You are probably planning a trip, and have decided to come and visit Madrid, but how many days in Madrid is enough? An important question to answer before you start searching for flights and and a place to stay.
Madrid has a lot to see, and you can see quite a lot of it in just a couple of days. You need to plan in advance for all the main sights you want to see. You also want to book tickets for any activities you may want to do whilst in Madrid.
As someone that lives here, I can tell you if you are wondering how many days in Madrid is enough, that you can see almost all the main sights of Madrid in just one day! This will require a lot of walking though, so if you can stretch it out to 2-3 days, you can really enjoy what the city has to offer without a rush.
How many days in madrid is enough realistically
This is really going to depend on what you like to do when you visit a city. If you just like going to bars and restaurants, then I am happy to tell you no amount of days in Madrid is enough. It’s possible there are more of those than people.
Then you have all the sights to see like the Royal Palace, Prado Museum, Puerta de Alcala, Retiro Park. Do you like to see everything thoroughly, or just take pictures. This will influence your decision on how many days in Madrid is enough too.
Also take into account how much money you will be budgeting for the holiday, what activities this will allow you to do. Then how many days of holiday do you actually have. You might be taking a quick trip over the bank holiday for a quick weekend trip to Madrid.
In honesty, you could spend a lot of time in Madrid, and uncover some special place each of those days. I have lived in Madrid for years now, I work in the center, and the days I don’t I just walk around and find places I have never seen before al the time.
But this is more getting into the culture of the city and each area within. To enjoy Madrid as a tourist, you want to visit all the highlights, get taste of the boldest parts of the culture. Go catch a Flamenco show and have a meal. Take one of the many Tapas tours and have a great night out on the town meeting some new people and trying some of the best tapas.
How Many Days in Madrid is Enough Traveling Solo
This is something I am pretty good at. I have spent months alone in Madrid without much interaction and have created so nay routes for walking around Madrid. In a single afternoon, I can walk along Calle Alcala and see Puerta de Alcala, Retiro Park, the down to the Ciebeles fountain.
From there you can walk up to Alonso Martinez, then through Chuca and Malasaña, the hippest neighborhoods of Madrid. Onwards down to Plaza de Sol, across to Plaza Mayor, and then on to La Latina to visit the El Rastro market.
From here you can double back and walk through Lavapies, stop and have a beer and a quick bite and walk around to the Paseo del Prado. This will take a good part of 5-6 hours and a lot of walking. I would say it’s better to do this early in the day or in the evening because in 38 degree August heat it will be a challenge.
Traveling a city solo is a lot easier because you can just wander around. I like to check where a major landmark is, and then get lost in the little streets walking in the general direction of where I am aiming for. You avoid the busy main roads, and see parts of the city you normally wouldn’t.
One Day in Madrid
If you only have the one day in Madrid, I would say to just go to Plaza Mayor and grab yourself a map of Madrid city center. Then just wander around the city in the direction of each of them and see as much of the city as you can. Stop at a few small bars you see and get yourself a drink and try some of the tapas Madrid has to offer.
After you see a few of the sites, take a walk around Retiro Park, see some of the fountains, sit on the grass by the lake and take in some of the greenery the city has. You won´t have much time for activities if you only have a day in Madrid, but you really can see quite a lot of the Madrid in 24 hours.
One other option you have to choose from are day trips from Madrid. If you have been to Madrid before, and want to do something a little different, then a trip to a city near Madrid is a great idea.
Conclusion
The longer you stay, the more of Madrid you will see, that’s a given. But, to see the best of Madrid without having to rush around, I would say 3-4 days is enough to see Madrid.
A long weekend from say Thu-Mon is great. You get to see a lot of things that are only available on the weekend, like the El Rastro market and select events that are always taking place here in the city. And you can also take part in a few activities, see all the sites, eat some good food.
Overall though, any time you can spend in Madrid can be a good time. It is such an amazing city with so much to offer.