A Guide To Deciding How Many Days To Spend In Madrid
Caleb and I have visited this Spanish Capital SO MANY times and stayed in multiple neighborhoods around the city, so we know a thing or two about planning the perfect trip to Madrid!
A heads up though: the answer to “how many do you need in Madrid” doesn’t have a straight answer. It really depends on a lot of factors like if you want more museums or to eat more food, all of which we will cover in this post!
Ideally, you will spend 2-4 days in Madrid but this post will help you plan how much you can realistically see depending on how many days you have and make the most of your time!
Culture Craving Couple contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these Amazon links, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting us! You can see our disclosure policy.
Let’s get into it starting with a video of the highlights you could see:
Choosing Your time frame: at least 2 days.
So, how many days in Madrid is enough? You could see a couple of main highlights in one day but you would be doing yourself a big disservice! You really should spend a few days to make the most of your time in the city! Generally, the ideal number of days to spend in Madrid is 2-4 days.
However, this can vary based on your travel style and general interests which is why I’ve laid out our travel guide below with some general things to do for different numbers of days.
1 Day in Madrid:
Well, we would prefer you not only spend 1 day in our favorite city, we would rather you spend only one day than zero days! With only one day on the island, you’re going to have to pick some that are more important to you in terms of what to see.
If you are more of a museum buff, you could visit the “Golden Triangle of Art” and pick one or two out of the 3 famous Museums that make it up – the Prado Museum, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza. You may be able to squeeze in lunch at the Mercado San Miguel and then you’ll have time to get some dinner and a glass of Spanish wine to drink in the evening, since Spanish people eat dinner very late anyway!
If the Spanish life is more of what you’re after, you could spend some time checking out the Royal Palace and Cathedral in the morning, lunch in the bustling Plaza Major followed by a relaxing afternoon in El Retiro. Cap off your night with a food tour because we LOVED the one we did so much that we’ve done it twice!! Warning: it goes late into the evening and the vermouth and wine flows so it might not be best if you have an early morning flight the next day!
INSIDER TIP:
If you can, make it to the Royal Palace for sunset on a clear do, DO IT. Check out this gorgeous photo we took with no filter!
2 Days in Madrid:
With 2 days in Madrid, you could do both options from day one, meaning you would have time to get some art and Spanish culture in. You could even do a flamenco show at Cafe Ziryab one of the evenings – just skip dinner there, flamenco theatres are not known for their food!
Or, if one of those options doesn’t entice ya, we recommend just strolling through some of the main neighborhoods and streets because there are literally endless beautiful areas to explore. You could shop till you drop down the massive Gran Via and pick up some gifts to bring back from Spain, then head over to the busy Puerto del Sol for a tasty stop at Chocolatería San Ginés, one of the old and most famous places for churros con chocolate in the city!
Don’t forget to check out the trendy Malasaña for vintage wear and great nightlife or La Latina for the best tapas in Madrid! Make sure you leave some time to just chill in a tapas restaurant with a glass of vermouth!
PRO TIP:
Look for the tapas bars where people are standing. This is how the locals do and it’s Caleb and I’s favorite way to experience the true Madrid with our tapas and wine!
3 Days in Madrid:
With 3 days in Madrid, you can really start to explore things at a more leisurely pace. This is perfect if you have a long weekend and really see the most of the city.
With 3 days you have a couple of options – you can do everything mentioned in day one plus the alternate option in day two. This would also give you a little more time to explore the main attractions like the museums, shop, wander the streets, or eat more amazing food and ensure you have time to add an awesome food tour!
You could also remove one of the options from above and devote one day to going on a day trip from Madrid! The closest options are Segovia (45 minutes by train) or Toledo (35 minutes by train.) Both are beautiful but Caleb and I LOVE Cordoba. If you don’t mind 2 hours each way on a train we recommend it! The white-washed walls of the Jewish Quarter feel like you’re on a Greek island! It’s beautiful and so romantic! Make sure you grab your couples road trip questions so you can kill some of that train time!
4 Days in Madrid:
4 days in Madrid is where things start to get pretty fun. On your 4-day Madrid itinerary you’ll have time to do all the above things at a more leisurely pace and guarantee that you get at least one day to explore one additional city on a day trip – possibly even two. If you have 4 days we really recommend your day trip be Cordoba since you don’t need to stress so much about wasting time on a train as you’ve had some good time to spend in Madrid!
You’ll also have more time to try out some of our favorite tapas bars, try the local tapas (which are so delicious!) and see that flamenco show, one of Madrid’s best hidden gems! You might even be able to squeeze something a little more unique in such as a Spanish cooking class – hello romantic!
5 Days in Madrid:
On your 5-day itinerary, you are going to want to ensure you spend at least one day as a day trip because you will have already seen and done a lot in your previous 4 days!
You can use the suggestions in the itineraries above to structure your 5 days and determine if you think you will want to spend 2 days out on day trips and just one day with more time to experience more of the city of Madrid and eat amazing food at tapas bars like Taberna La Concha.
Some Other stuff you should consider
Your time and budget
Well, like all vacations, you have to consider how much time you have available and your budget when planning how long in Madrid. While Madrid is a relatively cheap vacation, especially in relation to some other European countries like Paris or Vienna, it still isn’t free! The longer you stay the more you will spend.
Your arrival and departure time
The recommendations provided are primarily for entire days. Spending a couple of days in Madrid, where you arrive at night and depart in the morning, differs significantly from the opposite scenario.
Where in Madrid you are staying
If you decide to stay in Madrid city center you will be able to see more quickly as you can walk basically everywhere. However, if you opt to save some bucks and stay outside the city center, you will need to factor in longer walks or metro/bus/train rides meaning you may need more days to see more things!
Check out our guide on the best areas to stay in Madrid to choose the best place for you!
How you’re getting around
While Madrid is very walkable, you have to consider transit time getting between these areas if you do take public transit or rideshare, or if you decide that you need a car in Madrid. Keep in mind, that the transit time of a taxi/rideshare/bus is usually longer than it says in your Google Maps app as the traffic in Madrid gets crazy. Sometimes it is faster to walk even if it says it is not!
Time of year
If you’re visiting Madrid in the Spring, Summer, or early, there are also more tourists so you will have to move a little more slowly, so you may want to spend an extra day or two. And, if you visit in the Summer, Madrid gets SUPER HOT, so you may want to move slower and have more days so you can seek some AC between walking in the hot sun!
Your Interests and Travel Style
The overview above helps you to see a little bit of everything. However, if you don’t care about spending a lot of time inside the museums, like us, you may need fewer days.
If you want to spend time exploring the famous museums and experiencing the life and food of Madrid, you may want to err on the side of longer days.
If You Fall Into These Categories…
for first-time visitors
With so many things to do in Madrid, it can be a little overwhelming to know how many days to stay in Madrid if it is your first time visiting.
I would suggest a minimum of 3 full days for first-time visitors as this will allow you to at least do a little bit of everything that the city has to offer, and make sure you eat some of the epic food which is me and Caleb’s favorite part of the city!
For Art Lovers
If you’re art lovers who wants to do all the things and really explore the endless art galleries and museums, the bare minimum for you is to spend is 3 days. However, if you can swing 4-5 (especially if those 4-5 include traveling to and from the city) you will be better off!
For Foodies
Madrid has ENDLESS amazing restaurants to explore. You could probably eat at 10 a day and not even make a dent in them! If you really just care about tasting the food, you need a minimum of 3 days in the city. This will give you a few days to explore the restaurants and include a food tour!
How We Can Help you Next:
How many days doesn’t matter if you don’t have a roof over your head! We can fix that with our ultimate guide on the best areas to stay in the Spanish capital!
So, if you visit Madrid, how many days do you think you will need?
Other Helpful Madrid Posts:
Surprised you recommend Mercado San Miguel – in my opinion, it’s OK to wander through once, but I certainly wouldn’t choose to eat there when there are so many other fab places to go!
We agree – if you read our other posts and detailed itineraries, we recommend other spots and say the same thing – walk but don’t eat. But if someone only had a limited time, like one day, it can be a good options as there really isn’t enough time to get “off the beaten path”