Madrid Travel Guide
Madrid for First-Timers
What to know before you land — which tickets to book, free museum hours, how late Madrid eats and sleeps, when to visit, getting around, staying safe, and the small courtesies that make you a welcome guest.
Madrid is one of the friendliest and easiest big cities in Europe for visitors, but it runs on its own clock. Lunch is late, dinner later, and the streets are busy at hours when other capitals are asleep. A little preparation lets you enjoy that rhythm instead of being caught out by it. These are the essentials.
Book the big tickets. The Prado and the Royal Palace are the two tickets to buy before you travel, especially in spring, early summer and autumn. The palace can close wholly or partly for state ceremonies, sometimes at short notice, so check before you go. The Reina Sofía and the Thyssen rarely sell out but use timed tickets, and the Paseo del Arte pass covers all three art museums at a discount. The Bernabéu stadium tour is affected by Real Madrid's fixtures: on match days it closes several hours before kick-off, and the changing rooms are off the route on match days and the day before. Day trips to Toledo and Segovia are easy to arrange, but book fast trains or tours ahead for weekends.
Free museum hours. Madrid's big museums are generous. The Prado is free for the last two hours of each day, the Reina Sofía on several evenings and on Sunday afternoons, and the Thyssen on Monday afternoons for its permanent collection. The Royal Palace offers free late-afternoon slots on certain weekdays to EU citizens and residents. Free hours mean queues and crowds, so the best strategy is to pay for one unhurried visit and use the free hours for a return.
Know the closing days. The Reina Sofía closes on Tuesdays, unlike most museums. The Temple of Debod's interior is closed on Mondays. The Rastro flea market runs only on Sundays and public holidays. Many smaller museums close on Mondays, and some restaurants close on Sunday evenings or Mondays, and for part of August, when many madrileños leave the city.
Meal times and how to eat. Breakfast is light — coffee and toast with tomato, or churros with thick chocolate. Lunch, the main meal, runs from about two to four, and on weekdays most neighbourhood restaurants offer a menú del día, a set lunch with a starter, main, dessert, bread and a drink at a very fair price. In the early evening comes the aperitivo, often vermouth, and tapas. Dinner rarely starts before nine and is often later; a restaurant full at seven is usually full of tourists. Tipping is modest: rounding up or leaving a small amount for good service is appreciated but not expected.
The late-night city. Madrid has a famously late nightlife. Bars fill from about eleven, clubs from one or later, and the streets of Malasaña, Chueca, La Latina and Huertas are busy until the small hours on weekends. Even if you are not a night owl, take at least one late evening to experience it — a terrace at midnight in summer, when the heat has broken, is one of the great pleasures of the city.
When to go. Spring, from April to early June, and autumn, from late September to November, are the best seasons, with warm days, cool nights and the city at its liveliest. May brings the San Isidro festivities for the city's patron saint. Summer is very hot, especially in July and August, though the museums are air-conditioned and evenings are glorious. Winter is cold but often bright and sunny, with fewer visitors and the Christmas market on the Plaza Mayor; on New Year's Eve, crowds gather at the Puerta del Sol to eat twelve grapes at the twelve chimes of midnight.
Money and tax. Unlike Barcelona, Lisbon and many other European cities, Madrid does not currently charge a tourist tax on hotel stays; both the city and the regional government have so far rejected one, though the debate continues, so check your booking. Prices for food and drink are generally lower than in other western European capitals, especially if you eat where locals do.
Getting around. The metro is the backbone of the city, frequent and inexpensive; buy a rechargeable public transport card and load a ten-trip ticket, which several people can share. The airport is linked by metro line 8 and an express bus. Taxis are white with a red diagonal stripe and are reasonably priced; ride-hailing apps also work. The centre is very walkable, though hilly in places, and the Gran Vía and Paseo del Prado have wide pavements.
Staying safe. Madrid is a safe city with little violent crime, but pickpockets are active in crowded places: the Puerta del Sol, the Gran Vía, the metro, the Rastro, the Plaza Mayor and busy bars. Keep phones off café tables and out of back pockets, carry bags in front, and be wary of distraction tricks. Carry a copy of your passport and keep the original in your hotel safe.
Being a welcome guest. Madrileños are open and sociable, and a few words of Spanish — buenos días, por favor, gracias — go a long way. Respect the late hours by keeping noise down in residential streets, cover up when visiting churches, and spread your time beyond the centre to neighbourhoods like Lavapiés, Chamberí and Malasaña. Many shops still close for a few hours in the afternoon outside the centre, and Sunday trading is more limited than during the week. And slow down: the city rewards those who linger over lunch, take a walk at dusk and stay out late.