9 Reasons To Fall In Love With Madrid

Spain’s glorious capital city can win just about anyone over thanks to its endless sunshine, beautiful streets and delicious food. Whether you’re into soccer, architecture, nature or shopping, Madrid has something for everyone, so expect to be wowed. Here’s our list of nine reasons you’ll fall in love in Madrid.

It’s authentic

Madrid is the real deal when it comes to Spanish culture. It often feels like you are stuck in a time warp when all the small shops close for siesta and locals gather around barrels in bars, shouting in Spanish at the soccer game while downing tapa after tapa. Madrid has all the amenities and activities of a large capital city, but still retains its Spanish charm, with endless tapas bars lining the cobblestone streets, family-owned stores and restaurants scattered around the city.

1. Everyone's outside

Thanks to Madrid’s 300 days of sunshine per year, locals love to be outside, whether it be walking around, enjoying lunch or drinks on an outdoor patio or exercising in the park. Madrid has an abundance of charming squares, like the Plaza Mayor, where you can sit out and order drinks or simply enjoy some sunshine on a bench. The Paseo de Prado street is even closed to car traffic on Sundays from 9AM to 4PM, allowing pedestrians, bikers and skaters to roam around.

Plaza Mayor, 28012 Madrid, Spain

Madrid Río | © Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio

Although Madrid is a big, busy city, there are plenty of tree-lined streets and gardens. Flowers are often planted around the city, especially in the grassy area in front of the Puerta de Alcalá monument. The city is full of parks of all kinds to visit and the area along Madrid’s Manzanares River, known as Madrid Río, is ideal for a stroll.

Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza de la Independencia, 1, 28001 Madrid, Spain

Madrid Río, Puente de Toledo, 28019 Madrid, Spain

Go with family, solo, as a couple or with friends

Madrid is a great choice for families, with plenty of child-friendly and teenager-appropriate activities and events, like workshops, art and sporting events. The winding streets of Madrid can also be romantic for couples and the bar and nightlife scene rages all night long if you’re traveling with friends. Even solo travelers can enjoy language exchanges and meetups around the city.

Locals are friendly and helpful

Madrileños are passionate, outgoing and friendly. Although they may not speak fluent English, they are always willing to lend a helping hand or send you in the right direction, gesturing and attempting to make sure you understand them. Madrid locals are proud of their culture and adore sharing it, and visitors fall in love with their kind and extroverted demeanor.

The Philippe Halsman Sorprendeme exhibition

Incredible art

Madrid has some of the most amazing art in the world, from El Greco’s relgious works to Picasso’s depictions of the Spanish Civil War. Besides the epic art museum scene, featuring world-famous spots like the Museo del Prado and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, there are so many wonderful galleries, outdoor sculptures and statues and temporary visiting art exhibitions.

Museo del Prado, Paseo del Prado, s/n, 28014 Madrid, Spain, +34 913 30 28 00

Reina Sofía, Calle de Santa Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid, Spain, +34 917 74 10 00

It’s old (but also new)

The city of Madrid dates way back, with archaeological evidence of human life found dating back to prehistoric times. Full of art and architecture from centuries past, you can even visit the oldest restaurant in the world there, as well as several restaurants dating back to the 1800s. The ancient monuments and buildings in Madrid, juxtaposed with the urban landscape of modern shops, subways and culture in general, make the city incredibly charming and irresistible to visitors.

Eat to your heart’s content

Madrid is heaven for foodies, with plenty of international eats, traditional Spanish delights and trendy food markets where you can sample anything and everything. With a handful of Michelin-starred spots and plenty of low-cost restaurants, food-lovers with any kind of budget will fall in love with Madrid’s cuisine.

It’s not expensive

One of the cheapest capital cities in Europe, Madrid is perfect for a budget traveler. Or, if you’d prefer to splurge, your euros will go much further here than in London, Paris or Amsterdam, for example. Find a beer for one euro, a glass of wine for two euros, and a three-course meal for 20 euros. A room at a clean and safe hostel with a private bathroom will run you under 50 euros per night, or a room in a cute boutique hotel will start at about 100 euros per night. Transportation is also inexpensive, with metro and bus tickets starting at 1.50 euros per ride, while taxi rides around the city center usually hover around 10 euros, depending on your destination.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.