All told, we spent 3 days in Madrid on this 10-day Spanish adventure, and it was just the right amount of time to take in this gorgeous city. I wrote about Day 1 HERE, so if you haven’t yet, definitely check that out for tips on how to spend your first day in Madrid. But for days two and three, keep reading! We’re throwing some awesome ideas atchya to help you put together an itinerary for the perfect day in Madrid!
But before we get to that, if you’re looking for a pocket travel guide to take with you, this is the one we recommend ⬇️
DAY 2 – BEING A TOURIST
We um, well. We woke up at noon.
Lara and I had a mini panic sesh – there was so much we wanted to do and see! We were in Madrid! We couldn’t waste it SLEEPING! (Though to be fair, after being awake for 34 hours straight, we shouldn’t have been too surprised that we slept for about 11 hours). We popped out of bed, may or may not have showered, and ran out the door to our first destination for the day:
Coffee and Breakfast at La Mallorquina
The first goal for the day was coffee. That’s always number one. ESPECIALLY when the coffee’s this dang delicious. So on our way to the Sol metro stop in Centro, we saw this insanely gorgeous window of pastries and we were hooked. Coincidentally, La Mallorquina also gets 4.3 stars out of 5 on Google, with nearly 4,000 reviews. It’s a popular spot.
The second you walk in you’re overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle. Forget the credit card, this spot’s cash only, and you’ve got to be aggressive if you want to get your order in.
The right half of the store is for takeout and the left is for eating in. But by eating in we mean standing at the counter while watching the flurry of activity around you. Nothing has a price, nothing has a name, and so for this Spanishly challenged American, ordering consisted of pointing at “this one” and then ordering an Americano. I don’t like milk in my coffee, y’all! But if you’re in the area. Check this place out. Quite the slice of life. And the pastry’s pretty good, too.
Retiro Park
After breakfast and coffee, we were going to hop the metro but decided to walk to Retiro Park instead. This sprawling park in the middle of town has to be one of your stops. Between the lake, the fountains, the statues, and the gorgeous trees, It’s so beautiful that I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Prado Museum of Art
After wandering around Retiro Park, we decided to go explore the Prado Museum of Art. SO many friends suggested we go. It’s not the cheapest entry ticket in the world, at 15 Euro, but how often do you get to see actual Rembrandts? If you have any appreciation for art, this isn’t to be missed. If you’re like me and you WANT to appreciate art, but end up making up new captions for the photos based on the peoples’ funny facial expressions? I… well… I guess that’s okay too. Because honestly, the biggest takeaway I had from this museum is that people in olden times had a REALLY HARD TIME KEEPING THEIR TOGAS ON. Mercy.
Okay so maybe I’m not the cultured type. Can’t win ’em all. I wish I had pictures, but they woulda yelled at me somethin’ fierce.
Mercado de San Miguel
For a quick and insanely tasty snack after all the wandering around town, hit up this spot near Plaza Mayor. It’s a huge building full of tons of different stalls and vendors, each selling their own tapas. I could honestly spend days in here eating my way through Spain. Croquetas, crab dishes, Galician octopus, olives, burrata, fine meats and cheeses, the list goes on and on and on. And the prices are great, too. We stuffed our faces until it was time to wander elsewhere to catch the sunset.
The Temple of Debod
We were not the only people in town with this idea. It was a crowded spot for sunset, but it was still a gorgeous way to end the day. The Temple of Debod sits on top of a hill in the Western part of Madrid’s city center. It’s an ancient Egyptian temple dating back to the 2nd Century, BC that was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid, Spain in 1972. It’s a little random, but really cool. If you pay for entrance, you can actually walk among the temple columns, but otherwise, you can walk around outside for free – which is what we did.
We also happened to grab a couple small bottles of wine to enjoy together as the sun set behind the city. Check out the photos!
Tablao Flamenco Almonte
After sunset, we made our way across town to take in a Flamenco show! This is another must-do if you’re in Spain, but the prices can be on the expensive side. We ended up finding a smaller, less popular venue for 15 Euro each, including a drink (tinte de verano!). Tablao Flamenco Almonte was a small and somewhat rinky-dink operation, but that’s actually what made it so fun and authentic! The performers were incredible, and the atmosphere was very intimate. Based on reviews, apparently the food is mediocre, but we can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of those claims. But for what we paid, we were really happy with the show! In Flamenco, the singer is traditionally a man, but this performance was sung by an older woman with an incredible gritty and raspy voice. 10/10 would recommend.
And with that, we made our way back home for the evening! Hope these ideas help you build out your Madrillian itinerary! Despite the late wakeup, after cramming ALL of this into a day, we were ready to pass out. The next morning we’d be picking up a rental car and driving out to the countryside for a wedding!
More on that next time. Love y’all!
Awesome. I want to go.