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Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Madrid
Madrid runs late: do the museums and the palace in the morning, eat lunch at 14:00, rest in the afternoon heat, and start the evening after 20:00 — and book the Prado and the Royal Palace ahead.
Madrid's sights sit in a walkable core, but the city runs on a late clock and a hot summer. The trips that go wrong are the ones that queue at the Prado at noon in July, arrive at a kitchen that has closed between 16:00 and 20:00, or plan a Monday visit when several museums are shut. Four walking clusters cover a first visit; Toledo and Segovia are trips away from one kept bed.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Europe/Madrid
- Stay
- 2 days: Palace and Plaza Mayor morning, Prado and Reina Sofía next day
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including small bars; keep a little cash for market stalls and some old cafés.
- Daily spend
- Budget €40–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly; EU roaming applies to EU SIMs.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Police (national) 091 · Police (municipal) 092
- Plugs
- 230 V; two-round-pin sockets (types C and F). Non-EU visitors need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Not expected. Leave coins or round up in restaurants; 5–10% only for exceptional service.
- Water
- Tap water is safe and good.
- Toilets
- Cafés, department stores, museums and stations; buy something small if asked.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee (café con leche at the bar) | €1.50–2.50 |
| Menú del día (weekday set lunch) | €13–20 |
| Caña of beer / glass of wine | €1.80–3.50 / €3–5 |
| Tapa with a small beer | €3–6 |
| Metro single (Zone A) | €1.50–2.50 |
| Taxi across the centre | €8–15 |
| Tourist eSIM, about a week | €8–20 |
| Museum entry (Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofía) | €12–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD)
- MAD to the centre: one taxi at the fixed airport fare or a ride-hail car, 25–50 minutes; the Metro and the Express bus are the cheap rungs — the risk is not the ride but a hostal that locks its street door at night.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid Atocha (Estación de Atocha) | AVE to Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia, Málaga; trains to Toledo; Cercanías | Metro line 1, 10 min to Sol; taxi 10 min |
| Madrid Chamartín (Estación de Chamartín–Clara Campoamor) | Segovia, Ávila, the north and Portugal | Metro line 10 or Cercanías; taxi 20 min |
| Príncipe Pío (Estación de Príncipe Pío) | Local Cercanías lines | Metro lines 6, 10 and R |
| Estación Sur de Autobuses (Estación Sur (Méndez Álvaro)) | Long-distance coaches: Andalusia, Valencia, Toledo | Metro line 6, 12 min |
| Plaza Elíptica and Moncloa coach stations (Plaza Elíptica, Moncloa) | Regional buses to Segovia, Ávila, the sierra | Metro lines 3, 6 and 11 |
Typical fares
- Barajas → centre, taxi (fixed fare)
- €33, 25–45 min (check the current fare)
- Barajas → Atocha, Express Airport Bus
- About €5, 30–40 min, runs all night (check)
- Metro across the centre
- €1.50–2.50
Show 8 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Eat, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk inside a cluster, Metro between them. The network is large, cheap and fast; buses and taxis fill the last mile at night.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside every cluster; Sol to the Prado is 25 minutes |
| Metro | €1.50–2.50 a ride | Between clusters, airport |
| City bus (EMT) | About €1.50 | Where the Metro is thin; the night buses (búhos) |
| Taxi | €8–15 across the centre | Bags, night, heat |
| Ride-hailing (Cabify, Uber, Free Now) | Similar to taxi | Airport and late nights |
| Cercanías commuter rail | €1.70–3.70 | El Escorial, Alcalá, Aranjuez, the airport |
| Bike and e-scooter share | Per minute | Retiro, the Manzanares river path |
| Walking tours and hop-on buses | €20–30 | A first-day overview |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- A single Metro ride is cheap: no pass pays back in three days. Taxis are metered and reasonable across the centre.
- Late at night
- The Metro runs from about 06:00 until about 01:30; night buses (búhos) run after that.The Metro runs from about 6:00 AM until about 1:30 AM; night buses (búhos) run after that.
See and do
01Prado MuseumMuseo Nacional del Prado
Velázquez, Goya and Bosch in one building; pick three rooms.
Hours: best At opening, booked · Price: €15–20 · Time: 2–2.5 h · 40.4138, -3.6921
02Royal Palace of MadridPalacio Real
The rooms of a European royal house and the armoury.
Hours: best At opening · Price: €12–16 · Time: 1.5–2 h · 40.4179, -3.7143
03Reina Sofía MuseumMuseo Reina Sofía
Picasso's Guernica and the Spanish avant-garde.
Hours: best Weekday morning; closed Tue · Price: €12 · Time: 1–1.5 h · 40.4082, -3.6945
04Retiro ParkParque del Retiro
The city's park: the lake, the Crystal Palace and shade.
Hours: best Morning or after 18:00 · Price: Free · Time: 1.5–2 hHours: best Morning or after 6:00 PM · Price: Free · Time: 1.5–2 h · 40.4153, -3.6844
05Plaza Mayor
The arcaded Habsburg square, beside the market and the taverns.
Hours: best Before 10:00 · Price: Free · Time: 20–30 minHours: best Before 10:00 AM · Price: Free · Time: 20–30 min · 40.4155, -3.7074
06Thyssen-Bornemisza MuseumMuseo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
European painting from 1300 to Pop Art, easy to take in.
Hours: best Afternoon · Price: €13–16 · Time: 1.5–2 h · 40.4160, -3.6949
07Almudena CathedralCatedral de la Almudena
A neo-Gothic cathedral with a view over the palace.
Hours: best Late morning · Price: Free to enter; museum and dome extra · Time: 30–45 min · 40.4157, -3.7143
08A standing tapas lunch
Cod croquettes and a caña the way locals do it.
Hours: best 13:00 or 19:00 · Price: €8–15 · Time: 30 minHours: best 1:00 PM or 7:00 PM · Price: €8–15 · Time: 30 min · 40.4171, -3.7042
09Plaza del Dos de Mayo
The square at the heart of Malasaña; the terraces fill at 20:00.The square at the heart of Malasaña; the terraces fill at 8:00 PM.
Hours: best Evening · Price: Free · Time: 30 min · 40.4263, -3.7043
10Chocolatería San Ginés
Churros and hot chocolate after midnight or at breakfast.
Hours: best Late night · Price: €5–8 · Time: 30 min · 40.4168, -3.7069
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Toledo | Fast train from Atocha, about 35 minutes each way | Full day |
| Segovia | Fast train from Chamartín, about 30 minutes each way | Full day |
| Ávila | Train from Chamartín, about 1.5 h each way | Full day |
| El Escorial | Commuter train and bus, about 1 h each way | Half day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Labra | Bacalao croquettes and fried cod · Sol | €8–15 | Budget |
| Bar La Campana | Bocadillo de calamares · Plaza Mayor | €5–8 | Budget |
| Menú del día | Three courses, bread and a drink · Any side street, 13:30–15:30Three courses, bread and a drink · Any side street, 1:30 PM–3:30 PM | €13–20 | Budget |
| Chocolatería San Ginés | Chocolate con churros · Sol | €5–8 | Budget |
| Mercado de San Antón | A tasting lunch from several stalls · Chueca | €15–30 | Mid |
| Mercado de San Miguel | Tasting plates · Palacio and Austrias | €15–30 | Mid |
| La Latina taverns | Croquetas, tortilla, patatas bravas · Cava Baja | €20–40 | Mid |
| Cocido madrileño | Chickpea and meat stew in three courses · Traditional restaurants | €25–40 | Mid |
| Casa Botín | Roast suckling pig and lamb from the wood oven · Calle Cuchilleros | €45–70 | Splurge |
| Tasting-menu dining rooms | Modern Spanish tasting menus · Salamanca and Chamberí | €90–250+ (check) | Splurge |
Per person, 2026 estimate. Kitchens close 16:00–20:00; book dinner for 21:00 or later.Per person, 2026 estimate. Kitchens close 4:00 PM–8:00 PM; book dinner for 9:00 PM or later.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | €25–40 dorm bed · €60–90 private room | Sol, Lavapiés, Huertas | Hostels and hostales (guesthouses) |
| mid | €110–220 | Sol, Chueca, Salamanca | Boutique hotels and 3–4 star chains |
| splurge | €300–800+ | Salamanca, Paseo del Prado | Historic five-stars and design hotels |
| mid | €90–200 (cheaper by the week) | Chamberí, Malasaña | Apartments |
Per room per night in euros, 2026 estimate; Pride week, Easter and Christmas add 20–60%.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-la |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-thyas |
| A coffee with milk, please | Un café con leche, por favoroon kah-FEH kon LEH-cheh, por fah-VOR |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta, por fah-VOR |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta |
| Is there a set lunch? | ¿Hay menú del día?eye meh-NOO del DEE-a |
| To this address, please | A esta dirección, por favora ES-ta dee-rek-THYON, por fah-VOR |
| I need help | Necesito ayudaneh-theh-SEE-to ah-YOO-da |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A handshake in formal meetings; two kisses, right then left, between friends. Say "hola" on entering a small shop or bar.
- Meal times: Lunch 14:00–15:30; dinner from 21:00. Arriving at 19:00 to a closed kitchen is the classic mistake.
- Tapas and bar counters: Order at the bar, pay at the end, and toss napkins on the floor only in the few bars that still allow it.
- Tipping: Small change or round up; 5–10% only for good service in restaurants.
- Churches: Cover shoulders and knees; do not photograph during services.
- Noise: Speech is loud and conversation overlaps; that is not an argument.
- Siesta: Small shops close 14:00–17:00 outside the centre; plan errands for the morning.
Red lines
- Churches and the Royal Palace: no photos where signs forbid them; shoulders covered in churches.
- Do not touch paintings; large bags go in the cloakroom at the museums.
Scams and watch-outs
- Fake petition clipboards and bracelet hands in Sol: keep walking and keep your hands free.
- The 'find the lady' street game and distraction thefts near Plaza Mayor and the Metro.
- Restaurants near Plaza Mayor that add a large cover or 'tourist menu' surcharge: read the menu prices before you sit.
- Taxi drivers who refuse the meter: use the meter or the airport fixed fare, and check the receipt.
One and two days
1 day
A stopover or a day between trains. Skip: The Reina Sofía and the Thyssen: another day.
- 09:009:00 AMRoyal Palace at opening
- 11:0011:00 AMPlaza Mayor and a coffee
- 13:301:30 PMA standing tapas lunch
- 15:303:30 PMPrado, three rooms
- 18:306:30 PMRetiro at the cool hour
- 21:309:30 PMDinner in Chueca or La Latina
2 days
The usual city break. Skip: Toledo: a day trip if you have a third day.
Day 1 — palace, Plaza Mayor and a late lunch
- 09:309:30 AMRoyal Palace
- 11:3011:30 AMAlmudena Cathedral
- 14:002:00 PMLunch at Sol
- 17:005:00 PMRest, then Malasaña
Day 2 — museums and the Retiro
- 09:309:30 AMPrado
- 12:0012:00 PMReina Sofía or Thyssen
- 17:305:30 PMRetiro
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Spain Tourism (Turespaña): www.spain.info/en/
- Madrid tourism (Turismo Madrid): www.esmadrid.com/en
- Wikivoyage — Madrid: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Madrid
- Wikitravel — Madrid: wikitravel.org/en/Madrid
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Madrid
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Museo Nacional del PradoPrado Museum
- Palacio RealRoyal Palace of Madrid
- Museo Reina SofíaReina Sofía Museum
- Parque del RetiroRetiro Park
- Museo Nacional Thyssen-BornemiszaThyssen-Bornemisza Museum
- Catedral de la AlmudenaAlmudena Cathedral
Most embassies are on the Castellana and Serrano axis; write your own embassy 24-hour line below.
Show the street and number; drivers use both.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/madrid). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.