Madrid in two days
We took advantage of the May public holidays to book a little trip to Spain where we spent five days.
Getting to Madrid from Paris
We took advantage of the May public holidays to book a little trip to Spain where we spent five days. We had booked our plane tickets via Air France for direct flights Paris Charles-de-Gaulle / Madrid Barajas: in total, 390€ return for two people.
As we arrived very late in the evening at the airport, we decided to book a taxi with Cabify (Uber’s competitor in Madrid) to get to our accommodation: the ride cost us 27€ for about twenty kilometres.
Keep your eyes open, there are posters with promo codes all over the airport in the baggage area!
Our itinerary in Madrid
Day 1
So we left our room in the morning starting with the Plaza de Isabel II which is home to the Teatro Real, Madrid’s Opera house. Right behind it is the Palacio Real which impresses by its length and its height: the queue put us off visiting the inside of the Palace, but you can still see the courtyard from the Plaza de la Armeria.
We preferred to go for a visit to the Catedral de Santa Maria de la Almudena (4€ for students): the ticket gives access to the terraces and the roofs, to a small museum and to the cathedral itself. The view from the top is not sensational but it has the merit of showing us the city in 360°. If you do not want to pay, you can still visit the cathedral, which is free to enter.
After visiting the cathedral, we headed towards the Campo del Moro which lies below the Palacio Real. There are very few people in these gardens, you will have peace and quiet there.
You can then walk back up towards the Mirador de la Montaña del Principe Pio to discover the viewpoint and above all the Templo de Debod which stands out completely in the landscape!
We then headed towards the Malasaña district, very trendy and hipster with cafés, vegan patisseries and art museums. It is really very cute and lively at the same time, perfect for a drink or lunch on a terrace in the sun!
You can also go to the Plaza Colon, quite unusual, which retraces the story of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in America on big engraved stone blocks.
Near the Plaza Colon is Madrid’s Archaeological Museum: in its gardens, there is a small cave where a cave painting is displayed with sound and light. Astonishing!
You cannot go to Madrid without going through the famous Retiro Park, the city’s real green lung. It is a very well laid out haven of greenery, with many lawns to rest on, a rose garden, palaces like the Palacio de Cristal and ponds: a real gem!
We finished the day around the magnificent Plaza de Cibeles and its Palace and around Gran Via where all the ready-to-wear chains are concentrated, perfect if you want a shopping session!
Day 2
For this second day, we headed towards the typical La Latina district which has a big concentration of historic monuments. Our tip: wander and get lost in the lanes, to discover hidden palaces or magnificent squares, like the Plaza de la Villa, which we went back to at the end of the day to have a different light.
What would a visit to Madrid be without the Plaza Mayor? This square, where the red of the bricks stands out against the blue of the sky, really is a must-see! (be patient to take your photos, there are a lot of people)
The Puerta del Sol is another of Madrid’s symbolic squares not to be missed!
We then got lost in the more working-class Lavapies district, with its warmer coloured walls. Round a corner, we found ourselves in a jubilant crowd celebrating a religious festival with music and singing, very (a)typical!
Atocha station is really worth seeing with its tropical garden which makes it a completely out of the ordinary place to wander in the east of Madrid.
If you go along Gran Via, we advise you to stop at the Edificio Telefonica which houses a café and a museum over several floors with different (free!) exhibitions including one on the history of telecommunications, really fascinating (it will no doubt remind you of the Spanish Netflix series Las Chicas del Cable)!
As the end of the day drew near, we went back to the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza de la Villa…
… then to the banks of the Manzanares to discover the Ermita Virgen del Puerto chapel and the park that lines the river: very pleasant at the end of the day!
… and to the Sabatini gardens by the Palacio Real to enjoy the magnificent view over the palace.
Our accommodation in Madrid
We had booked three nights in an Airbnb a stone’s throw from the Opera square and the Royal Palace, which let us do everything on foot. The room is spacious, with an adjoining lounge and a small balcony: be careful though if you cannot stand cigarettes, the smell is quite present.
Our favourite places to eat in Madrid
- Juliettas (Mercado de la Corredera): delicious patisserie opposite the church of San Antonio de los Alemenas, with a wide choice of cakes you can enjoy on the spot. A favourite for the all-chocolate cake (Valrhona chocolate)!
- Pontepez : typical tapas bar in Malasaña
- Vi Cool: very trendy restaurant with a very complete lunch menu that is not expensive at all near the Plaza Santa Ana! 13€ for starter, main and dessert
- Bresca : very good and cheap Italian restaurant
- Opera Victoria: a fine dining but very affordable restaurant opposite the Royal Theatre (Opera metro) which offers excellent dishes and tapas to share.
What we thought of Madrid
For this second trip to the Spanish capital, but the first as a couple, I was just as charmed as the first time! Madrid is a pleasant and very green city, perfect for an off-season getaway, in May or September, when it is not yet too hot.
Madrid remains for us an essential city in Spain from which you can range out to discover its region!
In love with Spain? Read our article about Toledo!
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