Travel Writer Mia Lapwood documents her three day trip to Madrid, sharing her top recommendations from cheap eats to the Spanish city’s most wondrous sights
Madrid is a wonderful city full of wonderful people. On the way from the airport to my friend’s apartment my phone decided to give up on me and stop working! This meant that I was stranded outside her apartment building until I mustered up the courage to ask for help from someone on the street!
Whilst I have been taking Spanish lessons for years, it was still intimidating and challenging to have to converse with a stranger in a different language. In the end I had to speak to 2 different people who were both lovely and super helpful before I managed to get in contact with my friend. Whilst this was a difficult start to my trip, I was really proud of myself that my Spanish was of a good enough standard to communicate with people and to get the help I needed!
Madrid is a wonderful city full of wonderful people
Day One
I landed in the afternoon which only gave me a few hours on my first day. We walked down Gran Via which is the most famous and main shopping street in Madrid, like Oxford Street in London. It wasn’t as busy I had expected but that could have been due to the time of day I visited. We made our way to La Terazza de Santo Domingo, which is a rooftop bar, offering amazing views of Madrid (especially during sunset). The cocktails are slightly more expensive but remember you are paying for the views too as it is free to go up to the rooftop! I highly recommend visiting Santo Domingo’s rooftop – especially as it is easier to get a table than at the famous rooftop at Hotel Riu, which is on my list to visit next time I’m in Madrid!
We went for a late dinner (well, normal dinner time for Spain!) in Chueca which is known as a lively, LGBTQ+ neighbourhood. We went to Il Morso which only makes sandwiches, but they are huge and have a large variety to choose from, including the option to build your own. After dinner we got the metro, which is surprisingly easy to navigate, operating a similar system to the UK with a metro card (like an oyster card).
Day Two
My second day was extremely jam-packed – covering most of the sites I wanted to see. We started the day by having a late breakfast at Oakberry – one of the best acai bowls I’ve ever had! We walked to El Retiro park which is a UNESCO heritage site offering a green oasis in the middle of the city. It was beautiful with multiple lakes, one where you can row boats and another with turtles! Whilst walking around the park we stumbled across a man with an old looking film camera – we started talking to him and found out that he had built the camera himself. He took a beautiful photo of us for only €5 and explained how to take care of the film after. He was a very interesting man so I would highly recommend going up to him if you see him in the park. On our walk back from the park we passed Plaza de Cibeles which is a beautiful square with fountains and the Cibeles palace which is the headquarters of Madrid’s city council. It is a stunning building and one of the most iconic buildings in Madrid. Inside there is a 360-degree viewpoint however I didn’t have the chance to go inside as the queue was far too long – I would suggest booking your place in advance!
From here we walked to Puerta de Sol, which is the centre of the whole of Spain! It has 2 iconic statues, El Oso y El Madroño, (a statue of a bear and strawberry tree, which is the symbol of Madrid) and King Charles lll on horseback. I would recommend visiting Puerta de Sol on your first visit to Madrid, however it wouldn’t be high on my list to visit again if I went back. I preferred Plaza Mayor which is another famous square surrounded by restaurants and cafes. Whilst on the slightly pricier side there are plenty of restaurants to choose from allowing you to sit and enjoy the atmosphere of Plaza Mayor.
It was beautiful with multiple lakes, one where you can row boats and another with turtles
My favourite places in Madrid were the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral, which were opposite each other and both equally beautiful. There is an amazing viewpoint offering gorgeous views of Madrid and to my surprise it was quite empty. Inside the Cathedral is equally as stunning and is free to enter. You must visit the Royal Palace gardens; it is one of the most stunning sites in Madrid and is so peaceful, offering a nice break from the bustling city centre. After lunch we spent a few hours looking at the vintage stores in Chueca which had some really cool clothes, so I would definitely recommend shopping in Chueca if you’re into fashion or thrifting.
To end the day, we went to Temple of Debod to watch the sunset which was incredible despite the actual temple itself being a bit disappointing. Online I had seen photos of the temple and it looked gorgeous with water surrounding it, though when I visited there was no water which was disappointing. The park around the temple was super busy with people flocking to watch the sunset – it was a great atmosphere, and I would highly recommend going in the evening for a picnic with friends to watch the sunset. Afterwards, we went for dinner at TikiTaco which is a delicious taco restaurant and incredibly cheap, offering tacos for just €2!
Day Three
My last day was much slower, starting with brunch in Chueca at Café Natif before heading into La Latina. La Latina is the oldest neighbourhood in Madrid and was by far my favourite area as all the buildings were beautiful and full of colour and life. There are so many tapas restaurants in La Latina that people often do a ‘tapas crawl’ trying food from multiple restaurants. La Latina also has lots of cool shops and is home to the El Rastro flea market. Unfortunately, El Rastro is only open on Sundays so I didn’t have a chance to go but will definitely be going next time I’m in Madrid.
Madrid is a fantastic city with lots to offer, making it a great destination for anyone. It was relatively cheap and had lots of free tourist attractions, making it an ideal place for students to spend the weekend.
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