# Madrid: map, what to do and when to go

Madrid brings together the Prado and Reina Sofía art collections, the Royal Palace and Retiro in a centre you can explore on foot. Between museums, leave time for La Latina’s taverns, Malasaña’s streets and the squares of the Austrias quarter.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Madrid: How many days should you stay?** Stay three days: one for the Austrias quarter and the Royal Palace, one for the Prado triangle with the Retiro, and one for the Reina Sofía, Lavapiés and the river.
- **Madrid: What's the best time to go?** Go from April to June or September to October, with highs of 18 to 28°C.
- **Madrid: How much does a day cost?** Count on €40 to 55 a day on a budget trip and €90 to 130 on a mid-range trip, with hotel, transport and two meals.

## Habsburg Madrid and the Royal Palace
Armería courtyard, cathedral, royal collections and a break in La Latina’s taverns.
- Palácio Real
- Catedral de la Almudena
- Galería de las Colecciones Reales
- Plaza Mayor
- Cava Baja

## Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor
Spain’s kilometre zero, the 1916 ironwork of the Mercado de San Miguel and churros served since 1894.
- Plaza Mayor
- Puerta del Sol
- Mercado de San Miguel
- Chocolatería San Ginés
- Gran Vía

## Debod and the river
Sunset at the temple, Movida in the square, Matadero on Madrid Río.
- Templo de Debod
- Plaza del Dos de Mayo
- Matadero Madrid
- Passarela de Arganzuela

## Museo Nacional del Prado
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-museu-nacional-do-prado
Jerónimos
One of the largest art museums in the world, opened in 1819 in the neoclassical building Juan de Villanueva designed in 1785. It holds Velázquez's Las Meninas (1656), Goya's Black Paintings and Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. Tickets are about €15, free Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 8pm and Sundays from 5pm to 7pm. Under-18s and students up to 25 get in free at any time.
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## Museo Reina Sofía
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-museu-reina-sofia
Lavapiés
20th-century art in Sabatini's former Hospital General, with Jean Nouvel's red extension (2005). It holds Picasso's Guernica, painted in 1937 for the Spanish pavilion at the Paris Exposition, which came to Spain from New York's MoMA in 1981 and moved to the museum in 1992. Tickets cost about €12, with free time slots at the end of the day.
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## Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-museu-thyssen-bornemisza
Jerónimos
A private collection of about a thousand works bought by the Spanish State in 1993 and installed in the Palacio de Villahermosa. It covers what its neighbors lack: Italian primitives, Dutch masters, Impressionists, German Expressionism and pop art. Admission about €13.
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## Royal Palace
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-palacio-real
Centro
It was built between 1738 and 1755 on the ruins of the Alcázar, which burned on Christmas Eve 1734. At about 135,000 m² and with more than 3,000 rooms, it's the largest royal palace in Western Europe by area; the royal family doesn't live there, and the palace hosts state ceremonies and is open to visitors. Tickets cost €18 for self-guided entry, with possible online booking fees, and the solemn changing of the guard takes place on the first Wednesday of the month.
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## Galería de las Colecciones Reales
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-galeria-de-las-colecciones
Centro
A museum opened in 2023 right next to the palace, dug into the hillside on three granite levels. It displays tapestries, carriages, armor and paintings accumulated over five centuries of monarchy. Basic admission is €14, with possible online booking fees. Monday to Thursday, 6pm–8pm, self-guided entry is free for EU citizens, EU residents or work-permit holders and Ibero-American citizens, with proof of eligibility. This slot is not free for every visitor; Patrimonio Nacional lists other exemptions and open days.
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## Retiro Park
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-parque-del-retiro
Jerónimos
Retiro brings together the lake with the Alfonso XII monument, tree-lined paths and the Palacio de Cristal, an 1887 iron-and-glass pavilion. Since 2021 it has shared World Heritage status with Paseo del Prado as the Landscape of Light. Palacio de Cristal is temporarily closed for building works; the art installation covering it can be viewed outside. In intense heat, favour early morning and check park access notices.
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## Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-plaza-mayor
Sol
The porticoed square dates from 1619, measures 129 by 94 m, and has the equestrian statue of Felipe III installed in 1848. 300 m away, the Puerta del Sol holds the zero-kilometer marker, the statue of the bear and the strawberry tree (1967), and the 1866 clock of the Real Casa de Correos, which strikes the twelve New Year's grapes; the square was renovated and reopened in 2024.
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## Temple of Debod
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-templo-de-debod
Moncloa
An Egyptian temple from the 2nd century BC, given by Egypt to Spain in 1968 in gratitude for the rescue of the Nubian monuments before the Aswan Dam. Reassembled stone by stone in the Parque del Oeste in 1972; the viewpoint next to it is the city's classic sunset spot.
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## Gran Vía and Círculo de Bellas Artes
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-gran-via
Justicia
The avenue cut through between 1910 and 1929 lines up the Edificio Metrópolis (1911), the Edificio Telefónica (1929, 89 m, Spain's first skyscraper) and the country's biggest concentration of theaters and musicals. The rooftop of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, on the corner with Alcalá, charges about €5 and gives you the highest view of downtown.
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## Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-estadio-santiago-bernabeu
Chamartín
Real Madrid's home since 1947, reopened in 2024 after a renovation that gave it a steel façade, retractable roof and pitch stored underground. Capacity of about 78,000; the tour with the trophy museum costs about €30–35 and requires a date and time reservation.
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## Puerta del Sol
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-puerta-del-sol
Sol
Praça semicircular no centro de Madri, onde começam as estradas espanholas e onde a cidade se reúne na virada do ano.
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## Mercado de San Miguel
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-mercado-san-miguel
Centro
Mercado de ferro de 1916 ao lado da Plaza Mayor. A visita é da estrutura, não da bancada de gourmet.
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## Chocolatería San Ginés
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-san-gines
Sol
Casa de chocolate com churros aberta desde 1894 no pasadizo de San Ginés, entre Sol e a Ópera.
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## Círculo de Bellas Artes
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-circulo-bellas-artes
Cortes
Instituição de 1880 na esquina da Gran Vía. O terraço cobra cerca de 5 € e tem vista do centro de cima.
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## Palacio de Cristal
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-palacio-cristal
Jerónimos
Pavilhão de ferro e vidro de 1887 no Retiro, usado pelo Museu Reina Sofía para exposições. Está temporariamente fechado para obras; é possível ver por fora a instalação artística que o recobre.
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## Palacio de Cibeles
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-palacio-cibeles
Jerónimos
Sede da prefeitura no antigo Palacio de Comunicaciones, hoje chamado Palacio de Cibeles. O mirante do oitavo andar custa cerca de 3 €.
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## Cava Baja
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-cava-baja
La Latina
Rua de tabernas em La Latina, cheia de balcões de tapas e de casas de menú del día.
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## Plaza del Dos de Mayo
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-plaza-dos-de-mayo
Malasaña
Praça arborizada com o arco dos heróis de 1808. De dia é recanto; à noite enche de mesas.
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## Mercado de San Fernando
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-mercado-san-fernando
Lavapiés
Mercado coberto em Lavapiés com bancas de comida e vizinhos sentados no interior.
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## Matadero Madrid
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-matadero
Arganzuela
Naves industriais no rio, hoje salas de ensaio, cinema e exposição.
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## Passarela de Arganzuela
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-puente-arganzuela
Arganzuela
Helicoidal sobre o Manzanares, no parque que ocupou a via expressa enterrada.
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## Catedral de la Almudena
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/madri/#g-lugar-catedral-almudena
Centro
Catedral de Madri, em frente à Plaza de la Armería, do outro lado do pátio do Palácio Real.
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**Madrid: How many days should you stay?**
Stay three days: one for the Austrias quarter and the Royal Palace, one for the Prado triangle with the Retiro, and one for the Reina Sofía, Lavapiés and the river. To see Toledo, 33 minutes away by train, add a fourth day instead of cutting one of the three.

**Madrid: What's the best time to go?**
Go from April to June or September to October, with highs of 18 to 28°C. Avoid August: 40°C and neighborhood doors closed for vacation.

**Madrid: How much does a day cost?**
Count on €40 to 55 a day on a budget trip and €90 to 130 on a mid-range trip, with hotel, transport and two meals. The 21% VAT is already included in the price.

**Madrid: How do you get from the airport to downtown?**
From T4, the Cercanías costs about €2.60 and is the cheapest way; from T2, the metro adds a €3 surcharge to the ticket, about €5 total, and the taxi has a flat fare of €33 to anywhere inside the M-30.

**Madrid: Do you need the AVE to get to Toledo?**
No. Toledo is 33 minutes away by Avant from Atocha, about €14. The AVE from Atocha serves Seville and Barcelona; the short day trip is a different line.

**Madri: a tapa vem grátis com a bebida?**
Em muitos bares, sim: uma pequena tapa acompanha a bebida sem cobrança à parte. O conteúdo e a quantidade variam. Raciones e medias raciones são porções maiores e pagas; confira a carta e pergunte o que está incluído antes de pedir.

**Madri: a que horas se janta?**
O almoço costuma acontecer entre 14h e 16h, e o jantar por volta das 21h. São hábitos, não horários obrigatórios. Para comer mais cedo ou viajar com crianças, confira os horários da cozinha antes de escolher o restaurante.

## Budget per person per day
2026 planning examples per person per day: accommodation, food, local transport, admission fees and extras. Flights and trips to other cities excluded. Hostel: one bed; hotels: one whole room allocated to one person. If sharing, divide accommodation. Admission and transport amounts are averages across the stay; check prices for your dates.

| Style | Dormir | Comer | Andar | Entrar | Extras | Total |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mochila | 28 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 60 |
| Meio-termo | 90 | 28 | 8 | 18 | 12 | 156 |
| Conforto | 170 | 45 | 20 | 35 | 30 | 300 |

## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 3 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/madri/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/madri/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/madri.md