One Day in Madrid: an Hour-by-Hour Itinerary on Foot

Before you go: bookings and planning

The day hinges on one advance purchase: your Royal Palace ticket, sold on Patrimonio Nacional's official ticketing site. The standard ticket costs €18, the reduced ticket €9, and entry is by timed slot. Buy it online to choose your time and skip the ticket office queue. Pick a late-morning slot, around 11:30am, to keep the itinerary on track.

The route covers about 7 km on foot, on flat ground apart from the climb up to Plaza de España. Check what day you are visiting: the Temple of Debod is closed on Mondays, and the Royal Palace closes earlier on Sundays. The adjustments are explained at the end of this article. To get there in the morning and back in the evening, the metro serves every starting and finishing point; tickets and travel cards are covered in our guide to getting around Madrid.

9:30-10:00am: Puerta del Sol

Start at Puerta del Sol, served by Sol metro station (lines 1, 2 and 3). In front of the Real Casa de Correos, seat of the Madrid regional government, a plaque set into the pavement marks Kilometre Zero of Spain's radial roads. The clock on the facade is the one that sets the pace for eating the twelve grapes on 31 December. Look out for the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, the city's emblem, and the equestrian statue of Charles III. The square is open at all hours, and it is still quiet in the morning.

10:00-10:45am: Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor is a 5 minute walk away along Calle Mayor or Calle de Postas. Built under Philip III and completed in 1619 to plans by Juan Gómez de Mora, it has hosted markets, festivals, bullfights and autos-da-fé. The equestrian statue of Philip III stands in the centre, and on the north side is the Casa de la Panadería with its painted facade. Access is free. Leave by the south-west corner to see the Arco de Cuchilleros and its staircase, which leads down to the old craftsmen's streets.

Skip coffee on a terrace in the square itself: prices are much higher than elsewhere and touts are everywhere. Our guide to scams to avoid in Madrid also warns about pickpockets, who are active around Sol and Plaza Mayor.

10:45-11:15am: Mercado de San Miguel

The Mercado de San Miguel is a 2 minute walk away, on Plaza de San Miguel. Its iron and glass market hall, opened in 1916, now houses tasting counters rather than a neighbourhood market. It opens at 10am every day and closes at midnight from Sunday to Thursday, and at 1am on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays. Entry is free; allow a few euros for a tapa or a coffee. Mid-morning, the crowds are still manageable, which will no longer be the case by noon.

11:30am-1:30pm: the Royal Palace

Walk to the palace along Calle Mayor, past Plaza de la Villa and its former 17th-century city hall, then along Calle de Bailén: 10 to 12 minutes on foot. The Royal Palace of Madrid (Calle de Bailén, 28071) was built in the 18th century on the site of the Habsburg Alcázar, which burned down on Christmas Eve 1734. It remains the official residence of the King, used for state ceremonies.

From October to March, it opens Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm (last entry 5pm) and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm (last entry 3pm). Allow an hour and a half to two hours for the grand staircase, the Throne Room, the royal apartments, the Royal Armoury and the Plaza de la Armería. An audio guide is available to rent at the ticket office or through an app, and a guided tour costs €8 more (€26 instead of €18). The palace may close for official events: check the closure calendar before booking.

1:30-2:30pm: Almudena Cathedral

Almudena Cathedral (Calle de Bailén 10, 28013) faces the palace across the Plaza de la Armería: a 2 minute walk. Begun in 1883 and consecrated in 1993, it combines a neoclassical exterior, designed to match the palace, with a neo-Gothic interior and brightly painted ceilings. Entry is free, with a €1 donation requested. The museum and the dome climb, sold together for €8, are open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 2:30pm, so do them first when you arrive; on a clear day the view from the dome takes in the palace, the Casa de Campo and the Sierra de Guadarrama.

2:30-4:00pm: lunch in La Latina

Head south down Calle de Bailén: within 10 minutes you cross over the Segovia Viaduct and reach the La Latina neighbourhood. The taverns on Cava Baja and Calle de la Cava Alta serve tapas, raciones and daily specials at lunchtime; the menú del día, a fixed-price set lunch with a starter, main course, dessert and a drink, is the cheapest way to eat. Madrid locals have lunch late, between 2pm and 3:30pm, so you will fit right in. The neighbourhood is covered in our La Latina guide. Right next door, the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande and its huge dome make a good add-on if you have time.

4:30-6:00pm: Gran Vía

Allow 20 minutes on foot from La Latina to Plaza del Callao, back through Plaza Mayor, Sol and Calle de Preciados, or take the metro. Then walk Gran Vía from Callao to Plaza de España, about 800 m. Built from 1910 onwards, the avenue is lined with office buildings from the 1920s and 1930s, cinemas and musical theatres, and the Telefónica building, the city's first skyscraper. Several hotels and department stores on the avenue have rooftop terraces, with an entry fee or a minimum spend.

6:30-8:00pm: the Temple of Debod at sunset

From Plaza de España, the Temple of Debod (Calle de Ferraz 1, 28008) is a 5 minute walk away, in the Parque de la Montaña. This Egyptian temple from the 2nd century BC was given to Spain by Egypt and rebuilt here in the early 1970s. The interior is free and open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm (last entry 7:30pm); it is closed on Mondays. The number of visitors inside is limited, so the city council recommends booking your free entry on its website.

The park and its viewpoints stay open after the temple closes. The sun sets around 8pm in early October and around 6:20pm in late October, after the clocks go back on 25 October 2026. Arrive 30 minutes early to find a spot by the pool. To head back, Plaza de España (lines 2, 3 and 10) and Ventura Rodríguez (line 3) metro stations are a few minutes away.

Evening alternative: the free Prado

If you would rather see paintings than a sunset, swap Gran Vía and Debod for the Prado Museum (Paseo del Prado, 28014). Free entry to the permanent collection applies Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 8pm, and on Sundays and public holidays from 5pm to 7pm. From La Latina, allow 25 minutes on foot through the Barrio de las Letras. Get there before the free slot starts: the queue forms early and the wait can be long. Two hours is enough to see Velázquez's Las Meninas, Goya's Black Paintings and Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. Outside this slot, a ticket costs €15 (€7.50 reduced).

The day at a glance

Prices checked in October 2026. Minimum budget: €26 in entry fees per adult (Royal Palace, Almudena museum and dome), plus transport and meals.

Adapting the day

On Sundays and Mondays

On Sundays, the Royal Palace closes at 4pm, with last entry at 3pm: keep the late-morning slot. The Almudena museum and dome are closed on Sundays. On Mondays, the Temple of Debod is closed, but the park and its viewpoint remain open; it is a good day to pick the Prado alternative.

The Royal Palace for free

From October to March, the Royal Palace is free Monday to Thursday from 4pm to 6pm (last entry 5pm) for EU citizens, EU residents and citizens of Latin American countries, on presentation of proof. Tickets are only available at the ticket office and the queue can be long. In that case, you can reverse the day: Gran Vía in the morning, Plaza Mayor and the Almudena around midday, and the palace in the late afternoon.

If it rains

The Royal Palace, the cathedral and the Mercado de San Miguel are all indoors. Swap Gran Vía and Debod for the Prado, or for the Monastery of the Descalzas Reales, close to Sol, which can only be visited on a guided tour.

Further reading

To explore the old centre at a slower pace, follow our walk through Habsburg Madrid. With two days, our weekend in Madrid itinerary adds the big museums and the Retiro; with three days, follow Madrid in 3 days.