Have a look at my 10 best Madrid travel tips. These are insider tips for traveling to Madrid to make your trip perfect: when to go, what to see, how to go, where to lodge, and more.
Why should you trust me?
Because I was born in Madrid, and I spent most of my childhood and youth in this vibrant city.
However, it was not until high school that I started to truly experience the city. Madrid is well known for its big-hitter art museums such as the Museo del Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía, which I have all three visited countless times… But there are plenty of lesser-known attractions and local experiences that I discovered little by little and that I believe are well worth your time too.
That’s why I’m sharing some basic tips for traveling to Madrid.
This way, along with the help of the first steps guide, I want to help you get your trip off to a good start and make sure everything is clear so you can fully enjoy Madrid.
I could share a lot more information, of course. But in the end, I had to make a selection based on the most frequently asked questions I usually get.
Madrid is one of those cities where the sun seems to always be shining, and the sky is this beautiful shade of blue most of the year. It’s like the city’s always alive, full of energy, and buzzing day and night. The culture, the food, and how warm and welcoming the locals are – everything just feels so genuine and charming.
You’re going to love it!
A note on my Madrid travel tips
For obvious reasons, what you’ll find here is just that, travel tips, advice or recommendations. I’m not here to to tell you how you should prepare your trip or how you should enjoy Madrid. So take my advice as a bunch of ideas that you can use to prepare your trip to Madrid.
However, if you’ve already taken all this information into account while planning your trip or you prefer to do things differently, that’s great as well.
You’re going to have an unforgettable time in Madrid with all these tips and ideas! It’s going to be one of those trips you’ll remember forever.
Plan when to go
One of the most important Madrid travel tips is to carefully plan when to go.
Actually, the first question you should ask yourself when planning your trip is “When is the best time to visit Madrid?“. Madrid has a climate and a location that allows you to explore it almost all year round.
That being said, Madrid has 3 very different visiting periods in which your experience can vary:
- High season: From April to June, September, October and December.
- Shoulder season: March, July, August and November.
- Off-season: January and February.
Decide how many days you want to stay
Figuring out how many days to spend in Madrid is super important, especially if it’s your first time here. You could honestly spend weeks exploring and still not come close to seeing everything!
- One day? Definitely not enough.
- With two or three days, you can get a good feel for the city, check out a couple of museums, and enjoy some of the highlights.
- But to really have a satisfying first trip, aim for four days, maybe even five if you can.
- And if you’re up for more exploring, a whole week will give you plenty of time to wander off the typical tourist paths or take a few day trips.
Whatever time you’ve got, be sure to check out my Madrid itineraries – they’ll help you make the most of every moment!
Keep an eye on airline ticket prices
Do you intend to fly to Madrid? In all likelihood, you’ll be flying here, unless you’re coming overland from Portugal or France.
The plane ticket is one of the most important expenses of your trip to Spain. Without it, there’s no trip!
Fortunately, with the appearance of low cost carriers in the market the chance to get cheap air flights to Spain has seriously increased. On top of it, very cheap international flights are also available from other parts of the world. It’s just a question of time to do some research and organize your trip in advance.
So keep an eye on airline ticket prices and book your flights as soon as you see a good fare.
Madrid is linked by air with the main cities of Spain and capitals of Europe. The airport is located just a few kilometers from the center and it’s very easy to get to the city center from there.
If you don’t fly to Madrid, book your train tickets in advance
Are you considering catching a train to Madrid? Madrid can be easily reached by train, especially from Seville and Barcelona where you can catch a high speed train. Some suburbs and surrounding towns are also connected by train.
Whereas local trains (Cercanías) have very affordable fares, high speed ones (AVE) are considerably more expensive. Nevertheless, you can access lower fares particularly if you buy your tickets in advance.
Madrid has 2 main train stations: Atocha and Chamartín.
If for any reason the train isn’t your thing and you prefer driving to have the freedom to change your itinerary during the trip, you can rent a car in English.
Book your accommodation online
If you’re traveling alone and are a backpacker, you’ll probably have no problem finding a bed in a shared room in a hostel or guesthouse.
However, if you’re traveling in a couple or group, it’s not advisable to go on an adventure. You could end up wasting hours looking for a bed to sleep in. This is particularly true in busy tourist times like the Semana Santa (Easter) or Christmas and New Year’s Eve when hotel rates skyrocket.
For the lowest rates, travel in January and February (if you don’t mind the cold and the short days) or July and August (if you can cope with the heat). October and November are good mid-range months.
That is why I always recommend you to book all your hotels online.
One of the main advantages of booking your accommodation online is that it allows you to cancel a few days in advance without any cost. That’s key if you’re still putting together the itinerary, so that you can change your mind whenever you want and without any trouble.
You can start by checking out where to stay. There are different areas within the city center, each one with its own character and charm. To help you decide what neighborhood of Madrid is the best for you, have a look my neighborhoods of Madrid quick guide.
Purchase a good travel and health insurance
The most important piece of advice I can offer among my Madrid travel tips is to purchase good travel insurance.
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past.
There’s nothing worse than getting sick while traveling or feeling unwell far from home. Well, actually, there’s something worse: doing so without travel insurance. If you travel without health insurance and something happens to you, hospital costs could ruin you.
Healthcare in Spain is excellent and high-quality. But it’s very expensive, and without insurance, you’ll have to foot the bill yourself. That’s why I always recommend getting a travel and health insurance with enough coverage to give you peace of mind.
Save up on ATM withdrawal fees
Stop worrying about crazy fees and abusive currency exchange rates and get the best travel money card you can use in Spain.
Be aware that most banks in Spain charge for money withdrawals. A bullet-proof way to avoid their fees is to pay with your travel debit card, which is possible almost anywhere in Madrid. Regardless of the bank, the ATM will display the charge price prior to withdrawing. If it seems high to you, you can always terminate the action.
In addition to this, having a travel debit card means that you won’t have to deal with high conversion fees if you need to exchange your local currency into euros.
Oh, one last piece of advice regarding money: learn how to tip in Madrid.
Decide what to see in Madrid
Most readers are surprised when they start to discover how many monuments Madrid offers. And this should not be the case considering its long history…
Whether exploring the Madrid’s world-class art museums, gazing at architectural marvels while sipping a café con leche at a sidewalk café or rollicking the night away at some great tapas bars hidden in a trendy neighborhood, the many attractions in Madrid are simply too captivating to miss.
The country’s capital and largest city is no place for lazing about. There are so many things to do in Madrid!
With that in mind it’s very important to think ahead about what you want to see in Madrid and how much time you can spend in the city. It’s not the same spending a weekend or having a full week to explore all the amazing corners.
To truly experience Madrid, leave 3 or 4 days and bring good walking shoes. The city center is largely pedestrian-friendly and made for walking. That’s why you should have a look at my itineraries.
On top of it, I have created a super complete map of Madrid that integrate with your Google Maps. This map contains all the practical information and travel tips you need. In the post I just linked you can find step by step instructions to use them on any device whether you’re still at home or you’re already in Madrid.
Buy tickets to major Madrid attractions in advance
If you don’t visit the Museo del Prado, the Thyssen, and the Reina Sofía Museum, did you really travel to Madrid at all?
Exactly!
But it can be difficult to see all of Madrid’s major attractions when everyone, including backpackers, organized groups and school students, wants to visit these places and is standing in line with you.
One of the best ways to make your trip to Madrid smoother (and keep your sanity intact) is to grab tickets for the big attractions online ahead of time. That way, when you show up, you can breeze past those long lines and head straight in – while everyone stuck waiting glares at you with envy.
Take a look at the weather
It’s also important to know what the weather is like, which is one of the most common questions I get. To help with that, I have an article about the weather in Madrid, including average temperatures by city and rainfall data. This way, you’ll always know what to expect when visiting Madrid.
The data comes from the Spain Meteorological Agency, so it’s official. Of course, the weather can change, but this gives you a good idea of what kind of clothing to pack.
That said, I always recommend checking the weather forecast as your travel date gets closer. You can do this on websites or through apps on your phone. This way, you’ll see if the temperatures match the annual average or if it’s unusually cold or hot, if it’s going to rain, and so on.
Pack a plug adapter and a power strip
I’m sure the same thing happens to you as it does to me: when I travel, I end up carrying a ton of electronic devices. Between my phone, tablet, camera, and all the chargers, it turns into total chaos.
One option is to bring an adapter for each charger, but if you have a lot of devices, you probably won’t have enough. Then there’s the issue that in some places, there aren’t even enough outlets available.
My advice is to pack a plug adapter and bring a power strip so you can connect multiple devices using just one adapter.
Check out what, where and when to eat
Eating in Madrid is one of those things that make the trip to this country doubly worthwhile. Spanish cuisine is rich, varied, different and even cheap if you know where to go.
I always like to remember to my readers that Spain is much more than paella, so be prepared to eat very tasty and special local specialties everywhere you go. And this is particularly true in Madrid: don’t miss going to a few of its tapas bars.
Oh, one last thing… Eat when the locals eat.
At the times when you may typically be eating lunch or dinner at home, the doors to Madrid’s restaurants may not even be open yet.
At lunch bars may be open earlier, but kitchens generally open anytime between 12:30 and 13:30 and close around 16:00 or 16:30.
As for dinner, don’t expect to find a good restaurant open until about 20:30!
