Transport hub
Madrid's airport, about 12 km northeast of the city, handles more air traffic than any other in Spain and is served by almost 100 international airlines. Metro line 8 stops at terminals T1-T2-T3 and T4, and the Cercanías local train serves T4.
Attraction
A fortress on a rock where the Eresma and Clamores valleys meet, chosen as a residence by many Trastámara monarchs; its keep is often compared to the prow of a ship. Allow 40–45 minutes for the Palace and Museum. Buy tickets ahead for weekends and holidays, when they often sell out, especially those that include the Tower of Juan II.
Religious site
Madrid's cathedral, in Habsburg Madrid. Planned from 1879, its foundation stone was laid in 1883 and its crypt opened in 1911. The design draws on French Gothic, with elements from the cathedrals of Reims, Chartres and León. The cathedral is free (a €1 donation is requested); the cathedral museum costs €7.
Attraction
A Roman aqueduct from the 1st century AD with 166 granite arches built without mortar, held up by the balance of its stones. The system runs about 15 km, one kilometre of it as arcade, and reaches 28 metres at its highest point in Plaza del Azoguejo.
Religious site
A neoclassical basilica near La Latina, completed between 1776 and 1784 under Francesco Sabatini. Its dome, 33 metres across and 58 metres high, is the largest in Spain. The museum holds sacred art including works by Goya and Zurbarán. Visits cost €6 and are free on Thursdays; times vary with services, so phone ahead.
Museum
A cultural centre on Paseo del Prado showing ancient, modern and contemporary art alongside music, talks and family workshops. Herzog & de Meuron converted a former electric power station, adding its vertical garden and the building's 'floating' effect. Exhibitions cost €6, and it opens daily 10:00–20:00.
Park
Historic gardens on land Philip II bought next to the old Alcázar, laid out from 1844 and spanning more than 20 hectares next to Madrid Río. They were declared an Artistic-Historic Monument in 1931. Entry is free. The Cuesta de la Vega gate opens 10:00–20:00 all year; the other gates close at 18:00 from October to March.
Museum
The 16th-century house that Golden Age playwright Lope de Vega bought in 1610 and lived in until his death in 1635; it opened as a museum in 1935. You see his studio, oratory and back garden on a free 35-minute guided tour, run every half hour in Spanish, English, Italian or French. Booking ahead is essential.
Food
Serving thick hot chocolate with churros since 1894 in the Pasadizo de San Ginés, just off Puerta del Sol. Its white marble tables and tiled counter appear in works by Galdós and Valle-Inclán, and Madrid City Council has named it a Historic Tourist Site. You can sit inside or on the terrace on the pedestrian passage.
Viewpoint
A private, non-profit cultural centre founded in 1880, in a building by Antonio Palacios inaugurated in 1926; a young Picasso took painting classes here. Its rooftop terrace costs €6 and is open until 01:00, or 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The building and its La Pecera café are free to enter.
Market
Madrid's open-air flea market, held on Sundays and public holidays between Plaza de Cascorro and the streets off Ribera de Curtidores down to Ronda de Toledo. Arrive before 11:00 to avoid the crowds, or come at midday for the atmosphere and stay until it closes at 15:00. Many shops on Ribera de Curtidores also open on weekdays.
Park
A 125-hectare park with more than 15,000 trees, part of the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro landscape that UNESCO listed as World Heritage in 2021. Highlights include the large boating lake, the Rosaleda rose garden and a Mexican conifer of nearly 400 years in the Parterre Francés. Entry is free; the park may close in severe weather.
Attraction
Built in three stages between 1910 and 1931 to open up the old centre, Gran Vía brought Spain's first skyscrapers. Walk it from Calle de Alcalá to Plaza de España to see landmarks such as the Metrópolis, the Telefónica Building, the Casino, the Capitol building and the Callao cinemas.
Transport hub
Madrid's first railway station (1851) and now a terminal for AVE high-speed, long-distance and Cercanías local trains. The iron roof over the old hall, built in the 1892 enlargement, is a city landmark. The old hall's tropical garden is temporarily closed for works.
Transport hub
One of Madrid's two main railway stations, with Atocha, and a terminus for AVE high-speed, long-distance and Cercanías local trains. It has its own metro station (lines 1 and 10), shops and restaurants, and the MEEU shopping centre.
Attraction
Madrid's former slaughterhouse, a set of early-20th-century neo-Mudéjar pavilions on the Manzanares, now the City Council's centre for contemporary creation, with spaces for theatre, dance, design, literature and visual arts. Entry to the site is free, and its outdoor plazas are open daily 9:00–22:00.
Market
An iron-built market inaugurated in 1882 and one of Madrid's best-known neighbourhood markets, with about 60 businesses selling fresh produce and home services; some stalls supply leading Madrid restaurants. Open weekdays 9:00–20:00 and Saturday mornings; closed on Sundays.
Market
A renovated neighbourhood market that combines fresh-produce stalls with food stalls and a restaurant. The market stalls open Monday to Saturday 9:30–21:30, and the food stalls serve every day from 12:00 to midnight. Not every stall keeps the general hours.
Market
A municipal market in Lavapiés, on its site since 1944 behind an unusually grand façade. Alongside the fresh produce of a traditional municipal market it has shops ranging from fashion to bookshops, plus cultural and leisure activities.
Market
Opened more than 100 years ago as a wholesale food market, this historic building in central Madrid is now a gastronomic market with more than 20 stands serving tapas, Iberian ham, Galician seafood, rice dishes and cheeses from across Spain. It opens daily at 10:00 and stays open until midnight, or 01:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and holiday eves.
Museum
Founded in 1867 and reopened in 2014 after a six-year remodel, the museum covers Mediterranean cultures from prehistory to the 19th century, including Greek ceramics, Visigothic votive crowns and Spanish Islamic ivories. The Lady of Elche is a highlight. Entry is €3, free on Saturday afternoons, Sunday mornings and 12 October.
Museum
The late-19th-century home of the 17th Marquess of Cerralbo, designed as both residence and museum and left to the nation with over 50,000 objects: paintings, sculpture, ceramics, tapestries, clocks, arms and armour. The rooms are kept as they were, without labels. Entry is €3, free on Thursday evenings and Sundays.
Museum
Housed in the former San Fernando Hospice, whose Baroque doorway by Pedro de Ribera was restored in 2025, the museum tells the story of Madrid from 1561, when it became the capital, to the present. Its 60,000 objects include Gil de Palacio's large model of 19th-century Madrid. Entry is free; closed on Mondays.
Museum
Spain's national art museum, opened in 1819, with the world's most comprehensive collection of Spanish painting, including Velázquez's Las Meninas and Goya's The Third of May, 1808, plus Italian and Flemish masters. It holds 8,600 paintings, so choose your highlights first. The Collection is free in the last two opening hours: from 18:00 Monday to Saturday and from 17:00 on Sundays.