50 Madrid Attractions You Need to Visit Before You Die

Madrid’s main square holds centuries of history in its cobbles, and has been the scene of everything from coronations to bullfights and beheadings. These days it’s a nice place in which to stroll and sample one of the city’s famed foods: bocadillo de calamares (a calamari sandwich) from one of the bars surrounding the square.

The official residence of Spain’s royal family is these days used for official ceremonies only (King Felipe and Queen Letizia live in the more modest Zarzuela Palace just outside Madrid). Members of the public can visit the palace and check out centuries worth of paintings, furniture and armour.

Madrid’s most beautiful park is the ideal place to spend a lazy afternoon enjoying a picnic and messing about in a rowing boat on the lake.

Madrid’s most famous street has a cinematic scope that has seen it star in Abre Los Ojos (the original Spanish-language movie of the 2001 Tom Cruise remake, Vanilla Sky). Head to the top of the Corte Inglés Gourmet Experience for a great view of the street’s famous Schweppes sign.

Head to one of Madrid’s rooftop bars for an unforgettable view over the city’s rooftops. We recommend Circulo de Bellas Artes for the best panoramic view of the capital.

All roads in Spain lead to the Puerta del Sol, known as kilometre zero and the very centre of the country. It is also home to the famous statue of the bear and the strawberry tree, the official symbol of Madrid.

Madrid is home to a collection of the world’s best art galleries, and the three most famous are handily located close to each other in a triangle. The Prado (classical paintings), The Reina Sofia (modern art) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza (a little bit of everything) are full of artistic riches well worth exploring.

This grand building was, amazingly, the headquarters of Madrid’s post office until 2011. Today it is the home of Madrid City Council and a visitor attraction because of the incredible views from its observation deck.

The ideal spot for a tapas crawl, Cava Baja is Madrid’s famous ‘tapas street‘ and on an evening is teeming with people enjoying a drink and a bite. Highly recommended are La Perejila, Txakolina and El Tempranillo.

Madrid is home to what is officially the oldest restaurant in the world – it has the Guinness World Record certificate in the window to prove it. Sobrino de Botín was founded in 1725 and has been going strong ever since. Its speciality is roast suckling pig and it appears in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.

Madrid’s famous flea market is held every Sunday morning, when the streets come to life with stalls, bars open out onto the streets and locals and tourists alike enjoy the fiesta atmosphere around the area of Lavapiés.

Madrid’s cathedral was consecrated by Pope John Paul on its opening in 1993. Its Baroque exterior matches the older Royal Palace next door, and it was where King Felipe and Queen Letizia married.

You cannot possibly leave Madrid without trying churros con chocolate (sugar-drenched deep-fried dough sticks with hot chocolate) from San Ginés, which has been serving since 1894. It is open all night long, so is a great pitstop on the way home from a night on the town.

Barrio de Las Letras (Literary Quarter) is one of Madrid’s most beautiful and coolest neighbourhoods. It was the home of Spanish literary giant and Don Quixote author, Miguel de Cervantes, and these days is full of eccentric bars and restaurants. Make sure to look down once in a while; the streets are peppered with famous literary quotes.

Madrid’s main train has a very unusual feature – its very own indoor rainforest, home to dozens of turtles!

This former matadero(slaughterhouse) – situated along the River Manzanares – was converted into an arts centre in the early 2000s. It has its own cinema and exhibition spaces and holds regular performances and food markets.

Tapas is, without a doubt, one of the first things that come to mind when one thinks of Spain. Head to La Latina area for great restaurants and bars, and do as the locals do: order a drink and you will usually get a free tapa, then head over to the next bar. You will not only discover the neighborhood but you will also be able to taste a great variety of Spanish drinks and tapas at an affordable price! Recommended by Sonia Cuesta.

Ernest Hemingway was fascinated with Spain and Spanish culture after becoming utterly enamoured while working as a reporter during the Civil War. Many of his favourite spots in the country were in Madrid and some still exist to this day. Begin with Sobrino de Botin, the world’s oldest restaurant, and try the suckling pig. It’s so good that Hemingway mentioned it in his novel The Sun Always Rises. Treat yourself to a beer or two in the Cerveceria Alemana, a cocktail at Museo Chicote and check out the second floor breakfast room at Tryp Gran Via to see photos of ‘Don Ernesto’. His love for bullfighting, meanwhile, is almost as famous as his written works, so be sure to check out the Las Ventas Bullring and Bullfighting Museum. Recommended by Paul Gibbins.

There’s an old saying in Madrid that “whatever you’re looking for, go to Maravillas Market. If you don’t find it, it doesn’t exist.” Stocking perhaps the largest range of traditional market food in the city, Maravillas offers the full gamut of sights, sounds and smells. No trip to Madrid, however, is complete without a visit to San Miguel Market. Housed in its original iron structure, the market is home to 33 stalls selling the very best Spanish street food. Recommended by Paul Gibbins.

Wherever there’s a CaixaForum in Spain, it’s guaranteed to be one of the best attractions in the city, and the Madrid version is no different. Built in an old power station, the museum is an architectural wonder in itself, appearing to levitate from the ground as you approach it. The luscious vertical garden on the exterior walls, has also made the venue a talking-point. Once inside you’ll find multimedia exhibitions of art, music, poetry, photography, as well as a number of events including debates, conferences and workshops for families and professionals alike. Recommended by Paul Gibbins.

This square is in the heart of the trendy neighbourhood of Malasaña and is surrounded by a host of excellent bars, restaurants and shops – a great location for nightlife in Madrid.

The seemingly gravity defying KIO towers in Madrid’s Financial District lean at a 15-degree angle, and were the first leaning skyscrapers in the world.

This old cinema shows classic Hollywood and modern films from around the world for a bargain €2.50. Its tumultuous history saw it bombed during the Spanish Civil War, but today it is home to the Filmoteca Española, which restores and preserves old films as part of Spain’s Ministry of Culture. It appears in Pedro Almodóvar’s Hable con Ella (Talk to Her).

Renowned Madrid fan Ernest Hemingway famously said that nobody goes to bed in Madrid “until they have killed the night”, and spring is a good time to experience Madrid’s nightlife. The nights are longer and warmer, ideal for sampling the city’s best bars, clubs and concert venues.

Football fans should try to get tickets to see one of Madrid’s biggest teams: Real Madrid or Atlético de Madrid. Spring is getting to the end of the La Liga season, so could be the time for dramatic matches that could decide who wins Spain’s top football league. If you don’t manage to get tickets, you can visit the home of Real Madrid, the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, for a tour.

It’s no secret Madrid can get pretty stifling during the summer, so if the temperatures are pushing 40°C why not do a day trip to the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, just north of the city? Temperatures are guaranteed to be lower, and the mountains are also home to some stunning natural swimming pools – great for a dip!

Whether it’s one of Madrid’s popular public outdoor pools or a glamorous rooftop pool, there is no better feeling during the city’s sweltering summer than plunging into refreshing water and cooling off. Lago, a public two pool complex in the Casa de Campo park, is one of the most popular spots in the city, just prepare for a bit of a queue at the weekend.

There are lots of different places across the city that set up open-air cinemas in the summer. Catch a flick on the beautiful rooftop of La Casa Encendida, a cultural centre, or watch a new release in the courtyard of Cibeles Palace, the grand headquarters of Madrid’s City Council.

You’ll never realise how much you appreciate air conditioning until you visit Madrid in summer. Enjoy the cool atmosphere at one of the city’s cinemas – the Cine Doré, a 1920s art house cinema in the Lavapiés neighbourhood, is home to the Filmoteca Española, which is dedicated to preserving old Spanish films. It shows films from around the world, as well as movies in English with Spanish subtitles, for a bargain €3. Alternatively get your air con fix at one of Madrid’s famous art galleries; the Prado and Reina Sofia both offer free admission during the last couple of hours of the day.

Madrid is perfect for literature buffs. Home to one of the largest libraries in the world, the Biblioteca Nacional as well as the stomping grounds for famous writers like Hemingway and Cervantes, you should definitely take the time to get to know the literary history of Madrid. Do your own mini-tour by visiting the birthplaces of many famous writers, and take a stroll through the literary quarter of Madrid, Barrio de las Letras. Recommended by Lori Zaino.

There’s no better way to explore Madrid’s street art scene than by a walking tour on a sunny day. Tours usually include a visit to La Neomudejar, a contemporary arts center, and walks through neighborhoods like Malasaña and La Latina. Recommended by Lori Zaino.

If you’re looking for a place bursting with atmosphere, head for the Circulo de Bellas Artes. In its building on the beautiful Calle del Alcalá it not only hosts wonderful art exhibitions of all schools and styles, but it also has a lovely café on street level, decorated with antique-themed sculptures, as well as a breathtaking rooftop terrace with a stunning view over the roofs of Madrid. Recommended by Laura Kauffmann.

Real-life escape room games are non virtual adventures, in which the daring participants are locked into a room, given a mission and clues and are only allowed to use their brain cells and nerve to escape. So what are you waiting for? Grab your friends and test your brains. Establishments such as The Exit-Game, Enigma Express, The Rombo Code offer outrageous scenarios also available in English! Recommended by Laura Kauffmann.

The existence of many hidden gardens right in the bustling center of Madrid often goes unnoticed. The Huerto de las Monjas, for example, once a pristine retreat for nuns of the convent it belonged to, now lies hidden behind inconspicuous apartment buildings. If you are looking for refreshment, the café on the patio of the Museo del Romanticísmo will allure all your senses with delicious homemade cakes and tarts in an almost surreal atmosphere of quiet contemplation. Recommended by Laura Kauffmann.