Travel guide
Madrid packs a royal palace, world-class art and some of Europe's greenest spaces into a few walkable days. Here's what to plan around, from the Prado to the rooftop bars.
Madrid Gran Via, Madrid
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Madrid is one of Europe's major cultural capitals, and it shows in the density of what you can do in a single day. You can stand in one of Europe's largest royal palaces in the morning, see the Prado Museum in the afternoon and eat tapas in a century-old taberna at night.[1],[2]
The city also has a green side that surprises first-time visitors. Tree-lined streets and vast parks make Madrid one of Europe's greenest capitals, so a trip here is not just museums and meals — it is long walks between them.[3]
Whatever time of year you visit, Madrid offers culture, food and entertainment. That makes it a flexible destination: you are not gambling on a single season to have a good trip.[2]
Madrid (MAD)
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Madrid's top sights include one of Europe's largest royal palaces, the Prado Museum and the Real Madrid football stadium. These are the three that anchor most first trips, and they are worth building your days around.[1]
The Paseo del Arte - Art Walk Pass costs €32 and covers one visit each to the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofía museums. If you plan to see all three, the pass is the simplest way to do it.[13]
The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum holds over 1000 works tracing European painting from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century. The Old Masters up to the start of the 19th century are on the second floor, and the first floor is devoted to Modern Masters from Impressionism to the 20th century.[13]
The ground floor of the Thyssen-Bornemisza houses 180 works from the Carmen Thyssen collection, with its own entrance at the start of the main hall. That display runs chronologically from 17th-century Dutch painting to 20th-century art.[13]
El Retiro Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Madrileños' favourite spots. The area encompassing the Paseo del Prado and El Retiro Park has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as a cultural landscape, so the walk between the museums and the park is part of the experience.[1],[3]
The El Retiro Rose Garden must be seen during the spring months. If your trip lands in spring, put it on the list.[3]
Casa de Campo is Spain's largest green space, and it is Madrid's largest public park, home to a zoo and an amusement park. That makes it a full-day option if you are traveling with children or want a break from the city center.[1],[3]
Madrid Río Park runs along the banks of the River Manzanares and is a vast leisure and cultural stretch. The rewilding of the river has led to a remarkable resurgence in biodiversity in the area, and historic monuments and recreational facilities are dotted alongside the riverbed.[3],[4]
The Royal Botanic Gardens has a selection of more than 5,000 species of plants and is open every day except Christmas and New Year's Day. It is an easy add-on to a Prado day.[3]
Campo del Moro Park is an English-style garden in Hapsburg Madrid located right behind the Royal Palace, and the Sabatini Gardens are found in the former location of the Royal Palace's stables. Both are close to the palace and easy to combine with a palace visit.[3]
The Temple of Debod Gardens were designed by Manuel Herrero Palacios, and the funeral monument was brought stone by stone from Egypt. It is one of the more unusual garden stops in the city.[3]
The Rose Garden in Oeste Park has some of the world's most beautiful rosebushes in one of the largest gardens in Madrid. It covers 32,000 m2 and grows around 20,000 specimens of 650 different varieties of modern rosebushes, and in 2006 it won the Garden Excellence Award from the World Federation of Rose Societies.[3],[10]
The Rose Garden is open every day of the year with free entry and no reservations required. It sits inside Oeste Park, close to Príncipe Pío station, Plaza de España, the Temple of Debod and the cable car.[10]
Madrid has an alternative top 10 of places off the beaten track. If you have already seen the big three, this is where to look next.[2]
El Capricho Park is a beautiful 18th-century garden found off the beaten track. It was built in 1784 by the Duke and Duchess of Osuna on the outskirts of Madrid, and the gardens cover 17 hectares, designed by Jean Baptiste Mulot.[3],[5]
El Capricho contains a Spanish Civil War bunker that served as the headquarters of the Republican Army of the Central Region. The bunker is a 2000m2 shelter lying 15 metres underground, built in 1937, with seven rectangular rooms, four exits to the park and a gallery reaching the street.[5]
Madrid City Council offers free 30-minute guided tours of the bunker on Saturdays and Sundays for groups of 20 people, with prior reservation required. You can reserve at https://reservaspatrimonio.es/.[5]
Entry to El Capricho Park is free, with a maximum capacity of 1,000 people. The park is only open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, so plan it for a weekend.[5]
From October to March the park is open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 9am to 6.30pm, and from April to September from 9am to 9pm. It can be reached by Metro at El Capricho station on line 5.[5]
Cerro del Tío Pío Park is known popularly as the "park of the seven boobs" because of the shape of its hills. It is said to offer the best views of Madrid, and the paths to the viewpoint are accessible.[3],[6]
The Illusory Ornamental Rectangle presides over the park's lookout point. It was built between 1985 and 1987 and is the work of the Cadiz-born artist Enriquez de Salamanca.[6]
The Railway Museum is located in the old Delicias train station, which was inaugurated on 30 March 1880 and is the oldest station built in Madrid. The museum opened in 1984, and its central nave is 170 m long, 35 m wide and 22.5 m high.[11]
The museum has the largest model railway in Spain. The "Territorio Ferroviario" model is HO scale (1:87) and covers 300 square metres with 850 metres of tracks for 66 trains.[11]
The CIMAF garden trains run every Saturday between 11:30am and 2pm, and children and adults can ride small trains on a 5-inch gauge track (12.7 cm). The mini-train railway closes over the summer and opens again in September.[11]
The Lázaro Galdiano Museum is housed in a stately mansion in the Barrio de Salamanca neighbourhood, José Lázaro Galdiano's former residence, the mansion of Parque Florido. Its collection includes paintings by Goya, El Greco, Zurbarán and Hieronymus Bosch, plus bronze figures, ceramics, glassware, textiles, medals and weapons.[12]
Highlights of the Lázaro Galdiano collection include Hieronymus Bosch's St. John the Baptist in Meditation and Goya's Witches' Sabbath. General admission costs €8, and entry is free on Tuesday to Friday from 2pm to 3pm.[12]
The Official Madrid Shop sells souvenirs made by local artisans. If you want something made in Madrid rather than a generic souvenir, start there.[1]
You can dine at a Michelin-star restaurant, have tapas in a century-old taberna or a cocktail at a rooftop bar in Madrid. Those three options cover most moods, from a special dinner to a casual evening.[2]
Madrid's nightlife includes drinks, dancing till the small hours, theatre evenings and tapas crawls. A tapas crawl is the classic way to eat your way through an evening rather than committing to one restaurant.[2]
If you want a day out of the city, you can take a train or bus from Madrid for a day trip. That gives you an easy way to see more of Spain without changing hotels.[2]
The NFL Madrid 2026 game between the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals takes place on 8 November at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. If you are in town that weekend, expect a big crowd around the stadium.[1]
Madrid Hotel Week holds over 100 activities across more than 50 hotels from 6 to 15 November. It overlaps with the NFL game, so mid-November is a busy stretch.[1]
The Kurios by Cirque du Soleil show runs until 7 September. If your trip falls before then, it is a straightforward evening option.[1]
Quinta de los Molinos has stunning almond trees which blossom in late February. That is one of the earliest signs of spring in the city.[3]
The Thyssen-Bornemisza has several exhibitions worth checking dates for: the Kenny Scharf exhibition runs from 29 September 2026 to 17 January 2027, 'Thyssen-Bornemisza & Mauritshuis: a love story between two museums' runs from 9 October 2026 to 10 January 2027, and 'Dalí's Freudian Universe' runs from 20 October 2026 to 24 January 2027.[13]
The exhibition 'Seba Calfuqueo. Cautín' runs from 6 October to 17 January. Temporary exhibition opening times should be checked on the official website.[13]
Madrid's parks are well connected by Metro, bus and the Cercanías local train network. For Madrid Río, the nearest metro stations include Almendrales (L3), Legazpi (L3, L6), Marqués de Vadillo (L5), Pirámides (L5), Príncipe Pío (L6, L10, R), Puerta del Ángel (L6) and Usera (L6).[4]
The nearest Cercanías local train stations to Madrid Río are Madrid-Príncipe Pío and Pirámides. Park services include bicycle hire, a running circuit, information points, a catering area and a botanical trail.[4]
New audio guides and interactive maps for exploring Madrid Río were launched in spring 2026. The audio guides let residents and tourists explore 38 landmarks and are available in Spanish and English as well as sign language, accessible through QR codes and on the City Council's website.[4]
For the Railway Museum, use Delicias (L3) or Palos de la Frontera (L3) metro stations, or the Madrid-Delicias Cercanías station. The museum is at Paseo de las Delicias, 61, 28045.[11]
For the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the nearest metro stations are Banco de España (L2) and Sevilla (L2), and the nearest Cercanías stations are Madrid-Atocha, Madrid-Recoletos and Madrid-Sol.[13]
For the Rose Garden in Oeste Park, the nearest metro stations are Argüelles (L3, L4, L6), Plaza de España (L2, L3, L10) and Ventura Rodríguez (L3). The nearest Cercanías station is Madrid-Príncipe Pío.[10]
For Juan Carlos I Park, the nearest metro station is Feria de Madrid (L8), and buses 104, 112 and 122 serve the park. The park has a free little train that runs around it every half an hour.[7]
The Madrid City Card is the city's new official sightseeing and tourist travel pass. Tourist passes give discounts on museums and transport in Madrid, so compare the card against what you plan to see before you buy.[1],[2]
The Paseo del Arte - Art Walk Pass costs €32 and is valid for one visit to each of the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofía museums. If you want all three, it is the simplest ticket to buy.[13]
Entry to the Thyssen-Bornemisza is free on Mondays from 12 noon to 4pm, and entry is free every day for under 18s. Entry to temporary exhibitions on the ground floor and level -1 is free on Saturdays from 9pm to 11pm.[13]
A general ticket to the Thyssen-Bornemisza costs €14, and a discounted ticket costs €10. The ticket office is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6:30pm, and on Mondays tickets are only available online via telephone.[13]
The Rose Garden in Oeste Park is free and open every day of the year with no reservations required. It is one of the easiest free stops in the city.[10]
Entry to Santander Park is free, and the park is open Monday to Sunday from 7am to 11pm. The sports facilities are open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 11pm.[9]
Entry to El Capricho Park is free, with a maximum capacity of 1,000 people. The free 30-minute bunker tours on Saturdays and Sundays require prior reservation.[5]
Madrid Río Beach and its water jets are ideal for cooling down in the summer. That is a free way to spend a hot afternoon.[4]
There are 17 play areas along the Salón de Pinos route in Madrid Río. All playground equipment is made from sustainable, natural materials such as wood and hemp rope, and each play area has different equipment chosen according to age, skill, balance and strength.[4]
Madrid has many activities for children. Juan Carlos I Park organises a wide range of activities for children at weekends, and one of the city's parks has two children's areas.[2],[7],[8]
Madrid's top sights include one of Europe's largest royal palaces, the Prado Museum and the Real Madrid football stadium. El Retiro Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the classic green-space stop.[1]
The Madrid City Card is the city's new official sightseeing and tourist travel pass. Tourist passes give discounts on museums and transport, so it is worth comparing the card against the individual tickets you plan to buy.[1],[2]
Entry is free on Mondays from 12 noon to 4pm, and free every day for under 18s. Temporary exhibitions on the ground floor and level -1 are free on Saturdays from 9pm to 11pm.[13]
The Paseo del Arte - Art Walk Pass costs €32 and is valid for one visit to each of the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofía museums. It is the simplest way to see all three.[13]
Madrid City Council offers free 30-minute guided tours of the bunker on Saturdays and Sundays for groups of 20 people, with prior reservation required. You can reserve at https://reservaspatrimonio.es/.[5]
Madrid has many activities for children. Casa de Campo is home to a zoo and an amusement park, Madrid Río has 17 play areas along the Salón de Pinos route, and Juan Carlos I Park organises a wide range of activities for children at weekends.[2],[3],[4],[7]
The NFL Madrid 2026 game between the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals takes place on 8 November at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Madrid Hotel Week holds over 100 activities across more than 50 hotels from 6 to 15 November.[1]
Every rule, fee and deadline above is taken from these official pages, which we read on November 5, 2026. Rules change, so check the official page before you apply or pay.
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