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Tours & Experiences in Madrid

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Best things to do and see in Madrid

Madrid is a city that doesn’t need any introductions. It is the capital of Spain, and a tourist hotspot every year along with Barcelona. Its abundant culture, architecture, cuisine, and art make it obvious why so many decide to visit this Iberian city, along with all the different niches and interesting sites it has to offer if you know where to look, that is! If you are planning on visiting this European metropolis, it’s important that you have a few reference points so you get the most out of your trip.

If you are looking for the best free walking tour in Madrid , the best idea is for you to do it with a local guide who knows all those mandatory tourist stops and of course the more hidden charms of this great city. If you tour this capital city you can’t miss places like: walking through Madrid’s Retiro, park area, or walking by the Gate of Alcala, (la Puerta de Alcalá) Cibeles Square, continuing until the Sun Gate, (la Puerta del Sol). A visit to the Main Square, (Plaza Mayor) where you can take a walk to the gardens beside the Royal Palace is also a must. There are also more specific tours you can choose that will take you some of Madrid’s different neighborhoods like: Salamance, Chueca, La Latina or Argüelles. If you enjoy art and museums, Madrid is a top destination with world-renowned museums like the Prado, Queen Sophia, the Archeological Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza or the Sorolla Museum. If you are choosing a walking tour, you can’t forget about places like Columbus’ Square, the Argüelles viewpoint, Santa Ana’s Square, the Gran Vía Avenue or the Plaza de España itself.

Find out more info about the free walking tours available in Madrid , by going to the webpage and reading other walkers’ opinions and reviews about their experiences on the same route with the same guide.  Whether you book a guruwalk in the morning, afternoon, or evening, you will have a great time getting to know some of the charms with professional guides who will get you the most out of your holidays in this Spanish capital. 

Free walking tour near Madrid

Others cities to visit after madrid, find other guruwalks in madrid, where are you traveling to.

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Madrid Walking Tours & Private Tours

Memorable walks of madrid with local guides, check out our tours.

Experiences

Free tour in madrid.

Expertise matters! We offer free walking tours in Madrid since 2013 , what make us one of the most experienced walking tour companies in Madrid. Join us and discover the Madrid you never knew.

Small-Group Walking Tours

We always offer small groups on our guided tours in Madrid. In this way, the experience is much more dynamic and we can offer an excellent service to our clients . Forget about being herded from one location to another with little time to ask questions or see anything in detail.

Local Tour Guides

Feel the tradition. Our team of hand-picked guides will make you discover Madrid and its history in a fun and entertaining manner. They love sharing with you the hidden gems not mentioned in guidebooks, secret spots and the local people you wouldn’t otherwise meet.

Award Winning Walking Tours

We have established customer centricity as the core philosophy of our company . Thanks to that, we are one of the best rated walking tour companies in Madrid: 1000+ 5 star reviews on TripAdvisor, Facebook and Google.

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The Best Walking Tours in Madrid with Expert Guides

Old Town Madrid Free Walking Tour

• Puerta del Sol, Equestrian Statue of Carlos III
• Free Price (you determine how much the tour was worth)

Private and Custom Tours in Madrid

• upon request
• Pick up at your hotel / apartment

Flamenco Shows in Madrid

• 1 hour (approximate duration)
• Different locations

What our clients say about our Madrid Walking Tours

• We are proud to have received seven consecutive Certificates of Excellence from TripAdvisor (based on more than 1,000 reviews. 95% of them are 5-star reviews)
• Our walking tours in Madrid are recommended by independent travel blogs and prestigious publications such as “DK Eyewitness Travel Guides” or the German newspaper WELT

Happy clients - Happy us!

The Personal Touch of a Family-Run Business

Hola! We are Javier and Tatiana, a couple passionate about Madrid and its fascinating history. In 2013 we decided to start OgoTours, a walking tour company specialized in Madrid. This project would change our lives forever.

Time has flown by since OgoTours started but we are proud to continue being a 100% local business. This is the backbone of our company. Being a family-run business give us a special relationship with the city and community. A connection that extends far beyond business relationships. Unlike the big multinational tour operators, being a small local company allows us to keep the authentic essence of the city.

Nowadays, our small team of guides consists of historians, art historians and local experts who love sharing their favorite spots in the city and its history. We will make you feel Madrid like a local.

What do we offer?

Madrid free walking tour, madrid private tours.

Our Private Tours in Madrid are the perfect option for: 

SMALL GROUP WALKING TOURS OF MADRID

Copyright © OgoTours Madrid 2013-2023 OgoTours is a 100% local company. And as such, we are proud to do our bit to preserve the traditions and spirit of the city. Our goal is to help you experience Madrid like a local. Tax Identification Number: 46890705F

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New measures to face COVID-19 and enjoy our tours with safety

Smaller groups (max. 10 people).

Our groups are now limited to 10 people, therefore it is required to book your spot in advance.

MANDATORY USE OF FACE MASK

Mandatory use of face masks for guides and customers . Following the Spanish legislation, the wearing of face masks in all public spaces is obligatory.

SOCIAL DISTANCING (2 METERS)

When available, we highly recommend to maintain 2-meters social distancing between all the participants of the tour.

HAND SANITIZER AVAILABLE

All our guides will be carrying hand sanitizer during the tour and it will be available during the whole route for you.

GUIDES EQUIPPED WITH VOICE AMPLIFIERS

You will hear the explanations perfectly , as your guide will be carrying a voice amplifier.

You don´t need to print out your tour confirmation (just in case keep the email confirmation on your phone). Your name and last name will be enough for the guide to complete the check-in process.

The Best Walking Tours in Madrid

Hemingway once called Madrid “the capital of the world” and in his book Death in the Afternoon , referred to it as “the most Spanish of all cities.”

As the second-largest city in the European Union (after Berlin ), Madrid wows visitors with it’s beauty, museums, history, and food.

Madrid also boasts numerous neighborhoods crammed with fun tapas bars, their narrow, cobbled streets brimming with happy revelers until the wee hours of the morning.

There is a ton to see and do here , so much so that you could easily spend a couple of weeks dedicating yourself to getting below the surface of Madrid and still end up yearning for more.

Whether you’re looking for a light introduction to the city or something more comprehensive and nuanced, walking tours are the best way to peel back the layers of a place for a more authentic, in-depth experience. From brief free ones to food tours to in-depth historical walks, there is something for every traveler — and every budget.

To help you make the most of your time in “the capital of the world,” here’s a list of the best walking tours (and one biking tour) in Madrid:

Best Overall Tour

Take Walks is my favorite walking tour company in the city. They specialize in early and exclusive access to sites. The Prado & Botin tour , for example, takes you into the famous restaurants kitchen and underground tunnels. Their tours are incredible and my favorite in the city!

Best Free Tour

New Europe Walking Tours does a tips-based free walking tour through the center of Madrid, covering the history of the city and stopping at major sights. It starts at Plaza Mayor and finishes at Plaza Isabel II, hitting many other places along the way. (New Europe also offers private paid tours if you’re traveling with a group and prefer to take a private tour on your own schedule.)

Other Top Walking Tours in Madrid

If you’re on a budget, free tours are a great way to get the basics of Madrid. But if you’re a walking tour lover or you just want to dive into something more specific, you’ll have to pay for a more detailed one. Here are some of the best paid tours in Madrid to help you deepen your experience:

1. Devour Tours

Devour does food tours all over Spain and Italy , but its founders live in Madrid. This is why it’s especially fortuitous to do a Devour tour here — particularly if you’re a foodie. The four-hour Tapas, Taverns & History tour will fill you up and leave you satisfied. You’ll hit four family-run tapas bars for food and drink, weaving from one place to the next while stopping at major landmarks. It’s the perfect way to spend an evening in Madrid.

Tours from 99 EUR per person.

Book your tour here!  

2. Free Walking Tours Madrid

Free Walking Tours Madrid is technically not free, but it’s still super affordable. You have to register for a tour and pay 3 EUR to guarantee your spot, which kind of defeats the “free tour” label; however, that’s still a bargain, and you cover a lot of ground.

The tours start with Madrid’s origins as a small Arab town, taking participants all the way through the world-spanning Spanish empire, through the Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship, and to the post-Franco “Movida” era of the late ’70s and ’80s. If you want a good primer on Madrid and Spanish history, this is it.

Book your tour here!

3. The Wellington Society of Madrid

This tour company isn’t as much a “society” as just the fabulous tour guide Stephen Drake-Jones leading small groups through Madrid on specialty tours. He does wine tours, ones that focus on Goya, and a great one on Ernest Hemingway, who spent several years in Madrid. You’ll be taken to — surprise, surprise — a few historic bars, including the amazing sherry bar La Venencia, that were typical haunts of “Don Ernesto” while he was in Madrid.

Tours from 125 EUR per person.

4. Madrid Day Tours

While this operator does do a walking tour of Madrid, its specialty is taking you out of Madrid to one of the fabulous smaller historic towns in the nearby countryside. This is a great way to visit another part of Spain while you’re based in Madrid. Tours to the medieval cities of Toledo or Segovia are great options, as they’re both just a short drive away and pack a great punch in terms of the wow factor.

Tours from 69 EUR per person.

5. Cool Tour Spain

This tour company offers engaging street art tours around Madrid. They take you around the multicultural Lavapies area to show you the amazing street art sprinkled around this central Madrid neighborhood. There are also walks that focus on architecture, feminism, and contemporary art. This is great for when you need a break from the centuries-old buildings and historic landmarks that can sometimes get a little tiresome.

Tours from 20 EUR per person.

Book your tour with Cool Tour Spain here!  

6. Walk Eat Spain

Margaret and Amy, two long-time American expats in Madrid, lead fun walking tours in Madrid. You stop, eat, get an explanation about the dish and history of the place, and then walk it off until your next stop. Walk Eat Spain organizes walks around the vibrant Malasaña neighborhood, one of the best areas for tapas and wine crawls. They also have family-friendly private tours so you can have a more customized experience.

Tours from 89 EUR per person.

7. Fat Tire Tours

Need to give your feet a break? Or just prefer pedaling? Fat Tire offers two different three-hour bike tours around town. You’ll learn some history, explore lesser-visited neighborhoods, and still see all the highlights. While their tours pack in a lot, they also keep things at a leisurely pace, so you’ll never feel rushed. And since Madrid is one of Europe’s greenest capital cities, there’s also a tour that focuses on its parks and rivers, perfect for families — or anyone who doesn’t want to cycle around the busy city center.

Tours from 32 EUR per person.

While popular tourist hot spots like Madrid are easy to explore on your own, if you want a deeper, more authentic experience, it’s always best to connect with an expert local guide. Walking tours are just the way to go. I always take a few while I’m here, and I encourage you to do the same (definitely start with my favorite, Take Walks ).

Book Your Trip to Spain: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Use Skyscanner to find a cheap flight. They are my favorite search engine because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned!

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. Three of my favorite places to stay in Madrid are are:

• Sungate One
• MuchoMadrid

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance protects 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. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They save you money when you travel too.

Want a Guide? Madrid has some really interesting tours. My favorite company is Walks , which has expert guides and can get you behind the scenes of the city’s best attractions. It’s my go-to walking tour company!

Hi, I’m Nomadic Matt, the New York Times best-selling author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day and Ten Years a Nomad, as well as the founder of this website! And I’m here to help you save money on your next trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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Best 5 Free walking tours in Madrid

I love the free walking tours in Madrid. They are a wonderful, sustainable, and healthy way to discover the history, culture, and top-rated attractions of the capital of Spain.

Besides, are a great option if you want to visit Madrid on a budget !

Table of contents

How to book the best walking tours in Madrid for free

My 5 reasons to join the free walking tours in madrid, how walkable is madrid, 1. madrid free walking tour, 2. discover the heart of the old town of madrid and its wonders, 3. get your bearings in madrid: discover the old town, 4. free tour “millenary madrid” – madrid de los austrias (old town), 5. madrid highlights free walking tour, how much to tip a free walking tour guide, what is a free walking tour in madrid.

I would describe a free walking tour of Madrid as a type of tour usually lasting 2-3 hours with an expert local guide in a unique and fun experience while discovering the most popular tourist attractions in Madrid.

I want to highlight that you do not have to pay anything at all to book the tour. A tip is usually (fairly) expected though if you enjoyed the experience.

#1 TOP PICK

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Madrid Old Town

✔️ Duration: 2h and 15min

✔️ Language: English

After all, although tour guides are passionate about Madrid, they also have invoices to pay. It is logical to think that their work deserves some reward too.

There is a wide offer of experiences to choose from and it can be sometimes difficult to identify the best ones. This is why I have included in this post the best free walking tours of Madrid from my point of view.

It is not allowed to join the best walking tours in Madrid without booking.

Booking in advance a Madrid free tour is necessary to secure your place . Besides, you will be able to receive important information from your guide in case there are changes to the tour. Remember that children must also be counted at the time of booking.

The booking process is really easy. Just click on the link of the tours you will find on this post , choose the date, and fill out a brief form.

You will receive a confirmation email of your booking. In case you don´t, check your spam folder and verify you have input the right email address.

There is usually a minimum and a maximum number of participants. If you go to the meeting point without booking, the group could be full and do not accept additional participants.

The 5 Best Madrid Segway Tours

In case you have booked one of the best Madrid free tours and something unexpected comes up, the cancellation is also free .

If so, remember to cancel the booking as soon as possible. This way, you will give the opportunity to others to join the tour.

The meeting point is usually an easily accessible place in Madrid´s city center. It is important to arrive about 10 minutes before the start time scheduled. This way, the guide will be able to begin the tour on time.

1. You will get an integral experience .

In my opinion, walking is by far the best way to explore Madrid.

Most tourist attractions are located in the historical city center within walking distance and the weather in Madrid is excellent to enjoy a stroll.

Public transport in Madrid is awesome and can be a faster way to get around in case your planning is quite tight.

I prefer slow traveling though, as you can always come across some hidden gems of the city and experience Madrid like a local.

I have always believed that it is not just a way of getting to your final destination, but it is actually enjoying every single place you go through .

The free walking tours in Madrid are perfect to get a deeper involvement and discover the local culture and day-to-day Spanish life.

2. They are healthy and sustainable .

Walking is friendly to the environment.

According to the European Environment Agency, transport is responsible for a considerable part of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

Therefore, the free walking tours in Madrid result in fewer emissions released into the atmosphere, help to protect biodiversity and decrease noise pollution.

Besides, walking is beneficial for your health, reducing the risk of cardiac diseases and heart attack.

Research shows that regular walking actually modifies your nervous system, reduces the levels of stress and anxiety, and can significantly improve your mood.

Madrid´s nice weather is very convenient to enjoy a stroll. Rain is not usual, but in July and August a bottle of water will be much appreciated, especially at mid-day.

3. They are free .

The free walking tours in Madrid will allow you to save money on your trip to Spain. Being complimentary, you will have more budget available for other pleasures like tasting Spanish gastronomy.

Usually, the tour guides are young native freelancers with a deep knowledge of the city.

They will be always happy to offer you insider tips on places to visit, things to avoid, and the best restaurants. Therefore, a tip will be more than welcome in case you have enjoyed the experience.

4. Forget about planning .

One of the main benefits of the free-of-charge walking tours in Madrid is that you do not have to worry about planning.

All you have to do is turn up at the meeting point on time, ready to have a nice time.

The tour guides will take care of the rest. The whole route is thoroughly planned in advance and you will not miss any of the best landmarks in Madrid .

Moreover, the tour guides will show you Madrid´s secrets that only the locals know.

5. Engage with new people

The free Madrid walking tours are a great opportunity to meet people who probably share your interests . That is why they are especially interesting if you are traveling solo to Spain .

Perhaps it is just me, but when I travel, I am more outgoing to talking with strangers than in my daily life.

It could be just because of this feeling of sharing the passion for discovering new places, but I have done plenty of good friends when traveling around.

As a local, I would say that Madrid is easy to navigate on foot , especially at the city center which houses most of the must-see attractions.

The weather in Madrid is most of the time pretty appealing for walking, sunny days are usual. Madrid in Winter is beautiful too, and temperatures are not extreme.

Therefore, my list of the best costless walking tours in Madrid is an outstanding way to explore the capital of Spain, strolling along the streets and discovering the hidden gems of the city.

For me, walking in Madrid is a pleasure.

Pedestrian and green zones are common, especially in the city center, and they are clean and safe . Of all the ways to explore Madrid, nothing beats a walking tour.

In order to make Madrid a more walkable city, there is a continuous investment to increase the pedestrianized areas and improve the infrastructure for pedestrians.

The main objective is to improve the pedestrian experience and convert walking into the most enjoyable and attractive means of transport.

It is true, however, that there is still plenty of work to do, some areas of the city are much more walkable than others.

What are the best free walking tours in Madrid?

The 5 Best (and cheapest) Bike Tours in Madrid

Do you want to truly get to know Madrid?

Walking tours are a great way to get a comprehensive insight into the capital of Spain and make the most out of your visit to Madrid.

There are dozens of tour companies, mainly paid, so visitors find it difficult to choose one.

In this post, I want to share with you which are, in my opinion, the best free walking tours in Madrid to help you plan your trip to Spain.

But it is not just me who believes these are the best free walking tours in Madrid. I have included just a couple out of hundreds of authentic excellent testimonials .

Please note that some free walking tours in Madrid are available in different languages, make sure to pick the right one before booking.

Here is my review of the 5 best free walking tours in Madrid:

My first option offers this free walking tour in Madrid which will allow you to discover the most emblematic areas and attractions of the capital of Spain.

You will learn all about Madrid´s history accompanied by a local bilingual guide.

This free walking tour in Madrid has a duration of 2 hours and you will stroll through El Madrid de los Austrias, the most historic neighborhood of the city.

The local guide will take you to the most iconic streets, squares, and landmarks, including the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Villa, and much more.

While you wander through Madrid’s historic center, the guide will tell you interesting anecdotes and traditions which will bring you much closer to our Spanish culture.

Pablo was a really fantastic guide. He provided a great deal of history and information and did it with a good sense of humor. I would highly recommend this tour. Crystal | United States

This tour will allow you to discover one of the most historic neighborhoods in the city, Madrid de los Austrias.

This is one of the best free walking tours in Madrid and lasts approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. Click here to book this free tour now .

The tour starts at the iconic Puerta del Sol, which houses some of the most iconic landmarks in Madrid such as the Royal Post Office, with the famous clock marking the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and the beginning of a new year.

You will also find El Oso y el Madroño, a sculpture of a bear and strawberry tree which represent the coat of arms of the capital of Spain, the Kilometer 0, a mounted statue of King Charles III, the Mariblanca, and the Tio Pepe neon sign.

Melissa was an amazing guide, she provided a lot of information and made the tour super fun with her humor! Certainly recommended! Anastasia | Poland

After a short walk, you will get to the famous Plaza Mayor, an outstanding arcaded square with a rectangular shape and a total of 237 balconies.

The next stop will be a gastronomic icon temple. El Mercado de San Miguel, with a remarkable early-20th century iron structure, has more than 20 stands with the best quality products in the entire Iberian Peninsula.

Finally, you will discover the emblematic Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral, and the Royal Theater, very close to the starting point of the tour.

Here you will find the link to my third choice of the best walking tours in Madrid. Secure your place by booking now this free tour .

The tour has a duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes, and the guide will show you Madrid´s historical center.

Do not worry if you are not an expert in history, the guides will only go as in depth in history as participants want to, and they will do their best to make it fun and easy to understand.

Some of the tourist attractions you will discover on this free walking tour in Madrid are Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Villa, the 9th-century Moorish wall, and the Plaza de Oriente.

Sebastian was an excellent tour guide! We learned so much and got to see so many interesting parts of Madrid. Highly recommend. Barbara | San Marino

Would you like to know the fascinating history of Madrid and visit its historic center, a legacy of the House of Los Austrias? Book now this tour for free.

This 2.5-hour tour is the next on my list of the top 5 free walking tours in Madrid.

The tour offers a route through Madrid de Los Austrias. You will walk through the historic center of Madrid, discovering and learning about its origins, history, and legends, which have given life to this majestic city.

On this tour, you will be able to enter some of the historical sites and an experienced local guide will help you to better understand customs, traditions, and local advice that will make you enjoy a better experience in Madrid.

Some of the tourist spots visited will be Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Villa, Royal Palace, Almudena Cathedral, and Plaza de Oriente.

Join this tour without charge to discover this exciting city that is waiting to tell you the secrets of more than a thousand years of history.

Luis, the guide, has been very attentive and entertaining, iproviding us with very detailed explanations. 5 stars! David | Nord de Palma

This 2-hour historical walk offers a unique experience to discover the must-see attractions of the capital of Spain.

You will cover the most historic neighborhood of the city inside and outside what was the Medieval wall.

The local guide will carefully share valuable information about the attractions, Madrid´s history, and gastronomical advice that you cannot miss.

Some of the landmarks you will visit are the Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Villa, Royal Palace, Almudena Cathedral, and San Miguel Market.

Great tour as a first glance at the city. We visited the most important places and heard curious facts about them. The guide was very helpful and fun . Annalisa | Lisbon

As I said before, booking the best free walking tours in Madrid is free of charge.

However, in case you have enjoyed the experience you can reward the guide for his work with the amount you consider fair and appropriate .

After all, although tour guides are passionate about their job, it is logical to think that their effort deserves some reward too.

Besides, if we all do not collaborate with these guides, free tours will end up disappearing.

The amount to tip depends on everyone and it usually depends on the final satisfaction, duration of the tour, and the number of people in your party.

I would dare to say that the usual average is around 10 euros per adult for a 2-hour tour.

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Free Walking Tours Madrid

The best free tour of Madrid! Free Walking Tours Madrid promotes a tourism that fuses entertainment, culture and respect for the city 🙂 Join and discover Madrid with us!

• Entertainment and culture , is the combination that defines our success formula.
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Tours & Activities in Madrid

• Free Tour Madrid The best Free Tour of Madrid! Free Tour Madrid promotes tourism that blends entertainment, culture and respect for the city. Join and discover Madrid with us, discover the best side of the city !! Book & Info
• Free Tour Madrid Monumental & Retiro Park Explore with us the most monumental and artistic Madrid, a tour of the great architectural works of the city. Book & Info
• Flamenco Show in Madrid Live the passion of dance and flamenco in Madrid. Highly talented artists and a unique environment to discover this incredible Spanish dance. An experience for the senses! Book & Info
• Full day Toledo Visiting Toledo is to get to know the history of our country. The so-called "city of the three cultures" , gathers artistic and architectural jewels of Christianity, Judaism and Muslim culture. Book & Info
• Avila + Segovia, Full day Tour Free Walking Tours Madrid, together with our partner company VPT, propose a full day tour to Avila and Segovia. A magnificent full day tour in which you will get to know two World Heritage Cities. Book & Info
• Escorial and Valle de los Caídos Visit San Lorenzo de El Escorial and enjoy the spectacular views from the Valle de los Caídos, all accompanied by our expert guide. Book & Info

Private Tours

With private tours we can adapt to your needs, with the duration and travel you prefer; a great option for groups of students, corporate events or simply to live a more personalized experience in Madrid.

We believe that everyone has the right to a quality tour regardless of their budget. At the end of the free tour you are the ones who can value the service.

We work with experienced guides, respectful with the city and passionate about transmitting the best stories and corners of the city.

With more than 5 years of experience and a thousand positive comments on the internet, we continue to strive to provide the best service to travelers from all over the world.

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• If you read several articles about the best bike accessories to buy, this information could be used to create a profile about your interest in bike accessories. Such a profile may be used or improved later on, on the same or a different website or app to present you with advertising for a particular bike accessory brand. If you also look at a configurator for a vehicle on a luxury car manufacturer website, this information could be combined with your interest in bikes to refine your profile and make an assumption that you are interested in luxury cycling gear.
• An apparel company wishes to promote its new line of high-end baby clothes. It gets in touch with an agency that has a network of clients with high income customers (such as high-end supermarkets) and asks the agency to create profiles of young parents or couples who can be assumed to be wealthy and to have a new child, so that these can later be used to present advertising within partner apps based on those profiles.
• An online retailer wants to advertise a limited sale on running shoes. It wants to target advertising to users who previously looked at running shoes on its mobile app. Tracking technologies might be used to recognise that you have previously used the mobile app to consult running shoes, in order to present you with the corresponding advertisement on the app.
• A profile created for personalised advertising in relation to a person having searched for bike accessories on a website can be used to present the relevant advertisement for bike accessories on a mobile app of another organisation.
• You read several articles on how to build a treehouse on a social media platform. This information might be added to a profile to mark your interest in content related to outdoors as well as do-it-yourself guides (with the objective of allowing the personalisation of content, so that for example you are presented with more blog posts and articles on treehouses and wood cabins in the future).
• You have viewed three videos on space exploration across different TV apps. An unrelated news platform with which you have had no contact builds a profile based on that viewing behaviour, marking space exploration as a topic of possible interest for other videos.
• You read articles on vegetarian food on a social media platform and then use the cooking app of an unrelated company. The profile built about you on the social media platform will be used to present you vegetarian recipes on the welcome screen of the cooking app.
• You have viewed three videos about rowing across different websites. An unrelated video sharing platform will recommend five other videos on rowing that may be of interest to you when you use your TV app, based on a profile built about you when you visited those different websites to watch online videos.
• You have clicked on an advertisement about a “black Friday” discount by an online shop on the website of a publisher and purchased a product. Your click will be linked to this purchase. Your interaction and that of other users will be measured to know how many clicks on the ad led to a purchase.
• You are one of very few to have clicked on an advertisement about an “international appreciation day” discount by an online gift shop within the app of a publisher. The publisher wants to have reports to understand how often a specific ad placement within the app, and notably the “international appreciation day” ad, has been viewed or clicked by you and other users, in order to help the publisher and its partners (such as agencies) optimise ad placements.
• You have read a blog post about hiking on a mobile app of a publisher and followed a link to a recommended and related post. Your interactions will be recorded as showing that the initial hiking post was useful to you and that it was successful in interesting you in the related post. This will be measured to know whether to produce more posts on hiking in the future and where to place them on the home screen of the mobile app.
• You were presented a video on fashion trends, but you and several other users stopped watching after 30 seconds. This information is then used to evaluate the right length of future videos on fashion trends.
• The owner of an online bookstore wants commercial reporting showing the proportion of visitors who consulted and left its site without buying, or consulted and bought the last celebrity autobiography of the month, as well as the average age and the male/female distribution of each category. Data relating to your navigation on its site and to your personal characteristics is then used and combined with other such data to produce these statistics.
• An advertiser wants to better understand the type of audience interacting with its adverts. It calls upon a research institute to compare the characteristics of users who interacted with the ad with typical attributes of users of similar platforms, across different devices. This comparison reveals to the advertiser that its ad audience is mainly accessing the adverts through mobile devices and is likely in the 45-60 age range.
• A technology platform working with a social media provider notices a growth in mobile app users, and sees based on their profiles that many of them are connecting through mobile connections. It uses a new technology to deliver ads that are formatted for mobile devices and that are low-bandwidth, to improve their performance.
• An advertiser is looking for a way to display ads on a new type of consumer device. It collects information regarding the way users interact with this new kind of device to determine whether it can build a new mechanism for displaying advertising on this type of device.
• A travel magazine has published an article on its website about the new online courses proposed by a language school, to improve travelling experiences abroad. The school’s blog posts are inserted directly at the bottom of the page, and selected on the basis of your non-precise location (for instance, blog posts explaining the course curriculum for different languages than the language of the country you are situated in).
• A sports news mobile app has started a new section of articles covering the most recent football games. Each article includes videos hosted by a separate streaming platform showcasing the highlights of each match. If you fast-forward a video, this information may be used to select a shorter video to play next.
• An advertising intermediary delivers ads from various advertisers to its network of partnering websites. It notices a large increase in clicks on ads relating to one advertiser, and uses data regarding the source of the clicks to determine that 80% of the clicks come from bots rather than humans.
• Clicking on a link in an article might normally send you to another page or part of the article. To achieve this, 1°) your browser sends a request to a server linked to the website, 2°) the server answers back (“here is the article you asked for”), using technical information automatically included in the request sent by your device, to properly display the information / images that are part of the article you asked for. Technically, such exchange of information is necessary to deliver the content that appears on your screen.

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Free Madrid Walking Tours

Which free tour is best.

This post covers free walking tours in Madrid, including outings that cover the historic district, the best-kept secrets of the city, and even a look at the city after dark.

• Overview + Schedule
• Historic District + Essentials
• Majestic Madrid
• Tapas Tours
• Night Tours + Pub Crawls
• Flamenco Tours

Museum Tours

OVERVIEW + SCHEDULE

Madrid has been one of the epicenters of Western art in Europe for centuries and is now home to world-class museums, culture, architecture, monuments, and other attractions.

While exploring the Spanish capital, you will navigate through the city’s fascinating history from its foundation as a Moorish town to its modern and vibrant current state.

Free Walking Tour of Madrid

Below is a calendar of some of the great free walking tours led by locals that are available in Madrid. Click on the entry below to expand the listing for more details.

The tours listed below are run through us. More tours are available in the following sections.

Searching Availability...

Here is a calendar with more of the best free walking tours in Madrid.

Take a walking tour and become a Madrileño for a day, because in the words of the great writer Calderón de la Barca: “Madrid is everyone’s homeland…”

This model of tours is pay-what-you-wish, meaning you can pay your local guides what you think the tour was worth, or what you could afford after your walk is over.

According to online reviews, most tourists pay between €5 to €20 per person for free walking tours Madrid-style.

We offer tours globally . Here are just a few cities.

• Palma de Mallorca

HISTORIC DISTRICT TOURS + ESSENTIALS 

Several free walking tours take you through the most historic neighborhoods in Madrid, providing a closer look at notable landmarks and explaining what life was like during medieval times.

While you can expect to learn some history on these outings, you’ll also receive tips about the best places to visit, great restaurants in the area, and more.

Royal Palace of Madrid

In addition to discovering how the capital of Spain developed into the city we see today, you can also expect to visit some of the following locations:

• Puerta del Sol
• Plaza Mayor
• The Royal Palace
• Almudena Cathedral
• Mercado de San Miguel

If you want to learn more about these sites, consider one of the pay-what-you-wish tours listed below.

Learn about the royal families of the past and how this city rose to prominence as you visit some of the most notable sites on this 2-hour free tour of Madrid.

This pay-what-you-wish tour is available in both English and Spanish twice a day at 10:00 am, 10:30 am, 11:00 am, 11:30 am and 17:00 (5 pm) on every day.

The tour will start at the Puerta del Sol also known as the Sun Gate.

Get more information or book this tour .

You may also want to consider a self-guided exploration game instead. This service puts you in the role of someone escaping the Spanish Inquisition.

Although the self-guided game is not free, at only €10, it's around what most people would consider tipping their guide for a pay-what-you-wish walking tour.

This tour game lasts 2 hours and runs daily from C. de San Bernardo, 1, 28013 Madrid, Spain

MAJESTIC MADRID

If you’re looking to take a more unique tour of the city, there are at least a couple of options you may want to consider.

While some cover the basic history of Madrid from a different perspective, others are more focused on the culture of the city, including details about famous writers and artists from the area.

• Puerta de Alcalá

At least one of these outings includes free food samples!

You can expect to see some of the following highlights on these tours:

• Circle of Fine Arts
• Plaza de la Armería
• Fuente de Cibeles (Cibele Fountain)
• The Royal Theatre (Opera House)
• Monastery of the Royal Barefoot
• Prado Museum

For more information about locations like these, consider taking one of the pay-what-you-wish walking tours listed below.

Xtreme Tours

Discover the other side of Madrid on a tour covering several notable sites you won't see on the typical tour of the city centre.

In addition to the unique take on history, you’ll also get some free drinks just for taking this 2 ½ hour tour.

The tour is available every day at 11:30 am and 17:30 (5:30 pm).

The tour starts at Puerta del Sol in front of the equestrian statue of Carlos III. Your tour guide will be waiting with a distinctive white umbrella with the Xtreme Tours Madrid logo.

Book the tour or learn more .

If you’re interested in learning about the most famous artists who ever lived in Madrid, Sandemans Majestic Madrid tour is an excellent choice.

Learn about the history of Miguel de Cervantes (Don Quixote), Ernest Hemingway (A Farewell to Arms), and many other literary geniuses who once walked the streets of this city.

Although this tour is free, it will only cost €3 for adults and €15 for groups (per guest) to get priority tickets. Many travelers tip between €10-€15 after a pay-what-you-wish tour, so this is a quite fairly priced outing.

This Madrid tour is available in both English and Spanish on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 15:00 (3:00 pm).

The Tour starts in front of the Tourist Information Centre in Plaza Mayor

TAPAS TOURS

There’s a lot of great food in Madrid, but tapas are one of the most popular dishes in all of Spain, so you can expect to find a wide variety of them at restaurants in this city.

These tasty treats are so prevalent that there are some free walking tours you can take which will help you find the best tapas in all of Madrid.

Most of the locations you will visit are known as tapas bars, which specialize in making several different styles of meals.

Each of these tapas tours will allow you to decide how much food you try, as you’ll be paying for your food along the way.

Leaf Madrid

This tour company offers a free tour that will take you to popular bars and restaurants which specialize in making a variety of different tapas.

Rather than paying one flat price upfront, you’ll pay for all the food you want to try along the way, giving you control over the cost of the tour.

Available in both English and Spanish, this 2 ½ hours free tapas tour is limited to groups of 10 or fewer and it’s offered on Thursday at 18:00 (6 pm).

Meeting point of the tour is Puerta del Sol at Carlos III on Horse Statue . Tour guide will be holding a Sky Blue Umbrella in his hands.

Book your tour or learn more .

Unseen Footprints

If you’d rather explore the city and try some of the best food in Madrid on your own, this self-guided tapas tour is an excellent choice.

This outing includes multiple different stops at tapas bars in the city, allowing you to try several different types of this popular dish.

The best part about this option is that you don’t have to pay anything for a tour guide and you can decide how much you want to spend on the actual food as you make your way to each location.

The tour starts around 9 pm and the first stop of the tour is El Oso y el Madroño .

Take this self-guided tapas tour or learn more .

Enmanuel Tours

Note: Tour is currently unavailable.

This expert local guide offers a tour called "Delicious Madrid," which covers some of the best foods to eat in the city.

Rather than focusing just on Tapas, this is both a gastronomy and historical tour, providing details about Spanish traditions, customs, and history.

Along the way, you'll have opportunities to taste some of the best dishes in Madrid at local, family-run businesses.

This tour is offered every Saturday and Sunday at 11 am and 16:30 (4:30 pm).

Find out more about the Delicious Madrid tour .

NIGHT TOURS + PUB CRAWLS

These are pretty much the same as a tour of the historic district, but they are offered after the sun goes down.

That said, some night tours offer additional tips and tricks to help guests find their way around the city.

If you’re interested in seeing what Madrid looks like either as the sun is setting or after it goes down, these are excellent sightseeing opportunities.

It’s also worth noting that the free tapas tour from Leaf Madrid starts at 6 pm, so you could easily consider this a night tour as well.

We’ll also provide a few options for pub crawls in Madrid to help you find the best sangria, beer, wine, and vermouth in the city!

Here are a few of the sites you can expect to see after dark:

• Plaza de la Villa

Discover what Madrid looks like at night on one of the following free walking tours.

Tours Tilla

This is the same historic district tour that we have listed above, but it should be noted that they offer their service after dark, and it’s one of the best free night tour options in Madrid.

Guests can take the tour every night in either English or Spanish at 17:00 (5 pm), and it’s approximately 2 hours in length, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore the city after dark.

Learn more about this option or book the tour now .

Madrid’s Origin

This outing provides information stretching back over 1200 years of history, and it includes stops at some of the most famous locations in the city.

Although this 2-hour tour is offered in both English and Spanish three times a day – once at 17:30 pm, 21:00 pm and again at 22:30 pm Daily!

Meeting point of the tour is Puerta del Sol and guide will be carrying a light blue umbrella.

Find out more or book this tour .

GPS My City

If you’re looking for a free pub crawl, there is one self-guided option provided by GPS My City that you might want to consider.

This guide will use GPS to help you find your way from one bar to the next and it has a total of 18 stops.

You can download it to your smartphone using their app on either iTunes or Android.

Since you don’t have to pay for a tour guide, you can save all your money on trying out a variety of different drinks at the bars you’ll visit along the way.

Take this self-guided pub crawl or learn more .

Other Madrid Pub Crawls

Most pub crawls in this city are not free, but they do often include at least one free drink at each of the bars visited in addition to some drink specials to save you even more money.

Prices range from just €11 to €39, and these outings can last up to 6 hours depending on which one you choose.

If you want to learn more or see what’s available, please check this list of Madrid pub crawls .

FLAMENCO TOURS 

Madrid is home to some wonderful artistic and cultural traditions, and it’s the origin of a popular form of music and dance known as Flamenco.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about this dance form, there is at least one free walking tour you may want to consider.

You can expect to visit some of the dance schools and Spanish bars where famous Flamenco dancers and musicians have performed throughout the years.

You’ll also visit some artisan shops which sell items such as Flamenco shoes and handmade guitars for artists who perform either the dance or the music that goes along with it.

Your tour guide will also provide information about Flamenco to help you understand its artistry of it and get the most out of any show you might choose to see after this outing.

This 1 ½ hour free walking tour is only available every Saturday at 11:45 am, so it’ll be important to sign up for the service well in advance to ensure you’re included in the group.

Book this tour or learn more .

See a Flamenco Show

If you want to see this music and dancing for yourself either before or after the tour, several venues offer tickets you can purchase well in advance.

Here are a few of the best Flamenco shows currently available in Madrid:

• Corral de la Morería
• La Taberna de Mister Pinkleton
• Centro Cultural Flamenco
• Torres Bermejas
• Cafe de Chinitas

In addition to all of the other types of free walking tours, you can take in Madrid, there are also several companies offering pay-what-you-wish tours of notable museums.

While these services do not include admission to the museums in question, they are an excellent way to make sure that you're seeing all the best exhibits and sites at each museum.

The only issue with these museum tours is that they aren't always consistently offered on a regular basis, so availability really depends upon when you plan to visit and how far in advance you reserve your spot.

Here are a few of the best options currently available:

• Best of the Prado Museum
• Prado Museum Essentials Tour
• Best of the Reina Sofia Museum
• El Prado: A World Art Treasure
• Free Tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid

And much, much more

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Travel Blog | Travel Inspiration

Free Self-Guided Walking Tour of Madrid, Spain

Madrid is a wonderfully grand and proud city – it’s a pleasure to walk around its elegant streets.

Unlike some capital cities in Europe, Madrid’s city centre is fairly compact and it is possible to explore a lot of it without using public transport.

Follow my self-guided walking tour of Madrid to see how you can discover the main sights and attractions on foot.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. These are links to products or experiences I recommend and if you were to buy something after clicking on them, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Any earnings go towards the upkeep of this blog, which I appreciate.

Table of Contents

About This Self-Guided Walking Tour Of Madrid

What you’ll see in this madrid walking tour:.

• The Royal Palace
• Plaza Mayor
• Puerto Del Sol
• El Retiro park
• Museo Nacional del Prado
• Almudena Cathedral
• Mercado De San Miguel
• Plaza De Cibeles
• Los Austrias & the Royal Theatre
• The tapas bar-lined streets of Calle de Cadiz & Calle Barcelona
• An optional detour into the old neighbourhood Barrio De La Latina

How Long Is The Madrid Self-Guided Walking Tour?

If you were to walk this route non-stop it would be around 7km, or 4.3 miles, and would take you 1.5 hours. But, of course, you’ll be stopping many times along the way, so I suggest you give yourself at least half a day to do this route. In fact, my ideal suggestion is to start late morning and end in the early evening – so close to a whole day. This way you go at a comfortable pace and have plenty of time to do justice to all the stops. With this in mind, I’ve built in lunch and dinner stops into the route. After all, you can’t go to Madrid without trying some tapas !

Self-Guided Walking Tour Of Madrid – In Detail

1. almudena cathedral.

Our Madrid walking tour starts at Almudena Cathedral or Catedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena . This impressive cathedral looks gothic and old, but in European cathedral terms, is relatively modern, having been built over a protracted period from 1879 to 1993.

The architectural style is a mix of Neoclassical, Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque. Several kings and queens of Spain are buried here and the crypt houses a 16th-century image of the Virgen de la Almudena.

And there’s very little walking to do to get to the next stop because Almudena Cathedral is just across Plaza de la Armeria from the Royal Palace.

2. Royal Palace

How could you visit the capital of Spain without seeing the official residence of the Spanish Royal family, Palacio Real De Madrid ? Visiting it is one of the top things to do in Madrid .

There’s been a palace on this site since there was a fortress constructed by Emir Muhammad I of Córdoba in the 9th century. The current baroque-style palace, though, was built in the 18th century.

Palacio Real is the largest functioning royal palace and the largest by floor area in Europe – 15,000 m2!  You can admire its scale and grandeur from the exterior, including from Plaza de la Armeria or Sabatini Garden – but you can also get tickets to tour the interior .

3. Plaza Oriente, The Royal Theatre & Los Austrias

Once, you’ve had your fill of the palace, head east into a small tidy plaza called Plaza Oriente , which contains statues of 44 Spanish kings from the medieval period. In the centre is a large monument to King Philip IV.

At the eastern end of the plaza, you’ll find the Royal Theatre or Teatro Real , an opera house inaugurated in 1850.

Head south and slightly east, into the heart of Madrid de Los Austrias . This area is so named because it was built during the time of the Habsburg dynasty (Casa de Austria) in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The walk from the Royal Theatre to the next stop is approx. 5 minutes. As you walk, look out for the statue of a fallen angel on top of one of the buildings Calle de Los Milaneses .

4. Mercado De San Miguel

Soon you’ll come to a great place to refuel and get refreshed during the walking tour. 

Mercado de San Miguel was built in 1919 as a wholesale food market, but today it is a place to eat tapas and grab a drink. Within the covered market, there are around 20 stalls with a wide range of small-plate tapas foods, including fresh seafood, Iberian ham and Spanish cheeses. There’s also plenty of sangria on tap – literally!

It’s a popular place, though, so you might have to be savvy to spot a free table. If you don’t, you’re likely to be able to find space at one of the standing spots around the edge of the market.

5. Detour Into Barrio De La Latina

From Mercado De San Miguel, you could take an optional detour down Calle de Cuchilleros into Barrio de la Latina , another old part of Madrid.

Barrio de la Latina is a triangular area between Calle de Segovia, Calle de Bailen and Calle de Toledo. At the heart of it are Plaza los Carros, Iglesia de San Andres Apostle and the Museum of San Isidro. Calle de la Cava Baja is known for its tapas bars.

6. Plaza Mayor

Whether or not you do the detour into Barrio De La Latina, your next stop is the main square in old Madrid and the centre of Los Austrias, Plaza Mayor . Plaza Mayor was built during the reign of Philip III in the 16th century.

As you enter the plaza through one of nine handsome archways, the spectacle will open up before you: tall red buildings line the square, which has a cobbled with a grid pattern; porticoes provide some shade at ground level, and in the centre is a proud a statue of King Felipe III.

It’s a must-see sight in Madrid, but I don’t recommend you stop for a drink or food here. Like most major tourist sites around the world, the cafes on the square can be rather overpriced.

On your way to the next stop, you could take a minor detour via Palacio de Santa Cruz , a baroque building that was built in the 17 th century and used as a jail until the reign of Philip IV. It was then transformed into a palace and now houses the Spanish Foreign Ministry. Alternatively, go the more direct route via Calle Mayor, which has been a major street in Madrid for centuries and is rather lovely!

7. Puerto Del Sol

About 5 minutes from Plaza Mayor, you’ll find Puerto Del Sol . If Plaza Mayor was the centre of old Madrid, Puerto del Sol is the centre of modern Madrid: is a bustling square, often filled with people until late in the evening.

It is a significant space, the location of public meetings and demonstrations for centuries.  The square contains the clock whose bells ring in the New Year and mark the Spanish tradition of the eating of Twelve Grapes.

Other landmarks in Puerta del Sol include the Royal House of the Post Office which now serves as the office of the President of Madrid; a commemorative plaque for the neighbours of Madrid who rose up against the Napoleonic invasion of Spain in 1808; and another for the victims of the Madrid terrorist attacks in 2004. On its south side, there’s a mounted statue of King Charles III of Spain and on the east side, you can find the statue of The Bear and the Strawberry Tree ( el Oso y el Madroño ), which represents Madrid’s coat of arms.

The square is named ‘Puerto’, which means ‘gate’ because it was once one of the gates in the city wall that surrounded Madrid in the 15th century. And ‘del Sol’ is because it faced eastward towards the rising sun.

8. Gran Via

For your next stop on this walking tour of Madrid, head north-east along Calle de la Montera for 5 minutes until you come to Gran Via , at which point, head right, east-wards.

The ornate buildings along this well-to-do shopping street may look really old, but this street was actually built in the 20th century and most of the architectural style is revival architecture.

There’s plenty of spectacle along this road, but the star is the Metropolis building , which sits at the eastern end of Gran Via, at the junction with Calle de Alcala. This spectacular Beaux-Arts-style building was inaugurated in 1911. The domed cupola is covered with 30000 leaves of 24-carat gold.

9. Plaza De Cibeles

Leaving Gran Via behind, carry on Calle de Alcala for 5 minutes, heading east and you’ll see your next stop ahead of you: an impossibly ornate cluster of neo-classical buildings surrounding a roundabout.  

This is Plaza De Cibeles , named for the central fountain of Cybele, a Phrygian goddess. The fountain is the place where Madrid’s football team, Real Madrid, celebrate their team victories.

The four grand buildings on the square are the Bank of Spain , the Palacio de Buenavista , Palacio de Linares and Palacio de Cibeles . The last one is the most ostentatious-looking and behind the white façade is Madrid City Council and a restaurant.

10. El Retiro

Another 5 minutes beyond Plaza De Cibeles, you’ll come to another fancy junction: Plaza de la Independencia , featuring Puerta de Alcalá, a Neo-classical gate once part of the walls around Madrid. Here you’ll find the entrance to your next stop, and somewhere you can rest your feet if they’re getting weary by this point.

Parque del Buen Retiro (or El Retiro for short) is a large, attractive park east of Madrid’s city centre. In the 16 th century, it was a royal garden. It was opened to the public in the late 19 th century and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.

The 350-acre park is split into different sections, with a mix of ponds, gardens, walkways, monuments and palaces. Feel free to have a wander: don’t stick to the route indicated on the map for this walking tour – explore as much as you want.

I really loved this park. It is big enough for the sounds of the city to disappear and there’s so much variety within it. Some of my favourite parts of this park include:

• Estanque Grande de El Retiro – a large lake in the middle of the park, featuring a monument to Alfonso XII, the King of Spain in the 19th Century.  I liked watching people row boats around the lake and there was a busker playing the saxophone along the walkway.
• A wilderness section where the plants had been left untouched to encourage wildlife to flourish
• Palacio De Cristal : an astonishingly pretty glass palace inspired by the Crystal Palace in London.  It looks out over a small lake with a fountain. It’s so picture-perfect!
• Parterre Garden : an ornate and symmetrical garden with fountains, sculpted trees and a monument to the Nobel-prize-winning dramatist, Jacinto Benavente.

11. Museo Nacional Del Prado & Barrio De Les Letters

On the way to the final stop, you could visit Museo Nacional del Prado , which is the main Spanish national art museum, containing a collection of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century.

The final stop on this self-guided walking tour of Madrid takes you back into the city centre, in search of some tapas!

Tapas is small plates of food served with drinks, and it’s a great way to try Spanish specialities. Classic tapas dishes include patatas bravas, croquettes, Iberian ham, chorizo and calamari – but you’ll find all sorts of food combinations available these days. Sangria or beer are common accompaniments, but lots of places offer cocktails, too.

Madrid is renowned for its tapas bars and I found the biggest and best concentration of tapas in Madrid in Barrio de Les letters and on and around Calle de Cadiz and Calle Barcelona.

For a full rundown of all the tapas bars in Barcelona that I tried – the good and the bad – check out my post on tapas bars in Madrid . However, in the walking tour rout emap, I have marked a couple of my favourites that you could check out:

• Revoltosa : a chilled-out tavern with some tables outside and plenty of space inside. It is about 15 minutes walk from El Retiro to Revoltosa
• Rosi La Loca : this alice-in-wonderland-inspired place has some small dishes on the menu, including delicious tuna Tataki. Great cocktails, too!

Self-Guided Walking Tour Of Madrid FAQs

Is madrid easy to get around on foot.

Yes, it’s pretty easy to walk around Madrid. Like I said before, it’s not a huge city like London or Paris , so the main Madrid attractions are fairly close together. And another bonus is that the streets are very attractive and pleasant – with lots of handsome buildings and café terraces on the pavement.

How Dangerous Is Madrid To Walk Around?

It’s difficult to answer questions like these. On the one hand, there are stats which suggest Madrid is relatively safe, compared to other cities: check out the crime stats on Numbeo , for example.  And my experience in Madrid certainly felt pretty safe. Madrid doesn’t have a reputation for street crime like Spain’s second city, Barcelona , does, for example.

However, I wouldn’t want anyone to think it is entirely risk-free to walk around Madrid.  All cities carry some risk of crime, so I’d urge you to maintain a sensible outlook on this walking tour of Madrid:

• Keep your wits about you and don’t leave belongings unattended
• Don’t wander around with your phone or camera on display – or anything else of value either
• If you carry a bag, consider a cross-body version that can’t be easily grabbed off your shoulder
• Keep anything of value closed away under a zip or equivalent enclosure.

When Is Best To Visit Madrid?

Like a lot of southern Europe, the peak season of summer (June-August) can be really hot and busy. The shoulder seasons of spring and autumn can be a good option.

I visited in mid-September and that seemed really lovely: it was sunny and warm, but not oppressive. And the crowds were not too bad, either.

What Gear Do You Need For This Madrid Walking Tour?

The following will be helpful on this walking tour:

• Sneakers / trainers or comfortable shoes, as you’ll be doing a lot of steps!
• Sunhat & sunglasses, unless you’re doing this in winter
• Depending on your weather forecast, a compact rain jacket could be useful to have with you, just in case
• A camera – but as I said, make sure you have a safe place to stow it when you walk
• Some water in a reusable bottle. To keep you hydrated all the way
• A theft-roof bag, such as this  Travelon one, which I use, could be good 

Check out my guide to my favourite travel gadgets .

Map: Self-Guided Walking Tour of Madrid  

Here’s a route map for this Madrid walking tour, showing all the key stops and sights along the way:

How To Use This Map : Click the tab in the top left-hand corner of the map to view the layers. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each one.  If you click the star next to the map’s title, it will be added to your Google Maps account. To view it on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, click the menu, go to ‘Your Places’ or ‘Saved’, then click Maps and you will see this map in your list.

Where To Stay For This Madrid Walking Tour

I stayed in the  Hotel Pr eciados , which was centrally located on a smart street, not far from the start of the tour. However, don’t book a single room here – they don’t have external windows, which is a bugbear of mine! The double room I switched to was fine, though.

The Last Word

I hope you enjoy this self-guided walking tour of Madrid!  Do check out my guide to tapas bars in Madrid , also – you will have worked up a good appetite by the end of this walk!

If you like this article, I'd be delighted if you shared it!

About The Author

Martha knight, related posts.

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Choose Your Madrid Free Tour

Rent a car or moto to move around Madrid and its surroundings more comfortably by dismissing predicament and avoiding traffic jams.

Searching for where to stay in Madrid or surrounding towns? Check these hotels and hostels in Madrid for all budgets and all tastes.

Madrid is known for its gastronomy, deliciously diverse cuisine. Check out these bars, cafes, and restaurants in Madrid and around.

Discover the best nightclubs and bars in Madrid. Here are some of the places for rambling around the town, letting loose, and dancing.

Find popular guided tours and excursions in Madrid and its surroundings. Book your transfer from the airport to Madrid or vice versa.

Language schools and other educational institutions and centers offering Spanish language courses and cultural programs in Madrid.

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EXPLORING MADRID ON FOOT

See the city up close: When you’re walking, you’re right in the heart of the action. You can take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the city in a way that’s impossible from a car or bus. You can see the details of the buildings and streets that you might miss otherwise, and you can get a real sense of the city’s layout and character.

Explore off-the-beaten-path areas: Many places in Madrid are hidden gems which only accessible on foot. A walking tour can take you through narrow alleys and side streets that first-time visitors might not even notice otherwise, and you can discover local shops, cafes, and restaurants that you might not find in a guidebook.

DAY TRIPS from MADRID

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READ MORE ABOUT MADRID

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Museum of Wander

Hit the Streets of Madrid With This Ultimate Self-Guided Walking Tour (Includes Map)

Our self-guided walking tour shows you the top sights, world famous art and the best places to eat in Madrid.

Madrid or Barcelona? Barcelona or Madrid? Madrid and Barcelona? It took us such a long time to make up our minds when we were planning our Spain and Portugal itinerary. Eventually, we committed ourselves to Madrid and we couldn’t be happier with our decision. With only two full days in Spain’s capital, we knew that we had to use our time wisely to see the highlights and eat all the tapas that we wanted. Except for planning to visit one of Madrid’s world-famous art museums, we had no real plan before arriving, so upon arrival, we grabbed a city map from our hotel and designed our own self-guided walking tour of Madrid.

Our self-guided walking tour of Madrid is a perfect introduction to the city. But let’s be honest: with only two days and being first-time visitors it doesn’t feature any hidden gems. It’s definitely not a local’s guide to Madrid. Instead, you’ll get to see the highlights of Madrid at a leisurely pace over two days and our recommendations of where to eat.

Please note: This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase by clicking a link (at no extra cost to you).

Where to Stay for this Madrid Walking Tour

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. And price. We stayed at Hostal Met Madrid which is just across the road from the Mercado de San Miguel. The room was spotless, quiet and the location can’t be beaten.

Being so central, this guesthouse is the perfect base for exploring Madrid. We walked everywhere we mention in our Madrid walking tour, except for taking the metro to the Reina Sofia museum.

Don’t think it’s a hostel ala bunkbed though. A hostal is a budget-midrange hotel, almost like a guesthouse and quite popular throughout Spain. The room was spotless, came with a small fridge and the AC was very welcome during our siesta sessions.

Hostal Met Madrid offers exceptional value for money and comes highly recommended. The money we saved on accommodation and transport went straight into our tapas/churros/sangria kitty 🙂

Check prices and availability

Madrid Self-Guided Walking Tour Map: Day 1

Day 1 of our Madrid walking tour will take in the major sights and monuments, and include stops at places to indulge in the city’s fabulous food.

Start Your Walking Tour at Puerta Del Sol

Puerta del Sol, or simply Sol, is one of Madrid’s most central points from where all the city’s roads stem from. It’s also one of the busiest metro stops and the plaza is always buzzing. Sol is the starting point of our walking tour and also the gateway to many of the bars and restaurants in the immediate area.

The Tio Pepe sign advertising Andalusian sherry is one of Madrid’s famous landmarks. The man on horseback in the centre of the plaza is King Charles III of Spain . Other than tourists, street performers and businessmen you can also find the statue of the Bear and Strawberry tree here, which is a popular meeting spot. The statue represents Madrid’s coat of arms and while it’s the pride of Madrileños , you don’t have to go out of your way to see it.

Another quirky point of interest is the Kilometre Zero slab in front of the Town Hall. All major roads in Spain radiate outwards from this point.

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor is one of the most beautiful and famous landmarks in Madrid. The arcaded square is intimate rather than grande, and it’s indeed very picturesque. Three stories of residential buildings with wrought-iron balconies completely wrap around the Plaza Mayor.

Nine entranceways lead into the square where you’ll find an equestrian statue of King Phillip III who overlooks the international crowds and street performers.

Surrounding the square are cafes and restaurants which could make a nice place for a drink or bite to eat. But don’t eat here (yet) as our breakfast/brunch stop is just steps away. If you are staying in the area you should also come back to Plaza Mayor after dark since it has a totally different feel at night. Then you can have a drink and bite to eat here.

Eat Tapas at Mercado de San Miguel

By now you should have worked up a nice appetite. That’s great since the stylish Mercado de San Miguel might as well be called the Mercado de Tapa Nirvana. The iron and glass art nouveau structure is one of the best places to come to experience Madrid’s excellent tapa culture. Not only are all the tapas here mini works of art in themselves, but everything we had here was damn good.

Established in 1916, this gastronomic paradise is one of Madrid’s oldest and hippest markets. The covered market has over 30 vendors, each stall perfecting one or two tapa dishes. All the tapas are beautifully displayed and we wanted to eat them all. It’s a good idea to walk through the market to see everything there is before going back to get your favourites. Good to know too is that alcoholic drinks are available. So if you feel like living it up here in Madrid, go ahead and have breakfast sangria, vermouth or beer. If saving yourself, then perhaps get a coffee. The market is open every day from 10:00 until midnight and makes a perfect stop any time of day or night. Since our hotel was just around the corner we came here a few times.

Want more food? Check out these awesome food tours in Madrid: Wine and Tapas in Madrid Lonely Planet Experiences: Madrid Tapas & Wine Tasting Tour Evening Tapas Tour through Madrid

Spot Unique Street Names

Keep an eye out for the street names as you follow our walking tour. Even if you don’t speak any Spanish (like us) the pictures will pretty much tell you what it means.

We really liked looking at street names in Madrid. It seems that in days gone past each street was known for something special. As you walk around spot all these different streets. Street of the embroiderers, street of the blacksmiths, street of the clowns etc.

See the Modern Almudena Cathedral

Situated adjacent to the Plaza de Armas of the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral might look old but in fact, it was only opened in 1993. Uniquely modern inside, the cathedral is Neo-Gothic in style.

It looks as if a rainbow exploded onto the ceiling with its colourful patterns and designs. The stained glass windows have a nice modern twist to them as well, and can perhaps be described as religious pop art. Entry to the cathedral is free of charge, but you’ll need to pay if you want to visit the museum.

Feel Royal at the Madrid Palacio Real

Right next to the cathedral is the monumental Royal Palace of Madrid, which is the largest palace in Western Europe. The palace is home to Spain’s royal family but is only used really for state ceremonies these days. Looking at the long line kept us from looking inside. The palace is still impressive to look at from the outside though.

Top Tip: Avoid the lines and book your fast-track entrance tickets online.

Is the Plaza de Espana Open?

We came here to see the monument to one of Spain’s most beloved figures: Don Quixote. When we arrived at the plaza we were disappointed to find it all boarded up due to construction work. The text on the boards read SUMMER BITCH !

Apparently, while construction was going on they found major historic artefacts and because extensive excavation will need to be done, it will be months before the plaza reopens. Staff at our hotel told us later that it will only reopen in 2020, but no one is sure when.

Stroll & Shop on Gran Via

Plaza de España marks the southern end of Gran Via, Madrid’s most famous shopping street . Beautiful buildings from the early 1900s line the entire length of Gran Via and you can also find Spain’s famous fashion stores such as Zara, Mango, Stradivarius and Bimba y Lola here if you’re in the mood for burning money.

Gran Via is also known as the Spanish Broadway thanks to many theatres and exciting nightlife options.

Indulge in the Best Chocolate Con Churros in Madrid

Is it possible to put heaven into a cup? ABSOLUTELY! Time for chocolate and churros! You’ll find Madrid’s, if not the world’s, best hot chocolate tucked away in alley Pasadizo San Ginés just off the busy Calle Arena. Madrileños have been coming here since 1894 for their chocolate – churros fix.

Order a cup of thick, sweet chocolate and a plate of golden fried churros from the marble counter and the waiter will bring it to your table within minutes.

Dip your churros into the rich and smooth chocolate and you’ll soon understand why Chocolatería San Ginés has been around for more than a hundred years and people are still lining up. This place has ruined every other hot chocolate that we will ever have.

Best of all, it’s open 24 hours a day to cater to all our choco-junkies.

As a national pastime, siesta is as Spanish as Sangria, Jamon and bullfighting. After being on the streets since the morning it’s a good idea to have some downtime and experience this essential aspect of Spanish life.

Dinner in Madrid doesn’t really start until well after 21:00, so go back to your place and do as the Spaniards do and take a nice long siesta. Take a nap, read a book, watch a movie, make love, open a bottle of wine or all of the above in no particular order.

Dinner at Museo de Jamón

Not a museum in the traditional sense but indeed belongs up there with the Prado and Reina Sofia, the Museum of Ham is a casual stand and eat-at-the-counter tapas bar . One part bar, one part meat deli the Museo is always loud, always packed and everyone always seems to be enjoying life here. But then who wouldn’t with cheap beer and ham under the same roof? It was actually so good and cheap that we came here three times in two days!

A little intimidating at first, it’s best to dive right in and join the crowd at the bar. Ask for jamón, and the barman will present you with an English picture menu. Ham is not simply ham here. Hundreds of pig legs hang from the walls, so you’ll need to specify whether is jamón Ibérico or jamón serrano . There are also plates of cheese and crispy sandwiches on the menu. We really liked the Iberico and melon plate and old sheep cheese portion.

Museo del Jamón is a chain and has branches scattered throughout Madrid. We visited the one on Calle Mayor, halfway between Sol and Plaza Mayor and the branch on Plaza Mayor the next day. The one on Plaza Mayor has seating outside on the square which is good for having a bite and drink, but the branch on Calle Mayor was our favourite by far.

Madrid Self-Guided Walking Tour: Day 2

Today is museum day but we choose to visit only one of the world-famous art museums. We think that doing more than one will be draining. You can choose to visit either the Prado or the Reina Sofia, which are located near each other anyway.

The second day of our self-guided walking tour of Madrid has less walking than the first day. You’ll have plenty of time to eat tapas and drink sangria too. Sounds like a plan so let’s get going!

Breakfast at Cerveceria 100 Montaditos

For breakfast, you can choose to return to the Mercado de San Miguel for tapas or Museo de Jamon for more ham and perhaps a morning beer. Or give the small but popular Cerveceria 100 Montaditos a try.

Offering breakfast options from €1, it makes the perfect breakfast spot to start your second day of our Madrid self-guided walking tour. The breakfast set of Pan con Tomate (crushed tomato toast with olive oil), jamon toast and coffee is an excellent choice for only €1.90 Throw in a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for €2 and you have a great start to your day for €3.90. As the name suggests they also have cold beer on tap.

After breakfast walk to Sol before taking the metro to Atocha station. Known as the golden triangle of art, the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen museums are all a short walk away from Atocha station.

See The Guernica in the Reina Sofia

One thing we really HAD TO DO in Madrid was to visit one of its world-famous art museums . Just like our Madrid vs. Barcelona predicament before coming to Spain, we were stuck with Prado vs Reina Sofia.

In the end, Reina Sofia won since we are more interested in seeing modern and contemporary Spanish art. The Reina Sofia boasts a collection of over 21 000 works of art from the 20th century. So if modern art is your thing, you’re in for a treat.

The big draw of the Reina Sofia is Picasso’s Guernica , but it also has a handsome collection of works by Dali, Miro and Gris amongst others. The Guernica is huge; much bigger than we had anticipated. Photos showing how it evolved and how Picasso changed the painting before completion are very interesting. Photography is not allowed in the exhibition area where the Guernica is displayed.

We recommend buying your ticket online before you visit as lines to get in can apparently get ridonkeylously long. When we arrived just after opening time we walked right in without having to wait.

The museum is closed on Tuesdays. Opening hours are 10:00-21:00. The entrance price is €10 when buying at the museum, or €8 when buying online. Plan to spend at least 2.5 hours here.

Lunch at Venta el Buscon

Take the metro back to Sol and walk a block to Calle Victoria. This little street is chockablock with great restaurants and tapas bars. All of them have lunch menus displayed outside for about €15. We ended up at Venta el Buscon which is a great little place with generous portions and friendly staff.

The lunch menu includes bread, starter, mains, dessert and a drink for €14. Our enthusiastic and charismatic waiter tried the best he could to explain the menu options to us in English. We didn’t understand that dessert was included, so when we asked for the bill after our main course (we were stuffed by then anyway) the waiter said: NO! POSTRE INCLUDED!! Not knowing what postre is, he went on to say CAKE.

Jin had a beer, prawns, calamari and tiramisu while De Wet went with vermouth, curry samosas, oxtail and cheesecake.

Venta el Buscon has superb service, a great atmosphere and fantastic food. We definitely recommend a meal here.

With your tummy full, head back to your hotel to escape the hottest part of the day. Blame the jet lag, blame the hot weather, blame all the walking or tell yourself that you’re respecting local culture, but don’t underestimate the power of a good old siesta.

Cafe Culture in La Latina

The colourful and vibrant neighbourhood of La Latina is great for walking around and having a drink outside at one of the countless cafes and bars. Away from the main streets, you will find many small squares filled with tables and chairs and waiters willing to take your order.

If in Madrid on a Sunday you should also visit the El Rastro flea market which is held near La Latina metro station.

See the Best View in Madrid at the Circulo de Bellas Artes

The best view in Madrid is even better at sunset. Best place to see this view? At the Circulo de Bellas Artes of course. The trendy rooftop terrace and bar on the 7th floor offer fantastic views across the Gran Via and towards la plaza Cibeles.

In summer the sun sets around 21:30 in Madrid so come here about an hour before. We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes before we could take the elevator up to the rooftop.

You need to pay €4 to take the elevator up to the rooftop, but once there you don’t have to order anything unless you want to of course.

Dinner in Plaza Mayor

As we mentioned before, dinner in Madrid does not start until late at night. After seeing the sunset (around 22:00) we walked back towards Sol and on to Plaza Mayor to see it lit up at night. We decided to have dinner at the Plaza Mayor branch of Museo del Jamón . At this branch, you can sit at tables outside on the plaza, unlike the branch around the corner where you have to stand at the bar. There’s no better way to end our Madrid self-guided walking tour than putting your feet up and having sangria and ham in Plaza Mayor.

Now it’s your turn : Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions. As always we will try our best to help. Did we miss anything? Go put on a pair of comfy walking shoes and hit the streets of Madrid!

Heading to Seville? Check out how to really enjoy Seville in 3 days . Going to the Costa de Sol? Here are the best Marbella Hotels .

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Madrid   Travel Guide

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Why Go To Madrid

Spain's capital since 1561, Madrid has been the beating heart of this southern European country for almost 500 years – longer than most countries have even existed. In many ways, it can be compared to other international capitals – it's Spain's biggest city, has the country's largest population and is the center for international business. But if you listen carefully, you might hear the alluring strings of a Spanish guitar, the clicking of a flamenco dancer's castanet, and the swish of a bullfighter's red cape. Yes, Madrid is for travelers interested in famous paintings and stunning architecture, but it's also, and maybe more so, for those looking for passion turned into art, and a taste of life lived with color and intensity.

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• # 3 in Best Places to Visit in Spring
• # 8 in Best Places to Visit in Spain
• # 13 in Best Family Vacations in Europe

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Best of Madrid

Best hotels in madrid.

• # 1 in The Madrid EDITION
• # 2 in Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
• # 3 in Rosewood Villa Magna

Best Things to Do in Madrid

• # 1 in El Retiro Park (Parque del Buen Retiro)
• # 2 in Prado Museum (Museo Nacional del Prado)
• # 3 in Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real)

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Madrid Travel Tips

Best months to visit.

The best time to visit Madrid is in the fall (September to November) or spring (March to May), when balmy temps blow through the city, making it come alive. But if you don't mind layering up or experiencing a toned down Madrid, visit in the winter when hotels reduce their rates. Peak tourist season is summer – despite nearly unbearable heat – but many Madrileños close up shop this time of year (especially in August) and take vacations themselves.

Weather in Madrid

Data sourced from the National Climatic Data Center

What You Need to Know

Catch some z's  Take a midafternoon siesta like the locals do and refresh for a big night on the town.

Pickpocket prudence  Watch your wallets at all times, but especially around El Rastro market and on the metro coming from the airport.

Botellón is illegal Although some Madrileños still botellón , or drink in the city squares or parks before going to bars or clubs, doing so is illegal. If you get caught with an open container, you can be smacked with a huge fine.

Dress up Like Parisians and the Milanese, Madrileños take pride in their appearance. If you plan to go to upscale, busy clubs or restaurants, the sharper you dress, the higher your chances of getting in – that means heels for the ladies, and closed shoes for the gents.

How to Save Money in Madrid

Walk  Madrid is the largest city in Spain, but the biggest attractions, from El Retiro Park to Mercado de San Miguel , are centrally located and are mostly within walking distance from each other.

But metro too Madrid's metro system is affordable and runs extensive routes, even making the 45-minute trip from the airport to the city center.

Gorge on the "Menú del Día"  These Monday-to-Friday lunchtime menus offer you a taste of traditional Spanish cooking without the requisite high price.

Visit major sights during free entry days Many places of interest offer free admission, and even those that don't may be free at certain times of the week (usually between 6 and 8 p.m.).

Culture & Customs

Madrileños love to live life to the fullest. Much like the rest of Spain, they don't live to work, they work to live. Travelers visiting the city will find this evident quickly upon arrival. When the weather is right (and sometimes not), visitors will see hordes of Spaniards dining al fresco along the city's streets for hours on end, and laying out on a blanket with loved ones in  Parque Retiro .

At night, regardless of the season, the city comes alive in a different way when its denizens get off work and party all night. In Madrid, dinner starts at 9 or 10 p.m., and most clubs open at midnight. The "discotecas," as locals call them, get busy between 1:30 a.m. and 4 a.m., closing as late as 6 a.m. ­– dancing 'till sunrise is routine.

If you're unsure of where to start, try  Puerta del Sol . There are club and bar promoters stationed there throughout the night offering discounts on drinks and entrance fees – but don't feel tied down to one place. It's a Madrileño pastime to bar and club hop, unless you have paid a steep cover charge at one place.

Madrid's nightlife scene extends far beyond clubbing. Ascend to the rooftop terrace of the Círculo de Bellas Artes to marvel at 360-degree views of the city, especially during sunset. Even those not fond of clubs will find themselves drawn to dance floors like that of El Son, a destination for salsa, Latin and Caribbean music. For lovers of light opera, Teatro de la Zarzuela presents Madrid's own zarzuela productions in a theater modeled after La Scala in Milan. Meanwhile, Teatro Real stands as one of Europe's most esteemed opera houses, showcasing a lineup of both local and international productions, along with classical and contemporary concerts and dance performances. These are just a few options in a city unlike any other, with its unique blend of Renaissance pomp and Latin American flavor.

Madrileños are an easygoing bunch, as evidenced by their unofficial motto,  no pasa nada , which translates to "don't worry about it." However, they can be proud and prefer to avoid speaking English, opting to encourage your attempts at Spanish. Learning a few local phrases will take you far, and Madrileños will graciously meet you halfway as they can. If you're having trouble, it might prove fruitful to approach someone younger for questions and directions.

Service with a smile is few and far between in Spain, so don't expect anything else of your server aside from taking your order and handing you your food. Service might also seem slow, as locals take their time when dining out. There are fewer grab-and-go places in comparison to the U.S.; Spaniards engage in  sobremesa , literally "over the table," or after-dinner conversation, which can last for hours. Because of this, checks take much longer to arrive, so don't be afraid to ask more than once to get your bill. It's important to note that words from Latin American Spanish differ in Castellano, the dialect of Spanish named after the old kingdom Castile. Vocabulary such as baño , which means "bathroom" in Latin American Spanish, is  servicio or aseos  in Castellano. And instead of saying  adios , or "goodbye," Spaniards tend to say  hasta luego  (“until later”) instead.

Historically, tipping has always been considered as purely optional in Spain, although recently changes have been observed in bigger cities like Madrid and Barcelona. At restaurants and bars, a service charge is usually added to the bill, so you don't have to tip extra. If you received exceptional service dining at a restaurant, 5 to 15% of the bill is the usual range. If you want your server to get the tip in full, it's better to leave your tip in cash. In hotels, doormen and cleaners may be tipped about a euro for their services, although it isn't generally expected.

What to Eat

Traditionally Madrid's cuisine is fairly rustic. Meat, bread and cheese heavy, Madrid's food is best tasted in tapas – which are small plates or samples of Spanish dishes that come free when ordered with a drink at a bar. Note that Madrileños eat a late, large lunch, nosh on some tapas around 8 p.m., and then enjoy a later, lighter dinner meal. The incredibly popular  Mercado de San Miguel offers ready-to-go tapas, as well as coffee, cocktails, dessert and produce stalls. The market even has a sushi counter. However, if your heart is set on having traditional complimentary tapas with a drink, head to El Tigre. Located near Chueca, El Tigre serves large drinks with equally large plates filled with tapas piled high on top of each other. El Tigre is messy, small and incredibly loud, but quintessentially Madrid, serving as a stop for many Madrileños on the way to the club. For an overview of some of the city's best tapas, consider tagging along on a tapas tour. The Madrid Tapas Night Walking Tour is especially popular with past travelers. 

Spanish specialties include  tortilla española  (potato omelette),  paella   (rice with fish),  croquetas   (fried breadcrumb rolls typically filled with mashed potatoes, cheese and meat), gazpacho (cold soup) and  patatas bravas   (sautéed potatoes typically served with a spicy aioli). But the country's most beloved dish is a simple plate of  jamón Iberico , or Iberian ham. Visitors should not leave Spain without sampling the jamón Iberico, as it is considered by food experts to be some of the best ham in the world. It also isn't widely available in the U.S. Jamón is everywhere in Madrid. You will not only see it on many restaurant menus and tapas plates, but hanging in its original form in shop windows as you stroll the streets. It is just as much of a staple in Spanish culture as flamenco and bullfighting, only much more delicious.

If you grow tired of the heavy Madrid fare, the city also offers a number of international establishments serving up Indian, Asian and Latin American cuisine. For a sampling of global cuisine, especially Indian food, head to Lavapies, one of the city's most diverse neighborhoods. For cheap, and truly delectable Chinese food, venture underground Plaza de España to the Cafeteria and sample the  tallarines fritos  (or fried noodles). As for drinks, order a  jarra   (pitcher) of sangria, a glass of  tinto de verano  (summer wine), wine from the Rioja region and Mahou beer.

Madrid is a pretty safe place, but it does see its fair share of pickpocketing. Be especially mindful of your wallets and purses when taking out money at ATMs, when using public transportation to or from the airport and when touring Madrid's top attractions like Sol , Plaza Mayor and El Rastro market. Spain has also been the target of terrorist attacks.According to the U.S. Department of State, terrorist groups continue to plot attacks, so increased vigilance is required. Travelers should stay aware of their surroundings, consider enrolling in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  to receive security messages and follow local media to stay informed.  

Getting Around Madrid

The best way to get around Madrid is by metro. A handful of metro lines extend as far north as the Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) as well as into the city's southern suburbs. Buses are an option, too, as are metered taxis, which can be hailed on the street or found in ranks throughout the city. Renting a car is another alternative, but you should note the Madrid 360/Low Emissions Area, an anti-pollution protocol affecting traffic and parking, and the Mobility regulation, which sets the maximum speed at 30 kph in many streets.

To get from the airport into Madrid, you can take the metro (line No. 8) for 4.50 to 6 euros (around $5 to $6.50). The 24/7 Airport Express Shuttle, known as "Exprés Aeropuerto," takes approximately 30 minutes to reach Terminal 1, with an additional 5 minutes to Terminal 2 and Terminal 4. During the day, the journey takes 15 to 20 minutes, while at night it takes 35 minutes. The ticket price is 5 euros (around $5.50). Taxis charge a flat fare of 30 euros (approximately $33). There are also several car rental companies located at the airport.

In Madrid, you can also use ride-hailing apps like Uber, Cabify (a local version) and Bolt. For eco-friendly options, consider bike and e-scooter sharing apps, such as Dott, Lime, TIER (for e-scooters) and BiciMAD (for bike-sharing). The average price for renting an electric scooter is 0.15 euro per minute (around $0.16).

Entry & Exit Requirements

A valid passport is required for United States citizens traveling outside the mainland by air or sea, as well as for U.S. citizens trying to re-enter the country. Your passport must be valid for at least three months after your visit. You won't need a visa unless you plan on staying longer than 90 days. Visit the U.S. State Department's website for the latest information on foreign exit and entry requirements.

Plaza Mayor was first built at the end of the 15th century.

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The Napoleon of Your Living Room

Gary Friedman, who runs RH (formerly Restoration Hardware), is out to conquer the world, one luxurious sofa at a time. Next stop, Waterloo?

Gary Friedman, the chief executive of RH, is nicknamed “The Sun” by some executives: He gives off a warm glow on good days and burns you on bad ones. Credit... Cayce Clifford for The New York Times

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By David Segal

• June 8, 2024

Gary Friedman hates meetings. A 66-year-old with apparently limitless energy and a perpetual tan, Mr. Friedman is the chief executive of RH, one of the country’s largest high-end furniture sellers, and he never holds meetings. Instead, he convenes “adventures.”

To the untrained eye, these look and sound a lot like meetings. But there is a difference. Adventures can last 10 hours, or more.

That’s a typical stretch for Mr. Friedman’s adventures with his architecture and design team, a group of about 20 executives overseeing one of the priciest expansions in the history of American retail. The company is doubling the number of stores, called “galleries” in RH speak, with 35 new ones in the works. Many will cost $20 million or more.

RH sold $3 billion worth of products last year, but Mr. Friedman’s goal is not just to move $10,000 sectional sofas, most of them in earth tones and a style that could be called California Rich. He wants to forge a brand that is so ubiquitous — RH restaurants , RH hotels, RH clothing — that its impact is global.

“I don’t really talk about our vision for the company to Wall Street because they might lock me up,” Mr. Friedman said one recent afternoon, sitting in an RH restaurant not far from headquarters in a suburb of San Francisco. “But our vision is to create an endless reflection of hope, inspiration and love that will ignite the human spirit and change the world.”

If this sounds a tad grandiose for a guy peddling sideboards and coffee tables, you haven’t spent time with Gary Friedman. He’s not a conventional businessman. He is more like the highly demanding head of a home-furnishings-based cult, complete with its own Bible (those 350-page glossy catalogs that turn up in your mailbox), terminology (“adventures,” “galleries,” “RH rules”) and catechism (“This is not our job, this is our life,” reads one of the RH rules). Total commitment is required of underlings. Anything less can bring scolding rebukes.

Mr. Friedman became the chief executive of what was then called Restoration Hardware in 2001, when it was a nearly bankrupt seller of midpriced furniture and Americana-themed tchotchkes, like Slinkys and Moon Pies. By driving the brand to “climb the luxury ladder,” as he puts it, he made it a place where aspirational shoppers could reach for furniture a little outside their budget. During the pandemic-era renovation craze, the company was worth $15.5 billion.

But RH is now suffering through a grinding downturn, its market value off 70 percent since its 2021 peak. Nearly every player in the furniture business is slumping, largely because the great engine of sales — new home purchases — has stalled. While competitors pull back, or lean into online sales, Mr. Friedman is in the midst of a risky, full-tilt building spree. Along with those immense and stately stores, he’s galloping into the real estate business, planning furnished apartments and houses in places like Aspen and Napa.

The point for Mr. Friedman, an inveterate optimist, is to prepare for the boom that he believes will ensue when interest rates go down. He also wants to broaden RH’s appeal beyond the upwardly mobile who are now its core customers and pitch the brand to the ultrarich. Hence more RH restaurants, with main courses that include such decadence-signaling dishes as a $125 grilled Wagyu rib-eye steak.

And as if to prove that his ambitions are truly Napoleonic, the company is now invading Europe. Last year it unveiled its first store in Britain , a renovated 400-year-old, Downton Abbey-like manse in Oxfordshire, with restaurants, a tea salon, a wine lounge and what appears to be a taxidermy unicorn. Up next are stores in Madrid, Milan, London and Paris.

“Gary is a brilliant guy, but his ambitions have run away with him,” said Pamela Danziger, the founder of Unity Marketing, a market research firm. “To open in England, France and all these other places — I think he’s just put way too much in front of him. Because he’s got problems now in the U.S. market, and that is where he needs to put his horsepower.”

Mr. Friedman relishes nothing quite so much as the suggestion that he’s overreaching. He made this point, and many others, in our interview, which turned into a nine-hour adventure. A largely uninterrupted monologue, it started at lunch in one RH restaurant, ended over dinner at another and covered the story of his life, which began in San Francisco, where he was raised by a widowed mother who struggled with mental illness.

Today, his net worth is $1.5 billion, according to a Forbes estimate . Last year, he bought a $26.7 million oceanfront house in Malibu, Calif., and a few months later bought a second house on the same beach for $28.5 million. His marriage to an Australian singer was celebrated with 272 guests over four days last summer on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza.

Like his idol, Ralph Lauren, he’s the walking, talking embodiment of his brand, which in his case means dressing like one of his sofas, in muted tones and pricey fabrics. He has an improbably smooth face and dramatically upswept hair that is graying at the edges. He’s partial to Brunello Cucinelli clothing and wears a wristlet engraved with “Believe” — Italian smart casual meets New Age.

Mr. Friedman’s journey from a childhood of food stamps to stratospheric wealth has left him with a finely tuned understanding of the dynamics of striving. It also left him with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. His shareholder letters could be called “Notes From an Underdog,” filled as they are with triumphalist musings about the joys of ignoring his doubters.

“We avoided bankruptcy while being accused of lunacy,” he wrote in a letter last year. “Soon the world will be within our reach.”

The Total Pampering Solution

Few companies are better at exploiting the American obsession with affluence than RH. It sells the kind of sleek, oversize furniture seen on television shows like “Succession” and does it through a singular kind of experiential shopping. With their soaring ceilings and Zen ambience, RH showrooms are a daydreamer’s fantasy of a billionaire’s home.

Maybe you’re not a hedge fund professional, the décor says, but you can buy a hedge fund professional’s drapes.

“Gary found a niche that nobody had exploited in the home furniture space,” said Warren Shoulberg, a former editor of Home Furnishings News, a trade publication. “The wannabe rich.”

The twist, retail marketing experts say, is that RH is not actually a luxury brand. In the industry argot, it’s premium, which means it’s more expensive than rivals like Crate & Barrel and West Elm but less than the bespoke offerings sold in designer showrooms where only interior decorators can buy. Those showrooms are filled with handmade furniture, lighting and rugs from Italy, France and domestic hubs like North Carolina. They cost more, last longer and hold more of their resale value. By contrast, RH furniture is largely mass-produced in countries such as China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

“Most people in the design industry look at RH as fancier West Elm,” said Jason Campbell, an interior designer in Manhattan. “But it’s still pretty expensive. I looked for a sectional sofa for a client recently and was shocked to see one from RH for $14,000. You could buy something similar at a designer showroom for a smidgen more, and it wouldn’t be made in China.”

This is the RH strategy: Sell a premium product in a setting so dazzling that it seems worth near-luxury prices.

The company has zero presence on social media for roughly the same reason that a hip bar doesn’t have a door sign. (“There’s no school for cool” is one of RH’s official principles.) Still, unbidden and unpaid endorsements are regularly provided by celebrities, including Kerry Washington and Kendall Jenner, who have raved in interviews about the Cloud Sofa , an RH staple that currently starts at about $4,800.

RH is constantly looking for novel ways to build mystique. The company’s website does not post photos of the rooms in its first hotel, in Manhattan’s meatpacking district, where rooms start at $2,200 a night. And the only way to book a stay is to inquire via email. On a recent tour, a manager showed off the minibars, which feature crudités, an assortment of sliced meat and a fresh baguette that is replaced every two hours.

Far pricier RH productions are in the works. Its plans in Aspen include branded hotels and RH Residences, the company’s first foray into fully furnished stand-alone houses.

“We would sell those homes, but we would also manage those homes,” Mr. Friedman said. RH would help rent the houses when buyers weren’t using them, and pocket half the rental income.

This is where the true scale of Mr. Friedman’s drive comes into focus. He’s eyeing the multitrillion-dollar market in luxury turnkey homes and condominiums around the world. RH need grab only a tiny slice of that and its value will soar, he said, to $70 billion or more.

Analysts are skeptical. “It’s extremely unlikely that RH will ever get a material share of this market,” Seth Basham of Wedbush Securities said. “Gary’s a big dreamer.”

RH has taken on a significant amount of debt, leaving it with little margin for error, Mr. Basham added. Three years ago, the company took out a $2 billion loan and used it to buy back its own shares. “We’re making a bet on ourselves and our future,” Mr. Friedman said.

If sales fall and spending continues, Mr. Basham said, the company’s future could start looking dicey. But Mr. Friedman has never shied away from risk, and he can’t stop barreling into all kinds of new ventures. It’s an impulse that has yielded some memorable flops.

Like RH Contemporary Art. In 2013, the company leased a 28,000-square-foot space in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and recruited a roster of artists. Artnet called it “one of the more curious incursions into the art sphere” when it closed about two years later.

“Tough business model,” Mr. Friedman said in our interview. “You’ve got this great thing, but you can only sell one of them.”

‘Love Us or Leave Us’

Mr. Friedman takes a marathoner’s approach to work, and he expects colleagues to match his stamina.

“He’ll meet me at 1 a.m. at one of our factories in Vietnam,” said Nicholas Condos, whose furniture company, Harbour, has sold more than a dozen collections through RH. “And he’ll want to work until 5 a.m. No one is willing to say, ‘Can we go home?’”

Veterans of the company say they quickly adopt a new sense of what hard-core dedication means. Eri Chaya, who is RH’s chief creative and merchandising officer, figured this out at her job interview with Mr. Friedman in 2006. The discussion lasted three hours and included this surprising question: What are you willing to fight and die for?

“I had a feeling when I first met him,” Ms. Chaya said, “that this is a human like no other.”

For years, the annual leadership meeting included a ceremony wherein executives signed a contract affirming such sentiments as “I will continuously destroy my own reality to create tomorrow’s future for myself and my teammates,” then described ways they might have fallen short.

That ceremony has been replaced by the Daily Values Adventure. It starts at 10 a.m. every day and is shaped by topic sentences such as “Share a time when your ego got in the way of finding a better way.”

Among some executives, Mr. Friedman’s nickname is “The Sun” — a person who gives off a warm glow on good days and burns you on bad ones. The company’s workplace culture earned a D-minus from Comparably , which collects anonymous ratings from current employees. Just 22 percent of respondents said they would recommend the company to a friend; 67 percent said they would not, placing it in the bottom 10 percent of companies of similar size.

Mr. Friedman is unbothered by this kind of feedback. The maxims he wrote for the company include “Love us or leave us.” Plenty of people, he noted, stick around for years, and others who have quit later returned, having found life elsewhere a little dull.

When underlings have come up short, he has been known to lash out, a tendency he claims to dislike and candidly acknowledges.

“Generally, I don’t yell at people — I yell at the problem,” he said. “If you step in front of the problem and defend the problem, you might feel attacked.”

By his own account, Mr. Friedman is an unlikely arbiter of high-end home furniture taste because he grew up without furniture.

Mr. Friedman’s father was a onetime merchant marine and barber who died of a heart attack when Mr. Friedman was 5. His mother, now deceased, struggled with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Mr. Friedman said, and was often unable to work. He said the pair had lived in more than a dozen tiny apartments by the time he was 16.

“Our prized possession was a little black-and-white TV with big bunny ears,” he said. “It’s the only thing that always went with us.”

At 18, he enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College and flailed badly enough in his first year that a counselor told him that he was wasting taxpayer money. He dropped out and became a full-timer at a Gap store where he was so dutiful and eager as a stock boy that colleagues called him “Gary Gap.” On days off, he often drove an hour and a half to the corporate headquarters in San Bruno, Calif., to fold shirts and sweep the floor at a small showroom called Store One.

He was there one day in 1983 when Mickey Drexler, who was the Gap’s president, gave an impromptu speech in the lunchroom. Mr. Drexler asked the roughly 200 assembled employees a question, and Mr. Friedman blurted out the answer.

“For the life of me, I can’t remember what he asked, but the spirit moved me,” Mr. Friedman said. “And Mickey said: ‘That’s right. That’s exactly right.’”

Mr. Drexler asked for this chipper young man’s name and job title, and the next day his secretary called to invite Mr. Friedman to a C-suite meeting. Mr. Friedman arrived at headquarters 45 minutes early wearing a freshly steamed white shirt. In a wood-paneled room filled with the company’s top executives, Mr. Drexler gave his new charge an assignment.

“I wanted an objective person’s experience with real customers,” recalled Mr. Drexler, who today is chief executive of Alex Mill, a fashion brand started by his son. “So I said, ‘I want you to be the feedback person on these executive meetings.’ He had good energy, I felt the energy and I liked him.”

Mr. Friedman became, at 25, the youngest regional manager at the Gap and was later recruited by Williams-Sonoma as a senior vice president of stores and operations.

He soared at Williams-Sonoma. During his years as president of Pottery Barn, a Williams-Sonoma subsidiary, the company grew from a $50 million-a-year operation focused on tableware and kitchen accessories to a more than $1 billion-a-year seller of home furniture.

But 13 years into his run, Mr. Friedman, then 43, was passed over for the job of chief executive. “It broke my heart,” he said.

In a matter of days, he joined Restoration Hardware as chief executive, and helped raise a badly needed infusion of $15 million from investors, including nearly $5 million of his own money. At the time, Restoration was a publicly traded company that was flirting with bankruptcy. Soon, Mr. Friedman was phasing out the vintage staplers and phasing in the upscale daybeds.

“He always had a very clear point of view,” said Bonnie Orofino, who joined Restoration Hardware the year before Mr. Friedman and stayed on until 2016 as chief merchandising officer. “We spent a lot of time talking about ‘the white space’ — something above Pottery Barn but below professional designers.”

For years, the company tottered close to financial peril and went private in 2008. Four years later, it went public again, an event that overlapped with a public relations disaster. In August 2012, Mr. Friedman stepped down as co-chief executive after an internal investigation found that he’d had an inappropriate relationship with a 26-year-old female employee.

In Mr. Friedman’s telling, he didn’t do anything wrong. “I was single, I met somebody at work, God forbid,” he said. “A lot of people meet at work and fall in love.” The woman, he said, left the company after they started dating.

Mr. Friedman would not name this woman, nor would any of his current or former colleagues. Her version of these events is not publicly known. After a 10-month hiatus, Mr. Friedman returned to his job.

In the 2010s, the company pivoted from regular stores to extravagantly renovated landmarks — the onetime Museum of Natural History in Boston, a 60-room Palladian-style villa in Indianapolis — without a cash register in sight. It was a decisive step toward becoming a lifestyle rather than just a retailer. Investors spotted a winner. In 2019, shares were trading at $150, and by August 2021 they had climbed to $750, as Covid incited a home renovation craze.

But like many retailers, RH had supply chain issues, and it raised prices too aggressively, the company said an earnings call. Shares fell below $214 late last year. The Europe plans were already in motion, though, and Mr. Friedman has not backed off them.

At RH headquarters, there’s a full-scale model of the rooftop restaurant for an RH store set to open sometime in 2025 in Paris, near the Champs-Élysées. This version is made with Styrofoam tables and lots of place-holding silverware, glasses and chairs. Immense photographs of the city are plastered on walls, designed to reproduce the view that diners will see. It’s basically a rough draft you can sit in.

“You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression in Paris,” Mr. Friedman said.

RH hopes to prosper in the same thin air breathed by Chanel, Hermès and Gucci, a realm that seems downright hostile to American brands. Other than Tiffany and Ralph Lauren, few have succeeded in the cradle of luxury retail. And RH emerged from the least refined of settings. It has roots in the U.S. mall, where it offered decorative accessories and affordable nostalgia. Mr. Friedman is pretty sure those storied European brands are looking down on the company.

“We are not from their neighborhood,” he’s fond of saying, “nor invited to their parties.” If the past is any indication, he’s not waiting for an invitation. He’ll throw a shindig of his own.

David Segal is a business reporter for The Times, based in New York. More about David Segal

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Walking Tour Madrid: Top Sights of Madrid, Spain

Welcome to JetSetting Fools, here you will find our best travel tips for destinations worldwide. Some of the links on this site are Affiliate Links and if you use them to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. For more information, read our Disclosure Policy .

Hola! Ready to embark on a Free Self Guided Walking Tour in Madrid? From Plaza Mayor to the Prado Museum, this DIY Walking Tour of Madrid highlights the best things to see. You’ll easily navigate your way through lush parks and ornate squares, passing famous sights and some exquisite Madrid architecture along the route. 

Madrid Free Walking Tour: Best Sights of Madrid, Spain

On our first two visits to Madrid, Spain, we were on quick, 24-hour layovers. Both times, we dashed to see the sights of Madrid as quickly as we could. Our sightseeing was done haphazardly – and it was more of a sprint than a Madrid Walking Tour. 

Each time we returned to the Spanish capital for longer stays over the years, we were anxious to truly experience the best sights in Madrid. We compiled a list of the Top Madrid Landmarks, grabbed a Madrid Tourist Map and designed a Walking Tour Madrid Route that provides the perfect introduction to the city. To help others find their way to all the prime sights, we are sharing our Madrid tour for free !

Self-Guided Free Walking Tour Madrid

Our self-guided, free walking tour of Madrid is perfect for those who like to explore at their own pace. Budget travelers and independent travelers will find our free tour of Madrid particularly helpful.

How To Use This Madrid Walking Tour Free Guide

We’ve outlined the top sights to see – including beautiful plazas, decorative churches, food markets and famous museums. For step-by-step directions, use our Walking Tour Madrid Map and provided links to directions. Additionally, we provide pertinent Madrid sightseeing advice and tips that will help you plan your perfect vacation to Spain!

1 Day in Madrid Sightseeing

Our walking tour of Madrid Old Town is about 3 miles long. For ambitious travelers it can be completed in about 2 hours, but that only includes walking the route. We think the best way to enjoy this Madrid Self Guided Walking Tour is to make stops along the way – both for entering sites and tasting the local fare.

In fact, visitors can plan a full day of sightseeing in Madrid, Spain by using our walk as an outlined itinerary. The top sights in Madrid to visit on the route are the Mercado de San Miguel, Almudena Cathedral, Royal Palace and Prado Museum. We also include famous Madrid food recommendations to keep you satiated!

Whether you are spending a day – or one week in Madrid -you can use our Free Walking Tour to start your exploration!

Pin, Bookmark or Save our Walking Tour of Madrid for your trip to Spain!

Walking Tour Madrid, Spain

Are you excited to start our Madrid Free Walking Tour? Before heading off, fuel up with favorite Madrileno fare – either pastries, jamon or a squid sandwich.

Pasteleria La Mallorquina (established in 1894) is a traditional bakery that is known for their Chocolate and Cream Neapolitans. For something savory, however, get a meaty sandwich from Museo del Jamon or a bocadillo de calamares from Bar La Campana.

Now, lace up your shoes, load this Map on your phone for our Madrid Walking Directions and vamos!

#1 Puerta del Sol

MAP . Start your self-guided city tour of Madrid in the bustling Puerta del Sol, a hub of activity and must-see tourist destination. Puerta del Sol dates to the 15th century when Madrid was encircled by protective walls. The name translates to ‘Gate of the Sun’ – as structures featuring the sun used to stand on the site.

The square is known as the center of Spain, marking the 0 km point for six major roads in the country. The exact spot is designated with a plaque in front of the Madrid Old Post Office. The historic Post Office building dates to 1766 and now serves as the office for the President of the Municipality of Madrid. 

Sol is also home to numerous iconic landmarks, such as the soaring clock tower, which is the center point of Madrid’s New Year Celebrations  and the famous neon Tio Pepe sign. Several monuments dot the area, but the most popular is the ‘Oso y el Modrono’ statue located on the east end of the square. It depicts a bear climbing a strawberry tree, which is an emblem of Madrid. 

A nearby site that soccer/football fans will want to make time for in their Madrid sightseeing adventures is the Legends: Home of Football Museum. A massive, interactive space featuring immersive experiences, the museum is located on the southeast corner of Puerta del Sol.

#2 Plaza Mayor

The history of Plaza Mayor can be traced to the 15th century when it was utilized as the city’s marketplace. Today, the square still hosts markets – including a Sunday morning antique market and the famous annual holiday market, which is a highlight of Madrid Christmas Festivities .

An equestrian statue featuring King Philip III, an early 17th century Spanish sovereign, stands at the center of the square – as it has since 1848. 

#3 Mercado de San Miguel

MAP . Stop #3 on our self guided tour is the modern, upscale marketplace, Mercado de San Miguel . Featuring fresh produce, meat and fish and tasty prepared delicacies, the market is the pinnacle of Madrid gastronomy. Spend time squeezing your way through the crowds to peer into the cases of fine cheeses, divinely crafted desserts and beautifully displayed fruit.

If something is too tempting to pass by (like the goat cheese and sauteed onion tapas), stay for a bite before continuing your Madrid tour. In fact, if you are ready for lunch, this is the perfect place! 

Pro Tip : For a real taste of Madrid, consider joining a culinary tour that explores the best gastronomy of the city – and includes a stop at Mercado de San Miguel. We highlight more guided tours of Madrid at the end of the article.

#4 Plaza de La Villa, Madrid Old Town Hall

MAP . Continue your self-guided walking tour of Madrid to Plaza de la Villa – an area that is steeped in Spanish history. The quaint square features the 17th century Town Hall building, called Casa de la Villa de Madrid. It occupies an entire side of the square and is fronted by a pretty, fenced garden. Opposite Casa de la Villa is Casa de Los Lujanes, which has a short tower that dates to the 15th century – and ranks as the oldest civil building in Madrid. 

#5 Almudena Cathedral of Madrid

MAP . Next up on your Madrid city walk is the massive, but relatively modern, Almudena Cathedral. Equally impressive as it’s size is that it took 100 years to build. It was only completed in 1993 and consecrated by the late Pope John Paul II that same year.

Officially called the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena, the church was built in the Gothic Revival style and is topped with a dome that measures 65-feet across. Inside, however, the Madrid Cathedral is a trove of ancient and contemporary artworks – including bright stained-glass windows and an intricate, mosaic ceiling. 

Visitors can also access the crypt beneath the cathedral. The columned catacomb features numerous altars and tombs of notable Spaniards, including royalty. The cathedral and crypt are open to visitors for free, but a donation is requested at the entry.

Pro Tip : It is believed that the cathedral in Madrid was built on the site of an ancient mosque. On the south side of the church, Parque del Emir Mohamed I showcases remnants of 9th century fortifications, called the Muslim Walls. 

#6 Madrid Royal Palace

MAP . Sitting next door to the cathedral is the grand Royal Palace , which seems to go on forever and is one of the top Madrid landmarks. It is the largest palace in Europe with 3,418 rooms and almost 1.5 million square feet of space. The history of the palace can be traced to the year 860. It was originally a fortress built by the Moors and called the Royal Alcazar of Madrid. In 1734 the Alcazar burnt to the ground and a Baroque palace was built in its place.

Since then, the palace has been expanded and renovated into the colossal royal residence that stands today. It’s interesting to note, that while it is the official home of the Spanish Royal Family, they don’t actually live there, opting instead to reside at the rural Palace of Zarzuela.

The interior of the Royal Palace is decorated with masterpiece paintings, gorgeous tapestries, fine furniture and incredible architectural details. Now mostly used for state functions and official visits, tourists can enter the palace (with a ticket) to see the rooms and artworks. 

Pro Tip : If you want to visit the palace and are trying to see Madrid in a day, be aware that there are often long lines to get inside. Be sure to purchase  Skip-the-Line tickets  in advance.

#7 Madrid Palace Gardens

The palace grounds encompass two gardens – Sabatini Gardens to the north and Campo del Moro Gardens to the west. On sunny days, both gardens are fabulous to wander, not only for the solitude, but for the lovely views. 

Sabatini Gardens

MAP . The Sabatini Gardens are an easy escape from the sightseeing trail and free to enter. The manicured terraces and groomed walkways are laid out in a grid, pass by pleasant fountains and provide stellar views of the Royal Palace.

Campo del Moro Gardens

MAP . While we love the Sabatini Gardens, one of the best places to walk in Madrid is in the vast Campo del Moro that sits behind the Royal Palace. Designed by Philip II, the sloping green space features several decorative elements – like the Conchas Fountain and Tritons Fountain. The gardens are free to enter and they often host concerts that are free to attended as well. (Plus, they have public toilets!)

#8 Plaza de Oriente, Madrid

MAP . Plaza de Oriente, is just across the street from the palace – but we have made it a separate stop in our Walking Tour Madrid Free Guide because we think it deserves an up-close look. Designed in 1844, the space is lined with statues, trees, shrubs and a fountain in the center. The equestrian statue is of Philip IV and the others surrounding it represent the Spanish kings that were crowned at the Royal Palace. 

The pretty plaza sits between the palace and Teatro Real. The ornate opera house, which is often just referred to as El Real or Opera, dates to the early 1800s and to this day is one of the premier European theaters. Those who are interested and have the time can take a tour. 

Pro Tip: Walk past Teatro Real and continue down Calle del Arenal – a busy street lined with cafes, shops, restaurants and hotels. Pop into Torrons Vicens – a shop that specializes in Spanish turron nougat and offers free samples!

#9 Chocolateria San Gines

MAP . Indulgent and divine, eating churros with chocolate is a must for visitors – and San Gines Chocolateria is the most famous churreria in Madrid. Established in 1894, San Gines has welcomes locals, tourists and celebrities.

The crispy, deep-fried sticks are served piping hot and then dipped into thick, rich chocolate for a heavenly treat. The shop is so popular that it has expanded into nearby buildings, so the line should move swiftly. 

Pro Tip: Nearby Chocolateria 1902 is also incredibly popular. The traditional family-run bakery is quite forward thinking – as they now make a selection a treats that are gluten-free, lactose-free, sugar-free and vegan.

#10 Calle de Preciados Shopping Street

MAP . A pedestrian lane, Calle de Preciados is one of the best walking streets in Madrid – which is just one reason why we include it on this self guided tour.

The other reason is that the atmospheric street is the city’s historic shopping strip. Running nearly 1000 feet from Puerta del Sol to Plaza del Callao and Gran Via, the bustling thoroughfare is lined with fashion retailers and boutique shops interspersed with cafes. 

Some of the best stores on Preciados are the El Corte Ingles department store, a FNAC media store along with many recognizable international brands. 

Top Tip: For those interested in learning more of the religious history of Madrid can make a detour to the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, which features artwork, tapestries and religious icons. 

#11 Gran Via

MAP . Everyone should see the city’s most famous street, Gran Via, which is why we include it on our Madrid Self-Guided Walking Tour! Walking along the wide Gran Via just feels classy. Known for its early 1900s architecture and boasting many upscale shops, it is also referred to as Spanish Broadway for its many theaters, cinemas and exciting Madrid nightlife. Some stores even occupy former movie theaters. 

In addition to the big name fashion brands, two of the best stores on Gran Via are Casa de Libro bookshop and the Official Real Madrid Football Club outlet. Walk the street from west to east and notice that the stores to the east are more elegant, as is the architecture. The most ornate building is Edificio Metropolis, which marks the east end of Via Gran. 

Pro Tip: Love a good view? Gran Via is home to a few of the best spots for rooftop dining in Madrid. Top picks are Picalagartos and Ella Sky Bar. 

#12 Cibeles Palace and Fountain

MAP . The striking Palacio de Cibeles was built in 1909 to house the Spanish Post Office headquarters. Today, the elaborate building is home to the Madrid City Council and the CentroCentro cultural center.

One of the best features of the Cibeles Palace is the Mirador Madrid observation deck. For a small fee, visitors can take in the expansive panoramic city views from the building’s tallest tower. The fountain that sits in the center of Plaza de Cibeles features the Roman goddess Cybele being pulled by two lions in her chariot.

Pro Tip: If time allows, walk one block east to Puerta de Alcala. The ornamental, arched gate was completed in 1778 – at a time when the Medieval walls still surrounded the Madrid city center. 

#13 El Retiro Park

MAP . El Retiro is the most impressive park in Madrid, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an absolute must-see! The stunning 300-acre space was originally designated for royalty, but has been open to the public since the 18th century. The grand green space features a variety of gardens, paths, ponds and statues.

The top feature is the exquisite Palacio de Cristal de Retiro. The Glass Palace – constructed of cast-iron and glass – was built in the 1887 as a conservatory. Today, the greenhouse hosts art exhibitions from the Reina Sofia Museum. 

Additionally, visitors should see the impressive statue-lined walkway Paseo de las Estatuas and the Great Pond. That said, it is lovely to just spend time wandering the paths and well worth a longer detour from our Madrid city tour.

Pro Tip: On the southwest corner of Retiro Park is the Real Jardin Botanico. Opened in 1781, the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid features 90,000 plants, 1,500 trees and multiple greenhouses. 

#14 Paseo del Prado

MAP . Perhaps the prettiest street in all of Madrid, Paseo del Prado is a lush, tree-lined boulevard that connects Plaza de Cibeles in the north to Plaza del Emperador Carlos V in the south. It’s a place where couples stroll, artists paint and kids play. 

The gorgeous promenade features museums, monuments and fountains. The world-famous Prado Museum (which is next on our Self Guided Walk of Madrid), Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Naval Museum and the CaixaForum Arts Center all reside along Paseo del Prado. 

Not to be missed is the extravagant Neoclassical Neptune Fountain. But smaller fountains – like the Apollo Fountain and the Fuentes de las Cuatro Estaciones – are also worth seeking out. 

#15 The Prado Museum

MAP . The next stop is one of the best museums in Madrid: The Prado. Founded in 1819, Prado Museum features a grand collection of renowned artwork. The most notable are Las Meninas and The Triumph of Bacchus by Velazquez. Many consider the Prado to be one of the greatest art museums in the world.

There is an admission fee to enter the museum and we recommend purchasing a Skip-the-Line Ticket . However, some of the money-saving Madrid sightseeing cards might include entry into the Prado. Visitors short on time who want to see the museum highlights can join a Prado Museum tour.

Pro Tip : The Prado has free entry from 6-8pm Monday-Saturday and from 5-7pm on Sundays and holidays.

#16 Plaza de Santa Ana, Madrid

MAP . The final stop on our walking Madrid tour is Plaza de Santa Ana – a square that quickly became our favorite in Madrid. Santa Ana Plaza is home to the 17th century Teatro Espanol, the oldest theater in Madrid. Yet the area has a quaint, neighborhood feel to it. In the winter, an illuminated Christmas tree casts a blue hue over the square at night.

As this completes our Walking Tour of Madrid, give your feet a rest and enjoy a glass of Spanish wine at one of the cafes on the plaza. We recommend taking a seat at Cerveceria Alemana, which opened in 1904 as a brewery and has been frequented by famous personalities, like Ava Gardner and Earnest Hemingway. 

Pro Tip: If you’re ready for dinner, continue another block to Matador for tapas or Pez Tortilla for a delicious Spanish-style omelet.

Madrid City Tour Map & Walking Directions

Use our Map of Madrid City Center to route your way to the attractions highlighted on our Walking Tour.

• This Map gives directions for the Madrid Sights numbered 1 to 10. 
• This Map provides step-by-step directions for attractions numbered 10 to 16. 
• This Interactive Madrid Tourist Map highlights each attraction listed in our walking tour. Simply click on any of the markers to expand the side bar for more information. 

Pro Tip : Our Walking Tour Madrid Attractions Map Route can be printed! Click on the image to enlarge it, right-click outside of the image and select Print. 

Madrid Tour: What You Will Need

Before you set off on your trip to Madrid, make sure you are properly packed ! We have a few tips for things you will want to bring – and get your Free Packing Checklist to make sure you have everything in your suitcase or backpack for your Spain Vacation!

Walking Shoes for Madrid

Madrid is a walkable city, but only with the right travel shoes ! I like these by Columbia – Kris prefers Merrell trail shoes for all types of walks.

Travel Camera for Madrid Photography

Madrid is a truly beautiful city. Rather than using your phone to capture the sights, we recommend upgrading to a real travel camera . We use a DSLR Canon Rebel , which takes amazing photos and comes with a complete kit. For this, we rank it as one of the Best Budget Cameras . 

Madrid Weather Gear and Day Pack

Summers in Madrid are very sunny and very hot. Bring sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat on your walking tour of Madrid. We also recommend carrying this collapsible water bottle that is perfect for travelers! 

Those visiting Madrid outside of the summer months should be prepared for cooler weather with a chance of rain. Pack a travel umbrella and lightweight raincoat for your trip. You’ll also want to be sure to have a great Day Bag to carry and secure all your Daily Travel Essentials .

Wi-Fi and Tourist Map of Madrid

To be able to follow our Free Walking Tour Madrid (and the directions provided on the Maps), you will need an internet connection. If your phone is locked, rather than paying high daily fees for international data, we recommend investing in a Pocket WiFi Hotspot . 

We travel with a GlocalMe Mobile WiFi Hotspot . It allows us to connect up to ten devices at once (which makes it ideal for families or groups traveling together) and it doubles as a portable charger . What we really love about GlocalMe is that we can pre-purchase data plans…so we can be connected from the moment we touch down off that long flight !

Those traveling without Wi-Fi can print our Map of Madrid Tourist Attractions and Walking Route. For a more detailed map, consider purchasing a Map of Madrid City Center – like this one – in advance of your trip. 

Madrid Guided Tours

While we enjoyed sightseeing Madrid on our own, there are many guided tours that can help lead the way. If you would like the company of an expert guide (and fellow travelers), consider one of these highly-rated guided tours of Madrid. 

• Small-group Madrid Tour and skip-the-line Palace entry – Book now
• Retiro Park and skip-the-line Prado entry – Info here
• Madrid Spanish Inquisition Tour –  Book it
• Private Tours for the Best of Madrid ( Book here ) and Secrets of Madrid ( Reserve now )
• Madrid Street Art Tour – Get Info
• Book a Guided Madrid Free Tour –  New Europe Tours  

As an alternative to seeing the city on foot, visitors can catch a ride on the Hop-On Hop-Off Madrid Sightseeing Bus, or explore on a Segway Tour or this very popular Madrid Bike Tour .

Money-Saving Sightseeing Cards

Some of the places we pass on our Madrid Self-Guided Walking Tour require a ticket. To save money, consider purchasing a Madrid Sightseeing Card that will that includes entry to top sights and attractions, as well as other discounts. 

Madrid Sightseeing Tips

There are many, many options when it comes to visiting Madrid – as there is so much to see and do! In addition to the sights, a few of the top things to do are Flamenco dancing, tapas tastings, neighborhood wandering and sport matches. 

Flamenco Show in Madrid

With live music and steamy dances, Flamenco shows are a top Madrid experience. Visitors can attend a performance at one of the legendary Spanish tablaos. Reserve your seat!

Madrid Tapas and Wine Tour

The gastronomy in Madrid is divine – especially when it comes to tapas – the much adored Spanish culinary snack. Spend an evening with a local guide on a small group tour to discover the best tapas and wine in Madrid. Join this popular tour!

Madrid Neighborhood Discoveries

Visitors can also get off the beaten path and navigate through Madrid’s best neighborhoods. We like to wander the streets of Chamberi to the north – or walk south to Parque Madrid Rio, a riverside park of wide paths, artistic bridges and inviting cafes. 

Planning Your Madrid Trip

Creating an itinerary for Madrid is no simple task – but we are sharing some advice that will make it much easier! With sights located within walking distance, tourists can see a lot with just 1 Day in Madrid.

That said, we recommend spending at least two days in Madrid…but three is even better. We have outlined the top things to do in our One Week Spain Itinerary and our detailed 3-Day Madrid Itinerary .

Travelers visiting from overseas can find our best tips in our guide on How To Plan a Europe Vacation . We share all the need-to-know info and honest advice from our personal experiences. 

As you begin to prepare for your trip to Spain, organization is key! Stay on top of all the details with our Printable Travel Planner . 

Start planning your trip to Spain ! Search for the lowest airfares , the best accommodations and fun things to do …then start packing !   Want more travel advice? Head over to our Travel Planning Page for more tips on traveling – and for country-specific information, take a look at our Travel Guides Page !

We want to know: What are your favorite Madrid sights? Is there anything you would add to our Self-Guided Free Madrid Walking Tour? Please share with us in the comments below! 

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Somto Seeks

Navigate the world with confidence

A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Madrid with Map

April 26, 2019 By Somto Ugwueze 4 Comments

Last updated on April 24, 2023

Madrid stole my heart when I first visited in 2012. In fact, I loved it so much that I decided to move there and call it my home for a year. Nowadays, I visit the city once in a while to catch up with old friends. Maybe you could say I’m a little obsessed with this city – from the rustic neighborhoods to the leafy parks. It seems that no matter how many times I visit Madrid, I still can’t get enough. I discover something new with each visit.

For some reason, many travelers I’ve talked to think Madrid is boring compared to Barcelona. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! I think Madrid actually has a greater variety of things to do than Barcelona. With gorgeous parks, unique neighborhoods, and some of the best museums in Spain, Madrid will keep you busy during your visit. I’ve mapped out a self-guided walking tour to help you plan your itinerary.  I want to take you to various neighborhoods, hidden art galleries, not-so-touristy food markets, and other amazing places other Madrid guides leave out. So here is your self-guided walking tour of Madrid with a map to make finding your whereabouts easy.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links as explained in my disclosure policy.

This post is part of the Madrid Travel series. Here’s a full list of posts in the series.

Walking tour: A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Madrid

Day Trips: The 10 Best Day Trips From Madrid

Food: Where To Eat in Madrid: 10 Best Restaurants To Try

1 Day: One Day Madrid Itinerary: What To Do, See, and Eat

3 Days: Three Day Madrid Itinerary: Things To Do for First-Timers

Winter: The Best Things To Do in Madrid in Winter

Tourist Mistakes: 6 Common Tourist Mistakes To Avoid in Madrid

Total time required for the walking tour of Madrid

The tour will take around 3 hours if you follow the route without stopping. I would recommend you budget half a day for this tour to get to know the city well.

What to pack for Madrid

• Comfortable shoes – preferably running shoes since there are some hills to climb.
• Portable WiFi – if you don’t have an international data plan then this will make your trip a lot easier. I’ve been using the Travel WiFi Portable Hotspot Device since 2018 because it’s convenient and reliable. It eliminates the need for a SIM card or an international data plan. You can read my full review of Travel WiFI to see if it’s the right pocket WiFi for you.
• Water – always stay hydrated, especially since you’ll be doing a lot of walking.
• Map or GPS – Google Maps, Apple Maps, the Moovit app, a physical map, whatever works best for you.
• Camera – you can use your phone camera, but a DSLR will capture those Gaudi buildings so much better! I always recommend the Nikon D3400 for beginners.
• Snacks – pack some fruit, a granola bar, or my go-to travel snack, the WanderBar , a protein bar made specifically for travelers and frequent flyers. I can’t get enough of the Cocoa Crunch flavor.

15 Places To Visit on Your Self-Guided Walking Tour of Madrid

Círculo de bellas artes.

At first, I thought we should start at Plaza Mayor, the main city square, but I decided to switch things up. We’re going to start at Circulo de Bellas Artes (Center of Fine Arts), an art exhibition of the entrance to the main street in Madrid, Gran Via. But we’re not going for the art. We’re going for the views.

There is a rooftop bar on the 7th floor of the building called Azotea del Circulo. It provides a panoramic view of the Madrid skyline, an iconic view you’ve probably seen dozens of times (see below.) The drinks are standard, but the ambiance is fantastic. This is a great place to get your ‘I went to Madrid!’ photo with the cityscape in the background. After getting your photo, you can lay back and relax on the white cushion sofas to save up some energy for all the walking ahead. Note that you don’t need to order anything at the rooftop, but you do need to pay 4 EUR at the entrance on the first floor for rooftop access. It’s more than worth it.

Address : Calle de Alcalá, 42, 28014 Madrid, Spain Hours : 12 pm – 12:30 am from Monday to Thursday, 12 pm – 2:30 am from Friday to Sunday

Important: You can’t get into the building from the front on Calle de Alcalá.  You’ll need to go around to the side of the building on Calle del Marqués de Casa Riera, 2, 28014 Madrid. That’s where the main entrance is. 

From Circulo de Bellas Artes, you’ll take a stroll down Gran Via, the largest pedestrian street in Madrid. Gran Via is to Madrid what Avenue de Champs Elysee is to Paris. The street is home to designer shops, theatres, fine restaurants, rooftop bars, tourist offices, and more. There is a giant Primark store with two stories as well as Zara, Mango, and other Spanish and international brands. Shopping on Gran Via is surprisingly not that expensive. That said, I wouldn’t eat at any restaurant on the street because it more than likely caters to tourists.

Address : Gran Via, 28013 Madrid, Spain Hours : 24 hours 7 days a week

Puerta del Sol

Puerta del Sol, simply referred to as Sol, is one of the main metro stops in Madrid’s center. It literally means ‘gate of the sun’ and is a gateway to many attractions, restaurants, and bars in the city. Sometimes, you’ll encounter demonstrations, speeches, and processions at Puerta del Sol. For instance, during the festival of San Isidro in May, there is a procession of giant bobbleheads called Los Gigantes that starts here. In the Christmas season, the Spanish eating of twelve grapes tradition takes place here.

On the east side of the square, there is a statue of a bear called El Oso y El Madroño. It’s a statue of a bear eating from a strawberry tree and represents the coat of arms of Madrid. When I lived in Madrid, people were always making a big deal about this bear. It’s a rather simple statue, but I guess it has historical significance. Still, I wouldn’t call this a must-see sight.

Address : Puerta del Sol, 28013 Madrid, Spain Hours : 24 hours, 7 days a week

Plaza Mayor

Every Spanish city has a main town square, or plaza, normally located at the heart of the city. Plaza Mayor is Madrid’s expansive town square with gorgeous buildings covered in Romanesque artistry. You’ve probably seen Plaza Mayor on a million postcards. It’s a great place to sit, relax, and have a drink. There are also a number of restaurants and souvenir shops in the square, but they tend to be more expensive. I wouldn’t eat at the restaurants within the plaza itself because they’re nothing special. There are tons of really good restaurants on the streets surrounding the plaza, such as El Botin , the oldest restaurant in the world.

Address : Plaza Mayor, 28012, Madrid Hours : 24 hours, 7 days a week

Catedral de la Almudena

This cathedral doesn’t get as much love as it deserves – at least compared to other churches in Spain, like La Sagrada Familia. As the seat of the diocese of Madrid, it’s the most important church in the city. The Gothic-style interior is just gorgeous and the cool blue exterior serves as the perfect backdrop for photos.

Address : Calle de Bailén, 10, 28013 Madrid, Spain Hours : 10 am – 8:30 pm every day

El Palacio Real

Spain’s official royal palace isn’t as famous as Versailles or Buckingham Palace, but do not overlook it! With 3418 rooms, it is the largest royal palace in Europe by area. It is larger than Buckingham Palace, which has 775 rooms. Of course, not all the rooms are open to the public, but the palace tour will take you through ornately decorated rooms, collections of crown jewels, and storage of royal armory. You can take a tour of the palace between 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets cost $13 for general admission and $7 for students.

Address : Calle de Bailén, s/n, 28071 Madrid Hours : 10 am to 6 pm every day

Malasaña is one of the young, hip neighborhoods of Madrid. Here, you’ll find quirky coffee shops, cool bars, and vintage boutiques. This neighborhood is filled with great photo spots, too. Here are some recommended spots in this neighborhood:

La Bicicleta : This is one of the coolest bars in Madrid, with bicycles hanging in the ceiling. There is a basement with even more eclectic designs. Both hipsters and non-hipsters love the place. 

Address: Plaza de San Ildefonso, 9, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Casa Julio : this little bar/restaurant serves the best croquetas in Madrid. Their gourmet croquetas are a must-try when in the city. The first thing I do when I go to Madrid is head to Casa Julio. I’m not kidding about these croquetas!

Address: Calle de la Madera, 37, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Libros para un Mundo Mejor – this bookstore, whose name translates to ‘books for a better world’ is a quirky little place that’s definitely worth a stop Malasaña. First of all, the entrance is just so cute, with a bicycle in front and a yellow wall. Photo spot alert. Then, in the interior, you’ll find shelves of books and a live-in cat. Yes, there is a cat that lives at this bookstore.

Address: Calle Espiritu Santo 13, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Calle de Fuencarral : this is one of the main streets in the neighborhood and exemplifies the hipster vibe. There is a lot of shopping to be done here, too, from vintage shops to high street brands. 

Address: Calle de Fuencarral, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Mercado de San Anton

The most famous market in Madrid is Mercado de San Miguel, located down the street from Plaza Mayor. While it has a lot to offer, it’s also quite expensive. Mercado de San Anton is a great alternative, not only because it’s less expensive, but also because it isn’t packed to the brim with tourists. It is located at the heart of the Chueca District, which is known as Madrid’s gay district.

Address : Calle Augusto Figueroa 24, 28004 Madrid, Spain Hours : 9:30 am – 1 am from Monday – Saturday and 12 pm – 1 am on Sundays

El Museo del Prado

El Prado, Spain’s national art museum, is easily one of the best art museums I’ve ever been to. It has a collection of 7,600 paintings and 1,000 sculptures dating from the 12th to 19th century. The amount of time to budget for your visit depends on your pace, but you should be looking to spend at least 45 minutes to an hour. There are two ways to experience the best that El Prado has to offer. The first option is to buy a skip-the-line ticket and take your sweet time exploring the galleries and exhibits on your own. The second option is to do a guided tour with a certified guide . An art expert will walk you around the museum and explain the significance and history behind incredible the art you’ll see.

Address : Calle de Ruiz de Alarcon, 23, 28014 Madrid, Spain Hours : 10 am – 8 pm Monday to Saturday and 10 am – 7 pm on Sunday

El Museo de la Reina Sofía

La Reina Sofia is located just around the corner from El Prado – less than a 10-minute walk. Pablo Picasso’s famous painting, Guernica , is housed here. The iconic canvas, which depicts the bloodiness of the Spanish Civil War, was a pleasant surprise. Although I normally don’t care for abstract art, I was impressed by the sheer size of the painting. Besides that, there is a collection of 100,000 books specializing in art and many works by European artists. La Reina Sofia has four floors, each with a collection of portraits from different eras. I remember the second floor having the most ‘wow!’ pieces, although I couldn’t tell you who the artists were. The best way to experience La Reina Sofia is to do a guided tour of the museum with a professional guide who will tell you all about the artworks and art movements. If you’d rather just explore the museum on your own, be sure to get your entrance ticket ahead of time so that you can skip the long lines.

Address: Calle de Santa Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid Hours: 10 am – 9 pm on Mondays and from Wednesday – Saturday, closed on Tuesdays and Sundays

La Tabacalera

La Tabacalera is an underground art exhibit that even some Madrileños (people from Madrid) don’t know about. In the entire year when I lived in Madrid, I never heard of this place. I only found out about it on my visit to Madrid in the summer of 2018. I was completely captivated and wondered how on earth I had never heard of this place!

The exhibit looks like a dingy alleyway when you enter but then blossoms into an art exhibition as you walk down the halls. The building features mainly street art on the walls which diverge to different exhibitions as you walk through the building. Some of them contain political messages while others are whimsical portrays o cartoon characters. Some will make you scratch your head and pause for a bit. There is no art that is too bizarre for this exhibit, a contrast to the curated, post-modern paintings at El Prado. It might not be to everyone’s liking. 

La Tabacalera is located in the Lavapies neighborhood, where many African and Middle Eastern immigrants live. It has a reputation for being sketchy. Okay, so here’s the thing: yes, there are some suspicious-looking people lurking around in some corners, but I’ve spent some time living in Lavapies and didn’t encounter any problems. It’s really not that bad. Lavapies is a great area for ethnic food, like Senegalese and Turkish.

Address : 28012, Calle de Embajadores, 53, 28012 Madrid, Spain Hours : 11 am – 10 pm from Tuesday to Sunday

Parque del Buen Retiro

After all that walking, it’s time for some relaxation. That’s why we’re ending at Retiro, the second-largest park in Madrid. The name literally means ‘Park of the Good Retreat,’ a very suitable name. This park is more like a little kingdom – it’s 350 acres of gardens, lakes, sculptures, fountains, and quaint little houses. It’s easy to get lost here. Although I lived next to the park and went there often, I still lose my way. Take a look at my map below to navigate this behemoth of a park.

Address : Plaza de la Independencia, s/n, 28001 Madrid , Spain Hours : 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Here are the must-see attractions at Retiro Park:

Palacio de cristal.

The crystal place is not only stunning, but it also functions as a museum. Built in 1887, It has a dome shape that was made out of metal and glass. There are different displays of archeological finds and art throughout the year.

Lago del Retiro

T his iconic, man-made lake is right in the middle of the park. Its image is what people normally associate with El Retiro. Here, you can rent a boat and go for a ride for about 30 minutes. They allow 1-4 people per boat. It is so much fun!

La Rosaleda

T his lovely rose garden has statues and fountains surrounded by 4,000 roses. Constructed during the early 1900s, it is one of the largest rose gardens in the world. If you visit in May or June, it’s even more beautiful.

Casita del Pescador

T his is a quaint, bright orange house surrounded by a pond. It stands out in a park full of greenery. Casita del Pescador serves as an exhibition space and cultural center, hosting a variety of art exhibitions, workshops, and events throughout the year.

Jardines de Cecilio Rodriguez

T his sprawling garden has some very special guests – peacocks! It also has a fountain that attracts tons of birds, a lovely sight.

Ready to explore the best of Madrid?

Book a highly-rated guided tour from my go-to tour operator for all my travels, Get Your Guide . I’ve been on dozens of Get Your Guide tours in places like Madrid, Barcelona, and Granada and love how educational and engaging they are! I always leave with tons of notes, new insights, and stories to tell. Feel free to choose the tour that most interests you. When you click on any of the three popular tours below, you can also see hundreds of other tours in Madrid to choose from. A Get Your Guide tour will add an extra dose of amazingness to your trip. Safe travels!

This concludes your self-guided walking tour of Madrid. Use this guide as a starting point for your exploration of Spain’s capital. Be sure to customize it to suit your preferences. These are just suggestions after all. Which activity are you most excited to do?

Travel Resources I Can’t Live Without

The CabinZero 36L Backpack – this trusty backpack has been my go-to luggage for both domestic and international trips since 2018. I’ve used dozens of backpacks over the years and keep coming back to this one. I almost never check in luggage so I need a carry-on bag that is spacious, sturdy, and comfortable, with a laptop compartment. The Cabin Zero 36 L fits the bill. The size makes it small enough for a weekend getaway and big enough for a month of backpacking in Europe. The bag also comes with a tracker in case it gets lost. How convenient! Check out my complete review of the backpack.

Travel WiFI Pocket WIFI Device – With portable WiFi, you can say goodbye to ridiculous roaming charges and SIM cards for good. I’ve been using the Travel WiFi Portable Hotspot device for years and love the peace of mind it gives me. The device provides 3G-4G WiFi for at least 6 hours and works in 100+ countries. In my experience, it lasts 9 hours. It also works in a variety of landscapes and terrains. I even filmed a Facebook Live from a boat in the Atlantic Ocean using my device. I can also use Google Maps, request an Uber, call my mom, and do tons of other things I couldn’t do before. Quick tip: turn off the device when you’re not using it so that the battery can last longer. Booking.com – Booking.com is my go-to website for booking discounted accommodations around the world.  What I love most about Booking.com is the variety of properties you can find, from luxury apartments to treehouses to university housing. It’s hard to beat the insanely low prices. The website also has a flexible cancellation policy, which is great if things come up or you change your mind.

For more travel product recommendations, check out my travel essentials page .

One more thing: If you liked this post, please share it!

Somto Ugwueze

Hi! I'm Somto. Two years ago, I stopped making excuses, ditched my indecisive friends, and started booking flights. Today, I'm a full-time solo traveler on a mission to inspire young women to seek new adventures.

@somtoseeks

Reader Interactions

September 12, 2019 at 7:50 am

Hi. I love your blog! I’m planning my Euro trip coming this October and Honestly, you have the best itineraries. Thank you so much for all your help and time spend doing this.

I have a question. When you buy museum tickets or any attraction tickets. Do you use a specific website or it depends?

September 13, 2019 at 4:22 am

Thanks for your comment! I really appreciate it. Glad you find my content helpful.

When I book museum and attraction tickets, I either go to the museum website or a book a guided tour. I typically use a tour company called Get Your Guide for guided tours. I hope that helps!

January 17, 2020 at 5:48 am

Thanks you for all your help!

July 17, 2020 at 8:29 pm

You’re very welcome!

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Who Is Somto Seeks?

Hi there, I’m Somtochukwu. Can you try pronouncing that? I've always gone by Somto (Sohm-toe). I'm a child of Nigerian immigrants who decided to pursue her dream of living an extraordinary life. In 2015, I chose faith over fear, packing my bags and moving to Spain with $1,000 in my pocket. This was after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that caused me to develop a giant bald patch in the middle of my scalp. Living in Spain and traveling around Europe for a year changed my life forever, allowing me to discover the freedom of solo travel and the freedom of working from anywhere. Today, I’m a full-time travel writer whose mission is to help you navigate this big, beautiful world with confidence and have those omg-pinch-me-moments you’ll remember for a lifetime.

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