15 Things to Do in Madrid, Ranked
Madrid hides its best assets in plain sight: three world class art museums strung along one boulevard, a royal palace larger than Versailles, and a park that used to belong to the king. It is also compact, so the centre works on foot in a way few European capitals manage. Plan around the Spanish clock, where lunch starts at two and dinner at nine, and the city opens up fast.
The top 15, ranked
Ranked by how consistently each pick appears across official Madrid sources, the local destination marketing organization, and recent independent roundups.
- Top pick
#1Best for Spanish old master painting · #1 of 15Museo Nacional del Prado (Prado Museum)
MuseumPaseo del Arte and RetiroOpen daily, with shorter hours on Sundays and public holidays.$10 to $25Spain's national gallery hangs the deepest collection of Velazquez, Goya and El Greco anywhere, with Las Meninas and the Black Paintings only a few rooms apart. The building is huge but the highlights route is well signed, so even travellers who ration their museum time can walk out two hours later feeling they saw the real thing rather than a sampler.
Local tipBook a timed slot online before you fly and go first thing, because the free evening window draws a long queue down the Paseo del Prado.
- Top pick
#2Best for a green break in the middle of the day · #2 of 15Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park)
ParkPaseo del Arte and RetiroOpen daily from early morning until late, with longer hours in summer.FreeOnce the private garden of the Spanish court, Retiro is now the city's outdoor living room, with a rowing lake, formal parterres and shaded avenues that swallow crowds easily. The glass and iron Crystal Palace at its centre stages free art installations, and the whole park sits inside the UNESCO listed Landscape of Light, so a walk here doubles as sightseeing.
Local tipEnter from the Puerta de Alcala side and walk to the lake, then cut south to the Crystal Palace before doubling back toward the Prado.
- Top pick
#3Best for state rooms on a grand scale · #3 of 15Palacio Real (Royal Palace of Madrid)
PalaceHabsburg Madrid and La LatinaOpen daily except during official ceremonies, with shorter winter hours.$10 to $25The largest working royal palace in Western Europe runs to more than three thousand rooms, and the visitor route through the Throne Room, the porcelain cabinet and the banqueting hall is as opulent as anything at Versailles. Spain's royal family lives elsewhere, so the state apartments stay open most days, and the standard ticket also takes in the Royal Armoury with its jousting armour and child sized suits.
Local tipClosures happen at short notice when the palace hosts a state ceremony, so check the official site the morning of your visit.
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#4Best for Guernica and modern Spanish art · #4 of 15Museo Reina Sofia
MuseumPaseo del Arte and RetiroClosed Tuesdays, open the rest of the week with a shorter Sunday.$10 to $25Picasso's Guernica is the reason most visitors come, and seeing it at full scale, surrounded by the preparatory sketches, is worth the trip on its own. The rest of the collection carries Spanish modernism forward through Dali, Miro and Juan Gris inside a converted eighteenth century hospital, with glass lifts bolted to the outside that give free views over Atocha.
Local tipThe museum closes on Tuesdays, so slot it against the Prado and Thyssen rather than assuming all three open the same day.
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#5Best for the classic Madrid photo · #5 of 15Plaza Mayor
LandmarkHabsburg Madrid and La LatinaOpen all the time as a public square.FreeThis enclosed seventeenth century square has been a market, a bullring and a stage for public trials, and its uniform red facades still make it the most photographed spot in old Madrid. The frescoed Casa de la Panaderia houses the city tourist office, and nine arches lead out into the tapas streets of the Austrias quarter.
Local tipSkip the terrace cafes inside the square and walk out under the Arco de Cuchilleros, where the food is better value a minute away.
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#6Best for filling the gaps the Prado leaves · #6 of 15Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
MuseumPaseo del Arte and RetiroOpen daily, with a short Monday opening and full hours the rest of the week.$10 to $25Built from one family's private collection, the Thyssen runs chronologically from early Italian panels down through Impressionism, German Expressionism and American painting, which is exactly what the Prado does not cover. Start on the top floor and walk down and you get a compact history of Western art in a couple of hours, in a calm palace that rarely feels crowded.
Local tipIt sits across the boulevard from the Prado, so pair the two in one day and use the garden cafe between them.
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#7Best for a stand up tapas crawl under one roof · #7 of 15Mercado de San Miguel
MarketHabsburg Madrid and La LatinaOpen daily from late morning until late, later on Fridays and Saturdays.$10 to $25A restored iron and glass market hall from 1916, San Miguel now works as a food court of small counters selling croquetas, Iberian ham, oysters, vermouth and cheese by the plate. It is touristy and priced accordingly, but for a first night it is the fastest way to taste ten Spanish things without committing to a full sit down dinner.
Local tipGo before eight in the evening or after eleven, because the middle of the night is shoulder to shoulder with nowhere to sit.
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#8Best for sunset over the city · #8 of 15Templo de Debod
Historic sitePlaza de Espana and Parque del OesteGrounds open all the time, the temple interior is closed Mondays.FreeEgypt gave Spain this second century BC temple in the 1960s after the Aswan dam threatened its original site, and it was rebuilt stone by stone on a rise west of Plaza de Espana. The reflecting pools in front line up with the sunset, which is why half of Madrid turns up in the last hour of daylight, and both the grounds and the interior are free.
Local tipReserve a free interior slot online in advance, because capacity inside is tiny and walk ups are often turned away.
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#9Best for Real Madrid fans and stadium architecture · #9 of 15Santiago Bernabeu Stadium Tour
StadiumSalamanca and the CastellanaOpen daily except a couple of public holidays, with restricted access on match days.$25 to $50Real Madrid's home ground reopened after a rebuild that added a retractable pitch and a wrap around metal skin, and the tour now runs through the trophy room, the pitch side benches and a panoramic walkway above the stands. Even neutrals get something out of it, because the club museum doubles as a century of European football history.
Local tipOn match days the tour shuts several hours before kick off and the dressing rooms drop off the route, so book a non match date.
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#10Best for the best central skyline view · #10 of 15Azotea del Circulo de Bellas Artes (rooftop terrace)
Observation deckSol, Gran Via and MalasanaOpen daily from mid morning until well after midnight, weather permitting.Under $10The rooftop of this 1920s arts club sits about fifty six metres above Calle de Alcala, high enough to look straight down Gran Via and out to the Guadarrama mountains without being so far up that the city turns into a map. A small lift fee gets you onto the terrace, where deck chairs and a bar make it easy to stay for the whole sunset.
Local tipBuy the rooftop ticket online earlier in the day, then arrive about forty minutes before sunset to claim a west facing chair.
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#11Best for Sunday morning browsing · #11 of 15El Rastro
MarketHabsburg Madrid and La LatinaSunday and public holiday mornings only, packing up by early afternoon.FreeMadrid's open air flea market has run for centuries and still fills the streets below Plaza de Cascorro every Sunday morning with more than a thousand stalls of antiques, records, leather, prints and outright junk. The real payoff comes afterwards, when the whole neighbourhood spills into La Latina for vermouth and tapas, which is the most local thing you can do in this city.
Local tipIt runs on Sunday and public holiday mornings only, so arrive before eleven and keep your wallet in a front pocket.
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#12Best for getting your bearings on arrival · #12 of 15Puerta del Sol
LandmarkSol, Gran Via and MalasanaOpen all the time as a public square.FreeEvery road in Spain is measured from a stone slab set into the pavement here, and the square is where Madrid gathers for New Year, protests and football wins. The bronze bear and strawberry tree is the city emblem and the obligatory photo, and because three metro lines and the commuter rail meet underneath, Sol is the easiest place to start almost any walk across the centre.
Local tipThis is the city's main pickpocket hotspot, so keep bags zipped and in front of you, especially near the metro entrances.
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#13Best for opera, or a look inside without one · #13 of 15Teatro Real (Royal Opera House)
TheaterHabsburg Madrid and La LatinaTours run most days, with performances following a September to July season.VariesSpain's leading opera house faces the Royal Palace across Plaza de Oriente and stages a full season of opera, ballet and concerts in a horseshoe auditorium rebuilt to modern acoustics. If your dates do not line up with a performance, an audio guided tour in English walks you through the boxes, the workshops and the stage machinery in about an hour.
Local tipUpper level seats cost a fraction of the stalls and still sound excellent, so check the seating map before ruling out opera on price.
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#14Best for Iberian and Roman Spain · #14 of 15Museo Arqueologico Nacional (National Archaeological Museum)
MuseumSalamanca and the CastellanaClosed Mondays, open Tuesday to Sunday with a short Sunday.Under $10Spain's national archaeology museum covers everything from prehistory to the Bourbon era, and its Iberian rooms hold the Lady of Elche, a limestone bust that is one of the most recognisable objects in the country. A full scale replica of the Altamira cave ceiling stands in the museum garden, which is as close as most visitors will get to the sealed original up in Cantabria.
Local tipIt closes on Mondays and sits a block off Calle de Serrano, so pair it with a walk through the Salamanca shopping streets.
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#15Best for Goya without the crowds · #15 of 15Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida
Historic sitePlaza de Espana and Parque del OesteClosed Mondays, open Tuesday to Sunday with a midday break in summer.FreeGoya frescoed the dome of this small riverside chapel in 1798 and is buried underneath it, which makes the room one of the few places where you can stand inside a complete work by a great painter rather than in front of one. It is free, takes twenty minutes and is usually near empty, a striking contrast to the Goya rooms at the Prado.
Local tipWalk over from Principe Pio metro, and note that the chapel closes on Mondays and shuts for a midday break in high summer.
Where things cluster
A quick orientation so you can group stops instead of crossing Madrid twice.
- Paseo del Arte and RetiroThe Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia sit within a ten minute walk of each other on one tree lined boulevard, with Retiro park at the top of the rise. The whole strip is UNESCO listed as the Landscape of Light.
- Habsburg Madrid and La LatinaThe oldest quarter, running from the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor down through narrow lanes to La Latina. Best walked in the early evening, when the tapas bars along Cava Baja fill up.
- Sol, Gran Via and MalasanaThe busy commercial centre, where Kilometre Zero, department stores and the theatre strip of Gran Via meet the bars and vintage shops of Malasana and Chueca just to the north.
- Plaza de Espana and Parque del OesteGreen and open, with an Egyptian temple on a bluff, long views west over the Casa de Campo, and a short walk down to the Manzanares river and Goya's frescoed chapel.
- Salamanca and the CastellanaGrid planned nineteenth century streets full of designer shops and museums, stretching north along the Paseo de la Castellana to the Bernabeu stadium and the business towers beyond.
Make it a day
Prado in the morning, old Madrid after dark
Start at the Prado when it opens, then cross the boulevard for coffee and walk up into Retiro for an hour by the lake. Head west along Calle de Alcala to Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor for lunch, tour the Royal Palace in the afternoon, then climb to the Circulo de Bellas Artes rooftop for sunset before tapas on Cava Baja.
Two days of art, palaces and a Sunday flea market
Give day one to the Paseo del Arte, with the Prado early, lunch nearby and the Thyssen or Reina Sofia after, finishing with a rooftop sunset. On day two start at the Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor, browse El Rastro if it is a Sunday morning, then ride the metro north for a Bernabeu tour or west to Templo de Debod for the last light.
Map
Best time to visit
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April to June and September to October give warm days, long light and manageable queues at the big museums. July and August are genuinely punishing, with afternoon highs that regularly clear 95F, and many small businesses close while locals leave town, though hotel rates fall and the museums stay cool. Winter is crisp, dry and bright, with short days but almost no crowds.
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Madrid things to do FAQ
Parking, timing, cost, and weather answers for a smoother visit.
How many days do I need in Madrid?
Three full days covers the big three museums, the Royal Palace, old Madrid and a rooftop or two without rushing. Two works if you skip one museum, and a fourth day frees you up for a day trip by train to Toledo or Segovia.
Do I need to book tickets before I fly?
For the Prado and Reina Sofia, yes in high season, because timed slots for the best morning times sell out. The Royal Palace and the Bernabeu tour also benefit from advance booking, and Templo de Debod uses free timed reservations for its tiny interior.
How do I get from the airport into the city?
Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas sits roughly twenty minutes northeast of the centre. Metro line 8 connects every terminal to Nuevos Ministerios, where you change for the rest of the network, with a small airport supplement added to the normal fare. Taxis into the centre run on a fixed flat rate.
Is Madrid walkable, or should I use the metro?
The historic centre is compact and very walkable, and most of the top sights sit within a thirty minute stroll of Puerta del Sol. Use the metro for the Bernabeu, outlying parks and the airport, and buy a rechargeable Multi card at any station, since paper single tickets are no longer sold.
When do people actually eat in Madrid?
Lunch runs from about two in the afternoon and dinner rarely starts before nine, later at weekends. Many restaurant kitchens close between those windows, so if you are hungry at six, head for a tapas bar or a market hall rather than a full restaurant.
Is Madrid safe for visitors?
Violent crime is rare and the centre stays busy late into the night, which makes walking back to your hotel comfortable. Pickpocketing is the real risk, concentrated around Puerta del Sol, Gran Via, El Rastro and crowded metro lines, so carry bags in front and keep phones off cafe tables.
Keep planning
Use these nearby guides to extend your Madrid trip with a different pace and a clear next stop.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons. Credits: Alex Castellá from Spain, Brian Snelson from United Kingdom, Zarateman, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, Daytonarolexboston, Superchilum, MANZANITAVERDE, Luis García (Zaqarbal), Carlos Delgado, uggboy, Álvaro Jaramillo, Tiia Monto, Tomás Fano, Dirección General de Turismo. Consejería de Economía e Innov, Javier Pérez Montes.