Enjoy the Madrid Christmas lights walk (2022)

Experiences

With this Madrid Christmas lights walk you can see for yourself how gorgeous the city looks like. Christmas is a very special time of the year and Madrid likes to celebrate it in grand style.

Traditionally, the major of the city inaugurates the Christmas lights on the last Friday of November. At the end of the ceremony, the major activates an electric switch and the magic invades the streets. Thanks to an effective costs saving policy, the City Council manages to provide more illuminated areas each year.

Additionally, Madrid decided a few years ago to turn to its creative culture artists to make every year’s displays unforgettable. Once a year Spain’s best-known architects, artists, along with fashion and graphic designers propose a very particular vision to adorn the city in breathtaking style.

Madrid Christmas lights walk: practical details

Duration: 2 hours approximately.

When: Madrid Christmas lights start on the last Thursday of November (so November 24th, 2022) and end on January 6th.

In order to plan your walk here is the Christmas lights schedule:

Sunday to Thursday from 18:00 to 0:00.
Friday and Saturday from 18:00 to 1:00.
On December 24th and January 5th from 18:00 to 3:00.
On December 31st from 18:00 to 6:00.

Highlights: Puerta de Alcalá, Retiro Park, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor.

Transport: Metro but you can also catch a bus to get to the starting point and also at the end of the walk.

Enjoy the Madrid Christmas lights walk

START. The walk starts at any Metro station in Madrid.

1. Take the metro to travel to the first highlight of the walk, Calle Serrano. Descend at Serrano Metro station (line 4, brown) as you exit the Metro you will be at the corner of Calle Goya and Calle Serrano. Turn left and start walking along Calle Goya and towards Calle Velázquez.

2. Walk two blocks and turn right on Calle Velázquez. The relatively long avenue is full of boutiques and towards its end has some impressive 1900s buildings.

3. Walk until the end of the block and turn left on Calle Jorge Juan, an elegant and cozy street. As you pass across lovely decorated windows and tempting restaurants, you can also notice of the entrances of the neighborhood’s local market – Mercado de la Paz.

4. Walk down to reach Calle Serrano and the Plaza de Colón. You will easily recognize the square thanks to huge Spain flag located in the center. Calle Serrano, a busy and fashionable street, is one of the main arteries of the Barrio de Salamanca and is full of luxury shops. Apart from the window shopping have a look at the beautiful lights on the street.

5. As you get to the end of Calle Serrano, you will notice the Puerta de Alcalá. Walk around the square towards El Retiro Park and admire the Puerta de Alcalá’s spectacular decoration. It’s one of the walk’s highlights.

6. Cross the street at the light and walk towards El Retiro Park. Enter the park through the main gate (called Puerta Real) and walk along the Paseo de México. At the end of it, you will reach El Retiro Park lake.

7. Walk along the lake as you observe locals in rowing boats having fun and relaxing while floating around on the water.

8. Keep walking until you reach a beautiful boulevard on your left, the Paseo de Argentina. It’s also known as Paseo de las Estatuas (Promenade of the Statues). Turn left here and admire the numerous statues sculpted by various artists. Continue walking and exit the Park through the gate (Puerta de España).

9. Use the pedestrian crossing to cross Calle de Alfonso XII towards Calle de Antonio Maura. Walk until you get to Plaza de la Lealtad, where the Monumento a los Caídos por España honors all those who have died fighting for Spain.

10. Walk surrounding the square and cross Paseo del Prado. A few steps away is the beautiful Neptune fountain, one of the most famous fountains in Madrid.

11. Turn around and walk along the Paseo del Prado boulevard. Here you can make a quick stop to admire the Apollo fountain.

12. Keep descending Paseo del Prado to get to the most important square of the city. Plaza de Cibeles is another special landmark in Madrid and along with the City Hall (the old Post Office building), the Banco de España and the Casa de America offer a jaw dropping lightning.

13. As you did with the Puerta de Alcalá, walk along the Cibeles fountain and across the Banco de España. Calle Alcalá becomes a bit steeper but the Christmas lights and the buildings’ illumination are so thrilling you won’t even notice.

14. Continue on to Calle Alcalá (don’t cross to the other side of the street or you’ll end up in Calle Gran Vía). This is also a very beautiful area with several impressive buildings such as the Círculo de Bellas Artes or the ones located at the corner of Calle Sevilla, both belonging to financial institutions.

15. A couple of minutes later you are in Puerta de Sol, the very heart of Madrid and Spain. In fact, it’s the center of the Spanish road network. This busy and lively square is all always full of people and even more during Christmas time. Have a look around; there is always a huge metallic Christmas tree.

16. Walk towards the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the 12 grapes and the beginning of a new year. If you want to indulge yourself and the lines aren’t endless, enter La Mallorquina and try some if its delicious sweets.

16. Continue until you exit the square taking Calle Mayor. Calle Mayor marks the entrance to the Madrid de los Austrias, the oldest part of the city. Always busy, you’ll find it packed. Walk along the left boardwalk and take Calle Postas.

17. Unfortunately Calle Postas has become nowadays a tourist-oriented street, abandoning its once upon a time charm. However, it’s still the best street to enter the end point of the walk.

END. The Madrid Christmas walk ends at Plaza Mayor. The square hosts Madrid’s most famous Christmas market with more than 100 stalls occupying it every year. Dating back to 1860 it’s a very popular attraction among Madrileños who go there looking for miniatures to compose the Belén (Nativity scene).

From here you can have several alternatives, depending on how tired you are.

Go back to the Puerta del Sol where you can catch the Metro at Sol station (lines 1, 2 and 3) or a bus.
Continue walking 5 minutes to get to Plaza de la Ópera and Plaza de Oriente to admire the Christmas lights, the opera house and the magnificent Royal Palace.
From Plaza Mayor, cross Calle Mayor, take the narrow Calle Coloreros and sit at the Chocolatería de San Ginés to end the walk enjoying a hot chocolate con churros.

This article is part of a complete tutorial about Christmas in Madrid where you can read all the information you need to enjoy the best Christmas holidays in Madrid.

Here is a complete summary of all the guide:

1. Spend an unforgettable Christmas in Madrid
2. 10 things to do in Madrid at Christmas
3. 6 awesome things to do on New Year’s Eve in Madrid
4. How to celebrate Three Kings’ Day in Madrid
5. The best Christmas markets in Madrid
6. 10 unique Christmas gift ideas from Madrid
7. My favorite 5 Spanish Christmas sweets in Madrid
8. Enjoy the Madrid Christmas lights walk