Madrid itinerary: 3 days for a first visit

Madrid is a city that lives at night. Lunch is at two or three, dinner at nine or later, and the streets are fullest long after other European capitals have gone quiet. That rhythm shapes a first visit: you start the day gently, spend the middle of it in museums and parks, and save your energy for the evening.

Three days is enough to see the royal palace, one of the great art collections of the world and a few of the best neighbourhoods, with one day left to leave the city altogether. This plan keeps each day in one part of town, so you walk more and ride less.

Before you go: the short version

• How long: three full days. Four lets you add both Toledo and Segovia, or a second art day.
• Where to stay: Sol and the Austrias for the old centre; Chueca or Malasaña for restaurants, bars and a young crowd; Salamanca for quiet, wide streets and good shops.
• From the airport: the metro and the commuter trains reach the centre in about 30 minutes, and a taxi takes 20 to 30 minutes outside rush hour.
• Getting around: the metro is fast and covers the whole centre, and the old town is walkable. More in the Spain travel guide.
• Book ahead: the Prado and the Royal Palace in busy months, and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.

Day 1: Habsburg Madrid and the Palace

Morning. Start at the Puerta del Sol, the busy square at the centre of the city and the point from which Spain's roads are measured. Walk west along the old streets to the Plaza Mayor, a large arcaded square built in the seventeenth century, and stop for a hot chocolate with churros, the classic Madrid breakfast, at a café nearby. The Mercado de San Miguel, a covered market beside the square, is good for a first taste of tapas, if you can bear the crowds.

Afternoon. Walk to the Royal Palace, the official residence of the king, though used only for ceremonies, and one of the largest palaces in Europe. Book ahead in busy months. Opposite, the Almudena Cathedral faces the palace across a square. Stroll through the Plaza de Oriente and the Sabatini Gardens beside it. In the late afternoon, walk to the Templo de Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple moved stone by stone to a hilltop park. It is one of the best places in the city to watch the sunset.

Evening. Walk down to La Latina, the old neighbourhood south of the Plaza Mayor, whose streets fill with people going from bar to bar for tapas, the Madrid evening ritual. Order a few small plates in each: tortilla española, patatas bravas, croquetas, jamón. Do not expect to sit down to a full meal before nine, and do not expect the streets to empty before midnight.

Day 2: The art triangle and Retiro Park

Morning. Go to the Prado, one of the world's great museums, with Velázquez's Las Meninas, works by Goya, Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and an enormous collection of Spanish and Flemish painting. Plan on two or three hours and choose a few rooms: the museum is too large to see in a single visit. Book a timed ticket in busy months and go early.

Afternoon. Walk to Retiro Park, the large green park in the middle of the city, with a lake where you can hire a rowing boat, a Crystal Palace of glass and iron, and long avenues of trees. Have lunch at a table in the park or at one of the cafés on the edge. After lunch, choose between the two other big museums of the Paseo del Prado. The Reina Sofía holds Picasso's Guernica and a large collection of twentieth-century Spanish art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza spans seven centuries of European painting. One of the three is plenty for a day.

Evening. Walk up the Gran Vía, the grand boulevard of theatres, cinemas and old hotels, in the early evening, when the buildings are lit and the pavements full. Eat in Chueca or Malasaña, the neighbourhoods north of it, where the small streets are packed with restaurants and bars. Afterwards, move on to a bar for a vermouth or a gin and tonic, both of which Madrileños take seriously.

Day 3: Toledo or Segovia, or a slow day in the city

The third day is for leaving the city. Madrid sits on a high plateau, and two of the best day trips in Spain are an easy train away. Pick one.

Toledo. The fast train takes about half an hour, and the town sits on a hill above a bend in the river. The old city is a maze of narrow streets that holds a cathedral, a synagogue, a mosque and a fortress, a record of the Christians, Jews and Muslims who lived together there in the Middle Ages. Walk the lanes, try the marzipan, and look out over the town from the viewpoints across the river. Be back in Madrid for the evening.

Segovia. Also about half an hour by fast train, Segovia has a Roman aqueduct that is still standing after almost two thousand years, a cathedral, and a fairytale castle called the Alcázar. Order cochinillo asado, the roast suckling pig that the town is famous for. Climb to the castle for the view over the plains.

If you stay in the city. Spend the day in Lavapiés, the multicultural district south of the centre, with its street art and its many cuisines, and, if it is a Sunday, the El Rastro flea market, which fills the streets near La Latina in the morning. Later, visit the Sorolla Museum or take the cable car over the Casa de Campo park.

Evening. On your last night, return to La Latina or the streets around Sol, and have a long dinner at a restaurant for a farewell. Finish with a walk through the centre, which is at its liveliest after dark.

With more time

• A fourth day: do both Toledo and Segovia, or add El Escorial, the monastery and palace in the hills to the north-west, or a morning at the football stadium for a tour.
• Alcalá de Henares: a university town to the east, reached by commuter train, where Cervantes was born.
• Further on: Barcelona is about three hours away by fast train. The Barcelona itinerary picks up from here, and train travel in Europe covers how to book the trains.

Where to stay

• Sol and the Austrias: the old centre, close to the palace, the Plaza Mayor and the main sights. Noisy near Sol, quieter in the streets behind.
• Chueca and Malasaña: the liveliest districts, with the best choice of restaurants and bars. Choose a room on an upper floor or at the back if you want to sleep.
• Salamanca: the elegant district east of the centre, with wide streets, good shops and a calm feel. A short walk from Retiro Park.
• Avoid for a first visit: areas far out along the ring road, where you lose time on the metro.

For a group, an apartment with several bedrooms in the centre often costs less than hotel rooms. See where to stay with a group.

Getting around

Madrid's metro is one of the largest in Europe and is quick, clean and simple to use, with lines that cover the centre and run out to the suburbs. Buses fill the gaps, and the commuter trains, the Cercanías, run to the airport, to Alcalá and to many towns in the region. The old town is walkable, and the distances between the main sights are short. Taxis and ride-hailing are easy to find and good late at night, when the metro gets quieter. Watch your bag on the metro and in crowded squares, as pickpockets work the tourist areas.

Planning Madrid as a group

Madrid is a good city for a group, because the way people eat here, with many small plates shared across a table, suits a crowd. The things that need planning are the museum tickets, which work best booked for the same time, and the late dinners, where a table for six at nine or ten needs a booking. Decide early whether the third day is Toledo or Segovia, since the trains fill up in busy months. Tapas bars blur the bill, so keep a record of who paid for each round.

What to pack

Comfortable shoes are the main thing: you will walk on hard pavements for hours. In summer, Madrid is hot, so bring a hat, sunscreen and a refillable water bottle, and plan to rest in the middle of the day. In winter, bring a proper coat, as the city is high and cold. Add a light layer for the evening and a small bag with a zip for the metro.