Beautiful couples walking along the Gran Via, kind people giving directions to lost tourists, tasty food, and long walks under the cypress trees… That’s what I remember from my first visit to Madrid over ten years ago. Something about these sensations and fond memories made me want to recapture Madrid’s magic. Before I knew it, my boyfriend (or novio!) and I found ourselves in a plane for a city break in the Spanish capital.
What follows is the three-day itinerary of a couple that isn’t fond of organizing every minute of their trip, who would rather walk everywhere than find a bus station, and who loves to blend in with the locals, while also checking some of the main attractions of the city off their list.
ARRIVAL DAY
7 p.m. – GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE CITY
One of the things I love about Spain is that this country always seems to be celebrating a different occasion. This time, as we entered the Plaza Mayor, we learned that we arrived the day before the Isidore the Laborer Day, who is the patron saint of the city of Madrid. In the weeks leading up to May 15, the city organizes many different concerts and festivals, activities, and parades in Saint Isidore’s honour.
Plaza Mayor had a stage set in its center, with many Spanish artists giving small concerts. A core memory of mine is now definitely seeing Vicco perform Nonechenta in front of a very enthusiastic audience.
9 p.m. – EATING RAMEN (yes, you read that right)
Fear not as there will be recommendations for tapas restaurants further below, but for our first night in Madrid, we wanted to eat at a Japanese restaurant, since we do consider ourselves to be ramen aficionados. As NYT’s Andrew Ferren notes, “Spaniards rank among the world’s highest per capita consumers of fish, so it only makes sense that the cuisine of Japan, another fish-loving nation, would have a presence in Madrid.” Ninja Ramen, the restaurant of our choice, was an agreeable experience: tasty Takoyaki, ramen and curry; beautiful decoration and lovely service!
At Ninja Ramen, we also confirmed that Spaniards do eat later than in France as at 8.15 p.m. (the rush hour for dinner at restaurants in Paris) we entered in a completely empty restaurant. By the time we finished our meal around 9 p.m., the first customers other than ourselves started entering the restaurant.
DAY ONE
11.30 a.m. – SEARCHING FOR CAFFEINE
Not far from our accommodation in the Embajadores district, we found a wonderful book and coffee shop called Mansilla Libros y Café. This café could easily be the backdrop of a cozy novel: classical music playing in the background, interior design with upcycled furniture, good coffee and well, books!
2 p.m. – BLENDING IN WITH THE LOCALS
As we were in Madrid on May 15, we decided to blend in with the Madrileños and follow the crowd to the Parque de San Isidro where a part of the big celebrations was taking place. There, we got to see the women wearing their beautiful traditional clothing, which is called traje de chulapa, take in the sun and enjoy an overpriced portion of salchipapas and sangria.
8 p.m. – FEELING THE RHYTHM OF FLAMENCO
There’s a fair share of tablaos (places where flamenco shows are performed) in the capital. We went to a one-hour show called Emociones at the Teatro Flamenco Madrid, which included three dancers, multiple costume changes, and five musicians and singers accompanying them.
It’s a definitely a good thing we left from our accommodation in advance as we also got to see the Procession of Saint Isidore and as you can imagine, it was crowdy.
00 p.m. – CHASING FIREWORKS (at all the wrong places)
To commemorate the end of the celebrations of the Saint Isidore Day, Madrid fires up fireworks at midnight. Since the internet offered virtually no help as where we could see them, we searched the ground by the Sabatini Gardens, the Plaza de España, the Cathedral of San Fransisco and eventually placed all our bets at a spot close to the magnificent Royal Palace of Madrid. Midnight came along and as the noise of their explosions resounded, we realized we chose the wrong spot.
A five-minute speed walk later, we got to a spot where we could kind of see them and mark the end of the celebrations with other naïve tourists such as ourselves.
DAY TWO
1 p.m. – FLANEURING IN THE MALASAÑA DISTRICT
The Malasaña District is considered the alternative and hipster corner of Madrid where one can appreciate colorful streets, impressive graffiti art and wander in and out of all the small independent boutiques. My personal highlights were the second-hand bookstore Libros para un Mundo Mejor where I got to see Petra the Cat dozing off, the statue of Julia in Calle del Pez, who, according to legend, was the first woman to study at the former University of Madrid by dressing in men’s clothing, and the quick bite we had at Pez Tortilla.
Our walk eventually took us to the Temple of Debod and its surrounding areas where we got to enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of Madrid.
6 p.m. – MARVELING AT THE GREAT MASTERS’ WORK
Access to the Prado Museum is free for the two hours before closing time, so we took advantage of this opportunity to speed through the museum and appreciate all the works of art. I was quite honestly flabbergasted before Fra Angelico’s Annunciation, but I also enjoyed Sorolla’s paintings, as well Meléndez’s still-lives.
9 p.m. – ENJOYING TAPAS IN CALLE DE BARCELONA
Tapas, tapas, and more tapas please! For our last dinner in Madrid, we went to Taberna Malaspina, a tapas restaurant in the heart of the vibrant Calle de Barcelona. There’s nothing quite like sitting down for a hearty meal with a cold sangria after a long day of leisurely walking around, listening to the conversation of tourists and locals alike, and enjoying the mild weather in a beautiful European capital.
DAY THREE (DEPARTURE DAY)
1 p. m. – EXPLORING THE MUSEUM OF ROMANTICISM
Other than the main museums mentioned above and further below, Madrid has less mainstream museums that deserve some of the spotlight, among them being the Sorolla Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (which, along with the Prado and the Reina Sofia national galleries completes the “Golden Triangle of Art”), and the Museum of Romanticism.
With an entrance fee at just three euros, the Museum of Romanticism was a wonderful way to spend a calm early afternoon.
4 p.m. – GETTING LOST IN THE MUSEO REINA SOFIA
To put it simply, if you have the opportunity to see Picasso’s Guernica up close, you should take it. But I was also pleased to see photographs by Robert Capa and Gerda Taro (if you’re an alt-j fun, you just know), and I loved reading excerpts from Blaise Cendrars and Sonia Delaunay’s Prose of the Trans-Siberian and of Little Jehanne of France.
6 p.m. – DOS BILLETES PARA EL AEROPUERTO, POR FAVOR
After three days full of walking (sixty kilometers to be precise), lots of sangria, and with the mind full of new ideas and pictures, it was time to say hasta la vista to Madrid. We will certainly be back.
Museum of Modern Heart 