Madrid Guide: When Mr.Serendipity meets Miss Plan Ahead
There are two types of travelers in the world: the ones that plan everything and the ones that rather go with the flow. I stand somewhere in the middle.
I read all about the top places to visit in Madrid before heading there and made a big list of things I wanted to see and include in this guide.
It’s nice not to have to worry about where is the best place to eat, but rushing to get to the other side of town because a restaurant is rated 4.7 on TripAdvisor is tiresome sometimes.
Before you read on, take in mind that Madrid is a large city, and you’re bound to find something that will suit your taste.
What follows in this Madrid guide is a combination of places that I had on my must-see list and others that I stumbled upon when I stopped worrying so much about that list.
Art Museums in Madrid
Everyone will tell you to stop by the Prado Museum*, and if you like spending ages looking at Classical Art, then, by all means, visit it.
If you don’t fancy paying €16 at a museum, you have free admission Monday-Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. or Sundays and holidays between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. During these days you also have a 50% discount on temporary exhibitions.
It’s much easier to get inside Reina Sofia**. The home of Picasso’s Guernica is a haven for modern artworks, from Dali to Miró. It’s one of the most visited museums in the world, often ranked ahead of the MoMa in New York. The museum is rather chilly, so if you’re a cold-natured like me, you better bring a jacket!
*The best time to get there is either an hour before the free period or Fridays and Sundays around 6:30 p.m. since the museum is open until later.
If you choose the first option, look for a girl with pink hair and a white umbrella. (It might change when you go, but the umbrella will probably be a part of the look regardless of the weather or the person carrying it). Just sit next to her, and you’ll see people gathering up later on. If you ask the staff, they won’t tell you where it starts (very sneaky)!
**Free visits from 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays or 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. It’s also free on the following days: 18 April, 18 May, 12 October, and 6 December. The museum closes on Tuesdays!
Art Galleries in Madrid
For alternative and conceptual art, try the Tabacalera. It’s an old tobacco factory that has turned into a creepy, but engaging, free exhibition space.
There is also La Neomudejar, which is similar to Tabacalera, but it’s only free on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Finally, we paid a visit to the Anthropology Museum to see a small exhibition of Inuit Art Embroideries. The temporary exhibition is always free, so if you have time on your busy schedule, take a look at what’s on!
As a sporadic embroideress, I was amazed by the colors and the stitches used by Inuit artists. I look forward to trying something similar at home soon!
Architecture in Madrid
There is no denying how beautiful the architecture is in Madrid. From the museums to the churches and even the old-style apartments with their tiled bottom balconies full of plants, there is always something worth capturing!
Stunning buildings like Palacio de Fomento (aka the Ministry of Agriculture), the gorgeous plant structure of CaixaForum and the massive Atocha Railway Station were some of my favorite sights in the city.
If you like modern-looking structures, the airport is one of the first things that will catch your eye, with its wavy see-through ceiling.
To discover more contemporary buildings in the city, I recommend checking this ArchDaily Madrid guide.
Food Markets in Madrid
Unless your friends are vegetarian, they will probably recommend you to try Museo del Jamon (Ham Museum). I mean, what’s not to like about cheap and delicious ham sandwiches?
We first came across it on Calle de Atocha, little did we know it was a food chain. The one that we went to was quite small compared to the rest, but they gave us a delicious stew with beans and chorizo for free (I’m not sure they do this in all of them).
The food markets are a big thing in Madrid. We only tried Mercado de San Ildefonso, thanks to my old friend Katie, but we heard great things about the Mercado de San Fernando in Lavapiés.
Mercado San Antón and Mercado de San Miguel are also great spots to eat. It’s worth going around the market and checking all the food stalls before making a rushed decision!
Trendy Cafés in Madrid
We probably could have eaten a lot cheaper, but here are a couple of cool places we tried around our area:
La Infinito (delicious toasts), Gau & Café (a hidden rooftop on the 4th floor of a University building), Pum Pum Café (vegan café with refreshing frappuccinos and scrumptious-looking cakes).
My personal favorite was Jardín de Salvador Bachiller, a nice secret retreat inside a shop on Calle de la Montera. Their milkshakes were delicious!
For churros and chocolate, we went to the famous Chocolatería San Ginés, where I had my first quasi-spontaneous Instagram meetup with Magda, a nice Polish girl from Krakow who also happened to be in Madrid. She gave us great tips for our Poland tour later on.
I must admit I wasn’t a big fan of the churros, but the chocolate was delicious.
*EDIT: Unfortunately these places are now closed, but I might update this list in the near future.
Of course, like any other city in the world, there are tourist traps like the café at El Retiro, but when you walked for hours in the heat, it doesn’t matter how expensive the water is!
If you like to cross a Guinness Record off your list, then go to the oldest restaurant in the world at Calle Cuchilleros. Sobrino de Botín might be a nice treat for your stomach, but it certainly wasn’t for our wallets, so we skipped that and went to a nearby café instead.
With the high temperatures, it felt nice to eat outside in an evening, though we found out most places charge 10% more for serving outdoors!
Flea Markets in Madrid
You would think living next to a flea market for over a year might have made me numb to all of them.
I will make an exception for Mercado de Motores at the Museo del Ferrocarril (Railway Museum). Call me bias, but I like my old trains.
Every weekend from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., you can find vintage items, local food, and cool crafts, alongside 19th century English and Spanish train carriages.
While we were there, we also had a chance to listen to the band Durango 14 and a group of Beach Boys-wannabes singing a capella.
Outside they have a couple of food and drink stands. Make sure to try the patatas bravas at the Koipe Sol stand, they were super tasty!
I know the El Rastro is the most famous flea market in Madrid, but don’t feel too bad if you don’t make it there! I had a quick look at it, but nothing jumped out as much as in Mercado de Motores.
Then again, it was an extremely hot day, and I was still fighting my cold. That might have turned me off a bit. Feel free to make your own judgment!
Parks in Madrid
I had over a dozen parks on my original list. Nick eventually cut a few of them off because there’s only so many we could visit really.
El Retiro is one of the largest parks in Madrid. It’s the perfect place to relax and get away from the sun. Among this green landscape, you will find two palaces: Palácio de Cristal (a stunning glass pavilion) and Palácio Velasquez. Both of the palaces are now functioning as art galleries.
Parque del Oeste is the perfect spot to see the sunset! It’s where you’ll find most locals hanging out, surrounded by the Templo de Debod.
The temple was a present from Egypt to Spain. It was a thank-you to the Spanish archaeologists for helping out during a water rise of Lake Nasser.
The first time we tried to go to Parque del Oeste, we were way too tired to make it there. We ended up sitting by the Sabatini Gardens and admiring the Royal Palace instead.
I also tried to go see the Cherry Blossoms at Parque Quinta de Los Molinos (yes I know, wrong season). It’s a beautiful sight during the spring though, just take a look at this.
Bars in Madrid
I was sick for most of this trip, so there wasn’t much partying at clubs. I rarely do this when I’m in Lisbon anyway.
We did venture around a lot of bars, including Madrid Me Mata (drawn by cheap “chupitos” and beer), Ojalá (a sandy chill-out spot) and Café Manuela (for delicious mojitos).
Unfortunately, we missed out on the whole craft beer scene. We did pop by The Stuyck Co, but it was already closing, my friend Katie recommends it though!
The best part about the bars in Madrid is the little snacks you get with your drink. Green olives, chips, and popcorn: free food is always welcome.
A note on Spanish vs Portuguese
If you’re Portuguese, you’re probably familiar with “Portunhol” (Portuñol in Spanish). A bridge language that mixes Spanish and Portuguese words.
Although there are several similarities between both languages, some words can mean completely different things.
Two great examples are “Embarazada” (pregnant in Spanish), which sounds like “Embaraçada” (embarrassed in Portuguese).
The other one is ‘Molesta’ (upset in Spanish), very similar to “Molestada” which means molested in Portuguese.
I did most of the talking during the trip since Nick had issues speaking with some people in English. That might have been his Yorkshire accent though.