Guide

Madrid, Spain

A Few Days in Madrid

A lively, refreshing capital city

Flight & transportHotelSightsFood

Summer 2021, borders were starting to reopen to tourists — the perfect excuse to discover a new European capital, Madrid. Right in the heart of Spain, a city that's both lively and refreshing, between architecture and parks.

✓ Trip in summer 2021

Madrid

01Flight, transfer and getting around the city

Flew with Ryanair from Luxembourg: €90 per person (cabin bag + priority boarding included), 2h15 flight. Metro line 8 serves downtown from the airport — the card needs to be bought once, then it's rechargeable.

Metro card€2

"Airport" surcharge / person€3

10-ride pass€12.70

✎ as a couple, share the same metro card each time — and explore the city on foot, you often stumble onto lovely surprises

02Hotel

Booked ahead on Voyage Privé: the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding Hotel, in the Castellana district, just steps from the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.

4 nights, breakfast included€262/pers.

Nearby stationsCuzco · Colombia

03Must-see sights

1. Plaza Mayor

Free

One of the most famous squares in Spain — once a site for bullfights, executions, and public performances.

2. Palacio Real

Prices on the official website

Built between 1738 and 1764, right in the heart of the capital, near the Royal Theatre and the Almudena Cathedral.

3. Parque del Retiro

Free

125 hectares open to the public since 1868 — monument to Alfonso XII, rowboat rentals, Crystal Palace.

4. Palacio de Cibeles

Prices on the official website

The former Communications Palace, now city hall — CentroCentro and its panoramic terrace.

5. Royal Botanical Garden

€4 (garden) / €6 (+ Villanueva Pavilion)

Just steps from the Retiro and the Palacio de Cibeles.

6. Temple of Debod

Free

A 2nd-century BC Egyptian temple, gifted by Egypt to spare it from flooding by the Aswan Dam. Best seen at sunrise or sunset.

7. Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

€19 (standard rate, online)

Opened in 1947, over 80,000 seats. Under renovation during our visit, but the museum tracing the club's history is amazing.

8. La Latina & Chueca

La Latina: narrow streets, lively day and night, the cultural soul of Madrid. Chueca: nightlife and atmosphere, home to Madrid's Pride.

9. Círculo de Bellas Artes

Free (building) · €4 (rooftop)

A well-known multidisciplinary cultural venue — heads up, the line for the rooftop is long.

10. Le Théâtre

11. El Rastro

Sundays and public holidays, 9am-3pm

A popular market near the Latina station — its name comes from "rastro de sangre" (trail of blood), a legacy of the nearby tanneries by the slaughterhouse.