Even if you are a purebred Madrileño, you may know the Gran Vía whether you know the paintings in the Prado Museum like the back of your hand or know them by heart (or haven’t set foot in it since your school trips), sometimes you need help knowing what to do typically made in Madrid.
You may have done some of them more than once, who can resist a calamari sandwich, but others may not sound so familiar to you or even have them on your list of plans, it’s time to carry them out. Here are those 50 things:
1. Visiting the Puerta de Alcalá
Because beyond the songs that have been dedicated to it, it has been an icon almost since it was built (1778) and has gone from being one of the five original gates that gave access to the city to being at the center of it. During 2023 it was under restoration, but it is back and shinier than ever.
2. Strolling around the Retiro
All major cities have a central park, but few can boast of having two palaces (Velázquez and Cristal) or of being so old: it dates back to the 17th century.
3. Taking the grapes in the Puerta del Sol
“Between shouts and whistles, the little Spaniards, huge, short, we do something at the same time for once.” As Mecano’s lyrics say, that shared euphoria is the best way to start the year.
4. And to celebrate a Chinese New Year in Usera
If the previous option refers to the end of the year, it is logical that the following one does as well: Usera, the Spanish neighborhood with the largest population of Chinese origin, dresses up every year to welcome the Chinese New Year. Parades, gastronomic proposals, specific decoration and much more.
5. See the sunset from the temple of Debod
Worthy of the best museums in Madrid we can enjoy it for free and without previous queues. In addition, the views of the Manzanares cornice from the park are the best.
6. Eat fried eggs at Casa Lucio
And to scrape the leftover egg yolk off the plate while you watch the countless celebrities from all over the world, from Valentino to Bill Clinton, who have a photo with Lucio.
7. Buy antiques in El Rastro
The offer of street markets in Madrid is becoming longer and more varied, but El Rastro is and will remain the first of all.
8. Eat a squid sandwich in the Plaza Mayor
Madrid has no sea, but we have no shortage of fish and seafood seafood in fact, it is the largest fish market in Spain. This explains why the calamari sandwich is a crucial part of Madrid’s gastronomy, in addition to its simplicity and price. No sandwich can beat it.
9. Remembering that you entered the Teatro Eslava
And not knowing how or when you got out. Partying until dawn in this city is a popular tradition and has been passed down from generation to generation.
10. Discover the Crystal Palace
In addition, from time to time you will be surprised by one of the avant-garde exhibitions that the Queen Sofia shows in this emblematic space. Although it is not the only glass palace in Madrid, there is also the one of the Arganzuela an unknown gem.
11. Dining at one of the chinese restaurants that make up this small Chinatown behind Plaza España
Traveling, culinarily speaking, is as easy as walking up Leganitos street or just at the back of the España building, where you will discover both non-westernized Asian dishes and the most surprising ones.
12. Picnicking at the Casa de Campo lake
The perfect plan for when the good weather arrives and it gets late in the evening watch the canoeists play kayak-polo if you are lucky.
13. Dazzle yourself with Las Meninas and the Prado Museum
One of the most important art galleries world and cultural star of the city, sooner or later you have to visit the Prado. But you can’t leave without seeing its great icon: Las Meninas de Velázquez, song and sculptures (little loved by the people of Madrid), there is always a new detail to observe in this masterpiece.
14. To make a route through “la sierra”
Every good Sunday morning in Madrid gets up early on a weekend morning (preferably in winter) to go for a route through “la sierra. This fuzzy concept usually refers to a walk in the Guadarrama mountains and ending up eating a barbecue in a mountain restaurant.
15. Strolling through the Campo del Moro
Especially in autumn. It is one of the most romantic gardens in the city and the 19th century pavilions and the Queen’s Chalet are most mysterious. You may also come across some of the peacocks that live there.
16. Visiting Cortylandia
Even if you don’t like crowds of people, waiting for Cortylandia to start and seeing the children’s excited faces or remembering when you were taken there as a child is not to be missed.
17. Buy a book in the moyano slope
Those mythical blue booths deserve a visit from time to time. With almost a century of life (they were established on the slope in 1925), these small bookstores are already part of the most typical typical traditional landscape. Some of them also buy books.
18. To set foot on Km 0
You may step on it one day without realizing it while walking in a hurry, either because you are trying to dodge clueless tourists or because it is raining, but since you are going to the Puerta del Sol, it is a great place to visit. In addition, it is now wrapped in a compass rose and includes the names of the country’s provincial capitals and autonomous cities.
19. Buy candy at La Mallorquina
anyone? Yes, the one you feel like. If it has been a success since the 19th century, it is for a reason. Although their chocolate napolitanas and their palms. It is worth the wait if there is a queue.
20. Ordering a portion of bravas in Las Bravas
This cover is typical you can eat it anywhere in Spain, but the originals are from here.
21. Have a drink in one of the exclusive terraces of the Gran Vía
We could say that this street has two lives, the one on the sidewalks and the one on the rooftops. And you have to know both. Especially when Gran Vía is crowded, discovering the Madrid sky from its terraces will make you feel privileged.
22. Going to a candlelight concert of Candlelight
Hundreds of candles illuminate the most impressive stages of the city of Madrid (the Ateneo, the Four Seasons Hotel, the German-speaking evangelical church…) in the Candlelight concerts, an experience to be enjoyed at least once in a lifetime.
23. Living a Bingo for ladies (with Lorena Castell)
This is about spending a night in the mythical Florida Park (inside the Retiro Park) singing “línea” or “bingo” with Lorena Castell while the songs go from perreo to perreo. A bingo that is already one of the great successes of the capital.
24. Take a dip in the Casa de Campo pool or escape to one of Casa de Campo’s many natural beaches
We Madrilenians love swimming pools, because we also have great water in which to bathe, we hardly miss the beach. Almost.
25. Go to see the Guernica at the in the Queen Sofia
With this painting is the opposite of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris, with the Guernica you are surprised by how huge it is and that there is not a huge crowd of people trying to see it.
26. Going for a drink in La Latina
Knowing how to alternate between tapas and beer is also popular culture. For Madrileños l bars are a fundamental issue and even more so in such a traditional neighborhood.
27. Visit the Sorolla Museum
And besides enjoying the wonderful art collection in the painter’s house in Madrid, stroll through the gardens that Sorolla himself took seven years to complete: it is a haven of peace in the city.
28. Go to the Vistillas in San Isidro
Eat, drink and dance almost as if you were in a village, but with a chulapo touch and at the end of the day you smell like gallinejas.
29. Visit the Royal Palace as just another tourist
If you have time it is a good opportunity to see the temporary exhibitions that are usually of great pictorial artists. And an opportunity, of course, to visit the impressive kitchens.
30. To end the night of celebration with a chocolate and churros of San Ginés
We don’t know if it cures hangovers, but it has been proven by generations of Madrileños that it leaves the body perfect to go to bed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_4LOtlcO4E
31. Go to Parque de Atracciones de Madrid and reminisce about your childhood
It’s not the big attractions, it’s a mix of excitement and tradition. The views of the Casa de Campo and even of the city are very good from the top of some of them.
32. Watching the sunrise (or sunset) from the Seven Tetas de Vallecas (or at any of these viewpoints)
Vallecas, as a town annexed to Madrid that is, has some identifying features that are only found in some localities. And the famous Seven Boobs have a magic not found in many other places in the city. Vallecas has its own historic center, stadium, soccer team… It lacks nothing.
33. Eating a portion of grilled ear of pork
They have fewer detractors than redfish and generally before ordering them in the center of a table it is necessary to generate consensus. It doesn’t matter. You have to try them once, twice and three times.
34. Eating a san Isidro doughnut
Las Listas or Las Tontas are not the best known or the tastiest, but the Madrileño is proud of everything from here. You will almost only have the opportunity to try them during San Isidro.
35. Remain in the bear and strawberry tree
Although every now and then it changes location slightly, it is always in Sol, so you can’t miss it. And yes, there are strawberry trees in Madrid. No bears.
36. Drinking some “yayos” in Casa Camacho
It is easy to get lost among so much modern in Malasaña but the classics can’t be replaced, and even if it seems crowded, try to get in: they’ll make room for you.
37. Search for ghosts at the Palacio de Linares
But not finding any. Although if you ask a grandmother in Madrid, she will convince you that there are.
38. Buy wafers from a chulapo at El Rastro
“They’re coconut and worth little; they’re mint and nourish,” sing the waffle makers, who are fewer and fewer but still survive the times of specialty coffees and premade cupcakes.
39. Spending the day at El Escorial
The city is great, but you have to take a break from it from time to time and if you take the Renfe it’s easy to make a getaway to visit one of the most spectacular locations in the country.
40. Skate (or at least, try to) in the Retreat
Skating in the Retiro (possible rain, people strolling peacefully…) can be a challenge, but that’s what challenges are for: to overcome them.
41. Climb to the city Hall rooftop
The photo of Cibeles and the beginning of Alcalá street at the corner of Gran Vía is one of the best, you can also take the opportunity to have a drink on the terrace while enjoying the view.
42. Take your date to the capricho Park
Although its fame has increased steadily in recent years, it is one of the lesser known parks and you are sure to look good. That said, keep in mind that it is only open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays and with different opening hours during spring-summer and autumn-winter.
43. Eat cocido madrileño (Madrid stew) in some mythical place
There are many restaurants where you can eat a cocido, but if you are lucky and you are invited by a genuine castizo to his house, take advantage of the opportunity.
44. Buy figurines for the Nativity Scene at the Mercadillo de Navidad of the plaza Mayor
Every year one or at most two, it is a tradition that forces you to return to complete the scene. If possible, all of the same size.
45. Take a picture with the schweppes poster background
It’s touristy, but it really can look great from one of the crosswalks (without putting you in danger).
46. Going to a party in Kapital
Standing and watching the people dancing from the upper floors is an experience that every Madrilenian must do.
47. Doing sports in Madrid Río
It is also valid to do it in El Retiro, but enjoying the small river and its growing fauna is a pleasure.
48. Stroll through the botanical garden inside the Atocha station
Just before leaving Madrid, who hasn’t taken a photo here as a preamble to a train ride from this mythical station?
49. Cultural evening at the Matadero
In the same enclosure there are movies, exhibitions, restaurants, courses and all kinds of activities for adults and children, as well as the occasional weekend flea market. El Matadero is the great alternative leisure center in the south of the capital.
50. Dressing up as a chulapa or chulapo
And do it well, we Madrileños are not very picky with our traditions, but our grandmothers keep Manila shawls like gold in cloth and we have to take advantage of them.