Ever gone to a new city that you’ve never been to before? How long do you spend there? A week? A long weekend? Or maybe just a few days? I was in Madrid for just 10 hours...I planned and crammed everything in such a short amount of time! There’s so much to see and do, and if you’re anything like me then you take a lot of photos.
Getting around Madrid is easy. The metro and tourist maps are a great guide: I also recommend downloading the Metro Madrid app (available for IOS and Android), you can plot a route from A to B and it shows you the train lines you need to get, the time of the journey, the times of the next departing train and the stations you need to go to. You can also check it out here: www.metromadrid.es/en
Plaza de Toros, Las Ventas:
We start the day at Ventas, found on Line 2, visiting the Plaza de Toros - home of Spanish bullfighting. Tickets are €14.90 and with that includes the Bullring and Museum visit, as well as a Virtual Reality Experience & a Free Bullfighting Virtual Game. Spend around 1-2 hours here.
The exterior of the Plaza de Toros at Las Ventas
Video by Las Ventas Tour: www.youtube.com/channel/UC7wErMorS5ykCes9_xnZHIw
Ayuntamiento de Madrid:
After visiting the Plaza de Toros it's time to take the train from Ventas to Banco de Espana on Line 2 to check out the Ayuntamiento de Madrid (the city hall of Madrid). It's just a quick visit here for a photo and then we'll be on our way to the next destination.
Buen Retiro Park:
From the Ayuntamiento it's just a short walk past the Puerta del Alcala, and from there you can find the entrance to the Buen Retiro Park. This is such a beautiful place and somewhere I recommend visiting - if someone asks me where should I go in Madrid, this place is where I would say! You can hire a boat and go rowing on the lake, take a gentle walk through the park and listen as the birds are singing, musicians are playing and people talking surround you.
El Retiro - Jardines del Buen Retiro de Madrid
Palacio de Cristal:
As you walk through the park you will stumble across a very special building. The Palacio de Cristal is such a peaceful and very well preserved place. Entrance into the palace is free, there may be a wait since only 50 people are allowed inside at any one time: you will need to wear protective shoes to go inside but that's only to preserve the crystal writing that's on the floor, just take care inside not to step on it.
The Palacio de Cristal in Buen Retiro Park
The Museo del Prado:
Leaving Buen Retiro Park to the west, it's just a short walk to the Museo del Prado. The museum has been open since 1819, so for over 200 years now. Admission into the museum is free and depending on when you go there are different types of exhibitions on offer, displaying paintings, art and culture across the years. After visiting the museum take a look in the shop.
Video by Museo Nacional del Prado: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdQRjgvqxwg
From the Museo del Prado you can take a short 15 minute walk to the Puerto del Sol (you can take the metro also but maybe walking is actually quicker). The Puerto del Sol is one of the main squares in Madrid, as well as the Plaza Mayor which is just around the corner, so check out that and maybe try out some tapas too!
Almudena Cathedral:
Again it's just another short walk from the Plaza Mayor to the Almudena Cathedral. This is the main cathedral in Madrid. It doesn't take particularly long to explore the cathedral so spend maybe 15-20 minutes here. It also has a museum explaining the history of the church if you wish to visit that as well.
(Left) The entrance into Almudena Cathedral (Centre) Inside the cathedral (Right) The exterior of the North Wing of the cathedral
Royal Palace of Madrid:
Right next to the cathedral stands the Royal Palace of Madrid. The Royal Palace is one of the top tourist attractions in Madrid; it is the official residence for the Royal family - Felipe VI of Spain. I myself have never been inside of the Royal Palace, but my partner has 3 or 4 times now and says it's worth paying the entrance fee (€10.00 without a guide or €14.00 with a guide). Just walking around the outside of the Royal Palace is really impressive. There is a vast courtyard behind the elegant iron fencing. To the side of the courtyard is an unexpected and stunning view across the countryside; it's as if Madrid just stops and the fields and trees start. On a clear day this panoramic view is breathtaking! Even without a guide there are still information points throughout the palace that explain more about each room and its function. You have access to lavish halls, banqueting rooms, the throne room, residential areas, the Royal Armoury and Royal Pharmacy.
Inside the Royal Palace: photos courtesy of Maria Fernández Pérez
The Temple of Debod:
The Temple of Debod
After visiting the Royal Palace, it's another walk to the Temple of Debod (yes, a lot of places in Madrid are actually within walking distance). Whilst you're walking you will go past the Plaza de España and see the Torre España. The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple originally built in Egypt but then was later dismantled and moved to Madrid. This is a great spot for any lovers of photography, with stunning views over the hill. If you can, plan to get here for sunset!
Teleferico Madrid:
The Teleferico Madrid is a cable car that travels from Parque del Oeste to Casa de Campo. This was my favourite thing to do in Madrid! Tickets are just €6.00 for a return trip! Carrying a maximum of 1,200 people per hour, it travels at 3.5 metres per second and takes 11 minutes to complete the journey between the two stations. So a return trip will take approximately 20 minutes plus some time to take in the scenery at Casa de Campo so maybe spend an hour here. If you do have more than just 24 hours in Madrid, you can also visit the Madrid Zoo and themepark which is at Casa de Campo also.
The Teleferico Madrid taken from Casa de Campo
Arco de la Victoria:
After arriving back at the Parque del Oeste, take a walk up north to the Arco de la Victoria; as you do so you will pass the Ejercito del Aire (the headquarters for the Air Force of Spain), for all of you aviation enthusiasts out there there's even a Casa C101 Aviojet outside! Once you're at the Arco de la Victoria, you'll notice a tower behind it - that's our next destination, the Faro de Moncloa!
(Left) Arco de la Victoria at dusk (Centre) Arco de la Victoria from the top of the Faro de Moncloa (Right) Arco de la Victoria at night
Faro de Moncloa:
Welcome to the Faro de Moncloa - enjoy the city from up high, taking in the wonderful views of the city. The tower stands at 360ft (110m) tall and has an unobstructed 360 degree view! Just let your gaze wander through the huge glass windows. A whole series of monuments stretch out in front of you: the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral, the Cuatro Torres Business Area (the 4 skyscrapers in Madrid) and, in the background, the peaks of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range - on clear days you can see up to a hundred kilometres! Tickets up the tower cost €3.00 and your visit will last approximately 30 minutes. Head back down and then let's go to the next destination.
The Bernabeu Stadium: From Moncloa, take the Line 6 to Nuevos Ministerios and then walk or take the Line 10 for 1 stop to Santiago Bernabeu. I'm sure many of you know what football team plays at the Santiago Bernaneu Stadium, yes that's right, it's Real Madrid Football Club! You can take a tour from €25 - the tour lasts about 1 hour and a half and includes: the pitch, the club room, dressing rooms, the Presidential box, the tunnel, benches and coaching area, the bus, the press room and the store. When I went here, Real Madrid were playing Athletico Madrid and you could feel the tension between these two rivals! As you can see, by the time you get here it's almost the end of the day, but there's just one more stop!
The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium - home of Real Madrid Football Club
Cuatro Torres Business Area:
The last place on this tour is the Cuatro Torres Business Centre. As you walk from the Bernabeu Stadium, you'll pass the Torres Kio (these buildings are quite interesting actually because they are leaning). Anyway, you'll soon then reach the 4 skyscrapers of Madrid - the Foster Tower, the PWC Tower, Torre Cristal and Torre Espacio. The Foster Tower is not only the tallest out of the 4 towers, but is also the tallest building in the whole of Spain standing at over 820ft (250m) high.
That concludes my tour of Madrid. I managed to squeeze all of this in in just 10 hours, so if you have 24 hours or even a couple of days then maybe you'll be able to see even more! I've been to Madrid more times than I can count, some times for leisure but mostly for work, and commuting through to London.
I hope you've enjoyed my travel tips of what to see! Check out my video channel to watch the highlights of my trip - 'Madrid in a Minute'.
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