notes for Madrid, Spain
Our favorite things to do in Madrid are just simply walking through the different neighborhoods and exploring the thousands of tapas bars. You will see that Spaniards have an incredibly strong “bar culture” whether it’s for coffee, coke, beer, wine, tapas, etc. There really is some amazing food in Spain, but by just looking at the selections of tapas displayed in many bars, you wouldn’t think so. Some of our tapas favorites are: tortilla de patata (Spanish omelette), setas or champinones al ajillo (garlic mushrooms), calamares fritos (fried calamari), jamon serrano (cured ham), lomo (cured pork tenderloin), salchichon (Spanish salami), morcilla (rice sausage), pimientos padron (peppers from Padron), and bacalao frito (fried, salted cod). Madrid is most famous for its cured meets, or “embutidos”, such as jamon Serrano, chorizo, salchichon and lomo. You won’t see any Spaniards having lunch before 2:30pm or dinner before 9:00pm. If you do go out to dinner before 9pm, some restaurants won’t be serving dinner yet and at others you just might be the only people there! As in any big city, watch out for pickpockets! If you only have a few days in Madrid, here are the things we would suggest:
Visit the Royal Palace (next to Cathedral) – It’s probably the most beautiful part of the city to walk around, even if you don’t tour the Palace. The Cathedral “La Almudena” is where Prince Felipe and Princesa Letizia were married two years ago. If you go through the palace without a guide, it will probably take about 30-45 minutes, with a guide I think about an hour.
Places to eat near the Royal Palcae:
1 – El Anciano Rey de Los Vinos (across the street from the Cathedral)
Address: Bailen, 19
2 – Taberna del Alabardero (expensive to dine, but good for tapas/drinks) Address: Calle Felipe V, 6
**In the bars we love ordering “una canya”, it’s a small size beer and usually they’ll give you a little something with it (chips, olives or nuts). You don’t have to worry about which kind of beer to ask for because 99% of the bars will only have one or two Spanish beers. Just say “una (or dos or tres) canya (s)”.
In almost every bar, to order wine you ask for either “vino tinto” (red) or “vino blanco” (white) and they’ll just give you their house wine. You’ll typically only pick from a wine list in a nice restaurant.
Walk from Plaza Cibeles and continue on Calle Alcala –
On this walk you will pass the Puerta Del Sol (where at least a million gather for New Year’s Eve each year) and the Plaza Mayor (on the left).
If you walk from Plaza Cibeles to Calle Alcala, and continue straight on Alcala (Alcala will change names after a while), you will end up at the Royal Palace/Cathedral, a nice ½ hour – 45 minute walk, depending if you stop in a few bars along the way!
Visit TRAVEL CORNER- Address: Calle Alcala, #41 you’ll pass it if walking on Alcala from Plaza Cibeles towards the Royal Palcae, on You might as well stop in since it’s in one of the most important intersections in Madrid! Make sure to ask for Pepe, if he’s not there, mention that you’re friends with Pepe’s brother in Michigan. Most of the employees speak English and in case you need any help when you’re there, they could be of assistance.
Walk around Old Madrid
VISION BUS – this is the sightseeing red, double-decker bus, definitely a good way to see all of the main sights throughout “Old Madrid”.
Go for Breakfast and try Churros con Chocolate at one of the following places, they are both well known and your hotel should be able to point you in the right direction:
- Valor – near/behind Plaza Callao
- San Gines – Old Madrid (sometimes has long lines)
I can’t remember if you are both coffee drinkers, but unless you go to one of the several Starbucks throughout Madrid, here are the three kinds of coffee you can have at pretty much any bar:
- Café con Leche (Coffee with milk), then they’ll ask you if you want the milk “caliente” (hot) or “templada” (room temperature).
- Café Cortado – Coffee with a little bit of milk
- Café Solo – No Milk
Dining – In general, avoid restaurants with posters outside with photos of their food (especially pictures of Paella!), It’s a pretty big red flag for a tourist trap with lousy food. Here are two places we really like:
“D’E – Sergi Arola” – It’s a strange name for a restaurant, not sure what the D’E stands for, but Sergi Arola is one of the most famous Spanish chefs and this is his more reasonably priced restaurant with more modern tapas. Everything we tried, we thought was DELICIOUS. It’s in a nice part of town, outside Old Madrid. Address: Calle Velazquez, 32
(Corner of Goya and Velazqez, next door to a “Café y Te).
La Vaca Argentina – There are a few of these throughout Madrid, it’s an Argentine steakhouse, the Spaniards love the argentine beef. Your hotel should be able to tell you which one is closest. Castellana, 212 .
MUSEUMS – The Museo del Prado, El Thyssen, and La Reina Sofia (modern) are the three top museums in Madrid. I would go to the Prado for sure if you want to see just one.
Transportation – The public transportation in Madrid is excellent, but may be a bit much to sort out in just a few days. Taxis are everywhere. If you want to ride the busses or subway, you can buy tickets (with 10 one way trips) in the subway stations or in the small stores called “TOBACO”. The Bus # 27 goes up and down the “main drag” of Madrid, Paseo del Prado (street the Prado museum is on), then heading North it becomes Paseo Recoletos and then Castellana.
DAY TRIPS - The high speed train, “the AVE”, is the GREATEST. I know there is an AVE to Toledo (you’ll get there in about 25 minutes) and I think a regular train to Segovia (less than an hour). The AVE to Sevilla takes about 2 hrs and 20 minutes.
Segovia – Beautiful city, GREAT day trip, it is a MUST to have lunch at Candido, the restaurant opened in 1786. The restaurant is right next to the amazing ancient Roman aquaduct. You should make a reservation with your hotel consierge. Their house specialty is “cochinillo”, or, suckling pig, it’s kind of sad to look at but it tastes pretty darn amazing. They do a special ceremony each day where they read some ancient document, break plates on the floor and they show you how tender the meat is by cutting it with a plate!
www.mesondecandido.es
Toledo – Can’t remember the places to eat there, but it’s an amazing, walled city, worth the trip.
Sevilla – If you can find a small restaurant named “El Pintor”, the owners are two students of the famous chef, Ferran Adria, the food is AWESOME. It’s possible your hotel will know it?
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jfrias@spanishinternational.com
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