One day in Madrid, Spain

The historic centre in the morning

Start at the Plaza Mayor, a square built in the seventeenth century with arcades on all four sides and the painted facade of the Casa de la Panaderia, and walk to the Puerta del Sol and the Royal Palace, which are a few minutes away. The centre of Madrid is flat and compact, so the whole morning is on foot.

The Cathedral of Almudena stands beside the palace, and the Mercado de San Miguel is a few streets away, with its food counters under an iron roof.

Lunch in Madrid

For lunch, the menú del día is the everyday choice at midday: a set meal with a starter, a main dish and a dessert. The markets of the centre also sell food to carry.

The Prado or the Retiro in the afternoon

The Museo del Prado holds the paintings of Velázquez, including Las Meninas, and the works of Goya. The Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofía, in a former hospital building, has the modern collection.

The Parque del Retiro is free and open every day: from April to September from 6:00 in the morning to midnight, and from October to March until 22:00. The Estanque Grande has rowing boats, there are children's play areas all over the park, and the Teatro de Títeres puts on its programme at weekends.

The Casa de Campo at the end of the day

The cable car crosses the Casa de Campo, the big park to the west of the city, where the zoo and the aquarium are. It has two stations, Paseo del Pintor Rosales on the city side and Casa de Campo in the park, and the trip takes about eleven minutes in cabins that carry six people.

The cable car is closed for works, with a reopening set for the first quarter of 2027, so plan the evening around the park itself: the Paseo del Pintor Rosales and the paths around the Parque del Oeste are wide, green and full of people walking.

Plan your one day in Madrid

The centre, the Prado and the Retiro are all within a short walk of each other, and the Metro reaches the rest of the city. In July and August the city is very hot, so start early and take the middle of the day slowly.

Opening days differ from museum to museum, so check each museum's own page. The park's opening hours change with the season.

Sources

• Official page of the Madrid tourism office on the Parque del Retiro: it is open every day, free, with the Estanque Grande and its rowing boats, children's play areas, the puppet theatre and the restored monkey pit of the old Casa de Fieras. — esmadrid.com (checked 21 October 2026)
• Official page of the Madrid tourism office on the cable car: it crosses the Casa de Campo, its two stations are Paseo del Pintor Rosales and Casa de Campo, the trip takes eleven minutes in cabins of six, and the service is closed for works with a reopening set for the first quarter of 2027. — esmadrid.com (checked 21 October 2026)
• Official page of the operator, EMT Madrid, for the cable car timetables and the customer service line. — teleferico.emtmadrid.es (checked 21 October 2026)