Madrid guides and itineraries
Day-by-day routes and curated roundups built from the 50 attraction guides on this site — with the opening hours, ticket prices and walking times already worked out.
Itineraries
One Day in Madrid: The Honest Itinerary
A single realistic day in Madrid, built around the Prado at opening and sunset at Debod, with a clear list of what you are deliberately leaving out.
2daysTwo Days in Madrid: A Complete Itinerary
Two days split cleanly east and west: the Prado and Retiro on day one, the Royal Palace and Guernica on day two, with sunsets planned rather than hoped for.
3daysThree Days in Madrid: The Complete Itinerary
Three days is the length Madrid was built for: the full Golden Triangle of art, both royal set pieces, a neighbourhood day and a flamenco night that isn't rushed.
5daysFive Days in Madrid: A Complete Itinerary
Five days lets Madrid slow down: the big three museums one per day, a full day at El Escorial, and the small house-museums that shorter trips never reach.
Best of Madrid
The Best Museums in Madrid, Ranked
Which of Madrid's museums deserve your hours and which are worth an hour at most, from the Golden Triangle down to the free Goya ceiling nobody schedules.
Free Things to Do in Madrid
Every free museum window, park, plaza and permanently free site in Madrid, sorted by what it actually costs you — money, a booking, or the right day.
Tapas in Madrid: A Guide to the City's Food Markets
How tapas actually works for a visitor — the timing, the standing, the vermouth hour — and which of Madrid's food markets deserve your appetite.
The Best Parks and Gardens in Madrid
Eight green spaces sorted by what you actually want from them — an hour off your feet, a long walk, a photograph nobody else has, or somewhere to let children run.
Where to Stay in Madrid: A Neighbourhood Guide
Which Madrid neighbourhood to book, decided by how you travel rather than by a list — with the noise, price and transport tradeoffs each one really carries.
Madrid with Kids: What Works at Which Age
Madrid sorted by the age of the child you are travelling with, from toddler-scale parks to teenager-proof stadium tours, plus the eating clock nobody warns you about.
Other guides
Day Trips from Madrid: Which One to Choose
An honest comparison of Madrid's five realistic day trips — journey times, what each place is actually for, and which one to pick if you only get one.
Toledo Day Trip from Madrid
How to do Toledo in a day from Madrid: the 34-minute Avant train, the climb from the station, which monuments are worth paying for, and when to arrive.
Segovia Day Trip from Madrid
How to do Segovia in a day without losing an hour to the wrong station, plus honest verdicts on the Alcázar tower, the cathedral ticket and the suckling pig.
Ávila Day Trip from Madrid
A quieter fourth-day option than Toledo or Segovia, built entirely around one intact medieval wall — with real prices, real journey times, and a warning about the cold.
Madrid in Summer: How to Survive July and August
Madrid in July and August runs past 35°C by lunchtime, so the working plan is to invert the day — outdoors early and late, air conditioning in between.
Madrid in Winter: The Case for the Quiet Season
January and February are cold, dry and bright — and they hand you a walkable Prado, cheaper beds and a city that briefly belongs to the people who live in it.
Madrid at Christmas: What Actually Happens, and When
A calendar of the Madrid Christmas season, from the November lights switch-on to the Three Kings parade, with the closure dates that quietly ruin itineraries.