Plan Your Madrid Trip, Spain
Top Things to Do in Madrid
- El Retiro Park: Expansive, 19th-century park with boating lake & rose garden, plus numerous fountains & statues.
- Plaza Mayor: Cafes & restaurants line the arches of this stately square with Philip III's statue in the center.
- Museo Nacional del Prado: Art museum with Velazquez, Goya and El Greco masterpieces in vast 12th- to 19th-century collection.
- Bernabéu: 81,000-capacity ground for Real Madrid, with regular matches plus tours of stadium and trophy room.
- Royal Palace of Madrid: 18th-century, ridge-top palace for state occasions, plus tours with rooms full of art and antiques.
- Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum: Museum housing collection of 13th-20th-century European masterpieces, from Renaissance to Pop Art.
- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: Sprawling museum for Spanish 20th-century art collection with works by Gris, Dali, Picasso & Miro.
- Casa de Campo: Expansive park & former royal hunting ground, with small hills, streams & a boating lake.
- Temple of Debod: Ancient Egyptian temple & museum moved from Aswan & rebuilt in lush parkland, with sunset views.
- Las Ventas Bullring: Bullfighting arena built in the 1920s in neo-Mudéjar style & used for bullfights, concerts & events.
- Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena: Baroque Catholic cathedral known for its colorful chapels, plus a Romanesque crypt & museum.
- Jardín del Capricho: Manicured 18th-century landscaped gardens with sculptures, water features & a Civil War bunker.
Also see the Madrid destination guide for local food, getting around and the best time to visit.