We suggest a four day Madrid city break should be spent taking in all the sights and sounds, that this very Spanish city has to offer.
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Madrid, Spain’s capital city, a vibrant city, with plenty to do and see
For a four day city break Madrid, Spain can offer a city with a unique Spanish character.
Whether you are a culture vulture soaking up yet another painting by Goya of Velazquez or you simply like exploring the various city ”barrios”. Maybe the variety of markets (e.g. La Cebada, San Miguel, La Paz) and old fashion shops, are your thing, or you are a consummate people watcher from the ample available street bar stools, its city streets are both memorable and vibrant, lined with ample cafes and restaurants. Along with its boulevards and ample shopping streets, it sports eye-catching modern architecture, giving the visitor a unique destination to visit.
Cervantes wrote “Don Quixote” while in a Madrid jail for financial wrong doings back in the 1600s
A sense of Madrid, Spain
Spanish is the language of Madrid, however, the vast majority of the city's population speak very good English.
During our visit to Madrid we choose to spend four days staying in a City centre hotel. It was a very central and easy to access all forms of transport. Madrid is only built since the 1600s, situated on a plateau, on neither a navigable river nor a university or cathedral site. Its big showcase buildings and boulevards date from the 17th and 18th century. In the 19th century, its vibrant working case neighbourhoods sprung up and the 20th century saw its modern infrastructure put in place. This extremely Spanish capital city was finally shaped by the entry into the EU in the 1970s, following on from the isolation of the previous Franco years. The old fashioned “siesta” still exits in this vibrant city trying so hard otherwise to be modern and fashionable. Be prepared for a very noisy city that never sleeps, even at night there is a constant battle between loud citizens, constant road sweepers and garbage collection lorry trucks and an abundance of construction noise during the day. Our Spanish friends who live in Barcelona would say that this is because they feel Madrid gets an over inflated, disproportionate share of Spanish government taxes to spend on itself.
There are a multiplicity of coffee shops and bars, in which to relax, when retail therapy gets too much. One of the delights of Madrid is the number of bars and shops with colourful classic Hispano-Moorish tiled walls, depicting the owner’s home town, Trade or family life.
Recommendations for Madrid, Spain
A great way to spend four days in Madrid, in our opinion, would be something along the following:
Day 1: Explore the City of Madrid - get a ticket online and do the hop-on hop-off double-decker red bus tour of Madrid, taking in all the sights, such as the Prado Museum, the Royal Palace, and the Gran Vía promenade onboard the blue route bus.. Along the Green Route bus, see modern Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium (the home of Real Madrid (soccer is the city’s passion) and explore one of the city’s ancient plazas like Puerta del Sol. Alternatively, remain onboard for the entire route and simply enjoy the scenery.
Day 2: Do a tapas and wine tasting tour of your own around the many wonderful city restaurants or alternately sign up to a similar official tour.
Day 3: Take one of the available excursions to any of these: 45Km to Aranjuez & Chinchon, the Spanish Bourbon monarchy’s attempt at creating a Spanish Versailles; 50Km to Toledo, a scenic hilltop old city, once was the Spanish capital; 88Km to Segovia, famous for its traditional suckling pig lunch and the mixed architecture left by Roman, Moors and Christian occupation; 40Km to El Escorial, visit the resting place of most Spanish monarchs since Charles V along with Philip’s vast palace and monastery.
Finish up the evening by taking in a Traditional Flamenco Show, back in Madrid.
Day 4: If you are interested in cultural attractions, take in the Museums, particularly “Museo de America”, “Museo Cerralbo” and the “Museo Sorolla” museums. Museo in Spanish means both museum and non commercial art gallery, both found together.
It’s best to buy a metro bus pass for your stay. It is valid for 10 journeys on either bus or metro and they can be purchased from Tobacconists, ticket booths, automatic machines and metro stations.
Generally, entry into Madrid’s museums is free during the last two hours of opening in the late afternoon.
Be advised that temperatures in Madrid during the months of June to August are generally in the 30C’s (degrees Celsius). Fortunately, Madrid has a number of public parks (>40) and Museums (>50) in which to get shade and respite from the heat.
Our must see recommendation for a trip to Madrid, Spain:-
(1) Take a one day city guided food tour, around the heart of the city with a knowledgeable native guide, dropping off in different eateries to savour the local culinary delights.
(2) Do one of the tours out from the city, it will enhance your understanding of the contrast between Spanish rural and urban life.
(3) For any soccer fan, a visit to the Bernabéu stadium is a must do.
(4) Experience the quirky delight between Madrid’s idiosyncratic shopping outlets and the international staple outlets all available on the Calle Preciados, a pedestrianised area connecting Puerto del Sol to the Gran Via.
The average cost per person / per week is €500 (depending on type of hotel/ accommodation selected)
All of the tour tickets are available over the web where some savings can be made.
“You should travel away from home, to really appreciate the value of what you have at home, on your return.”
“Happiness is found in the journey and rarely in the destination, alone”
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