I had some time off before school started so I took time to visit Madrid and my friends Leni and Diego from Shanghai who relocated there (and who have an adorable human child and equally adorable fur child).
I had exactly 72 hours in Madrid and felt that was ample time for a first visit to get a feel of the city. Here is my recommendation for how to spend 72 hours in this beautiful city based on what I did. Full disclosure, Madrid has amazing food so a good portion of the 72 hours will be spent eating. #noshame
Day One
- Start off at Plaza Callao (thanks Diego) which reminded me of Times Square and Nanjing pedestrian street – people everywhere, billboards and tons of shops.
- Walk down the pedestrian street of Calle del Carmen. Stop at El Corte Inglés Callao and take the elevator to the ninth floor. There is a gourmet food court here and a patio with incredible panoramic views of the city. I recommend you to skip the food here and go for a glass (or pitcher) of sangria, while sitting on the patio and enjoy seeing the streets, historic buildings and views of mountains in the distance. (check at the bottom for a pic!)
- Continue down Calle del Carmen and you will arrive at Puerta del Sol which is the centre of Spanish roads and a bustling environment with statues, tourists and locals!
- From Puerta del Sol it is a quick walk to Plaza Mayor. Plaza Mayor is a semi-enclosed plaza where you enter through sweeping grey arches into the plaza which is framed by 17th/18th century architecture and made me feel like I was on the set of a period film.
- Now I would say it’s time for something to eat – good thing the renowned Chocolateria San Gines is a 2min walk across Calle Mayor. Here I tried the specialty of churros con chocolate which is as sounds, several churros that you dip into a hot chocolate like substance. For 4,60€ you can get 6 churros and the chocolate which is sufficiently delicious to put you into a satisfied food coma. I ate outside and as there were not many seats I got to sit with strangers and practice my minimal Spanish. (<<hola future amigos>>)
- Dessert then dinner is the best order – right? Further on Calle Mayor is the Mercado de San Miguel. I was expecting a more open air style market but instead was pleasantly surprised with a bustling stall style market with each stall selling variations on tapas, meat, drinks and desserts! There are tables scattered about so it’s a type of get food and sangria (sangria seems to be a common theme) then sit/stand where ever there is a place. I tried a goat cheese tapas with onions, a ham on bread (local specialty) and a macaron for dessert along with a white sangria that resembled a spritz with fresh fruit – delicious- and all this came to a total of less than 10€.
- Sufficiently stuffed and content I then ventured out to check out some sites that were not on a plate. This area seemed to have quite a few signs pointing towards tourist sites and I decided to head towards Catedral de la Almudena which is one of the most visually impactful churches I have seen in Europe. Perched slightly on a hill with several levels, turrets and columns it seems to resemble a storybook castle rather than a church. The inside does not disappoint with towering gothic arches and a magnificent alter framed by paintings. Also inside is a neo-gothic inspired crypt similar to that of Westminster Abby but with high sloped ceilings.
- Continuing down the street I ended up at the Royal Palace of Madrid. I chose not to go inside as there was a long line. But the outside was quite spectacular with a gilded gate housing a grey plaza and an ornate building that fits the description of stately.
- From here I walked past Jardines De Lepanto, Plaza de Oriente, Jardines Del Cabo Noval and Jardines De Sabatini. The first three are easily viewed from the street but I recommend taking a quick walk through Jardines De Sabatini to view the ponds and hedges which resemble an english manor.
- Finally just before sunset I headed towards Parque del Oeste (West park) which houses Temple de Debod. This Temple is an actual 2nd century Egyptian temple that was rebuilt in Madrid. Despite the crowds, the temple and the brilliant sunset behind both reflected in the water and provide almost an otherworldly environment.
Day Two
- Full Day Tour to Toledo Spain (I decided to do an organized tour 25euros which you can buy tickets for around the city, but you can also buy a regular bus ticket and go yourself
- Toledo Old City is perched on a hill with the more modern village below where the busses arrive. Instead of climbing or walking to the old city (ugh who even walks anymore) there are a set of 6 escalators that carry you to the old city. No need to exert oneself! (I was actually stoked to walk up so at the end of the day I decided to walk down rather than take the escalators.)
- Toledo is an city in Spain dating back to 193BC (so basically quite ancient). The city boasts a history with Jewish, Christian and Muslim people and the architecture and monuments in the city reflect this sometimes tumultuous relationship
- Now, while beautiful, it seems like Banff or Whistler which is to say a very touristy town – so one day is enough to get a taste
- In terms of the city itself think hilly narrow winding roads that could get you lost, beautiful stone buildings, gorgeous churches such as the Catedral de Toledo which hides masterpieces in its gothic inspired walls, and 13th century monuments such as the Puente de Alcantara
- The city is also said to have been the birthplace of Marzipan when some industrious nuns realized the potential of the natural materials surrounding them – so definitely try marzipan while in the city
- I also went on one of those quant little tourist trains (5euros) which was well worth it. The train snaked around the town and also outside the old city walls which allowed for incredible views of the old city from before and see the beautiful stone buildings perched on the hill surrounded by the river that makes up old Toledo. It looked like something out of a fairytale (see photo below)
- After Toledo I came back to Madrid and Diego took me on a motorbike tour of the city. Recommendation: Find a friend with a motorbike it is an incredible way to see a city. We did most of downtown Madrid and admiring city hall, the old train station and the war monument from stoplights bathed in the glow of the moon and city lights before weaving through traffic onto the next was quite a way to experience Madrid
- Our journey continued when we stopped for dinner at <<Mercado de San Ildefonso>> which is one of the many food court style markets that are currently popular in Madrid. Basically it is three levels which each level selling food of one type – so one stall with Mexican, another with meat and bread and another with western Spanish delicacies. You then sit communally at wooden tables in an environment that is similar to the trendy bars with buzz and music of Gastown in Vancouver
- Most food here seemed to range in price from 5 euros to 10 euros so definitely one of the more affordable options in Madrid
Day Three
- Today I could have gone to Segovia which is a cool town about 90 minutes from Madrid known for aqueducts and eating baby pig. Again for this tickets could be bought in city centre through tour or buy an individual bus/train ticket
- Instead I decided to see more of Madrid so Leni and I set out to Retiro Park which is a gorgeous 350 acre park in the centre of Madrid
- The park not only has greenery, flowers and peacocks but also has gorgeous buildings such as the crystal palace which is built of glass and when we went was showing a free art exhibit.
- We of course didn’t have time to see the whole park but the other notable feature we saw was the Monument to Alfonso XII which is on the side of a midsize lake in the park (See photos below). This monument is incredibly grand with white stone columns framing a statue. On the lake below people row boats and play with tours. A very picturesque setting,
- After working up an appetite at the park we went for lunch at 100 Montaditos which is a chain across Spain and amazing. You basically choose small breads with toppings (Eg. goat cheese, chorizo, brie, and many more) and each bread is 1euro (!!!), I would also recommend getting a 1euro mug of red summer wine (more like amazing juice) for an amazingly cheap and delicious meal! (yay cheap food!) We had around 5 breads each and that was more than filling – and enough for a mild food coma!
- Afterwards I checked out the Prado Museum (free for students!!) which has European art from the 12th to 20th centuries. Here I saw gorgeous Reubens, Raphaels and El Grecos – to name a few. I spent 3 hours here and saw most of the museum.
- There are many other museums close by to Retiro Park so do your research and choose wisely!
Tips (AKA TL;DR)
- Madrid’s main attractions are very walkable so staying in the centre or close by will allow you to walk from attraction to attraction
- Most Museums seemed to offer free admission for students – you still have to wait in line, but FREE!!
- Eat at Markets rather than restaurants – same high quality food but the prices seem to be cheaper
- Don’t worry if you don’t speak Spanish – I speak minimal Spanish which mostly consists of Hola, Lo Siento, and didn’t have any problems
- Wifi: Many monuments have restaurants/cafes nearby where you can pilfer wifi but for guaranteed there are Starbucks all over the city with their wonderful free wifi
- Find friends as amazing as Diego/Leni to stay with!! (Thank you both!!)
- Go to Madrid!! It’s a gorgeous city with a great history and vibrancy and tons to do. 72 hours is a great introduction but I definitely know I could spend way way more time there!
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