What to Visit in Madrid – Spain Travel Guide

What to Visit in Madrid – Spain Travel Guide

Madrid is the capital city of Spain and the most populous municipality with almost 3.4 million inhabitants.  A vibrant city, rich in culture and famous for its museums, rustic restaurants, bustling streets and friendly people.

The sunshine and nice warm weather in Madrid is always welcoming compared to the cold and wet weather we are used to in the UK and no wonder why so many Brits love Spain!

In our next travel feature, we will take you on an adventure to Madrid and share some of the must-see family friendly places in the city. We will share with you what we did there last summer, when we had the opportunity to discover the city and stay with our friends Tom and Sarah.

So keep on reading to be inspired especially if you are looking for family-friendly cities to visit during the half-term school holidays.

Madrid Must Visit – Food Places

We are huge foodies and often try the local cuisines whenever we travel. Unlike in Valencia where Sangria was the norm, in Tinto de Verano is the preferred tipple.

There are lots of commercial restaurants and McDonalds in Madrid but we wanted to try the traditional local tapas so our friends took us to Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas to try their Spanish Omelette, Homemade Croquettes, Red Sausages Of Navarra, Russian Salad and Eggs with Potatoes amongst others.

Located not too far from Plaza Mayor and built by the famous Gómez de Mora. The restaurant has been in existence since 1800 and is a stunning place to behold and so full of history, so would totally recommend stopping by if you are in Madrid.

Another must-see foodie haven is the El Mercado de San Miguel which translates to San Miguel Market.  The magnificent building with over a hundred years history is a gastronomic heaven serving a wide array of Spanish cuisine such as Iberian ham, fish/shellfish, cheese as well as fresh fruits and drinks.

It is super busy during lunch time so try to get there early or wait until you get a table. Otherwise feel free to just sit on the steps outside or stand by the wall where there are tables available to place your food as you eat.  The atmosphere here is buzzing and everything looks delectable and a great way for you to try the various local Spanish cuisine and immerse in the local culture as well.

Spread out over more than 20 stands, the market opens its doors at 10am everyday until 11pm (it opens later on Friday and Saturday) and is located in the centre of Madrid, easily accessible on foot from Sol Metro Station or Gran Vía Station. Find everything from sweets. pastries, spices, cheese, fresh seafood, fruits and drinks.

Also not known to most visitors, Madrid is near wine country, and for those with enough time, a Madrid wine tour is a good option to consider and that several tours are available at Madrid wine tours page.

We also took the opportunity to headed over to Chocolateria San Gines for some delicious freshly made pipping hot churros served with traditional chocolate. In operation since 1894, the café serves serves both porras (which is thicker than churros) and churros as well as a hot beverages. Expect a queue as this is a busy shop, but the restaurant operated in a fast-paced environment, so it did not take long before they found us a table. The cafe has now expanded and an adjacent shop sells various products such as their signature chocolates as well as souvenirs.

Madrid is also famous for its many bakeries and we were introduced to La Mallorquina Bakery by our friends which is just walking distance from Gran Vía Station. Owned by the Lucendo family, the bakery sells a variety of traditional artisan sweets, cakes, pastries and breakfast and has been in operation since 1894.

What to Visit in Madrid – Shopping

Madrid is a haven for shopping especially if you are into  brands such as Mango, Zara, Stradivarius, Pull&Bear and Loewe amongst others. If you are visiting Madrid, remember that you can submit a special reclaim form to recover the VAT spent on shopping (as long as it is above a certain amount). Do speak to the shops to get your receipt and find out the terms in advance to save you some money.

I personally loved shopping at El Corte Inglés as I could easily find lots of big named brands under one roof and their food court has lots of variety ranging from Asian food to pizza, paella, cakes and other local dishes… so worth a visit.

El Retiro Park/Parque de El Retiro

El Retiro Park is a great place for families with young kids to head to for free. Recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park covers over 125 hectares and comprises more than 15,000 trees.

The park is not only a green oasis in the heart of the city but you will also find all kinds of interesting monuments and gardens, including Jardín de Vivaces, Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez (Andalusian-inspired classicistic gardens), Jardines del Arquitecto Herrero Palacios and the recently-restored Cat Mountain. The Rosaleda Rose Rarden and Parterre Francés, holds a Mexican conifer that is nearly 400 years old and is believed to be Madrid’s oldest tree.

The park is also home to a large artificial lake, where you can rent a rowing boat and visit the Velázquez Palace and Glass Palace which are both currently used as exhibition halls by the Reina Sofía Museum. The latter is a beautiful glass pavilion built in 1887 to house exotic plants for an exhibition on the Philippines. It is one the finest examples of cast-iron architecture in Spain.

We spent a few hours strolling in the park and enjoying ice-cream, we also spotted a play area with climbing structures for kids to play. One thing wonderful in Madrid is that you will find water fountains with clean drinking water available everywhere, so it is easy to fill your water bottle and keep hydrated especially if you are visiting the city in Summer.

Naval Museum/Museo Naval

It was by chance that we spotted the Naval Museum when we were sight seeing and decided to pop in to see what it was all about. Located in Retiro at Paseo del Prado, the Naval Museum is devoted to the history of the Spanish Navy from the Catholic Monarchs in the 15th century to the present. It is one of the National Museums of Spain and it is attached to the Ministry of Defence.

Expect to see display sets of naval history in a wide context with information about the history of the Spanish Empire as well as artefacts such as navigation instruments, weapons, maps as well as a panoramic tour of the marine paintings from other countries. It also features coin collections, military decorations, nautical and scientific instruments, artillery, submarine weapons, manuscripts and much more. One of its star attractions is the famous Universal Charter by Juan de la Cosa (1500), considered the first world map to include the Americas.

Entry into the museum for children was free, but adults pay a donation of €3 each. It was eye opening and wonderful to see all the displays at the museum and we would definitely recommend it.  The museum is small museum so a couple of hours would suffice for the visit.

What to Visit in Madrid  – Museum of Illusions

Located within the Madrid Central area, a visit to the the Museum of Illusions will break the monotony of long walks and shopping especially if you have young children in tow. The museum is filled with mind-boggling installations as well as puzzles which will confuse yet mesmerise your senses and perceptions.

We would estimate around an hour plus for you to experience the whole museum, we took a little bit longer as our children really enjoyed the activities and took their time. Most importantly, make sure your phone is fully charges and bring along a camera so you can take lots of photos while you are there as you capture the impossible!

Entry is free for kids under 5.  Discounted tickets are available for Seniors/University Students and Teachers. We paid €48 for a family ticket for 2 adult and 2 children and would certainly recommend visiting the place as our kids had so much fun in the illusion/perspective-changing rooms, discovering the installations and trying to solve the puzzles.

Prado Museum/Museo Nacional del Prado

I often love visiting museums and make sure we visit at least one museum whenever we head to a new city. Our teenage kids often are not keen on the idea, but we always try to incorporate some fun activities to make sure they have a good time there as I think museums are so educational for children. Most museums in Madrid offer free entry for kids/elderly/on sundays or a couple of hours before it closes so it is best to check before you book your tickets.

Prado Museum is the perfect place to go to if you are an art buff. It houses collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century paintings by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso and Kandinsky.

Located in Central Madrid with Retiro being the closest Metro stop (around 20 minute walk), Prado Museum is free for anyone aged 18 and below whilst adults pay an entrance fee of €15 each. Try to visit the museum’s during its free hours (usually the last two hours of the evening or on holidays) but be warned of the long que.

I would say, spend the whole day there or at least dedicate half a day for the visit so you have ample of time to walk around each exhibition to admire the paintings. You can enjoy an audio-guided tour or opt to join a guided tour for a small fee. Because we had both our kids with us, we decided to discover the museum at our own pace. If you are spending a whole day at the museum, there are plenty of food and drink options at the Ionian Gallery Tea Room as well as Café Prado which offers breakfast, lunch and snack.  There are also plenty of rest places for you to sit with little ones while your partner looks around.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Prado and look forward to visiting it again and our children enjoyed the virtual tours available in some of the exhibition galleries.  I am sure the visit to the museum has inspired my daughter who is taking Art for GCSE.

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Disclaimer: Some photos courtesy of Visit Madrid/Madrid Tourism Board