we found the glass palace Palacio de Cristal. Apparently they hold exhibitions inside sometimes. On the day we visited there was a long line of people waiting to go inside so we found a nearby park bench and sat for a while watching the world go by and laughing at the children playing joyfully in the fallen leaves.
After we had finished our walk through the parklands we decided to make our way to the Sofia Art Gallery “Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia“. We exited the park via the South West entrance, walked down a hill past a second hand book market and other stalls and found a icy sledge ride which had been set up. We paused briefly, to watch some children skidding down the ice with excited laughter and giggles. When we found the Reina Sofia, there was another long line to buy tickets; a much shorter line if you had pre-booked so we ended up buying tickets online on my iPhone while standing in the queue so we could skip ahead. This art gallery is dedicated to modern art. Unfortunately we were getting really tired after all our walking so we only looked around two of their four floors, admiring some Picasso, Salvador Dali and other unusual modern pieces. Aside from being physically tired with sore feet from all the walking, I was mentally tired from taking in so much that day and this was all my attention span could take.
My tip for sunset is Circulo de Bellas Artes roof terrace – although there are other places around Madrid popular for watching a sunset, such as the Royal Palace and Templo de Debod. Circulo de Bellas Artes is a 1920’s art club but its wonderful roof terrace is just as popular for its views. I had read reviews about long lines to get up in the glass lift to the rooftop, so we arrived at 5pm. We found the entrance down the side street and were about third in line to pay our 4 euros to catch the lift so only had to wait a few minutes before we were on our way up. The views from the top are spectacular. I took a few photos then we easily got a table in the bar area and ordered some tapas. We chose to have croquets and “terrezno” (a delicious bacon with crackling we enjoyed for hours later as it repeated on us) as I drank Sangria while Steve had a cup of coffee. Then I took more photos as the sun was dipping lower turning the sky pink and orange.
This is the spot to get a picture of Madrid’s signature Metropolis building, designed in Neo Baroque style by French architects in 1905.
The only negative was all the smokers on the outdoor terrace, otherwise we would have stayed longer, but this is typical for Europe after all (they love to smoke everywhere). We left after 6pm just before it got completely dark and noticed as we exited the building that the line for the lifts was now stretched around the corner onto the main street. So get there early and maybe also check before hand to make sure it isn’t closed for a private function.
If you like shopping then Gran Via is the place to go. It’s a long avenue of retail stores, stretching through the Centro area of Madrid. There’s something odd looking about it though, seeing modern high street brands housed in historic buildings with beautiful architecture. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, its worth a stroll down at least part of the main street for some window shopping.
Day trip to Toledo & Segovia
I will start by saying both these nearby historic towns warrant much more than a few hours visit. Each town is about an hour’s drive away from Madrid (only 30 minutes if you catch a fast train) and are in opposite directions: Toledo is to the South; Segovia is North West of Madrid. You could easily spend a couple of days in each town, exploring at your own pace. However we were short of time and couldn’t decide which to visit so when I saw a day trip advertised on TripAdvisor which offered the opportunity to see both places in one organised coach trip, we decided to do it. Although we were a little hesitant because we don’t usually like organised tours.
We met our coach at 7.45am outside Plaza de Toros which I realised when we arrived was a bull fighting arena. It was just getting light when we set off around 8am for Toledo. Our coach arrived at Toledo around 9am and first drove around the outskirts of the hilltop, walled town as our tour guide provided some information about its history. We stopped for some photos from a good vantage point across the river, then the coach dropped us by a foot bridge to commence an hour walking tour across the town.
We normally don’t like organised walking tours and prefer to explore at our own pace but certainly didn’t regret this decision. It was not only informative as the guide (Paula) told us interesting legends, facts about the buildings and how the Christians, Jews and Muslims inhabited the town throughout various periods in history; we never would have been able to navigate the windy narrow streets and surely would have gotten lost if we had been on our own. In fact Paula told us that this was part of the town’s defence strategy to confuse any invading troops. We walked through the Jewish quarter, past beautiful buildings, houses and churches, learning some of the facades were fake (you had to look twice to see).
At the end of our tour we landed in a shopping area near the square by the Alcazar for an hour of free time. Being hungry having missed breakfast, we found a nearby restaurant for some coffee and a traditional Spanish breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, a tortilla-like muffin and tomato salsa-like sauce, with a tiny pot of yogurt and cereal on the side. Then after we felt human again, we browsed some nearby touristy stores, watching the local craftsmen intricately making jewellery. I also popped down a side street to have a look at the Alcazar walls from up close. At 11.15am we all re-grouped and walked back to our coach to depart for Segovia, our journey north through the countryside taking 1 hour 45 minutes.
We arrived at 2pm at the Aqueduct and were given an hour’s free time, just in time for lunch. Segovia is famous for its suckling pig but Steve and I were too full from our late breakfast. So we looked around the square and nearby streets, bought cups of coffee and some biscuit snacks, then I climbed the stairs to take some photos of the Aqueduct.
At 3pm we had another walking tour with Paula again, heading across the town towards the Alcazar. Again we observed gorgeous buildings along the way, some with bizarre facades. We walked by its famous cathedral near Plaza Mayor, then eventually arrived at the Alcazar, just before 4pm – all while listening to interesting information along the way.
Our tour had tickets included for the Alcazar – a castle which inspired Walt Disney’s castle (along with another famous castle in Germany). Unfortunately we only had an hour free time to visit inside the castle and get back to our coach across the other side of town by the Aqueduct, so we did a quick 20 minute walk around the castle admiring the historic interior and intricate ceilings, then set off.
We walked briskly back to Plaza Mayor where we stopped for 5 minutes to catch our breath on a bench seat briefly, while admiring the architecture of the Cathedral de Segovia across the square. Then we bought some little cakes and chocolate filled biscuits at some nearby shops. I also bought an empanilla to eat as we continued our walk back to the Aqueduct, arriving dead on 5pm just in time for our coach to leave promptly.
It seemed like a long journey back to Madrid, around 2 hours, thanks to some bad traffic on the outskirts of the city. We enjoyed watching the countryside along the way and were treated to a pink sunset just before we arrived in Madrid, back at Las Ventas at 7pm. It had been a long day and our feet were sore but we’d had a really enjoyable time experiencing the sights of two beautiful historic towns.
I booked our tour with Viator.com after seeing it advertised on TripAdvisor and services were supplied by Amigo Tours. I booked at very short notice, only two days before (although it was low season, early January) and think we may have been lucky to get in as both coaches were almost full. The cost was USD158 for two adults and included comfortable coach transport, friendly & knowledgeable bilingual guides, a one hour informative walking tour in each town and entrance fee to El Alcazar in Segovia. We thought it was totally worth it to visit and experience two beautiful towns in one day and we highly recommend this tour.
Getting around
From the airport – the least expensive option is the Metro. We didn’t fancy dragging our bags up and down stairs though and wanted to get to/from our hotel quickly, so we we caught a taxi both directions. A taxi took around 15 minutes to central Madrid and was a flat rate of 30 Euros both ways.
Getting around town – if you are centrally located like we were, walking is best so you can take in all the beautiful architecture, sites and local culture. Most of the main sites are not too far apart. We did around 20,000 steps one day!
The Metro is also really easy if you want to venture a bit further. We took the Metro when we went to Retiro Park and Las Ventas. Tickets are fairly cheap, and the ticket machines are really easy to work, with a language option in English and taking payments by credit cards.
Where to eat
Mercado San Miguel should not be missed. It’s an amazing indoor food market in a gorgeous building, selling beautifully prepared tapas dishes and deserts. It’s not far from Plaza Mayor, just a few steps away. We walked around late morning admiring all the colourful displays of fruits, meats, cheese, seafood, pastries and sweets – regretting we were still full from breakfast – although we never could have decided what to buy or eat from all the choices! Just be warned though, there aren’t many places to sit and whilst it was reasonable quiet when we were there late morning, it gets very busy later in the day. I read in one review some people would buy a few items and have an afternoon picnic on a bench in the nearby Plaza Mayor.
Madrid is famous for its churros and chocolate and the best place to experience this is the equally famous Chocolateria San Gines. It’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, located up a side alley, just a short walk from the Opera Theatre near where we were staying. They say it’s a “must visit” – but we almost didn’t, because every time we went past there was a long line outside. Eventually I popped up on my own for breakfast on the morning of the day we were due to leave. I lined up for about 5 minutes, fortunately it was moving quickly. Not quite sure what to do I noticed others before me ordered and paid at the door. So when I got to the counter I paid 4 Euros for churros and hot chocolate and as the lady gave me a ticket, I asked what to do next. She asked me where I want to sit – I said I didn’t mind as was on my own so whatever is quickest. She suggested I go to the bar to stand which I could do straight away while others queued for tables. Immediately a waiter appeared before me at the bar, took my ticket and brought me a plate of churros (about 6 in total). Then my hot chocolate arrived. It was divine! I watched the man next to me sprinkle some icing sugar on his churros so I did the same, then dipped them in my hot chocolate. The churros were fresh and light and the hot chocolate so rich and thick, like a melted Galaxy bar, I’m sure they made it out of pure cream? Now I could see what all the fuss was about as I stood at the bar enjoying my hot chocolate and watching the people around me. I actually couldn’t finish all the churros and left a couple behind.
Of course, you can find churros and hot chocolate in many other places around Madrid. I had a hot chocolate in a cafe opposite the crypt near the Royal Palace and it was equally as good. We also had churros and chocolate from a market stall near our hotel on our first night (when we couldn’t get in to San Gines) which was also nice and fresh, though not quite as delicious as San Gines.
Also while in Madrid you must have Paella and Sangria. I am ashamed to admit I had never had a Spanish Paella before but what better place to enjoy my first authentic Paella than in Madrid. So much so that I had Paella for dinner 3 out of the 4 nights we were there! I also insisted on drinking a glass of Sangria at least once a day while in Madrid. Although I’d had Sangria before, it seemed so much tastier in Madrid! We also enjoyed the local red wine “Rioja” (pronounced ‘rioka’) most evenings, even the ‘house’ version was good.
There are plenty of good restaurants recommended through TripAdvisor to choose from, but as we were travelling light and didn’t bring dressy clothes with us (and hubby lives in shorts even in winter), we looked for places which appeared welcoming to a casual diner. Three worth mentioning are La Cueva, Toro Tapas and Opera Cafe. All three were a short walk from where we were staying, the last two were very close to the Opera Theatre, across the street. They offered set menu options which were great value (I had a three course meal for 16 Euros in Opera Cafe) and the food was really delicious.
My last tip when it comes to eating and drinking – grab a bottle of blue wine from the duty free on your way home. I had never heard of it before but while in Segovia our guide mentioned it is made locally. I drank it with my mother in law when we got back to England and it was interesting to say the least – quite tasty, a little on the sweet side, like a sweet white wine – but watch out for the blue tongue it gives you!
Negatives
As mentioned, there are smokers everywhere. Crowds also. I find it hard to tolerate both, especially the latter when I’m trying to take photographs of famous landmarks or lining up for tickets. Try to buy tickets online where you can.
Regrets
We both wished we had tried the famous suckling pig in Segovia and would like to have spent more time in Toledo and Segovia.
I also regret not seeing a flamenco show, but unfortunately hubby wasn’t really into it. Perhaps I will catch one if I visit Spain again in future.