Madrid in 4 Days: everything you need to know
Do you have four days to visit Madrid? Get ready to visit the best museums, monuments and the most beautiful parks and gardens in the city.
Alcalá Gate | ©Jose Ramirez
Although there is a lot to see and do in Madrid, four days is enough time to get to know the most important parts of the city and a little bit more. The secret is the right organization, so I share with you my ideal itinerary for four full days in the Spanish capital.
Day 1: Tour Madrid's most important squares and palaces
The first day of your four-day tour of Madrid will be dedicated to visiting some of the most important squares and palaces in the heart of the city.
Puerta del Sol and the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree
In the center of Madrid is located one of the most important squares of the city, one of the favorite places for locals and a must-see for tourists, the Puerta del Sol. Besides being a large square, it is surrounded by important buildings with historical architecture.
Here are also two super important points that every tourist should know: the kilometer zero of Madrid, which serves as the origin of the radial roads of the urban fabric, and the statue of the Bear and the Modroño, placed in 1967. A photograph next to the statue is a must on any visit to this city.
Plaza Mayor and San Miguel Market
From Puerta del Sol walking down Calle Mayor, the Plaza and Mercado de San Miguel are only 5 minutes away.
The Plaza Mayor is a beautiful meeting place surrounded by Gothic style buildings. If you visit Madrid at Christmas, there is a fantastic Christmas market here that you should not miss.
The Mercado de San Miguel is located directly on the Plaza Mayor, it is a fantastic iron and glass structure where you will find an enviable gastronomic offer.
My recommendation? Take an early lunch break here, enjoy the views of the Plaza Mayor and then relax with a coffee.
Almudena Cathedral
The city's most important religious building is located just a 6-minute walk from the Mercado de San Miguel. After lunch on the afternoon of your first day is the best time to visit the temple and the museum inside.
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Hours: From 09h to 20:30 from Monday to Sunday. If you want to visit the museum area and the dome the schedule is from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 2:30 pm.
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Entrance fee: Free to visit the cathedral; about 6€ to go up to the museum area and the dome with a fantastic viewpoint.
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Duration of the visit: 1 hour is usually enough, 1.30 hours if you want to go up to the dome to take pictures.
Take a tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid
What was once the home of Spanish royalty is now one of the city's most important cultural and historical centers. If you want to know why it appears on the list of must-see places in Madrid, spend the rest of the afternoon of your first day touring the facilities.
The best way to visit the Royal Palace and take advantage to see everything important is undoubtedly to hire a guided tour.
Practical information
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Hours: Between the months of October and March the palace from 10 am to 18; April to September from 10 am to 20.
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Admission fee: Admission without a guide to the palace costs a minimum of €11 for an adult ticket.
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Duration of the visit: You need about 2 hours to see the most important areas.
Sabatini Gardens at sunset
Sabatini is the name of the gardens of the Royal Palace and are located on the north side of the structure. Designed in the purest Neoclassical Garden style, this green lung is one of the best places to watch the sunset in Madrid.
After touring the site and the imposing fountains and sculptures, you can take beautiful photos of the Palace at sunset.
In the evening take a gastronomic tapas tour in the center of Madrid.
One of my favorite things to do in Madrid after sunset is a wine and tapas tour of the city; as you will soon realize there are plenty of options to suit different styles of travelers.
Day 2: Visit the Prado Museum and Retiro Park
The second day of your tour of Madrid is dedicated to the Paseo del Prado area with its museums, gardens and numerous monuments in the surrounding area.
Cibeles Square and Palace at dawn
Start the morning of your second day in Madrid watching the sunrise in one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. The Palacio de Cibeles currently houses the city's town hall and is one of the most loved and cared for buildings by the locals.
It is worth a trip inside to climb up to its terraceviewpoint from which you can see the square in its entirety and the beginning of the Gran Via.
Fountain of Neptune
Leaving Plaza de Cibeles behind, take the beautiful Paseo del Prado avenue to head to the next important photographic point in the city of Madrid: the Neptune Fountain, located in the famous Plaza de Canovas.
Here you will find a fantastic neoclassical monument with a marble carving of the famous Roman god. The square, in turn, is surrounded by beautiful architecture whose origin dates back to the 18th century.
Visit the Prado Museum
Follow your route along the Paseo del Prado avenue to reach the most important museum in the city. Famous throughout the world for housing one of the most impressive collections of paintings from the period from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.
Due to the size of the space, the best way to visit the Prado Museum is with a guided tour, which takes us through the most important works. If you want to buy a souvenir, the Prado Shop has some really attractive curiosities for art lovers.
Practical Information
- Hours: From 10 am to 8 pm from Monday to Saturday; Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm.
- Admission fee: Approximately 15€ for an adult ticket.
- Duration of the visit: You will need about 3 hours to visit the most important rooms and works of the museum.
Lunch in the surroundings: The gastronomic offer of this area is really varied; after your visit to the museum I recommend taking a break to eat in some of the restaurants near the Prado Museum.
Spend the afternoon in the Retiro Park.
After spending a few hours inside the museum, the best plan to clear your mind and breathe some fresh air is to take a stroll through the most beautiful and famous park in the city: the Retiro Park.
With a land area covering 118 hectares, the park is not only beautiful but also immense, so my advice is to focus on the most interesting areas:
- Visit the Palacio del Cristal: In its beginnings it was used as a greenhouse, however currently this fantastic structure is used in the exhibition of temporary exhibitions of the Prado Museum.
- Visit the Paseo de las Estatuas: In a beautiful walk through the greenery of the Retiro you can explore the statues representing important Spanish monarchs.
- Take sunset pictures at the Retiro Lake: The beautiful artificial lake of the Retiro Park is considered one of the best places in Madrid to take sunset pictures. You can't miss it!
Practical information
- Opening hours: From October to March the park opens its doors from 06h until 22h; the rest of the year until 00h.
- Entrance fee: Free of charge
- Duration of visit: As long as you want.
In the evening attend a flamenco show
One of the best things to do inMadrid atnight is to attend one of its famous flamenco shows. Live performances of this electrifying traditional Spanish dance can be enjoyed at numerous entertainment centers in the old part of the city, always featuring the talents of local artists.
Practical information
- Price: Between 30€ or 60€ if you choose the show only option or show and dinner included.
- Duration: It can be from 1 to 3 hours depending on the option you choose.
Day 3: Visit Gran Vía and the Debod Temple
Spend your third day shopping in the center of Madrid and visit the most exclusive areas of the city.
Make a stop at Plaza Callao
The best way to start a morning of sightseeing in the northwest of Madrid is undoubtedly the Plaza del Callao. Considered a symbol of Madrid, is the equivalent in Madrid to the famous Time Square in New York.
At this point converge three important streets of the city: Preciados, Calle del Carmen and Gran Via. Take the opportunity to snap a few iconic photos before continuing your exploration.
Coffee morning and shopping on Gran Via
No tour of Madrid would be complete without a visit to the city's most important and famous boulevard and shopping street. Whether you're into fashion, gastronomy, history or architecture, there's a little something for everyone on Gran Via. Here is a sample of what you can find in your exploration.
- Cafés on Gran Vía: Faborit San Bernardo, Celicioso Hortaleza,Granier, Prioritè Art Coffee Shop, Noma
- Fashion store on Gran Vía: New Balance,Stradivarius, ZARA, Salsa Jeans, Grassy España
- Famous buildings on Madrid's Gran Vía: Edificio Metrópolis
and the Carrión Building
In the afternoon, visit the Plaza de España and the Cervantes Monument
If you walk along the Gran Via to the end you will find the Plaza de España and the famous Monument to Miguel Cervantes, where he is accompanied by his two mythical characters: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
Around the Plaza de España you will find some important buildings, such as the Asturian Mining Company, the Spain Building and the Madrid Tower.
Go to the Debod Temple at sunset
From the center of the Plaza de España to the Debod Temple is only a 10 minute walk, so my recommendation is that you explore this important jewel of Madrid and wait for the sunset strolling through its gardens.
The structure that makes up the monument is over 2000 years old and was a gift brought to Spain from Egypt as a gift from that nation. Needless to say that the historical peculiarity and aesthetics make it a monument totally out of the ordinary in the set of structures that make up the landscape of Madrid.
Practical information
- Hours: Closed on Mondays; Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
- Entrance fee: Free.
At night climb to the roof of the Círculo de Bellas Artes
From the Templo Debod take the Madrid bus that runs along the Gran Via to reach the Círculo de Bellas Artes in a journey that will take about 20 minutes.
This important Madrid building built in 1920 has clear influences of neoclassical architecture; however the best part is its panoramic terrace that will offer you fabulous views of Gran Via, Plaza de Cibeles and the entire historic center of Madrid.
Practical information
- Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 12:00h to 01:00h; Fridays and Saturdays 10:00h to 02:00h and Sundays 10:00h to 01:00h.
- Entrance fee: 5€ approximately.
Day 4: The Puerta de Alcalá and the Reina Sofía Museum
The fourth day is to see the rest of Madrid's monuments and iconic sites, as well as the city's second most important art museum.
Start at Puerta de Alcalá
The last day of your tour of Madrid begins at one of the city's most iconic monuments. Go early in the morning to take the obligatory photos of the Puerta de Alcalá before continuing with your day's route.
Visit the Botanical Garden of Madrid
From Alcalá take the Paseo del Prado avenue to reach the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid in a journey that will take approximately 15 minutes.
The Garden is especially beautiful and pleasant if you visit the city in summer or autumn. As of today it houses approximately 5000 different species of plants and trees and four beautiful terraces where you can sit and relax.
Practical Information
- Opening hours: The opening hours of the Botanical Garden are divided according to the season. It always opens at 10 am; from November to February it closes at 6 pm; from May to August it closes at 9 pm; from March to October it closes at 7 pm and from April to September it closes at 8 pm.
- Admission fee: 6€ for adult ticket.
- Duration of the visit: As long as you think it's worthwhile.
Get to know the iconic Atocha Station
10 minutes away from the Botanico de Madrid is the Atocha Station, one of the most beautiful train stations you will find in a city, thanks to its dazzling tropical garden perfectly maintained and in which it is possible to count more than 500 plant species.
Once you've toured the station, you can take a lunch break at any of the restaurants located in the vicinity of the Prado Museum.
Take a tour of the Reina Sofia Museum
The second most important museum in the city is the Reina Sofia Museum. If you like art, especially of recent times, spend a few hours of your afternoon exploring this important historical monument and the works on display here. The collection mainly comprises works by Spanish artists such as Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.
Possibly the best way to get to know the museum is by hiring a guided tour that will take you through the most important works in the museum.
At the end of your visit, don't forget to visit the beautiful Reina Sofia Museum store to take home a few souvenirs.
Practical information
- Hours: From 10 am to 6 pm or 9 pm depending on the time of year; in summer there are usually extended hours.
- Admission fee: 10 € approximately the adult ticket.
- Duration of the visit: Spend 2 to 3 hours to see the works of the museum.
Segway or Bike Tour at sunset
Say goodbye to Madrid in the most fun and peculiar way you can imagine: taking a bike or segway tour at the end of the day.
Being one of the best excursions that can be done in the city, they are very popular among tourists and a last chance to see and get to know the monuments or spaces that, for one reason or another, you could not see in your four-day tour of Madrid.
Practical Information
- Price: From 26€.
- Duration: Depending on the itinerary and company you hire minimum one hour and maximum three hours.
Note that this activity plan does not include the day of arrival in the city nor the day of departure, if you want to know a little shorter itineraries I recommend you take a look at the following guides: