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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 · National Police 091 · Guardia Civil (rural areas, roads) 062 · Local police 092 · Medical emergency (many regions) 061
- 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.
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.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; Metro or taxi between clusters.
- 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.
See and do
01Prado MuseumMuseo Nacional del Prado
Go at opening with a booked ticket, or after 17:00; pick three rooms (Velázquez, Goya, Bosch) instead of walking all of it.
02Reina Sofía MuseumMuseo Reina Sofía
Guernica on the second floor is the reason to go: 60–90 minutes; check which days it is closed before you plan.
03Royal Palace of MadridPalacio Real
Book a morning slot online: about 90 minutes through the state rooms; closes for state ceremonies without much notice.
04Retiro ParkParque del Retiro
Free and best in the morning: 60–90 minutes from the Crystal Palace to the lake; boats on the Estanque Grande in dry weather.
05Plaza Mayor
A 17th-century arcaded square: 20 minutes is enough; the cafés on it charge more, so look and walk on for lunch.
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
- Casa Labra
- Fried salt cod croquettes and cod fritters at a standing bar off Sol: quick and cheap; go at 13:00 or 19:00.
- Mercado de San Miguel
- A covered food hall next to Plaza Mayor: a heat-break tapas stop at 12:30 or 17:00; prices are higher than in local bars.
- Chocolatería San Ginés
- Churros and thick hot chocolate near Sol: go for breakfast or after a late night; the queue is longest at weekends.
Sleep
- Chueca and Malasaña
- Quieter than Sol on weeknights but louder at weekends; pick a hostal or hotel with a staffed desk and ask about the night bell.
- Sol and Gran Vía
- First-timers: everything is a walk away, but choose a hotel with a 24h desk and a car-accessible door, and a room away from the street.
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: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
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
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Royal Palace at opening, Plaza Mayor, a 14:00 lunch table
- 09:30Royal Palace of Madrid
- Plaza Mayor (optional)
- 14:00Lunch table 14:00 (Sol)
- Hotel or AC café 15:30–19:00; Malasaña and Chueca from 20:30.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Royal Palace at opening, Plaza Mayor, a 14:00 lunch table
- 09:30Royal Palace of Madrid
- Plaza Mayor (optional)
- 14:00Lunch table 14:00 (Sol)
- Hotel or AC café 15:30–19:00; Malasaña and Chueca from 20:30.
Day 2 — Prado and Reina Sofía
- 09:30Prado Museum
- Reina Sofía Museum (optional)
- Casa Labra (optional)
- Evening: tapas around Sol or Chueca from 20:30.
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
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Madrid
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Museo Nacional del PradoPrado Museum
- Museo Reina SofíaReina Sofía Museum
- Palacio RealRoyal Palace of Madrid
- Parque del RetiroRetiro Park
- All emergencies112
- National Police091
- Guardia Civil (rural areas, roads)062
- Local police092
- Medical emergency (many regions)061
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.