13 Things to Do in Madrid in the summer

I'm not going to fool you: Summer in Madrid can be very hard because of the high temperatures. But don't let that stop you from enjoying yourself, because luckily the city offers its visitors a wide variety of options to combat the heat without giving up enjoying its virtues.

The summer season is time for terraces with spectacular views, to spend a nice day in the parks and green spaces, to enjoy some exclusive parties of these months and to seek refuge in its museums and theaters. Here are the best plans to spend the summer in the Spanish capital.

The central Retiro Park is the lung of Madrid and one of the best places to visit in summer. In this vast park we have many options of activities that are ideal for the summer. Starting with sports facilities, the possibility of cycling through it under the shade of the trees or simply strolling through the most wooded areas and stopping to hydrate in its fountains.

Other more relaxed possibilities are a refreshing boat ride on the Retiro Lake or having an ice cream or a good meal in the many terraces in the park. Here are some options that you can book before your trip to take everything well tied:

• Tour of the Retiro and the viewpoint of the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, from $30 A tour of about two and a half hours in which you will discover all the corners of the park and enter the terrace of the Cibeles Palace.
• Segway tour of the Retiro de Madrid, from ** $32** €: In just one hour and by segway, you will be able to know in detail this wonderful park and its most complete history.
• Tour of mysteries and legends in the Retiro de Madrid, from ** $14** €: A two-hour tour in which you will visit the famous Crystal Palace, the statue of King Alfonso XII, the Royal Astronomical Observatory or the Great Pond.

As you can see, the possibilities offered by this park to combat the heat are very appealing and varied. In addition, its location makes it a perfect plan for when you finish enjoying your tickets at the Prado Museum.

There are few better places to beat the heat than water parks, especially if you are traveling with your family. On the outskirts of the city there are two of them perfect for a fun and refreshing day, especially if you are traveling with children to Madrid.

• The Warner Park in Madrid, which has more than 30 themed attractions, including roller coasters and the fifth highest drop tower in the world. It also has an aquapark area.
• The Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, with water rapids, elevated trains and roller coasters, among many other attractions.
• The Madrid Zoo Aquarium, where you can admire more than 300 species of animals and 100 species of plants in their natural habitats.
• The Atlantis Aquarium, where you can explore numerous marine species and will be offered information on more than 10,000 different marine creatures.
• The Aquopolis, located in Villanueva de la Cañada, which has extensive facilities and all kinds of services and aquatic attractions.

When all else fails and the heat becomes unbearable there is always a safe option: visit the museums of Madrid. In the capital of Spain there are more than 50 museums of varied themes and for all tastes. Here is a very varied list:

• Prado Museum in Madrid.
• National Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid.
• Museum of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.
• Las Ventas Museum in Madrid.
• Sweet Space Museum in Madrid.
• Museum of Illusions in Madrid.
• Wax Museum of Madrid.

You can also book a pass for the Paseo del Arte, which includes tickets for the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen, known as the art triangle.

The list of options is very extensive and to save you the work of making a selection, I leave you this link where you can find out which are the best in Madrid and what you can see in each of them. What better way to escape the heat than doing it in the cool of a museum admiring works of art!

The Madrid Rio area was built around the Manzanares River and is a large expanse of pedestrianized green areas perfect for viewing Madrid from the banks of the Manzanares, strolling, playing sports or booking a segway tour of Madrid Rio.

In this area there are several fountains with jets in which it is allowed to bathe surrounded by green meadows with shaded areas. This area is known as the "beach" of Madrid, since in summer many locals and tourists flock to it to relieve the heat. A perfect activity to do with the family.

A must for your trip to Madrid in summer is to book a day trip to the Sierra de Guadarrama, where you will discover the spectacular landscapes of La Pedriza and the mountain passes of Navacerrada and Morcuera.

The tour, which lasts approximately 10 hours, includes round-trip transportation and the accompaniment of a professional guide to this wonderful place that is located just 40 minutes from Madrid and where you will learn about the archaeological richness, as well as the local flora and fauna.

And before returning to Madrid, you will visit the Castillo Manzanares El Real or Castillo de los Mendoza, a medieval construction of the fifteenth century that will not leave you indifferent.

And if your stay in Madrid is longer than a week, do not hesitate to book an excursion to Toledo and Andalusia, where you will have the opportunity to discover in depth some emblematic places such as the Church of Santo Tome, the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca, the Plaza de España, the Maria Luisa Park, the Plaza de Toros, the Alhambra in Granada or the Mosque of Cordoba.

This trip from Madrid, which has a minimum duration of four days, includes round-trip transportation and accommodation, as well as the accompaniment of a professional guide who will go with you during this adventure through the cities of Toledo, Cordoba, Seville and Granada, and will dazzle you with many interesting facts about the culture and history of these cities and their rich heritage.

Another proposal for your summer vacations in Madrid is to book an excursion to the Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen, two symbolic places that stand out for their large size and the history they hide.

• The Valley of the Fallen was built by Republican political prisoners in Franco's regime to commemorate the fallen of the national side during the Spanish Civil War. During the visit you can see the abbey, the subway Catholic basilica and its famous 150-meter high cross.
• The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. Built by order of King Philip II to commemorate the victory over the French in the Battle of San Quentin, it is currently run by the Order of St. Augustine. It has an area of 33,327 square meters and houses an important collection of paintings, sculptures and artistic works.

The excursion, which lasts five hours, includes round trip bus transfer, entrance tickets to both the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen and, of course, the accompaniment of an expert guide who will bring you up to date on all the history, architecture, anecdotes and controversies of these two monuments.

August is a month of festivals and three of the capital's neighborhoods celebrate theirs in August. These neighborhoods are San Cayetano in the area of Rastro and Embajadores, San Lorenzo in Lavapiés and La Paloma in the area of La Latina.

The three are contiguous and celebrate their verbenas at the same time. These festivals are usually held the second week or in mid-August and the streets are set up with concerts, food stalls and various activities typical of a verbena, ideal for getting to know the essence of Madrid. I recommend that you previously book a guided bike tour of Madrid to get an overview of these neighborhoods.

If museums aren't your thing, maybe you'd rather escape the heat by seeing a play or a musical. In that case, Madrid's Gran Vía is the ideal place. It is known as the Spanish Broadway thanks to its numerous theaters that host all kinds of plays and musicals.

Perhaps the best known of them all is the musical of the Lion King, which is performed at the Teatro Lope de Vega. All along the Gran Vía and in the surrounding streets you will find many more theaters with alternatives for all tastes including flamenco shows, very popular in Spain. Not a bad plan if you are looking to escape the summer heat!

Madrid is a city full of bars and restaurants with their respective terraces. Among the thousands of terraces throughout the city, some stand out for their privileged location, making them a popular destination especially to beat the heat in them with a snack.

The best of the city of Madrid for its views are the Círculo de Bellas Artesin Alcalá street, the Palacio de Cibeles very close to the latter, and the Terraza del Hotel Riu in Plaza España. There are many more in hotels and bars, but perhaps these three are the most famous in the capital.

I recommend you also visit them when the sun goes down, with a milder temperature, perfect for them to become one of the best things to do in Madrid at night.

Going to the movies is, in general, one of the favorite activities of people to combat the summer heat. That is why summer cinemas are a tradition and in Madrid during the months of July, August and September open special summer screenings in various places in the capital, including some museums.

A different alternative is the drive-in Madrid. An open-air screening that you can enjoy from your car while listening to the movie from the car radio, eating popcorn and, if the heat gets too hot, just turn on the air conditioning.

In Madrid there is one of the largest drive-in movie theaters in Europe located at the end of Paseo de la Castellana. An ideal plan for a summer of cinema.

At the end of June and beginning of July, with the first steps of summer, the LGBT Pride festivities are celebrated in Madrid. Madrid is known for its tolerant atmosphere and in neighborhoods like Chueca, its central axis, the festive atmosphere is unique.

For two weeks the city celebrates events, talks, parades and endless activities with tolerance as a common thread. Pride festivities are one of the main festive attractions in Madrid at the beginning of the summer.

The Casa de Campo is a large urban park with more than 1500 hectares of extension in which there is a great biodiversity. This park grows around a large lake which, together with the shadows provided by the trees, offers a much milder climate in summer than in the city center.

In the park you will also find Madrid's amusement park, the zoo, the cable car and several restaurants on the shores of the lake. There is also a large public swimming pool that is a favorite of the locals in summer. There is no shortage of options for a good day out in Casa de Campo.

The summer of Madrid and the southern part of Spain is quite hard. The days are very sunny and warm and temperatures reach high maximums.

At the beginning of the summer in June the highs are already close to 30 degrees and in July and August rise to reach 35 degrees and even on some days exceed these temperatures. The minimum nighttime lows are around 20 degrees Celsius, although they are not usually exceeded.

Do not expect many cloudy days or rain, although you may be surprised by a summer storm, although it is not usual. August is the hottest month of the year and the wind chill can exceed 40 degrees. If you still want to visit Madrid in summer do not forget to hydrate well and protect yourself in the shade.

The summer months belong to the high season of tourism in Madrid but that can not stop you from enjoying the things to see and do in Madrid. At this time, although the locals tend to leave and domestic tourism is much lower, foreign visitors continue to arrive en masse to visit the city. Hotel occupancy is close to full and demand is high.

Despite the high temperatures it is common to find queues at major tourist sites such as the Prado Museum or the Royal Palace. Since Madrid is also a gastronomic destination, restaurants and terraces are also usually full.

As in all tourist capitals, the high season of tourism and its high demand causes a rise in prices especially in accommodation. However, in Madrid this rise is moderate because the high temperatures do not invite long stays in the city.

The advantage is that many of the museums and monuments have special rates at this time of year.

The heat will be the main conditioning factor when preparing our luggage to visit Madrid in summer. The essentials that you should put in your suitcase are:

• Cool clothes mainly in light colors.
• Cool but comfortable shoes for long walks.
• Sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and all the necessary accessories to combat the heat.
• It is essential to always carry a bottle of water to hydrate ourselves during our travels.
• Swimming suit and towel in case we decide to visit a water park, a municipal swimming pool or areas such as Madrid Rio.