Madrid
3
Day Itinerary •
Spain
Madrid is one of Europe's most underrated cities. Most visitors see the golden triangle of museums and the Royal Palace and leave having missed the city entirely. The real Madrid is a city of extraordinary neighbourhood character, hidden courtyards, world-class street markets, legendary tapas culture and some of the most extraordinary day trip destinations in Europe on its doorstep. This 3-day route skips the tourist queues and goes deep into the real Madrid. The Habsburg old town with its hidden patios and forgotten medieval churches, the literary quarter where Cervantes and Lope de Vega lived, the extraordinary El Escorial monastery that defines the Spanish Golden Age, and the ancient city of Toledo just 30 minutes away by high-speed train.
Best Time To Visit
March to June or September to November
Getting There
Fly into Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 80 to 130 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
HABSBURG MADRID
MORNING
THE HIDDEN COURTYARDS OF HABSBURG MADRID
Most visitors head straight to the Prado or the Royal Palace. But the real hidden Madrid is the network of patios and courtyards concealed behind the facades of the Habsburg old town. The Patio del Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso, the cloisters of the Convento de las Descalzas Reales (with an extraordinary art collection and free entry on Sundays), and the extraordinary Egyptian temple of Debod in the Parque del Oeste, a real 2,200-year-old temple given to Spain by Egypt, free entry. Find all three before the crowds arrive. Drive: 15 min walk to La Latina
MIDDAY
LA LATINA AND EL RASTRO, THE HEART OF OLD MADRID
The La Latina neighbourhood is the oldest in Madrid, a dense network of medieval streets that has barely changed since the 17th century. On Sunday mornings El Rastro, Europe's largest open-air flea market, fills every street from the Plaza de Cascorro to the Ribera de Curtidores with over 3,000 stalls selling everything from antiques to junk. Walk the surrounding streets for the finest tapas bars in the city before the market closes at 3pm. Drive: 15 min walk to Lavapies
AFTERNOON
LAVAPIES, MADRID'S MOST AUTHENTIC NEIGHBOURHOOD
Lavapies is the most multicultural and authentic neighbourhood in Madrid, largely unknown to tourists who stay in the centre. The narrow streets around the Plaza de Lavapies contain an extraordinary concentration of independent theatres, art studios, international restaurants and the famous Tabacalera, a former tobacco factory converted into one of Europe's largest self-managed cultural centres. Free to enter and unlike anything else in Madrid.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Basilica of San Francisco el Grande contains one of the finest collections of Spanish religious painting in Madrid, including an early Goya and works by Velázquez, Murillo and Zurbaran. Entry is free on certain days and it receives a fraction of the visitors of the Prado despite containing extraordinary works. Located in La Latina, 5 minutes from El Rastro.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe del Nuncio, La Latina The finest historic cafe in La Latina, on a beautiful terrace staircase. Strong coffee and excellent pastries. | Lunch: Casa Lucio, Madrid The most beloved traditional restaurant in Madrid. Huevos rotos (broken eggs with ham and potatoes) since 1974. Book ahead. | Dinner: TabernaATEMPORAL, Lavapies Outstanding modern Spanish restaurant in Lavapies. Excellent tasting menu at honest prices in a lively atmosphere.
DAY 2
LITERARY MADRID
MORNING
BARRIO DE LAS LETRAS, THE LITERARY GOLDEN AGE
The Barrio de las Letras (neighbourhood of letters) was the centre of Spanish Golden Age literature. Cervantes wrote Don Quixote here, Lope de Vega lived and died here, and Quevedo and Gongora had their famous feud in these streets. The house of Lope de Vega is the only preserved home of a Golden Age writer in Spain and contains an extraordinary recreation of his domestic life from 1610. Entry free. Look for the literary quotes embedded in the pavements throughout the neighbourhood. Drive: 10 min walk to Real Academia de Bellas Artes
MIDDAY
REAL ACADEMIA DE BELLAS ARTES, THE HIDDEN ART MUSEUM
The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando is one of the finest art museums in Spain and almost nobody visits it. The collection includes major works by Velázquez, Rubens, El Greco and an extraordinary series of Goya etchings. Entry approx 8 euros, free on Sundays. Located on the Calle de Alcala a 5-minute walk from the Prado yet receiving perhaps 1 percent of its visitors. Drive: 15 min walk to Malasana
AFTERNOON
MALASANA, THE NEIGHBOURHOOD THAT INVENTED MODERN SPAIN
Malasana was the birthplace of La Movida, the extraordinary cultural explosion that erupted in Madrid after Franco's death in 1975 and transformed Spanish culture. Today it is Madrid's most independent and creative neighbourhood, full of vintage shops, independent bookshops, natural wine bars and the finest vermouth culture in the city. The Plaza del Dos de Mayo at the centre commemorates the 1808 uprising against Napoleon. Find the best croquetas in Madrid at Bar Palentino.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The CaixaForum Madrid is one of the finest contemporary art spaces in Spain, housed in a stunning building by Herzog and de Meuron with a vertical garden by Patrick Blanc on the facade. Rotating exhibitions of the highest quality. Entry approx 6 euros and completely overlooked by visitors to the nearby Prado who walk past the building without stopping.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Gijon, Paseo de Recoletos The most famous literary cafe in Madrid, open since 1888. Intellectuals and writers have breakfasted here for generations. | Lunch: Casa Gonzalez, Barrio de las Letras The finest cheese and wine shop in Madrid with a wine bar attached. Outstanding selection of Spanish cheeses and wines. | Dinner: Bodega de la Ardosa, Malasana The most beloved old bar in Malasana, serving vermouth and traditional tapas since 1892. Order the house vermouth and patatas bravas.
DAY 3
EL ESCORIAL AND TOLEDO
MORNING
EL ESCORIAL, THE STONE HEART OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE
El Escorial is the most extraordinary building in Spain, a vast Renaissance monastery-palace-mausoleum built by Philip II between 1563 and 1584 as the spiritual centre of the Spanish empire. The Pantheon of Kings beneath the basilica contains the remains of almost every Spanish monarch since Carlos I. The library contains 40,000 volumes from the 16th century, preserved almost intact. The scale and ambition of the complex is breathtaking. Entry approx 12 euros. Drive: 30 min high-speed train to Toledo
MIDDAY
TOLEDO, THE CITY OF THREE CULTURES
Toledo was the capital of Spain for over a millennium and contains Christian, Muslim and Jewish heritage in greater concentration than almost anywhere else in Europe. The Cathedral contains one of the finest El Greco collections in the world. The Synagogue of El Transito is the finest surviving medieval synagogue in Spain. The Mosque of Cristo de la Luz is a 10th-century mosque converted to a church, with original Moorish arches still intact. All within 10 minutes walk. Drive: 30 min high-speed train back to Madrid
AFTERNOON
TOLEDO'S HIDDEN LAYERS
Most visitors see Toledo in 2 hours and leave. But the city rewards slow exploration. Find the Cigarrales, the manor houses on the hills opposite the city with the finest views of Toledo in the afternoon light. Walk the Paseo de la Rosa below the city walls for the view Greco painted in his famous cityscape. Eat marzipan, Toledo's ancient confection, from the nuns who still make it in the Convento de San Clemente.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Swords of Toledo have been made by the same families using the same techniques since the 16th century. The workshop of Mariano Zamorano on the Calle Ciudad is one of the finest remaining traditional sword workshops and can be visited by appointment. The swordsmiths of Toledo made blades for the Spanish conquistadors and the tradition is still entirely alive.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in El Escorial village The village around the monastery has several excellent cafes. Breakfast before the monastery opens at 10am. | Lunch: Restaurante Adolfo, Toledo The finest restaurant in Toledo. Local game, Manchego cheese and Pago del Ama wine. Book well ahead. | Dinner: Taberna Labrador, Madrid Return to Madrid for dinner. Outstanding traditional taberna in the Barrio de las Letras. Cocido madrileño on Thursdays.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Madrid, all nights Hotel Urban, stunning 5-star design hotel in the Barrio de las Letras. Approx 150 to 250 euros per night. Alternative Hotel Only YOU Boutique, Chueca. Excellent boutique hotel in the best neighbourhood. Approx 100 to 180 euros per night. Budget Option Hostal Central Palace Madrid from approx 45 euros. Excellent location near the Royal Palace.
Top Tips
1. El Rastro flea market runs every Sunday from 9am to 3pm. Arrive before 10am for the best finds.
2. Toledo is best visited on a weekday. Weekends are very crowded with day-trippers from Madrid.
3. Madrileños eat lunch at 2 to 4pm and dinner from 9 to 11pm. Embrace the schedule or go hungry.
4. The Real Academia de Bellas Artes is free on Sundays and Wednesdays. Book in advance.
5. Casa Lucio restaurant for huevos rotos is booked weeks ahead. Walk in at 1:30pm and ask for the bar.
6. Madrid gets very hot July to August. Visit museums in the afternoon and explore outdoors in the morning.
Total Budget
90 to 150 euros/day