Welcome to the capital of Spain.
Apart from fiesta and Sol, you probably know that we have the most tasteful food in the world.
Churros con chocolate, a relaxing cup con cafe con leche in la Plaza Mayor…
With this guide, you will experience the authentic Madrid.
Let’s start with the tour!
By Chema
What is Madrid for a Spaniard?
It is complicated to describe, better to listen to one of our former presidents of Madrid:
How far is Madrid from the airport?
Lots of tourists come to Madrid from Adolfo-Suarez-Madrid-Barajas airport. Yes, I know that the name is long…
Do not worry about the distance from the airport to Madrid. It will only take less than 30 minutes to reach the city center.
You have to get the train in terminal 2. In case you land in another terminal, follow the signs where it is written “transit bus”, it is a quick and free shuttle that circulates from terminal to terminal every 10 minutes or less.
Once you get in the train, I suggest you to stop in the train station of Recoletos, so you can experience my ultimate food travel guide of Madrid!
The ultimate food travel guide with a detailed Madrid map
In this guide, I will show you the best places to eat from Recoletos to Principe Pio.
And You can do it in less than 12 hours!
If this is your first trip to Spain, I recommend you to read the survival guide before coming to Spain.
Recoletos
Once you reach train station, you can take a look at the statue of Christopher Columbus. The square is named in his honor: Plaza de Colón.
Ok, so after seen Colón, you have to go down the street and reach the fountain Cibeles.
In Cibele,s there is a Palace: “Palacio de Comunicaciones”, where you can get to the rooftop for free and order some coffee.
Cibeles
You probably know that the fans of Real Madrid celebrate their victories there, so if there is an important match stay away from it, as it becomes very crowded.
The park of “El Retiro” is close to Cibeles. Retiro is a park similar to the Central Park of New York but smaller, so if you do not have enough time, do not go there.
Next stop: Puerta del Sol
This square is literally the center of Spain, you can even find a signal in the floor where it is written “Km 0”, as all the roads and highways of Spain have this point as a reference. La Plaza de la Puerta del Sol has a big clock where we celebrate new year’s eve. There is also a statue of a bear with a tree. The bear statue of the picture is the symbol of Madrid. Besides, there is also a statue of the king Carlos III in a horse.
Overall, the Plaza del Sol is a very popular meeting point for the Madrileños.
Churreria San Gines
Next to Puerta del Sol, there is a tiny restaurant specialized in churros con chocolate. It is open 24/7 so do not worry about the schedule.
The best churros with chocolate in Madrid
The first thing you have to do is to go to the queue, and in the cash, you will have to order the churros with chocolate. After that, with your ticket in hand, you have to choose a table.
The trick is to wait for a seat on the main floor. If you go to the low-level floor you will find it a little bit uncomfortable, as it is very crowded and next to the bathrooms.
Main floor of San Gines
“Try to get a table on the same floor where you collect your order. Don’t take a table on the lower floor!“
Low-level floor of San Gines
Plaza Mayor
After eating the churros in Puerta del Sol, you can go to the Plaza Mayor.
In this square, there is another king in a horse, Felipe III. Here, there are plenty of touristic restaurants, but their prices are expensive.
Squid sandwich: Typical dish in Madrid
I suggest you take a squid sandwich in a small bar next to the Plaza Mayor. The name of the bar is Casa Rua. For only 2.85 euros you will enjoy the typical sandwich of Madrid.
Yes, I know, how is it possible that the typical dish of Madrid is a sandwich of seafood? if there is no coast in Madrid…
Well… I don’t know the answer to that.
Mercado San Miguel
You can enjoy your squid sandwich while walking to the San Miguel Market, it is very close and it has plenty of Spanish food.
Besides, there are more restaurants in the area: Museo del Jamón, restaurants with unique Spanish tapas, etc.
Gran Vía
All right, I guess you have eaten enough food. In order to burn some calories let’s keep walking again to Puerta del Sol, and then, go to Gran Vía.
This avenue is well known for the musicals and theaters.
Go all the way down through the Gran Vía street until you reach Plaza de España.
Along the Gran Vía there are plenty of shops and if you are lucky you can get good discounts!
Plaza de España
This square has a garden with a statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
Once you have seen the statue, you have to go to the Royal Palace of Madrid.
You will see the gardens of the palace before reaching the Royal Palace.
Palacio Real
You can go inside the Royal Palace and see the art and the views of Madrid from the Palace.
It is better to book in advance, as the queue is usually very long.
Best Restaurants in the city center of Madrid
Once you are tired of seeing the Royal Palace, either if you enter or not. It is time to go for a real lunch!
Here are my 3 favorite suggestions for eating real food in Madrid!
Casa Lucío
The restaurant is well-known for its scrambled eggs with french fries. Do not miss the opportunity to eat them.
Casa Dani
It is famous for its Spanish omelet!
Casa Mingo
It is an Asturian restaurant. Asturias is a beautiful region in the north of Spain. Here, the food is delicious.
Besides, by going to the restaurant from the back of the Royal Palace you can see the gardens again.
It is famous for its Spanish tortilla and roasted chicken. I took a picture of their menu 😉
Besides, do not miss the opportunity and drink some sidra (an alcoholic apple juice). It is the typical drink from Asturias. I have a recipe of Sangría, but it is not as good as their sidra.
Principe Pío
Lastly, if you have to take a flight or go to another place of Madrid, go to the train Station Principe Pío and get the train to the Barajas-Adolfo-Suarez-Madrid airport. Or take the metro to another metro station.
Hope you enjoy the Madrid food guide!
Here is a link to the video of the capital of Spain that I made. See you in Madrid!
