Top Sites To See In Madrid, 3-Day Itinerary

Madrid is a fun, bustling city! Even after all the summer crowds have gone, it is still lively with activity in October. If you are looking for fun things to do while visiting Spain, look no further! This blog will give you a 3-day itinerary – filled with parks, plazas, and palaces!

After we came back from Spain, we noticed we spent a lot less than we thought…which is good! Most of it had to do with, skipping a few “touristy spots” and opting for other places that were cheaper or free.

Day 1

Plaza de Cibeles

Located in the heart of Madrid is the beautiful Plaza De Cibeles. If you want to see some great views of the city, you can climb to the balcony of Palacio de Cibeles for just €3.

Parque del Buen Retiro

This park is HUGE – and better yet, it is free to enter! I could walk in this park every day and not get bored. It is just stunning! From the enormous trees to the beautiful flower gardens, and even workout classes– what a good idea! 

The Retiro Park Lake

A short walk from the north entrance is the most picturesque lake. It reminds me of a scene from a romantic movie. What makes it look so romantic is the boats you can rent. Prices are: €6 during the week and €8 on weekends.

The Glass Palace

Just a short distance from the park lake is the Crystal Palace or the Glass Palace. It is a huge building usually filled with artistic displays. Free to get into!

El Retiro Rose Garden

My favorite part of the whole park was the rose garden. I know nothing of flowers or gardening and while planning this trip and I did not think the roses would be in bloom. I was so excited when we walked into the garden and there were just rows of gorgeous roses! From red to white to yellow, I couldn’t decide which one was my favorite!

What to Eat:

San Miguel Market

For dinner, we decided to try the San Miguel Market. In Spain, it is typical to have a large lunch and then just have what they call “tapas” for dinner. Tapas can be anything from ham to crab cakes with a drink of some sort. The San Miguel Market consists of small bar-style shops; all you do is make your way to the front and order what you like. We went around 6 pm and it was already full, and seating is limited. But we highly recommend the experience. They also have many yummy dessert booths.

Chocolateria San Gines

We heard this place had the best chocolate con churros in Spain, so we had to check it out! Just a few minutes walk from Puerta del Sol – is the two-floor cafe (there is an option to pick up as well around the corner).  It is open 24/7 do not worry, you will have the opportunity to eat! The line to have a seat was out the door, but it went by quickly. There are many other items you can order from the menu – such as coffees and other desserts, but of course, their #1 is the chocolate con churros. After you order, you give your number to the waiter and then find your seat. Sam and I were about to share a plate (just €4 ) it was more than enough. 

Day 2

*Day Trip to Segovia*

One of the most beautiful cities in Spain is Segovia – just 30 minutes by train from Madrid. We got up bright and early to take a train that left at 7:30 am. Sam saw the beautiful Spanish landscape as the sun rose, and I slept. When we got there the city was just beginning to wake up. We stopped at a cafe to grab some chocolate and churros before heading to the Roman Aqueduct. This was the most stunning structure I have seen! It is a free-standing structure, which is amazing to think it has been standing since the second half of the first century.

We also passed the Segovia Cathedral, it was just a beautiful building. We were disappointed it wasn’t opened at the time. 

Our absolute favorite was the Alcazar de Segovia – a Disney castle! This was apparently the inspiration for the Cinderella Castle at Disney.

Plaza de Toros

Back in Madrid, and a quick metro ride over from the Chamartin train station is the Plaza De Toros. The architecture of the building is stunning! There are not as many bullfights in Spain as there used to be, and in many places, they are outlawed, but they do have a few featured in the Plaza De Toros.

Visiting Tips:

We were able to tour the Plaza during the day, and there was no one there! We bought the tickets (€14,90) out front and headed straight into the stadium. There are audio guides available. I am not a huge fan of audio guides, but I recommend getting this one, they give some very cool history facts as well as fascinating bullfighting stories! The audio guide led us first to the top of the stadium, where we were about to walk out onto the seating area and get a full panoramic view of the Plaza. The tour also led us down right onto the stadium platform! It was amazing to stand where the brave Matadors face the bull.

Puerta del Sol

What better way to spend an evening in Madrid than to walk the Puerta Del Sol? We think this is where all of Madrid come to hang out for the evening. Lol But really, there were so many people in the evening, but it was fun to experience the Plaza! Don’t forget to snatch a picture of the El Oso y El Madroño – the symbol of Madrid. And Km 0 –  the starting point for measuring the distances of the roads in Spain.

Day 3

*Day Trip to Avila*

Another great city to explore outside of Madrid is Avila. It is just under an hour and a half from Madrid. When we visited, it was very quiet and filled with just locals. We were visiting the Walls of Avila – just a short walk from the local train station. We put in the Cathedral on google maps, the entrance for the Walls is right next to it. To walk on top of the walls is €5 per person. You can’t go all around the city, but the views are just wonderful!

Royal Palace of Madrid

We highly recommend going to the Royal Palace. Yes, it is touristy; but we were just blown away by the beauty of the castle! We bought tickets in advance and we were so glad we did! (when we came out of the Royal Palace, the line was wrapped around the cathedral!) The ticket is for the grounds outside the Palace (inside the gate) and for the main rooms. You can take as many photos as you like outside, but once you are inside it get restricted. (such a bummer, these rooms are beautiful!). There are lockers available as well for 1euro (you get it back at the end). They don’t allow large photography equipment, so we had to leave our go pro handle.

Plaza Mayor

If you are looking for a nice plaza to spend the evening, Plaza Mayor is perfect! Plaza Mayor is much bigger than Puerta del Sol and also less crowded when we went. They have some amazing outside restaurants too! 

Temple de Debod

On our last night in Madrid, we decided to spend the evening in one of the most famous spots to watch the sunset – Parque del Oeste. It is just a short walk from the Royal Palace Gardens, but there is a steep hill to climb. At the top, there is the Temple De Debod – an ancient Egyptian temple reconstructed in Madrid. It was amazing to see, but we were a little disappointed as it was under construction. I would love to go back and see it in full form! We couldn’t think of a better way to spend the evening.

THINGS TO KNOW:

• The native language is Spanish. We recommend you learn a few key phrases; especially ones to do with food. It was easy to get around the city and explore, but we found it difficult to communicate at restaurants.

• The currency in Spain is the euro.

• The time in Spain is GMT+1 (about 5 hours ahead of EST). We were extremely jetlagged after our 8-hour flight from D.C.  We got in Sunday morning and had to force ourselves to stay awake the whole day. The excitement of a new city helped.

Weather:

• I was very skeptical of what the weather might be in early October. I am always cold no matter where I am, but we could not have picked a better time to go! It was a little cool in the mornings, but once the sun came up it was a gorgeous 70 degrees Fahrenheit (around 21 degrees Celsius).

Crowds:

• Because we got up early every morning, we beat the crowds to most places. We were the first ones to the castle in Segovia and were at the Walls of Avila before they opened. Yes, it was rough getting up in the mornings, but totally worth the (most of the time) people-less pictures! The only place we experienced the most tourists was when we visited the Royal Palace. (We bought tickets in advance, so we beat the rush).

• Transportation in Madrid is awesome! There are taxis and bus routes available; as well as trains. We used the metro system everywhere we went, and it was so easy! I had downloaded the Madrid Metro app and was able to enter what routes I wanted, and it showed me exactly where I needed to go and how many stops it would take to get there.

Spain was a whirlwind trip, it was amazing to see such a beautiful country and experience a new culture! We hope to be back to explore more of Spain soon!

If you enjoyed this blog, please comment below! Also, if you have anything specific you would like to know about Spain, you can email us! We would love to hear from you!