Luxury
Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
Canalejas · Sol
Seven restored heritage buildings on Puerta del Sol turned into a 200-room five-star. Rooftop pool over Barrio de las Letras.
From 780€Check prices→
01
Excursions
The most-booked experiences on the island · book with free cancellation
Tours & excursions · Best-sellers on Viator
The eight best-reviewed excursions in Madrid
Hand-picked from Viator's top-rated experiences on Madrid, sorted by review volume and average rating. Free cancellation up to 24 h before, reserve now and pay later.
- ◆ Free cancellation 24 h
- ◆ Reserve now, pay later
- ◆ Instant confirmation
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Culture3 hPrado Museum skip-the-line guided tour
4.9(5,200 reviews)
Skip-the-line entry to the Museo del Prado with a licensed English-speaking art historian. Focus on Las Meninas, Goya's black paintings, El Bosco's Garden of Earthly Delights and Titian's Habsburg portraits.
From
£38per person
- Skip-the-line entry
- Small groups (max 15)
- Licensed art historian
Culture9 hToledo day trip from Madrid with Cathedral
4.8(4,600 reviews)
Full day trip from Madrid to Toledo, Spain's former capital. Guided walking tour of the Cathedral (biggest primatial in Spain), the Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca and El Greco's Santo Tomé. Free time for lunch and marzipan.
From
£58per person
- Round-trip coach from Madrid
- Cathedral entry included
- Licensed English-speaking guide
Culture10 hSegovia + Ávila day trip with lunch
4.8(3,400 reviews)
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia (Roman aqueduct, Alcázar, Cathedral) and Ávila (medieval walls, Basílica de San Vicente). Optional lunch of cochinillo asado at Mesón de Cándido or José María.
From
£72per person
- Round-trip transport
- Two UNESCO cities in one day
- Optional cochinillo lunch
Culture2 hRoyal Palace of Madrid guided tour with skip-the-line
4.7(2,900 reviews)
Skip-the-line entry to the Palacio Real, official residence of the Spanish royal family. Guided visit of the Throne Room, Royal Kitchen and the Stradivarius chamber, plus the Almudena Cathedral façade view.
From
£32per person
- Skip-the-line entry
- Small groups (max 20)
- Throne Room + Royal Kitchen included
Culture5 hEl Escorial monastery + Valley of the Fallen half-day
4.7(1,900 reviews)
Half-day trip from Madrid to San Lorenzo de El Escorial (UNESCO monastery-palace built by Philip II in 1584). Optional stop at the Valley of the Fallen basilica carved into the mountain.
From
£48per person
- Round-trip transport
- Skip-the-line monastery entry
- Licensed guide
Nightlife3 hFlamenco show at Corral de la Morería with dinner
4.8(2,100 reviews)
Reserved-seat flamenco show at Corral de la Morería, the oldest and most awarded tablao in the world (recognised by UNESCO). Optional dinner menu — the tablao's restaurant holds one Michelin star.
From
£65per person
- Reserved centre seating
- One drink included
- Optional Michelin dinner menu
Food & wine3 hLa Latina tapas & wine walking tour
4.9(3,300 reviews)
Small-group tapas walk through La Latina — Madrid's oldest tapas quarter. Five tabernas on Cava Baja and around Plaza de la Paja, five glasses of wine and five tapas including jamón ibérico de bellota and huevos rotos.
From
£52per person
- 5 tapas + 5 wines included
- Small groups (max 10)
- Licensed English-speaking guide
Culture2 hBernabéu stadium tour (Real Madrid) skip-the-line
4.8(6,800 reviews)
Skip-the-line entry to the newly refurbished Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Self-guided tour of the trophy room (15 Champions League cups), the panoramic pitch view, the presidential box and the players' tunnel.
From
£28per person
- Skip-the-line entry
- Audio guide in English
- Trophy room + pitch view
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02
Towns
The essential villages and what to do in each
01 · JunMadrid Centro
Sol, Gran Vía and the Barrio de las Letras — the heart of the capital. Base four nights here or in adjacent Retiro.
Read the guide →- 02 · Jun
Salamanca
Serrano's luxury mile: flagship boutiques, Michelin-starred kitchens and the Rosewood Villa Magna.
03 · JunLa Latina & Lavapiés
Sunday El Rastro flea market, tapas on Cava Baja and Madrid's tightest tabernas.
- 05 · Jun
Chinchón
Porticoed medieval plaza 45 km south — anís, garlic soup and a Parador in a 17th-century convent.
Read the guide → - 06 · Jun
San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Philip II's UNESCO monastery-palace at 1,000 m in the Guadarrama sierra.
Read the guide → - 07 · Jun
Aranjuez
Royal palace, French-style gardens on the Tajo river and Bourbon strawberries. UNESCO cultural landscape.
Read the guide →
03
Town map
Filter by category and see what to do in each town
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05
Sleep
Beds worth the trip
Style
Luxury
Rosewood Villa Magna
Salamanca · Castellana
Refurbished 154-room grande dame with Amós Restaurante (1★) — the city's most polished five-star.
From 620€Check prices→
Luxury
Mandarin Oriental Ritz
Retiro · Paseo del Prado
1910 palace next to the Prado. Deessa (2★), gardens for afternoon tea and the most legendary bar in the city.
From 720€Check prices→
Design
Bless Hotel Madrid
Salamanca · Velázquez
Boutique 111-room design hotel steps from Serrano. Rooftop pool and Etxeko (Martín Berasategui).
From 340€Check prices→
Boutique
Parador de Chinchón
Chinchón · convent
Refurbished Augustinian convent on Chinchón's porticoed plaza. Cloister garden, pool and Castilian cocina.
From 180€Check prices→
Boutique
Parador de Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares
17th-century Colegio Mayor de San Jerónimo — Cervantes's university — inside a UNESCO district.
From 160€Check prices→
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06
Eat
Tables jotted on a napkin
- Book →
DiverXO (3★)
Dabiz Muñoz · avant-garde · Chamartín
- Book →
Deessa (2★)
Quique Dacosta at the Ritz · Retiro
- Book →
Coque (2★)
Sandoval brothers · Castilian modern · Chamberí
- Book →
Casa Botín (est. 1725)
Wood-fired suckling pig · La Latina
- Book →
Sacha
Legendary bistro · seasonal Cantabrian · Chamartín
- Book →
Casa Salvador
Bullfighter tavern · classic rabo de toro · Chueca
07
Diario
A journal entry
Entry 08 · Wednesday
Prado at opening hour
Doors at 10:00 sharp — head straight to Room 12 for Velázquez's Las Meninas before the crowds, then Goya's black paintings in Rooms 66–67. Two hours is the honest maximum. Out at midday for a caña at La Venencia (Calle Echegaray), then a long lunch at Casa Botín — cochinillo asado in the 1725 wood oven. Nap. Rooftop cocktail at The Hat before dinner at DiverXO if booked six months ahead.
- ✓Prado is free 18:00–20:00 Mon–Sat but painfully crowded
- ✓Book DiverXO 6 months ahead — releases the 1st of each month
- ✗Casa Botín takes walk-ins at 13:00 sharp
08
Itineraries
Ready-to-copy routes
3 days · Madrid essentials
Prado, Reina Sofía, Palacio Real, tapas on Cava Baja and a rooftop sunset over Gran Vía.
Leer itinerario →5 days · Madrid + one day trip
Add Toledo or Segovia by AVE — 30–35 min door to door.
Leer itinerario →7 days · Madrid + Castile grand tour
Toledo, Segovia + Ávila, El Escorial and a night in Chinchón or Aranjuez.
Leer itinerario →09
Practical
What we've noted for next time
Getting there
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas (MAD) — Terminal 4 for Iberia, T1–T3 for most other carriers. Metro line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios (30 min). AVE hub: Atocha connects to every Spanish region in 1–3 h.
Getting around
Metro is fastest — 13 lines, flat 1.50€ single. Cercanías (commuter rail) reaches Aranjuez, El Escorial and Alcalá de Henares in 30–45 min from Atocha or Chamartín. Rent a car only for the Guadarrama sierra or Chinchón.
Best time to go
April–June and September–November: 18–26 °C and clear skies. July–August: expect 38–40 °C — hide in museums until 20:00, then aperitivo. December for Christmas lights and roscón season.
Emergencies
112 · SUMMA 112 public hospitals (La Paz, Gregorio Marañón, Ramón y Cajal) · farmacias marked with a green cross, 24 h rotation on every district.