Madrid is an open-minded city where culture and entertainment share a thriving space. Thanks to its modern and cosmopolitan flare and to the friendly and passionate character of madrileños, the Spanish capital makes everyone feel right at home while providing them with some of the world’s most interesting tourist attractions.
Over eighty museums and more than two thousand monuments -both historical and artistic-, contribute to the city’s richness, a cultural heritage without which it would be impossible to understand European and world history.
Madrid’s cultural legacy offers visitors an incomparable tour: El Paseo del Arte, an Art Walk which includes the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía National Museum and Art Centre, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and, more recently, CaixaForum. It is a unique survey through painting, sculpture, architecture and nature.
Madrid is one of the world’s liveliest, most entertaining and vibrant cities during the day, but even more so at night. The Spanish capital does not only offer art, shopping, nightlife and excellent gastronomy but it also presents both visitors and locals with all imaginable options for leisure.
Best hotel deals
in Madrid
9.1
Pestana Plaza Mayor ★★★★
The Plaza Mayor is 10 m away
This hotel has an excellent location score of 9.8
9.1
Catalonia Puerta del Sol ★★★★
The Puerta del Sol is 10 m away
Set in a magnificent 18th-century building
9.2
Madrid
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Tours & Activities
in Madrid
Top things to do
in Madrid
Visit the Prado Museum
The Prado Museum is one of the most prestigious art museums in the world. Alongside Velázquez's Las Meninas and Goya's The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid: The Executions on Principe Pío Hill, the galleries are packed with masterpieces from the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools.
Storing over 8,000 artworks, the Prado Museum offers an expansive survey of Western painting, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
The Reina Sofia National Art Museum
Artworks by Dalí, Miró and Juan Gris hang alongside Picasso's Guernicain a riveting survey of Spanish Art History. The museum aims to promote contemporary art
with its collection, public library and a vast programme of shows, conferences, performances, projections and concerts.
El Retiro Park
El Retiro Park is part of the city´s historical heritage and botanical patrimony inherited from past centuries. Once a recreation area for the Royal Family, it has become a very popular park and is central to the city´s image.
Rastro Flea Market
Madrid´s most traditional items can be bought, sold and enjoyed in the plaza de Cascorro and its surrounding streets.
A mixture of modernity and traditionalism, Madrid's world-renowned flea market sets up for business around the Plaza de Cascorro. Dating back to mediaeval times,
El Rastro is one of the oldest markets in Europe, yet also one of the most modern.
Plaza Mayor
This porticoed square lies at the heart of Hapsburg Madrid, the old part of the city and one of its most charming districts.
Before Madrid became a capital city, with its wide avenues and boulevards, its footprint consisted of narrow streets, alleys and passageways, which today take us back to the times of swashbuckling swordsmen and medieval rogues.
