The 10 best things to do in Madrid, vetted by locals
A few of these you could find in any guidebook; most you could not. This is the list we actually give friends who land in Madrid: the long lunches, quiet gardens, day trips and small rituals that turn a stay into a life here.
Whether you are here for a few weeks or a couple of years, these are the ones not to miss. Work through them slowly, half the pleasure is in not rushing.
The List
Bar Santander
Everyone in Madrid has a candidate for the best tortilla; Bar Santander quietly makes the case for its own. The pincho comes jugoso, the center still loose enough to run, on a thick slice of bread and best taken standing with a caña. Go mid-morning, before the day's tortillas sell down to the dry end.
Madrid
Casa de Campo and the lake
On a Sunday, walk into the Casa de Campo, the huge green lung on the city's western edge, and make your way down to the lake. Circle it slowly, watch the rowers, and finish with a caña at one of the terrazas along the water. It is where madrileños go to breathe.
Casa de Campo, west of the center (Metro Lago)
San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Under an hour out, San Lorenzo de El Escorial pairs a vast royal monastery with proper mountain air. Come for the building, or just for the walk in the Herrería woods below it, and book lunch at El Horizontal, the pine-shaded restaurant up the hill.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 1 hr by cercanías or car
Pantano de San Juan
When the heat lands, drive an hour west to the Pantano de San Juan, the reservoir madrileños treat as their beach. Swim, hire a paddleboard, and lie on the sand under the pines. Go early on a weekend and beat the traffic home.
Near San Martín de Valdeiglesias, about 1 hr west by car
Cannibal Raw Bar
Do this one at the bar, not a table, that is the whole point. Cannibal Raw Bar is a proper bar to sit at with a friend while the kitchen sends out a run of oysters, ceviche and small raw plates, one after the next, glass in hand. Elbows on the counter, no plan beyond the next dish, just keep saying yes.
Madrid
Sign up for Playtomic
Padel is how the city socializes, and Playtomic is the app that gets you into it: it slots you into open matches at your level, at courts all over Madrid, no club membership or ready-made friends required. Play once and you will have a group by the third game.
The Palacio de los Duques garden
Slip into the Palacio de los Duques and find its garden: a green, hushed patio tucked behind the façade, a genuine oasis a few steps from the chaos of the center. Order a drink and stay a while; almost nobody passing outside knows it is there.
Cuesta de Santo Domingo 5, 28013 Madrid
Matadero Madrid
A vast old abattoir on the river, now the city's most alive arts complex: cinema, design studios, theater, book launches and a good café spread across raw industrial halls. Look up what is on if you like, but it rewards the aimless visit just as much; there is always a show, a market or a screening you did not know you needed.
Plaza de Legazpi 8, 28045 Madrid
Estela Hojaldre
For pastries and desserts, Estela Hojaldre is among the best in the city: flaky, precise, the kind of thing you queue for and then eat on a bench before you have made it home. Go for the hojaldre and whatever came out of the oven that morning.
Madrid
Cuesta de Moyano
A row of little green kiosks on the slope between Atocha and the Retiro, selling second-hand and rare books every day of the year. Browse slowly, test your Spanish on the spines, and you will almost always leave with something you did not know you were looking for.
Cuesta de Claudio Moyano, 28014 Madrid
How to use this: pick two or three, go slowly, and let one plan lead into the next. Madrid rewards the unhurried.
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