Madrid is immense, and not only because of its size. Our urban culture and castiza, this blue sky and an identity that Sabina portrayed better than anyone else are incomprehensible to everyone who passes through here.
The good thing is that the charm of Madrid sticks to you from the first moment. Wherever you walk you will be infected by the love we feel for a unique city in the world, able like no other to condense the essence of life and take it to the streets.
Can you get to know Madrid in two days? Not even in a hundred years would you have time, that’s the magic of this place. But with this route you will understand, enjoy and fall in love with the capital.
Day 1: Journey to the heart of Madrid
Morning: History, pinchos and gardens
We start from the most central axis that exists: Puerta del Sol . This mythical square is a representative sample of the whole city: a mix of culture, excitement, stores and frenzy. Right here are the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree and Kilometer Zero, from where all Spanish roads start.
Once we have taken the necessary photos, we take the Calle Mayor and turn off down Calle de Postas to visit the Petit Palace Posada del Peine, the oldest in the city. We continue until we enter the Plaza Mayor, one of the most beloved historical sites of the capital. It’s incredible, and we haven’t seen anything yet!
We cross the square to find ourselves in front of the Mercado de San Miguel, impressive both inside and out. We have a pincho here to recover energy and then return to the Calle Mayor (or stroll, if you feel like it) until we find the Plaza de la Villa, forever trapped in another era.
The surrounding streets are made for getting lost, so we take our time. Some gems to look for are Calle del Rollo, Huerto de las Monjas, Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona and Plaza de la Paja.
When we finish exploring the area we head to Segovia Street, which we walk down to see the Segovia Viaduct . We climb some stairs and soon we will come across the remains of the Arab wall and the imposing Almudena Cathedral.
And here we are faced with our first decision: lengthen the walk to see more wonders or choose a shorter route so as not to get too far from the center.
Option 1: the long route
Courage, brave! It’s worth the effort. We return to Segovia street and continue down to look out over the Manzanares from the Segovia Bridge. Let’s not go too far: beyond is Madrid Rio, but we want to stay on this bank to walk along the Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto and sneak into the Campo del Moro, the back gardens of the Royal Palace.
The gardens are the thing: then we expect the beautiful and quiet Sabatini gardens, where we rest a while and then go up to the Royal Palace and the Plaza de Oriente, meeting point with the shortest route.
Option 2: the short route
Do your feet hurt like hell? That’s normal, what a beating we are taking. We will take a shortcut along Bailén street until we reach the Royal Palace and the Plaza de Oriente. From there we go down to the Sabatini gardens and take a break. Having regained our strength, we go back up to the Royal Palace. Good news: we are going to eat!
From this point we have it easy to return to the vicinity of Sol, where it all started, and look for a place to fill our stomachs. While we find a good-looking restaurant we can pass by the Plaza de San Martin, the Monastery of the Descalzas Reales and the passage of San Gines ( with its ancient outdoor book stall and the mythical churrería).
Afternoon: shopping, the hipster neighborhood and a melting sunset.
We have returned to Sol, the start and end point of all things (and of this route, too). We set course to the shopping area and the most hipster streets of all Madrid, where we’ll find cute cafes to have a snack and we’ll end the day contemplating one of the best sunsets in Madrid.
Let’s go! We go up Preciados or Carmen streets, where there are stores of large multinational chains everywhere. We can change from one to the other through the alleys that connect them. We can also make a detour and go up Montera street, which will take us to Gran Vía.
Either way, we have to go to Callao, our own Times Square. You can’t even imagine how many secrets the building hides , crowned by the legendary Schweppes ad.
Once we have sufficiently hallucinated, we go up Gran Via, Gran Via down to buy everything we have not found in the stores of Sol. And now we’re off to Madrid’s cool paradise.
We let ourselves be impressed by Fuencarral street, passing from time to time to the parallel one, Hortaleza, to explore both. We must get to the metro stop Tribunal, because from there we will go down Calle de la Palma.
And so we have found Malasaña. It will be for its gastronomic offer of all corners, its vintage boutiques, its alternative stores and those bars that were the scene of the Movida Madrileña. There is no place like this in Madrid, or anywhere else in the world.
Let’s go to the streets. Because Madrid is just that: the city where you have to get lost to find yourself. Let instinct guide us at will through the Calle del Pez, Calle del Espíritu Santo, Corredera Alta de San Pablo, Calle Velarde and Calle de San Andrés. Of course, the free excursion must include the Plaza del Dos de Mayo to greet Daoiz and Velarde.
We can now cross Malasaña off the list. We go to the neighboring neighborhood, Conde Duque, just as cool but with a more serene soul.
Between the Conde Duque cultural center and the Plaza de Cristino Martos you will find countless places to have a snack and rest a bit, as the weight of the afternoon is beginning to show.
It’s time for the last visit of the day, with a final surprise. We go to the Plaza de España and walk to the statue of Quixote and Sancho, but we do not stop here. The visit ends at the Temple of Debod, an Egyptian construction that takes your breath away and from which you can contemplate a sunset of those that stick in the retina.
Still time for one more adventure? We take a walk through the Parque del Oeste in search of its rose garden, one of the most romantic places in Madrid.
To know the city as a real cat you also have to know its nightlife, the offer of hospitality and nightlife is not comparable to that of another European capital, as you go out in Madrid you do not go out anywhere. Among all the options for dinner with a show there is one that has the best of both worlds, WAH Madrid is the show of the moment. If the music, and the wide variety of food offered in its Food Hall, leave you wanting more, then comes the afterparty, in this city the party never ends.
Day 2: How to immerse yourself in Madrid life
Morning: La Latina, Lavapiés and Las Letras
You better have slept well, because the sightseeing in Madrid is not over. That’s the thing about intensive visits, they require a lot of energy and a lot of willpower.
The second day we met at Puerta de Toledo. We went up the Gran Via de San Francisco, where we have to visit three points: the beautiful Dalieda de San Francisco and its views, the titanic Basilica of San Francisco el Grande and the Vistillas Gardens, from where you can see the Almudena Cathedral, which could be descended by the famous Cuesta de los Ciegos.
We leave the gardens to reach the Plaza de la Cebada, where La Latina begins , the cradle of tapas and beers. We have for a while: the Campo de la Cebada, vital and colorful, deserves a look, but we can not linger too long, there is much to see. We go down to Calle de la Ruda to have a coffee and get to know an unusual, quiet and almost village-like Latina.
Then we go to the Plaza de Cascorro , spacious and bright. In the street of the Ribera de los Curtidores on Sundays the Rastro is held. We can take a few minutes to gawk at the stalls full of junk and unclassifiable junk.
At the height of Cascorro we move to Embajadores street, border between La Latina and Lavapiés. Going down it we will understand its popularity: the Pavón cafe, bookstores, bars, stores and a life that beats to the rhythm of Madrid.
We turn into Sombrerete street and suddenly we are in Lavapiés, a humble neighborhood that stands out, with a unique beauty and a multiculturalism that we had not seen so far. A little further down are the Escuelas Pías, a beautiful library that has just reopened, and the strange Corrala del Sombrerete.
If we find ourselves in the mood for a stroll, it’s worth getting lost in the neighborhood’s intricate streets and keeping an eye on its stores, cafes, restaurants and businesses imported from Africa.
To soak up the character of Lavapiés we can go to the Plaza de Nelson Mandela, a little further up the street, or go directly to the Plaza de Lavapiés, which is never still.
From here we go down Argumosa street to reveal the most interesting secrets of Atocha Station. We are in the middle of the Art Triangle: the most important museums of Madrid are here, but they deserve a longer and more leisurely visit that we will leave for another occasion.
We catch our breath and go up the beautiful Paseo del Prado, which borders the botanical garden and stands out for its width and the vegetation around it. Along the way we will come across the vertical garden of the CaixaForum and the Prado Museum.
If we are in good time, it is advisable to go around the Prado Museum and visit the Parish of San Jerónimo el Real and its surroundings. This elevated, green and quiet refuge is a real surprise, ideal for an express rest.
We continue on the Prado-Retiro axis , which has just been proclaimed a World Heritage Site by Unesco, and end at the Neptune fountain. With the Cibeles we will meet in the afternoon, so there is nothing to worry about.
We take Cervantes street and we dive into the Barrio de las Letrasliterary to the max.
In this area lived the most celebrated authors of the Golden Age, and we can follow their traces through the poems engraved on the sidewalks. For proof, a button: on the same street are the houses of Cervantes and Lope de Vega.
We stroll up and down the streets of Huertas and León, breathing the romantic air that envelops the neighborhood until we reach the Plaza de Santa Ana, where the great Teatro Español sits.
Now you can listen to the rumbling of your stomach: this neighborhood is full of traditional taverns and cozy restaurants. Enjoy!
Afternoon: Chueca, Cibeles and El Retiro
After regaining our strength with a refreshing menu, we leave Plaza de Santa Ana along Calle del Príncipe until we reach Plaza de Canalejas, where the new and fabulous neighbor reigns: the Four Seasons Hotel. We continue up Sevilla street and arrive at Alcalá, the longest street in Madrid.
We go down a little bit to see the intersection of Alcalá and Gran Vía and then continue north to enter the Chueca neighborhood, known for its great LGTBIQ+ atmosphere. Here we will look for the Plaza de Pedro Zerolo and Plaza de Chueca. The quieter streets of the neighborhood contrast with the constant frenzy of the area.
Depending on the time we have available, again we will have to choose between a long and a shorter route.
Option 1: the long route (Chamberí and Salamanca neighborhood)
The good thing about extending the route is that we can get to know Chamberí, the most traditional of all the neighborhoods of Madrid. To get here we will go up from Chueca to the Plaza de Alonso Martinez (walking down the street or taking the direct route through Hortaleza street).
From here we take Santa Engracia street and take a walk to the ghost station, in the wonderful Plaza de Chamberí. This is one of the hidden treasures in the Madrid metro.
We go up and stroll to Zurbano, one of the most beautiful streets in Europe. Once explored, we go to the Plaza de Colon and the gardens of the Discovery.
Then we get into Goya street, the artery of the Salamanca neighborhood, the most stately of the whole city. Here it is worth visiting the streets of Serrano and Velázquez, with its luxury stores, and look for a place to have a snack.
With renewed energy we walk down the Paseo de Recoletos to the Cibeles fountain, where the short route also ends.
Option 2: the short route
We skip the detour to go from Chueca to Plaza de Colón and the Jardines del Descubrimiento. Then we descend along the Paseo de Recoletos and admire the huge National Library along the way. If we continue down, we will finally reach the Cibeles fountain, the point where the short route ends.
Continuation of the two routes
Cibeles is the Madrid goddess par excellence, and behind her stands the Palacio de Cibeles, with a history and secrets worth knowing. This is one of the iconic places of Madrid, with the Bank of Spain as part of the landscape.
We go up a short stretch of Alcalá street and soon we will reach the Puerta de Alcalá, one of our most beloved symbols.
We enter the Retiro Park, the end of this exhaustive two-day visit, where we can relax a bit.
We cross the Retiro and come across geniuses such as the pond, the Palacio de Velázquez, the Palacio de Cristal and the fountain of the Fallen Angel, the controversial monument representing Lucifer.
If we fall madly in love with this park, a highly probable phenomenon, we can browse its walks and plots. Hidden in here are such relaxing places as the Cecilio Rodriguez gardens, home to peacocks that roam at will.
The last visit of this route is in the Cuesta de Moyano, invaded by book stalls at ridiculous prices. Going down here we will end up in Atocha and we will end the day.
In just two days we have walked through the heart of Madrid. We have seen the traditional, tasted the alternative, felt in our steps the distinct personality of each neighborhood. Next time we hope you will have time to get to know even more of Madrid’s secrets.