Your expert guide to spending 5 awesome days in Madrid
How you use your 5 days in Madrid, of course depends entirely on how you like to spend your vacation/ city break time but I’m sure this article will help to elevate your experience whatever it is you enjoy!
I absolutely love Madrid and grab every opportunity I can to visit Spain’s gorgeous capital city (which handily isn’t too hard for me since I live in Sevilla). In this article we’ll take a look at some of the very best things to do in Madrid & how to get the most out of them and I’ll also share some of my favourite lesser-known places.
The idea is not to give you a set Madrid itinerary to follow but enough information & excitement that you can build your own perfect trip.
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The MexicoCassie elevated 5-day Madrid experience
🏨 Stay at the URSO Hotel & Spa – this small, boutique hotel has a pool, gorgeous rooms & great breakfasts
👣 🔎 Book this exclusive tour of the Prado with Take Walks that allows you 90 minutes in one of the best galleries in Europe before the doors open for the day. Just you, your guide and the European masters. Unforgettable!
👣 🍅 To learn about Madrid’s culinary scene, book a tapas tour or cooking class
👣 🚍 Take a day trip to the strikingly beautiful city of Segovia
🔭 Visit at least one of the miradors mentioned below for stunning views over Madrid
🎟 Book all Madrid tickets in advance here to ensure you don’t miss anything
If you already know which section you are most interested in, you can use these links to jump straight there.
Getting around Madrid | Where to stay in Madrid | Best tours of Madrid | Galleries & Museums | Exploring on foot | Miradors (getting up high) | Where to eat in Madrid | Hidden gems | Day trips from Madrid
And if you only have 3 days, here’s the detailed 3-day MexicoCassie Madrid itinerary, just for you
Getting around Madrid
If you’re visiting Madrid as a stand-alone trip then you’ll be mostly walking and taking the metro/cabs. You won’t need a car while you’re in the city.
🚇 Metro – a comprehensive, clean, decently priced and easy to use system. Simply buy a “tarjeta transporte público” and add money to it at the machines in the station (there are English options)
🚕 Taxi – Uber works in Madrid as well as the numerous white taxi cabs you’ll see everywhere – they’re easy to flag down and work on a metered system.
👣 Taking day trips from Madrid
With 5 days in Madrid, you’re likely to consider taking a day trip. It’s both possible to do this under your own steam by renting a car, or taking the train or a bus. Or you can book a tour
🚗 Check on rental car options with Discover Cars
🚆 Check train prices and timetables on RailEurope and buses on busbud.com
👣 I use Viator & GetYourGuide to book my own day trips – below you’ll find recommended tours to the most popular day trip locations from Madrid.
Travel choices note
🇪🇺 Across Europe it’s always a good idea to book your transport in advance.
🚆 Trains are generally cheaper the further in advance you reserve them – I like RailEurope because it shows all the train companies in one place and lets you compare prices and travel times. I absolutely do not recommend showing up and hoping to book same day train tickets.
🚗 Car rental prices also rise the later you leave booking and in places like Spain that are extremely popular with tourists, you need to book in advance to ensure you get the car you want at a decent price.
Where to stay in Madrid
Accommodation is expensive in Madrid, I’m afraid. There’s no getting around this.
🏨 MexicoCassie luxury hotel recommendation: Relais Chateaux & Hotel Orfelia – located in the beautiful Chamberí district, this luxurious 5 ⭐️ hotel is set in a 19th century palace is the perfect spot for anyone looking for pure luxury in Madrid. Rooms are spacious and well equipped, the hotel atmosphere is one of relaxed opulence and the restaurant chef holds his own Michelin-star.
🏨 MexicoCassie boutique hotel recommendation: URSO Hotel & Spa -this small boutique hotel focuses on modern chic. Book a suite with a terrace for views over the city. The hotel has a pool, hamman, and a wonderful restaurant serving exceptional breakfasts.
🏨 MexicoCassie value-for-money hotel recommendation: JC Rooms, Chueca – located within walking distance of all the main attractions, this well priced hotel is comfortable, safe, clean and friendly. I stayed here for a few days and it was just great.
🗺 If none of these work for you, why not use my interactive accommodation finder to pick your perfect hotel option in Madrid.
What to do with your 5 days in Madrid
MexicoCassie Madrid itinerary advice
With five days in Madrid, I recommend considering the following
⭐️ Plan one or two activities a day – perhaps a museum or art gallery in the morning and a more relaxed stroll around a park/barrio or tower for the views for the afternoon (this is how the article is laid out to make your life easier)
🎟 Pre-book the busiest sites – check official websites or use Tiquets (usually the same price)
👣 Tours really are an excellent way to get to know Madrid, especially if they’re run by locals who really know the city. In Madrid, Devour & Take Walks are my favourite tour companies
🗺 While Madrid isn’t the biggest city in the world, plan your trip while looking at a map to ensure your activities don’t have you rushing around & backtracking all over the city
🍷 The city is exciting, but you will want time to detour, to sit and drink a glass of vermouth and watch the world go by, be sure to include free time
🍽 Lunch is the main meal of the day and it’s eaten between 2 – 4 pm. If you plan on eating in popular restaurants, it’s a good idea to book in advance. Restaurants won’t generally open before 8.30 for the evening meal
Best guided tours of Madrid
I love a good guided tour and have done a few in Madrid now. I find the quality of tour guides in Spain to be outstanding. Every tour I’ve been on has been with someone enthusiastic, passionate, extremely personable and knowledgeable. Even when I think I know a place well, taking a tour has elevated my experience and learning. I wish the same for you while you’re in Madrid.
Top museum guided tour
⭐️ Without a doubt the best museum tour in Madrid is the exclusive tour of the Prado with Take Walks.
🤯 There are just 20 spots on this tour that allows you 90 minutes alone in the Prado with an extremely knowledgable guide who will show you the very best of the museum’s collection without a single person blocking your view. Yeah, just you, the guide, Bosch, Velazquez, Goya & Tintoretto hanging out. Once the tour is done you don’t have to leave, you can spend the rest of the day armed with your new knowledge prowling the gallery. Mind blowing doesn’t even begin to cover it. My appreciation for the art has grown exponentially now I understand more of what I’m looking at thanks to this tour.
Top mercado tour & cooking class
⭐️ If you have any interest in learning about traditional Spanish food then Devour Tours is going to be your new best friend especially if you take the mercado & paella class.
After a visit to a neighbourhood market where you’ll learn how to buy local products, the group heads to a nearby professional restaurant kitchen to learn how to make paella, a variety of tapas dishes and a traditional dessert. I took this tour and while the food we made was definitely delicious what I actually loved most was how friendly, approachable and fun the chef was. Between Chef Arantxa’s easy humour and the freely flowing delicious vermouth & wine, our group soon bonded, laughed, cooked and ate together. I’ve taken cooking classes around the world and this was, without a doubt, my favourite ever.
Top walking tours of Madrid
⭐️ This spooky evening tour of Madrid is a great option for anyone looking to see & learn something a little different than the regular spots you can explore on your own – if you want to learn anything about the Inquisition in Madrid, don’t miss this tour.
⭐️ Street art tour – take a guided tour around some of the coolest districts of Madrid with a ‘graffiti hunter’, learning about Spain’s street art culture while checking out some of the most iconic graffiti in town.
🆓 Or, if you prefer a regular history/architecture tour, you can find a free walking tour with GuruWalk
Galleries & museums
This names on this list won’t come as a surprise but every single one IS excellent and should be visited if you can.
Prado Museum (Museo Nacional del Prado)
Without a doubt this is the most famous, most impressive and most visited museum in Madrid. It is considered to be one of the world’s best art galleries*.
Here you’ll find work by the masters, including El Greco, Francisco Goya, Rubens, Bosch, Valazquez, Tintoretti, and even the Prado Mona Lisa (I kid you not).
Prado tips
🎟 If you can’t nab a space on the early access tour then I recommend you pre-book your tickets & get there as the doors open (10am) so you at least get a moment of peace and quiet in this extremely popular gallery.
🎒 Small bags don’t have to be checked, everything else does (helpfully, you can even check your suitcase if you need to).
📸 Don’t be sad but no photos are permitted inside the Prado (I cried buckets)
♿️ You can borrow a wheelchair by just showing up and asking for one (as long as they haven’t all been given out, obviously).
*if you’re interested only in what old white European men created. Personally I LOVE this collection but I am super, super aware of how white it is and think it’s important to remember that not all the best art comes from Europe.
→ Don’t forget to check out the early access exclusive tour that absolutely blew my mind or book your tickets in advance
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Slightly further along the Paseo del Prado is the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Smaller than El Prado, this is a more manageable museum if you go on a whim (as I did). Here you’ll follow European art from the middle ages to the modern day. Look out for Van Gogh, Picasso, Lichtenstein, Gauguin, Hopper, Dalí and more.
→ Buy skip-the-line and guided tour Thyssen tickets now
Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid)
This 18th century royal palace is the biggest palace in Western Europe. It is an enormous baroque building with over 3,000 rooms holding works by artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez & Goya.
→ Book tickets & spend a half day checking out the Royal Palace, the Prado and the centre of Madrid on an in-depth tour or grab entrance only tickets in advance to speed up your visit
Reina Sofia Museum
If modern art is more your thing then the Reina Sofia Museum will wow you right off your feet. If you want to see Picasso’s iconic and extremely moving Guernica, this is where you’ll find yourself heading. I saw a tile replica in the small town of Guernica in the Basque Country but it really doesn’t compare.
You’ll also find works by Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Juan Gris and more here as you journey around the Spanish modern art scene and its commentary on the political and socio-economic events of the 20th century.
→ If you’re hoping to manage both the Prado & the Reina Sofia in one day then there’s no better tour option than the Take Walks exclusive early access tour that continues into the Reina Sofia (with guide) or if you prefer to just explore alone, be sure to book tickets in advance
National Archaeological Museum
While maybe not on everyone’s list of top museums to visit, I am a huge fan of Madrid’s incredible Archaeology Museum. I chose to explore every floor (and therefore level of history) but if you’re short on time, just pick a culture and head to the correct area.
→ No need to buy tickets in advance, it’s rarely too crowded and tickets are only €3 / pp
💃🏻 A note on flamenco in Madrid
If you’re not sure about whether you should catch a flamenco show while you’re in Madrid, let me assure you now that the quality will be high, it’s not a ‘for the tourists’ thing. Flamenco is always performed by highly trained professionals and will always be incredible.
→ Read the MexicoCassie guide to flamenco (yes, it’s technically a guide to flamenco in Sevilla but the first half of the article is a deep dive into the art of flamenco)
→ Book the MexicoCassie recommended flamenco & tapas tour where you’ll learn about the incredible history and culture of flamenco in Spain over a tapas meal before heading to watch an excellent show
Exploring Madrid on foot
El Retiro Park
This pleasant 19th century urban park is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the centre of Madrid. Here you’ll find a boating pond, a (currently closed) Crystal Palace and plenty of cafes as you explore. If you’re lucky you’ll see street performers as you explore the park.
🍃 Note that while Parque el Retiro (also known as El Retiro Park or Parque del Buen Retiro) might be Madrid’s most famous park, it isn’t the biggest. Casa de Campo is a 1,500 hectare park and forest within the city of Madrid. There’s also Madrid Río Park, the Botanical Gardens, and Parque del Oeste to visit.
Gran Vía
One of the most iconic streets in Madrid is the imposing and impressive Gran Vía. It runs from the Edificio Metropolis (don’t miss the Circulo de Bellas Artes, the Banco de España and the Palacio de Cibeles just off it too) all the way to the Plaza de España. The architecture is magnificent, the shops & restaurants are interesting. This is definitely a road to enjoy.
🔃 And please, always look up as well as down & in front because everywhere is gorgeous, in all directions!
Barrios of Chueca, Lavapies & Las Letras
These are my 3 favourite central barrios to explore. Chueca is considered the LGBTQIA+ district. It’s lively, full of great restaurants, queer friendly bars & clubs and some lovely plazas. Lavapies is home to a great Sunday flea market (el Rastro), 2 indoor markets and a wonderfully international group of people. Las Letras is a great place to explore the city’s narrow streets filled with second hand book stores, traditional pen stores and amazing cafes & restaurants. Be sure to check out Calle de las Huertas and to stop and read the inscriptions on the road as you do.
Plaza de España, Puerta del Sol, & Plaza Mayor are not super interesting in my opinion. If you’re nearby, take a walk across them but don’t go out of your way to see them. Of the three, I like Puerta del Sol best.
Best views in the city
I don’t know about you, but I love a good mirador (viewpoint). These are the best I’ve found in Madrid thus far.
Palacio de Cibeles
From here the views over the city are phenomenal (€3 a ticket). You can buy the tickets online or from the information desk when you go in. Be aware that this mirador closes when the weather is bad.
Circulo de Bellas Artes
From this cultural centre you get great views over to the Palacio de Ciebeles (€5 a ticket). This is actually an outdoor bar with fabulous views. You don’t have to buy anything except the ticket.
Faro de Moncloa
From the top of this 92 metre tower you can really see the whole city (€4 a ticket) but it is not located in the centre of town. It’s well worth the metro trip out here – the Museo de America is also nearby so combine the 2 for a truly excellent few hours.
Parque de la Montaña de Principe Pío
Behind the Egyptian Temple of Debod is a nice look-out point with great views over the palace and cathedral. It can be busy here as it’s in a park but when I went at dusk there weren’t too many people.
What & where to eat in Madrid
There are thousands of restaurants in Madrid, anyone who tells you they know the best is probably not being honest. They can only tell you where they’ve enjoyed eating.
Because I live in the south of Spain, I use Madrid as an opportunity to eat international cuisine so I can tell you where to get great Thai or Indian but not really which tapas bars to try!
Instead, I recommend that if you want to learn about the local cuisine, take a food based tour and then chat with your guide to see where they recommend eating in their city.
🫒 Tapas tour
There are officially bazillions of tapas tours available to visitors to Madrid. Honestly, I haven’t taken one yet but I did want to take this one last time I was in the city. It wasn’t available at a time I could do so I opted for the market & paella tour I recommend below.
A tapas tour will generally take you to a bunch of tapas restaurants, feed you, ply you with local drinks (think vermouth and local beers & wines) and explain something about the history of the food you’re trying. These tours (I’ve taken similar tours in Sevilla & San Sebastián) are a great fun way to get to grips with the cuisine, figure out how to eat like a local and enjoy the ambiance of a Spanish tapas bar.
🥘 Market & paella tour
⭐️ If you have any interest in learning about traditional Spanish food this mercado & paella class will be a great option for you. After a visit to a neighbourhood market where you’ll learn how to buy local products, the group heads to a nearby professional restaurant kitchen to learn how to make paella, a variety of tapas dishes and a traditional dessert.
I took this tour and while the food we made was definitely delicious what I actually loved most was how friendly, approachable and fun the chef was. Between Chef Arantxa’s easy humour and the freely flowing delicious vermouth & wine, our group soon bonded, laughed, cooked and ate together. I’ve taken cooking classes around the world and this was, without a doubt, my favourite ever.
🍽 Prado and Botín tour
Botín, a restaurant in Madrid, is the world’s oldest restaurant according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It was founded in 1725. The artist, Goya worked here as a waiter.
⭐️ Book yourself onto a tour that includes a visit to the Prado & a full lunch at Botín – this way you get shown the best of the enormous Prado and have your hand held while navigating one of the city’s most interesting restaurants. The tour includes a tour of the Prado, a full 3 course meal at Botín (without you having to reserve!) and ends with a tour of the restaurant’s kitchens and its hidden underground tunnels, that most diners never even know are there, let alone explore.
❌ Mercado de San Miguel
My recommendation is to give this place a miss. It’s super touristy, not really a market, more of a food court and quite frankly, it’s where you’re most likely to encounter a pick pocket in all of Madrid. Other markets in the centre of Madrid are going the same way – they’re more for tourists than locals and more about expensive, trendy tapas than buying fresh ingredients. If you want to see a decent market you’ll need to leave the centre of the city.
Hidden Gems
Really, there’s no such thing as a ‘hidden gem’ in Madrid but these are my favourite ‘lesser known’ spots in town. Because you have 5 days in Madrid, you have time to explore some of these underrated beauties. I’m excited for you!
☎️ Espacio Fundación Telefónica
This is a free gallery just off Gran Vía (Calle de Fuencarral, 3). Be sure to stop in to see whatever fascinating exhibition they’re showing while you’re in town. And don’t miss the cool little room behind the locker space where you’ll find a memorial to the women who worked in the National Telephone Company who died in service.
𓀴 Templo de Debod
In the Parque de la Montaña is a small Egyptian temple. It’s not a secret, obviously. It’s actually pretty famous but it’s important to know that if you want to go inside, you need to book online in advance. I did not manage to sweet talk my way in without this reservation despite trying pretty hard 🤣.
🎨 Museo La Neomudéjar
This is a somewhat underground art gallery by Atocha station where you’ll not only find interesting avant gard art installations but also my favourite independent book shop in all of Spain (mostly in Spanish).
🔎 Museo de América
This is a fabulous collection of pre-hispanic art and artefacts. In a country that doesn’t always hold its hand up and say, ‘yeah, sorry our colonialism wasn’t/isn’t great’, it’s good that this museum exists. It looks at pre-hispanic cultures with respect (while, obviously, holding their artefacts). I highly recommend visiting here.
📚 Book market on C. Claudio Moyano
Running alongside the Botanical Gardens is a pedestrianised street market for old and used books. It’s a delight to browse and there are even some books in English to be found.
Best day trips from Madrid
There are dozens of great day trips to take from Madrid but the most popular are:
Segovia
Segovia is a gorgeous city that’s easily explored in one day (although, like everywhere, I always vote for spending as long as possible there). With its incredible (intact) Roman aqueduct and its magically beautiful castle and so much more to explore, it’s one of my favourite cities in the central Spain.
→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to Segovia
👣 Book a full day trip to Segovia – visit Segovia on a private coach and take a walking tour to see the Roman aqueduct, walk through the city with your guide until you reach the Alcazar of Segovia. The tour also includes time to explore on your own.
🚆 Book train tickets to Segovia and explore on your own (using the MexicoCassie guide 😉)
Toledo
Also easily explored in a day, Toledo is another fascinating city with Roman baths, a 12th century cathedral and postcard perfect streets to explore.
👣 Book a tour full day tour of Toledo – includes transport by bus, time to explore Toledo with a guide, visiting the Church of Santo Tomé, the Synagogue of Saint Mary and the Primada Cathedral as your guide tries to persuade you that Christians, Jews and Muslims lived peacefully and happily together in tolerant medieval Spain 😉. (Despite my cynicism about this ‘co-existence in the middle ages, I think these tours are always fascinating).
🚆 Book train tickets to Toledo and explore on your own
Ávila & Salamanca
The city of Ávila is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its medieval city walls are considered to be some of the best preserved in all of Spain. You can climb the walls and view the entire city. Ávila’s cathedral is thought to be the first gothic cathedral built in all of Spain.
Salamanca is home to the country’s oldest university – founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of Leon
👣 Book a full day trip to Ávila & Salamanca – this trip visits Salamanca first. You’ll get to explore its charming streets, the Plaza Mayor, and the cathedral. Next it’s time to head to Ávila to check out the walls and the cathedral.
🚆 Book train tickets to Ávila and explore on your own
Córdoba
A little further away but still doable by train in a day is the magical city of Córdoba where the world famous church-mosque, the Mezquita awaits you.
→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to visiting Córdoba for the day (and the full Córdoba guide)
🚆 Book train tickets to Córdoba and explore on your own
📚 🇪🇸 Read more of MexicoCassie’s Spain guides
→ MexicoCassie guide to whether Spain is safe for tourists
→ MexicoCassie guide to driving in Spain
→ MexicoCassie guide to driving in southern Spain
Sevilla
⭐️ What is Sevilla famous for? | ⭐️ How many days do you need in Seville? | ⭐️ Everything about the Seville airport bus
⭐️ 1 day in Seville | ⭐️ 3 days in Seville | ⭐️ 5 days in Seville | ⭐️ How to visit Seville in the summer | ⭐️ How to visit the Alcazar
⭐️ Best beaches from Seville | ⭐️ Day trips from Seville | ⭐️ Seville with kids | ⭐️ Seville with teenagers | ⭐️ How to see flamenco in Seville
Málaga
⭐️ 3 days in Málaga | ⭐️ 1 day in Málaga | ⭐️ Day trips from Málaga | ⭐️ 1 day in Ronda | ⭐️ 1 day in Ronda with kids | ⭐️ What to do in Antequera | ⭐️ Exploring Málaga with kids
Córdoba
⭐️ What to do in Córdoba | ⭐️ Planning your Córdoba day trip from Seville | ⭐️ Day trips from Córdoba | ⭐️ Exploring Córdoba with kids | ⭐️ 1 day in Córdoba | ⭐️ Zuheros, the most beautiful village in Córdoba
Cádiz
⭐️ What to do in Cádiz province | ⭐️ How to spend 1 day in Cádiz city | ⭐️ What to do in Cádiz with kids | ⭐️ Exploring Tarifa | ⭐️ How to get to Tangier from Tarifa | ⭐️ Exploring Gibraltar
Huelva
⭐️ Is Huelva worth visiting? (YES) | ⭐️ What to see in the gorgeous Aracena
Granada
⭐️ Planning your Granada city break | ⭐️ Granada with kids | ⭐️ 2 days in Granada | ⭐️ How to explore Guadix and its cave houses
Almería
⭐️ Things to do in Almería City | ⭐️ What to do in Almería with kids | ⭐️ Is Almería worth visiting? | ⭐️ Figuring out the Almería beaches
Valencia
⭐️ 1 day in Valencia | ⭐️ 2 days in Valencia | ⭐️ Museums in Valencia ⭐️ Day trips from Valencia | ⭐️ Valencia with kids
Madrid & Central Spain
⭐️ Why should you visit Madrid | ⭐️ Segovia, a perfect day trip from Madrid | ⭐️ Spending 5 awesome days in Madrid | ⭐️ 3-day Madrid itinerary | ⭐️ How to visit Medina del Campo
Basque Country
⭐️ What to do in the Basque Country | ⭐️ Excellent things to do in San Sebastián | ⭐️ Is San Sebastián worth visiting? | ⭐️ How many days do you need in San Sebastián? | ⭐️ Day trips from San Sebastián | ⭐️ San Sebastián with kids | ⭐️ Is Bilbao worth visiting? | Planning and taking day trips from Bilbao | Why Vitoria-Gasteiz is worth visiting?
La Gomera (Canary Island)
⭐️ Hiking on La Gomera | ⭐️ La Gomera with kids | ⭐️ Take a day trip to La Gomera
Extremadura
⭐️ Everything you need to explore Monfragüe | ⭐️ What to do in Mérida | ⭐️ What to do in Cáceres
Cataluña
⭐️ Road trip around Girona Province | ⭐️ Spending 1 day in Girona
