Why is Madrid worth visiting – 22 reasons to go there

About 15 years ago I visited Spain for the first time and it captured a part of my heart. I really like it – people, weather, sights, infrastructure. Since then, more visits to different parts of the country followed, which confirmed my good impressions. During most of our time in Spain, we rented a car to explore as many places as we could. We spent the longest stretch – four full days – in Madrid, and for good reason – Madrid is worth visiting.

In this article, I’ll tell you a lot of reasons reasons why Madrid should be in your travel bucket list and will share my personal experience.

Contents

Madrid essentials
Why is Madrid worth visiting
Where to stay in Madrid
Final thoughts

Why is Madrid worth visiting

European Capital

Madrid is one of the largest capitals in Europe and ranks third in terms of population after London and Berlin. Although it is a large city, the main attractions are concentrated in the central part of the city and it is not a problem to get around on foot (with good and comfortable shoes, of course).

Convenient direct flights

There are direct flights to Madrid from almost any capital of Europe, and also from several locations outside Europe. The main Madrid airport Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas is one of the largest in the world.

Spaniards

I find the Spaniards to be very cool people – calm, smiling, they do not grumble and do not get nervous. Whether this is due to the warm Mediterranean climate or the obligatory siesta from 2 to 5 in the afternoon, I cannot say, but it is a fact.

Paella

Paella is a typical Spanish dish with rice in many varieties. I have tried quite a few – with vegetables, with chicken, with seafood … and I have always liked it. I even took a short paella cooking course last year.

Prices

Compared to other Western European capitals, food and accommodation prices in Madrid are relatively affordable.

Shopping

In the central part of Madrid there are shiny stores with good promotions. Books there are also at good prices, as long as you can read Spanish 🙂 .

Public transport

Madrid has a well-organized public transport system – underground (metro) and surface (buses). If you have booked a hotel on the outskirts of the city, where the prices are more attractive, you will have no problem moving easily and relatively quickly to the central part of the city.

Convenient trains

The train station in Madrid is close to the center and from there you can take a train to different parts of Spain.

Learn a little Spanish

The Spanish, as I already shared, are cool and responsive people, but if you have to ask a random passerby about something, it may happen that he or she does not speak English. It has happened to me to ask about something in English – they understand me and “break” with explanations, but … in Spanish. There you will inevitably learn to use at least a few Spanish words. And I find this quite useful – Spanish is still one of the most widespread languages ​​in the world.

There are quite a few interesting sights to visit in Madrid. First of all, these are the two large fine arts museums, which display numerous masterpieces by famous artists: Goya, Rubens, Velázquez, Titian, Picasso, Dali and many others. Even just for them it is worth visiting Madrid.

Queen Sofia National Museum Art Centre (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia)

This museum exhibits paintings from modern and avant-garde art. It is dedicated mostly to the Spanish art from 20th century. The most famous collections of the museum are those of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí.

Reina Sofía Museum Entrance Ticket

Prado Museum (Museo del Prado)

The Prado is one of the largest fine arts museums in Europe. It houses more than 8000 works by a number of famous artists dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century. Prado is one of the most visited fine arts museums in the world and is definitely one of the top reasons to visit Madrid.

Prado Museum Entry Ticket

Church of Saint Jerome the Royal (Iglesia San Jerónimo el Real)

An interesting 16th century church located next to the Prado Museum.

Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid)

Converted into a museum, it used to be the main residence of the Spanish royal family. Now it holds mainly state ceremonies. With its 135,000 m2 of floor space and 3,418 rooms, it is the largest royal palaces in Europe.

Royal Palace Fast-Access Admission Ticket

Plaza de Oriente

This is the square in front of the Royal Palace. The square extends to another emblematic building of Madrid – the Royal Theater. There are many cafes and restaurants around the square.

Retiro Park (Parque del Buen Retiro)

A large park in the central part of Madrid. It was designed in the 16th century and was a royal property, but at the end of the 19th century it became publicly accessible. The most pleasant place in the park is the Crystal Palace and the lake.

Plaza de España in Madrid

A large square in the center of Madrid, not far from the Royal Palace. The centerpiece of the square is a massive monument with statues of Miguel de Cervantes and his main characters Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

Understandably, there are squares named Spain in many other Spanish cities 🙂 .

Plaza Mayor

This is the central square in Madrid. It was built in the 17th century and looks like a typical medieval market square surrounded by buildings.

Puerta del Sol Square

This is the other central square in Madrid. It is close to Plaza Mayor. It is very lively, especially on weekends. At one end of the square is an emblematic figure – a statue of a bear and a tree.

This is where Madrid residents welcome the New Year.

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Football fans (and not only) can visit the huge Real Madrid stadium. There are special tours of the stadium. You can also just go and see it, at least from the outside, and buy some sports souvenirs from the stadium shop.

Bernabéu Stadium museum and exclusive areas, entry ticket

Not far from Madrid are 3 old towns that are very interesting to visit. All three can be reached by train.

Toledo

Old Toledo is the closest of the three. One day (or less) is enough to go there, walk along its old cobblestones and see everything interesting.

Segovia

Segovia is another ancient city. It is located about 90 kilometers from Madrid. It was founded by the Romans shortly before the New Era. In the Middle Ages it was a royal residence.

Avila

Avila is another city with interesting antiquities, preserved from the Middle Ages. It is located about 115 kilometers from Madrid at an altitude of more than 1100 meters above sea level.

Where to stay in Madrid

See current offers for accommodation in Madrid in the next box.

Final thoughts

I hope, I managed to prove why Madrid is worth visiting. These were my reasons. You would say that many of them apply to Spain in general. You are absolutely right. Spain’s got plenty of charm on its own – a large European country with an abundance of interesting places, a favorite destination, at least for me.

And do you like sunny Spain? Do you have a favorite place there?