Things to do in Madrid: palace, Prado and Retiro

2Museo del Prado

The Prado grew out of the Spanish royal collections, and it shows in what the kings liked: Velázquez, their court painter, is here in depth, from Las Meninas to his portraits of dwarfs and jesters. Goya runs from bright tapestry designs to the Black Paintings he made on the walls of his own house late in life. Add El Greco, Titian, Rubens and Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, and the museum could fill several days. With one visit, pick two or three painters and use the free map to find them.

Time

2 to 3 h

Setting

Indoor

Best time

Weekday mornings; the free evening hours bring long queues

Getting there

Metro L2 to Banco de España or L1 to Estación del Arte

Tip: Across the road, the Thyssen-Bornemisza fills the gaps in the Prado's collection, from early Italian painting to the Impressionists and American art. On Mondays it opens only from 12 pm to 4 pm, when the permanent collection is free and needs no ticket; on Saturdays it stays open until 11 pm, with the temporary exhibitions free from 9 pm. Tickets otherwise cost €14. A few minutes south, the Reina Sofía is the home of Picasso's Guernica and of Spanish art of the 20th century. Adults pay €12. It opens at 10 am and closes at 9 pm on Mondays and from Wednesday to Saturday, with free entry from 7 pm; on Sundays it closes at 2.30 pm, free from 12.30 pm. Even a free visit needs a ticket, and the museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Adults €15. Monday to Saturday 10 am–8 pm, Sundays and public holidays until 7 pm. Free for everyone Monday to Saturday from 6 pm and on Sundays and public holidays from 5 pm. Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

3Almudena Cathedral

Madrid became a diocese only in 1885, so its cathedral is young: the foundation stone was laid in 1883 and the building was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. The original Gothic Revival design was dropped halfway, and the outside was finished in a sober classical style to match the palace opposite. Inside, the brightly painted ceilings and modern stained glass come as a surprise. The museum shows the figures of the city's patron saints, the Virgin of La Almudena and Saint Isidore.

Time

30 to 45 min

Setting

Indoor

Best time

Straight after the Royal Palace

Getting there

Metro L2 or L5 to Ópera

Tip: Visits pause during services, so plan to look inside outside Mass times. The crypt beneath the cathedral, with its entrance on Calle Mayor, is a separate church and keeps its own hours.

Cathedral free, with a requested donation of €1; open 10 am–8.30 pm, in July and August until 9 pm. Museum €7, Monday to Saturday 10 am–2.30 pm.

4Plaza Mayor

An enclosed rectangle of red-brick arcades with a bronze Philip III on horseback in the middle, completed in the 17th century as the stage for markets, bullfights, coronations and the trials of the Inquisition. The building with the painted façade on the north side is the Casa de la Panadería, once the bakers' guild. Nine gateways lead in; the Arco de Cuchilleros in the south-west corner drops steeply down a flight of steps to Cava de San Miguel. In December the square fills with the stalls of the Christmas market.

Time

30 min to 1 h

Setting

Outdoor

Best time

Early morning, when it is almost empty, or for a drink at dusk

Getting there

Five minutes on foot from Sol or Ópera

Tip: The cafés under the arcades charge for the setting. For lunch, the covered Mercado de San Miguel a few steps west is livelier, and the bars of La Latina are cheaper still. The Madrid tourist board page covers the history of the square.

5Puerta del Sol

The half-moon square at the centre of Madrid. In the pavement in front of the Real Casa de Correos, now the seat of the regional government, a plaque marks Kilometre Zero, from which Spain's national roads are measured. The clock on its tower is the one the whole country watches on New Year's Eve, eating one grape for each stroke of midnight. On the corner of Calle del Carmen stands the city's emblem, a bear reaching up into a strawberry tree.

Time

15 to 30 min

Setting

Outdoor

Best time

Any time; it is a meeting point more than a sight

Getting there

Metro L1, L2 or L3 or Cercanías to Sol

Tip: Sol is one of the most crowded spots in the city, so keep an eye on your bag. The tourist board page describes the buildings around the square.

6Plaza de Cibeles and the city hall tower

In the middle of the great roundabout where Calle de Alcalá meets the Paseo del Prado, the goddess Cybele rides a chariot pulled by two lions, and Real Madrid fans gather around her to celebrate their titles. The white wedding-cake building behind her was the central post office; today it is the Palacio de Cibeles, home to the city hall and to CentroCentro, a cultural centre with exhibitions. The Mirador Madrid viewing terrace at the top of its tower looks along Calle de Alcalá to the Puerta de Alcalá and down Gran Vía.

Time

30 min to 1 h

Setting

Both

Best time

Late afternoon, when the Mirador reopens and the light softens

Getting there

Metro L2 to Banco de España

Tip: Book the Mirador online for a set time, or buy the ticket at the desk when you arrive and come back for your slot. Details on the CentroCentro page.

Mirador Madrid €4, slightly more when booked online; Tuesday to Sunday 10.30 am–2 pm and 4 pm–7.30 pm. Exhibitions Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–8 pm. Closed on Mondays.

7Gran Vía

Madrid's main street was driven through a tangle of old lanes in the early 20th century and lined with the most modern buildings of the day: banks, department stores, cinemas and the Telefónica tower, for years the tallest building in the city. It starts at the domed Metrópolis building by Calle de Alcalá and runs to Plaza de España, past theatres that stage the big musicals. The street is busy at almost any hour.

Time

45 min to 1 h 30 min

Setting

Outdoor

Best time

Early evening, when the shops are open and the lights come on

Getting there

Metro L1 or L5 to Gran Vía, L3 or L5 to Callao, L3 or L10 to Plaza de España

Tip: Look up rather than into the shop windows: the best of Gran Vía is above the ground floor. Several hotels and the Círculo de Bellas Artes, just off the eastern end, have rooftop terraces that are open to the public. The tourist board page traces the history of the street.

8Retiro park

Laid out as the garden of a royal palace in the 17th century and opened to everyone in the 19th, the Retiro is where Madrid goes on a Sunday. At its heart is the great pond, the Estanque, with rowing boats and a colonnaded monument to Alfonso XII. Paths lead past the rose garden, at its best in May and June, and the statue of the Fallen Angel to two exhibition halls that belong to the Reina Sofía. The Palacio de Velázquez shows free exhibitions. The iron-and-glass Palacio de Cristal is closed for architectural work, and an art installation now covers it. The park opens at 6 am and closes at 10 pm from October to March, at midnight from April to September.

Time

1 h 30 min to 3 h

Setting

Outdoor

Best time

Morning or late afternoon; in summer the shade is welcome at midday too

Getting there

Metro L2 to Retiro, or a walk from the Prado

Tip: The Palacio de Velázquez is open from 10 am until 9 pm from April to September and until 6 pm from October to March, but it closes while exhibitions are being installed, so check the Reina Sofía visit page first. Entry to the park itself is free; the tourist board page has a map of the gardens.

9Temple of Debod

An Egyptian temple from the 2nd century BC, moved to Madrid stone by stone. When the Aswan High Dam was about to flood Nubia in the 1960s, Spain helped to save its monuments, and Egypt gave the country this temple in return. It now stands on a hill in the Parque del Cuartel de la Montaña, mirrored in a shallow pool, where the old Montaña barracks once stood. Inside are reliefs dedicated to Amun and Isis.

Time

20 to 40 min

Setting

Outdoor

Best time

At sunset, though the park is also busy then

Getting there

Metro L3 to Ventura Rodríguez or L3 or L10 to Plaza de España

Tip: The terrace behind the temple looks west over the Casa de Campo to the mountains, which makes it one of the best places in the city for watching the sun go down. The interior is small and fills quickly, so if you want to go in, come earlier in the day. Opening times are on the tourist board page.

Free entry. Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–8 pm, from 15 June to 15 September 10 am–7 pm; closed on Mondays. Only a small number of visitors are let in at a time, for a short visit.