If it is your first time travelling to a new city it can be hard to know how to get around, where to stay, and what to see. Do not worry you are in the right place this Madrid Spain travel itinerary will answer all your questions.
This Madrid itinerary will go over how to get to Madrid, how to get around Madrid, where to stay in Madrid, things to do in Madrid Spain, and more!
This post is all about the perfect 3-day Madrid Spain travel itinerary.
How to Get to Madrid
There are many ways to travel to Madrid, depending on where you are travelling from. You can take a flight, train, or bus. If you are looking for flights I recommend Google Flights. Good Flights is where I do all of my flight research to find the best deals. They have tons of flight companies all together so you can compare and they have tons of features like price tracking to help you find the best deals. If you are planning on travelling to Madrid by train, which I recommend if you are travelling within Spain or other countries within Europe, check out Omio. Omio is a great place to find train and even bus tickets for such an affordable price. I did TONS of research when planning my trip to Europe to find the best deals I possibly could and I found Omio to be amazing for trains and FlixBus to be great for busses, so I wanted to share them with you so you can also travel on a budget.How to Get Around Madrid
Madrid is a very walkable city which is great for travellers like me with the mindset that if you can walk to save money you will do it! An app that I found super helpful on my trip was Airalo. It is an online e-simcard app so you can get a data plan for wherever you are travelling for super cheap and then you will have data to use maps and look things up while travelling around Madrid. This was a travel game changer for me so I wanted to share in case you were also interested. Click here if you want to download the Airlo app to simplify the process of getting an e-sim card. If you are not much of a walker do not worry because there is also lots of public transportation including the metro, busses, and trains around Madrid.Where to Stay in Madrid
If you are a budget traveller like myself hostels will be your best friend while travelling around Europe. My favourite place to look for hostels is Hostelworld they have tons of hostel options. This website is great because they have hostels all around the world for a variety of prices and social environments. You can also read tons of people’s reviews before booking your stay so you know the hostel is the right fit for you. When I was staying in Madrid I stayed at OK Hostel Madrid. This hostel was in a great location, had great dorm rooms and common areas, and held activities like pub crawls and walking tours to meet other travellers.Ways to Save Money While Travelling Madrid
If you are like me you want to see everything you can while visiting a new place but also want to travel on a budget I recommend looking into city passes. Some top tourist attractions in Madrid including the Royal Palace of Madrid are at the top of people’s Madrid bucket list but can be expensive if you are also wanting to visit other attractions. The Madrid City Pass includes…- Prado Museum Entrance Ticket
- Royal Palace of Madrid (Fast Track and Audio Guide)
- Hop-on-hop-off city tour
- Madrid City Audio Guide App
- 10% off discount on other attractions
Day 1: Get Acquainted With the City of Madrid
Walking Tour of the City
Joining a free walking tour is one of the best ways to get yourself acquainted with a new place, meet other travellers, and learn about the city you are in. I joined the free walking tour with GuruWalks and went to all the top attractions in Madrid (all the places are listed below).Puerta de Sol/ Presidencia Comunidad de Madrid
Puerta de Sol is a public square in Madrid and is where Presidencia Comunidad de Madrid is located. The Presidencia Comunidad de Madrid used to be a royal post office and this spot is the starting point for a lot of walking tours.
Plaza de Mayor
Plaza de Mayor is another famous and very popular public square in Madrid Spain. Plaza Mayor used to be the centre of Old Madrid and now houses some of Madrid’s history within this square. Some of the benches have photos that represent major historical events, which you may learn about throughout your walking tour.
Oldest Restaurant in the World (Restaurant Sobrino de Botin Horno de Asar)
Being able to say you got to visit the oldest restaurant in the world is pretty cool. Restaurant Sobrina de Botin Horno de Asar has been open and running since 1725 and holds the World Record for the oldest restaurant in the world. They measure this time by how long the firewood oven has been burning and this restaurant has kept the oven going since 1725, pretty amazing if you ask me!
Plaza de la Villa
Plaza de la Villa is another beautiful square in Madrid Spain and is close to some of the oldest buildings in Madrid. The buildings surrounding the square were built in three different centuries. The architecture, greenery, and history were amazing to hear and see.
Cathedral Almundena
Cathedral Almundena, also called Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena, is a famous spot to visit when travelling to Madrid. This cathedral is breathtaking. If you plan to visit make sure you visit the crypt as well as the cathedral they are both incredible to see and you enter by donation.
Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid is one of the top spots to visit for travellers to Madrid. The Royal Palace is the residence of the royal family of Spain but is now only used for state ceremonies. When ceremonies are not taking place tours are held and many people explore this famous landmark.
A fun fact I learned during our walking tour was when this palace was being built the king wanted it to be bigger than the Palace of Versailles and wanted enough rooms for him to sleep in a different one each night for the rest of his life. The Royal Palace has a total of 3480 rooms but the king died before the palace was completed so he never got to stay in any of the rooms.
If you want to explore the inside of the Royal Palace and learn about its history there are lots of tours. Check out GetYourGuide for affordable tickets, for as little as $23 CAD, to visit the Royal Palace.
Day 2: Relaxing Day in Madrid
Temple of Debod
The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian. It was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid Spain. If you have the chance it is super cool to see this temple in the midst of a Spanish city. It is free to enter so perfect for budget travellers.
Visit a Market in Madrid (Mercado de San Miguel or Mercado San Anton)
There are quite a few markets in Madrid with lots of local foods. The most famous market in Madrid is the Mercado de San Miguel which is always fun to visit but if you want to try some local foods and do not want to spend a pretty penny I would recommend another market like Mercado San Anton. Because San Miguel Market is known as a touristy market the prices are a bit more expensive but any market you go to will be great.El Retiro Park (+ Crystal Palace)
When you are in Madrid you must visit this beautiful park called El Retiro Park. This park is huge and has tons to see, you can spend an hour or more walking around and enjoying the sights. The Crystal Palace is also located in El Retiro Park which is a popular spot to visit in Madrid. Overall highly recommend bringing a book or journal, going for a walk, and taking some time to relax in this park.
Visit Pulpo a la Gallega for a calamari sandwich
You cannot miss having a calamari sandwich when you visit Madrid. A calamari sandwich is a famous dish in Madrid. Either for your lunch, dinner or even snack during your second day in Madrid visit Pulpo a la Gallega which is very close to Plaza de Mayor, they make delicious calamari sandwiches.
Day 3: Day Trip to Toledo
For your last day in Madrid Spain you won’t actually be spending it in Madrid I recommend spending your third day going on a day trip to Toledo Spain. Toledo is an ancient city with lots of beautiful medieval monuments and architecture.
When I visited Toledo I booked my tour with GetYourGuide. The exact tour I booked was called From Madrid: Toledo Full Day Trip. It costs around $40 CAD and includes a bus ride from Madrid to Toledo and back, a guided walking tour around Toledo, a panoramic sightseeing tour, and free time to explore the city on your own.
That brings us to the end of our three days in Madrid Spain. Madrid is an amazing city filled with tons to see and history to learn about. I hope this Madrid Spain travel itinerary helped answer any questions you may have before your trip. Safe travels!
This post was all about the perfect 3-day Madrid Spain travel itinerary.
