10 Best Things to Do in Madrid
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Start with the Prado, then let the rest of the city fill in around it: a royal palace you can actually tour, a plaza that’s been the heart of Madrid since 1619, and a tapas crawl that needs no reservation. Ten picks below cover the classic first-timer spine and comfortably fill three days, all walkable or a short Metro ride from a central hotel. If you’re still choosing a base, check rates on Booking.com for something near Sol or La Latina. Our Madrid guide covers the wider trip; this is the shortlist of what to actually do.
Ten things at a glance
| Thing to do | Price | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Museo del Prado | EUR 15 (free eve. windows) | 2-3 hrs |
| Reina Sofía (Guernica) | EUR 12 (free eve. windows) | 2-3 hrs |
| Royal Palace + Almudena Cathedral | EUR 14 + free nave | 1.5-2 hrs + 30 min |
| Plaza Mayor + Puerta del Sol | Free | 30-45 min |
| Retiro Park | Free | 1-3 hrs |
| Cava Baja tapas crawl | EUR 20-30pp | 2-3 hrs, evening |
| Gran Vía + Metropolis Building | Free | 30-45 min |
| Temple of Debod at sunset | Free | 30-45 min |
| Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum | EUR 14 (free Mon) | 1.5-2 hrs |
| El Rastro (Sundays only) | Free to browse | 1.5-3 hrs |
Is the Prado worth the entry fee?
Yes, without hesitation. EUR 15 gets you Velázquez’s Las Meninas, Goya’s Black Paintings, and Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights under one roof, one of the world’s great art collections. Book a skip-the-line Prado ticket rather than queueing on the day, and check current hours on museodelprado.es . Pair the visit with a walk into Retiro Park next door; both sit inside the “Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro” UNESCO landscape listed in 2021.
The Royal Palace and Plaza Mayor, back to back
The Royal Palace of Madrid (EUR 14, book a timed slot via patrimonionacional.es ) is billed as Europe’s largest functioning royal palace by floor area, 3,400-plus rooms, though it’s used only for state ceremonies now. Almudena Cathedral next door is free to enter, closed during services. From there it’s a 10-minute walk to Plaza Mayor, completed in 1619 and rebuilt after fires three times, and on to Puerta del Sol for the Kilómetro Cero plaque and the Tío Pepe sign. Sol, Gran Vía, and the Metro at rush hour are the city’s main pickpocket spots, so keep bags zipped through this stretch.
Cava Baja: the tapas crawl that needs no planning
La Latina’s Cava Baja is Madrid’s classic 300-metre tapas street, 50-plus bars along one stretch: Casa Lucas and Casa Julio are reliable stops, and going early, around 20:00, gets you counter space before the crowd fills in. Remember Spanish meal times run late, lunch 14:00-16:00, dinner 21:00-23:00, so a restaurant serving a full menu at 18:00 near Sol is built for tourists, not locals. If you’d rather someone else pick the stops, browse a Madrid tapas tour that bundles several bars into one evening.
Retiro Park: what’s open, what isn’t
Retiro is free, gateless, and open roughly 6am to midnight, with the Estanque Grande lake for rowing (EUR 6 weekdays, EUR 8 weekends) and the Rosaleda rose garden worth a slow lap. One flag before you go: the Palacio de Cristal is closed for restoration and not expected back until around 2027, so don’t build a photo stop around its interior, though the exterior and reflecting pond still photograph well.
Is Temple of Debod actually worth the sunset trip?
Yes, and it’s one of Madrid’s best free evenings. This genuine 2nd-century-BCE Egyptian temple was gifted to Spain in 1968 and sits on a rise with the Royal Palace skyline behind it; arrive 30-45 minutes before sunset for the reflecting pool shot. Sunset timing shifts by season, roughly 20:30-21:40 in summer and 17:30-18:30 in winter, so check the time for your dates before you head out.
One concrete tip
Do the Prado in the morning and the Royal Palace the same afternoon, both sit on or near the Paseo del Prado and Ópera Metro corridor, and pairing them leaves your evening free for Cava Baja without doubling back across the city.