Madrid travel guide
Tours, attractions, events and places to stay, picked by people who know the city.
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Main airport
- Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas (MAD), about 13 km from the centre
- Time zone
- CET (UTC+1), CEST (UTC+2) in summer
- Paying for transport
- Reusable Multi card loaded with single, 10-trip or Tourist Travel Pass tickets; €3 Metro airport supplement
Spain's capital is a city of grand boulevards, leafy parks and some of the finest art museums in the world. The Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía line the Paseo del Prado within a few minutes' walk of each other, the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor anchor the old Habsburg quarter, and the Retiro is the city's green heart. Madrid eats late and lives outdoors, from the tapas bars of La Latina to the terraces of Malasaña. The centre is walkable, the Metro is cheap and fast, and Toledo, Segovia and El Escorial make easy day trips.
Most-booked tours
Ratings and prices from verified bookings.
ViatorPrado Museum Small Group Tour with Skip the Line Ticket
1.5 hoursFrom €45
ViatorAvila & Segovia Tour with Tickets to Monuments from Madrid
9 hoursFrom €63.20
ViatorMadrid Tapas & Wine Tasting Food Tour – Small Group Local Bars
3 hoursFrom €79
ViatorMadrid: Royal Palace Guided Tour with Skip the Line Ticket
2 hoursFrom €35
ViatorTour Welcome Madrid in Eco Tuk Tuk Private with Local Guide
1 hourFrom €19.70
ViatorMadrid Old City Guided Exclusive Guided Walking Tour
2.5 hoursFrom €25
ViatorThree Cities in One Day: Segovia, Avila and Toledo from Madrid
12 hoursFrom €76.49
ViatorMadrid Tapas & Taverns Small Group Food & History Tour
3 hoursFrom €63
Top Madrid attractions
The sights most visitors build a trip around.
Prado Museum
€15, or free in the last two hours every day
Tickets from €18Royal Palace of Madrid
€18; free late-afternoon slots for EU citizens Mon to Thu
Tickets from €22Reina Sofía Museum
€12, free most evenings; closed Tuesdays
Tickets from €12Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
€14; free Monday afternoons
Tickets from €14Retiro ParkFree
Free; rowing boats extra
Tickets from €9Plaza MayorFree
Free, open square
More attraction tickets
- Parque Warner Madrid4.4 (2,006)From €46.89
- Atlantis Aquarium Madrid4.4 (267)From €10.89
- Museo Banksy Madrid4.7 (436)From €14
- Zoo Aquarium Madrid4.6 (1,626)From €25.91
- Parque de Atracciones Madrid4.4 (771)From €28.89
- Faunia Nature Park4.5 (179)From €22.95
- Palacio de Liria: Entry Ticket + Audio Guide4.5 (1,849)From €20
- Paseo del Arte Card: Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen4.4 (1,236)From €40
Tickets via Tiqets. Prices checked at each build.
What's on
Tickets via Ticketmaster and Tiqets. Updated nightly.
Where to stay
Pick a neighbourhood first. Each one suits a different kind of trip.
Sol, Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace
First-timers who want Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace on the doorstep13 places we rate
Barrio de las Letras and the Paseo del Prado
Art lovers, with the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofía close by and tapas bars around Plaza de Santa Ana13 places we rate
Gran Vía, Malasaña and Chueca
Nightlife, shows and shopping, with rooftop bars on Gran Vía and lively bars in Malasaña and Chueca11 places we rate
Salamanca and Retiro
A quieter, upmarket base with designer shopping on Calle Serrano and the Retiro next door10 places we rate
Local guides
Plans and tips for getting the most out of Madrid.
Christmas in Madrid 2026: lights, markets and the Three Kings
Christmas in Madrid 2026: lights from 21 November, the Plaza Mayor market, Cortylandia, New Year’s Eve grapes at Sol, the Three Kings parade and museum holiday hours.
Read the guide · 3 minDay trips from Madrid: Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial and more
The best day trips from Madrid by train and bus: Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial, Ávila, Aranjuez and Alcalá de Henares, with journey times, stations and tips.
Read the guide · 3 minFirst time in Madrid: a three-day plan
Three days in Madrid: the Prado and the Paseo del Arte, the Royal Palace and old Madrid, the Retiro, Gran Vía and a Bernabéu tour, timed around free museum hours.
Read the guide · 3 minFree things to do in Madrid
Free things to do in Madrid: free hours at the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen, free Royal Palace slots, the Retiro, the Temple of Debod, Almudena Cathedral and more.
Read the guide · 3 minDay trips from Madrid
Easy days out by train or coach.
- ToledoAbout 33 minutes by Avant train from Atocha
- SegoviaAbout 30 minutes by train from Chamartín, then a local bus, or about an hour by bus from Moncloa
- El EscorialAbout an hour by Cercanías C-8 or buses 661 and 664 from Moncloa
- ÁvilaAbout 1 hour 25 minutes by regional train, mostly from Príncipe Pío
- AranjuezAbout 45 minutes by Cercanías C-3
- Alcalá de HenaresAbout 40 minutes by Cercanías C-2 or C-7
Getting around
Walking
Central Madrid is compact. Puerta del Sol to Plaza Mayor is five minutes, the Royal Palace another ten, and the Prado about 15 minutes east of Sol. Most sights between the Royal Palace and the Retiro are within a 30-minute walk, though summer heat makes the Metro welcome.
Metro and buses
The Metro is the quickest way around, with frequent trains on 12 lines. You need a reusable Multi card, bought at station machines, loaded with tickets. Under the 2026 tariff a single Metro ticket in zone A costs €1.50 for up to five stations, rising to €2 for ten or more, and the same cards work on the red EMT city buses. A 10-trip ticket and the Tourist Travel Pass (zone A from €10.30 for one day, €23.10 for three days at the official 2026 tariff) give better value if you travel a lot; the pass also covers the airport supplement.
Trains
Cercanías commuter trains link Sol, Atocha, Chamartín and Príncipe Pío with the suburbs, El Escorial, Aranjuez and Alcalá de Henares. High-speed Avant and AVE trains leave from Atocha (for Toledo) and Chamartín (for Segovia).
Airport transfers
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is about 13 kilometres from the centre. Metro line 8 runs from the terminals to Nuevos Ministerios; a €3 airport supplement is added to the normal fare. The Exprés Aeropuerto bus runs 24 hours to Cibeles and Atocha for about €5, and Cercanías trains run from Terminal 4. Taxis charge a fixed fare to anywhere inside the M-30 ring road, reported as €33.