Madrid, Spain: Mini Guide
Caleb and I LOVE Madrid. We plan to move there one day and have been so many times. It’s a city that has so much energy and there is always something going on!
The people are super nice, the food is AMAZING, the wine and vermouth is incredible, it’s relatively cheap and it’s beautiful! What more could you ask for?
Where To Stay:
There are tons of accommodation options in Madrid! Our favorite neighborhoods to stay in are either La Latina (best for foodies,) Malasana (the hippest district), or Sol (the most central and best to be closest to all the main tourist attractions.)
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Any of those areas are safe bets to stay as you can walk to most places from them (which is the best way to get around Madrid)
Click here to read our guide to getting around Madrid
Or, click here to read our guide on the neighborhoods in Madrid
Below, I’ve linked to some places we’ve stayed and some that are on our “wish list” for the future. They are all in one of the 3 neighborhoods we mentioned above. We usually save money on hotels (since we’re never there!) so we can spend more on food, drinks, experiences etc!
BUDGET:
Hostal Riesco (Sol)
Hostal Abel Victoriano (Malasana)
MID-BUDGET (OUR GO TO):
Hotel Liabeny (Sol)
Diana’s Place AirBnB (Sol)
Posada del León Boutique Hotel (Latina)
LUXURY:
Hotel Regina (Sol)
Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá (Malasana)
What to Do:
There is literally SO MUCH TO DO in Madrid. It’s also right in the very center of Spain which makes it an EXCELLENT city to use as a base to do some other day trips! Below we’ve linked to some of our favorite activities or, in some areas, linked to applicable guides we wrote to help you plan!
- We did this food tour twice it’s so good.
- This tapas cooking class came with TRULY bottomless wine. SO FUN.
- This tour lets you see 3 cities as a day trip (and you don’t have to plan it!)
- Vermouth tasting at Madrid & Daracott
- Drink vermouth at Taberna La Concha
- Go to a secret seafood pop-up tapas party at Mercado De La Cebada
- Do your own tapas crawl down Calle de Cava Baja or Calle Ponzano
- Eat secret cookies baked by cloistered nuns
- Sunrise at Mirador de Catedral
- Sunset at Templo de Debod
- See a Flamenco Show at Cafe Ziryab
- Walk around Retiro Park
- Shop on the Gran Via
Our Madrid Guides:
We know a lot about Madrid and have written tons about it on our blog. Here is a list of all our Madrid Blog posts so that you can get all the help you need planning your trip!
- The best vermouth bars
- How to drink vermouth like a local
- Tapas Tips
- The best Instagram spots
- The 17 best foods to eat in Madrid
- What not to do in Madrid
- Most romantic things to do in Madrid
- Your Madrid bucket list
- Hidden gems in Madrid
- 15 Best Tapas Bars in Madrid
- A weekend itinerary for Madrid
- A 4 day itinerary for Madrid
- The best time to visit Madrid
- How long to stay in Madrid
Our Best Travel Resources:
Here are some of our best overall travel resources to make your trip better/easier! These apply to anywhere you visit in the world:
- Our ultimate Europe travel guide with EVERYTHING you need to know.
- Check out our master list of all the best activities we’ve done across the world.
- Check out our master list of hotels we’ve stayed at across the world!
- We save the most money on flights using this service.
- These are all the traveling essentials that we use and recommend!
- Our favorite platform to find tours – from bucket list items to cheaper admission to popular attractions.
- We score the cheapest deals on rental cars with this site.
- How we get free service in all the countries we travel to without wifi.
- Or, our favorite SIM card company if you don’t want to change phone service carriers.
- We love this pass for getting into swanky airport lounges for free. (CCC readers get 20-30% off yearly membership!)
If you use any of our tips, please tag us on Instagram @culturecravingcouple!
We love seeing you travel!
