Once considered the gateway to popular Spanish locales like Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and Andalucía, Madrid has emerged as a destination in its own right. Visitors now arrive in droves, thanks to the Spanish capital’s surge of luxury accommodations.
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel Madrid opened in September 2020 in the Centro Canalejas and occupies seven restored historic buildings. This sophisticated oasis sits at Calle de Sevilla and Calle de Alcalá. It is a well-situated base to explore Madrid’s opulent palaces, storied museums and tempting food markets and restaurants.
Here’s a guide for what to do in Madrid on a three-day escape, though the capital city’s vast cultural offerings can keep you entertained for a lot longer than that.
Day One
Start your day by accomplishing two tasks: Getting your bearings by hitting the streets on foot and trying a staple of madrileño cuisine — a classic bocadillo de calamar (calamari sandwich).
After checking in at your hotel, head west down Calle de Alcalá toward the Puerta del Sol, a busy public square known as the home of Kilometer Zero, a stone slab that marks Spain’s geographical center.
Make your way toward the Plaza Mayor, the main square, where bullfights, processions and even Inquisition trials and executions once took place. These days, Plaza Mayor is home to traditional shops selling canned goods, bottles of extra virgin olive oil and, you guessed it, bocadillo de calamar. La Ideal has served the snack for decades for a modest four euros. For a more upscale version, backtrack to nearby Lhardy for a calamari sandwich in a spongy roll called pan bombón. While you can order the bocadillo at the shopfront downstairs and eat it at the counter, go upstairs to the opulent dining room if you want something more filling. The stew here is one of the city’s most revered. In addition to a traditional chickpea base, this classic stew features angel hair noodles, sausages, ham, bacon and root vegetables.
From Plaza Mayor, keep walking west until you reach the Palacio Real de Madrid, the official residence of the Spanish royal family. The nobles actually live in Palacio de la Zarzuela, which is twice the size of Buckingham Palace and Versailles and worth visiting. The surrounding Lepanto and Sabatini gardens also merit a look, as does the view of the Catedral de la Almudena.
Continue your journey north to Plaza de España, a large pedestrian square best known for its giant sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, the fictional hero’s sidekick. Keep heading west, and you’ll get to the Temple of Debod, an Egyptian temple donated to Spain by the Egyptian government to save it from floods.
Return to Plaza de España and watch for Gran Vía, one of the city’s main shopping streets, before getting back to the hotel for dinner. Isa Restaurant & Cocktail Bar blends Asian and Mediterranean flavors and offers a tasting menu and dishes such as Spanish short rib, scallop and foie nigiri. Order one of head bartender Miguel Pérez’s famed libations (see: the Grey Goose-, yuzu sherbet- and rhubarb ice-packed Kakigori) and turn in for the night.
Day Two
Your second day begins with a hearty meal at Dani, a brasserie on the hotel’s rooftop. Make sure you bask in the vistas from the terrace before heading out.
Once caffeinated, art lovers can choose between the city’s best museums: Museo Nacional del Prado and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. At El Prado, the main attractions are Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Francisco de Goya’s The Naked Maja and its companion, The Clothed Maja, but thousands of European masterpieces will keep you busy for hours. At Reina Sofía, you shouldn’t miss Picasso’s Guernica, Renoir’s Nude in the Water and Miró’s Snail, Woman, Flower, Star.
Once you get your dose of culture, stretch your legs at Retiro Park, a public green space that once belonged to the Spanish monarchy. Snap a selfie or two by the Palacio de Cristal, a crystal structure resembling a greenhouse modeled after London’s Crystal Palace. Catch a glimpse of the Puerta de Alcalá at the park’s northwestern corner — one of the five ancient royal gates that gave access to the city.
Stop for a Spanish tortilla at La Primera on Gran Vía for lunch. The dish is unlike any you’ve tried outside of Spain — it’s runny and has crunchy bits at the center. There’s usually space at the counter for walk-ins.
Next, head north to Calle de Serranos, and while away the hours with luxury shopping in boutiques like Loewe and Carolina Herrera.
When you’ve worked up an appetite again, make your way to the third floor of the nearby El Corte Inglés department store and stand in line to score a table at StreetXO, a trendy restaurant serving street food from around the world reimagined by renowned chef Dabiz Muñoz. StreetXO doesn’t take reservations, so ensure you’re armed with patience or arrive before it opens and order a cocktail at the bar while you wait. Alternatively, if you don’t want to stand in line, book a table at Doppelgänger inside the Antón Martín Market.
Day Three
Skip breakfast at the hotel and head north to Pan y Pepinillos Café in the trendy Malasaña neighborhood for a light coffee and pastry. Wander down Calle del Pez and Calle del Fuencarral and duck into any shops that strike you. La Fiambrera Art Gallery curates an impressive selection of local and international contemporary artists. Javier S. Medina Carpinteria 28 sells mounted animal heads made from natural materials like bamboo, wicker and rattan. They all make for excellent opportunities to buy handicrafts directly from the artisan.
Walk south to the San Miguel Market for one last meal before heading to the airport or train station. This bustling space is one of the most fun activities in Madrid because it allows you to sample many local delicacies with a glass of wine or Aperol in hand as you peruse the offerings from one stand to the next. Try the salazones (salted fish) tapas and the gilda pintxos. Traditionally, the latter has consisted of a cocktail stick, an olive, a salted anchovy and one or two pickled chilli peppers, but here, they are monster-size and come with elaborate additions like octopus, mussels and shrimp. It’s a delicious final taste of Madrid.
