A weekend in Madrid: what to do in 2 days (itinerary)

Before you go: planning your weekend

Central Madrid is easy to explore on foot: from Plaza de Oriente to the Retiro park is about a 40-minute walk. The metro is mainly useful for getting to your hotel or the airport. A single ticket costs €1.50 in zone A, whatever the distance, since October 2026; the zone A tourist travel pass (Abono Turístico) costs €10.30 for one day and €17.50 for two days, and only pays off if you make a lot of journeys.

Two online bookings save time: the Royal Palace and the Prado Museum. Both sell timed tickets, and the queues at the ticket desks grow quickly on Saturdays. Keep the Madrid rhythm in mind too: people rarely have lunch before 2pm and dinner starts from 9pm, which leaves long late afternoons for sightseeing.

Day 1: Habsburg Madrid, from the Royal Palace to Gran Vía

The first day covers the historic heart of the city, that of the Habsburgs (the "Austrias") and then the Bourbons, on a route of about 3 km.

Morning: Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral

Start at opening time, 10am, with the Royal Palace on calle de Bailén (metro Ópera, lines 2 and 5). From October to March it opens Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday from 10am to 4pm, with last entry one hour before closing. The self-guided visit costs €18 (€9 reduced); Patrimonio Nacional estimates it at about 45 minutes, but allow an hour and a half with the Royal Armoury and the Plaza de la Armería. Note: free entry for European Union citizens and residents only applies Monday to Thursday in the late afternoon, so never during a weekend.

Then cross the esplanade to the Almudena Cathedral, which is free to enter (a donation is suggested). The museum and the dome, optional, cost €8 and can only be visited in the morning, Monday to Saturday. On the way out, take a look at the gardens of Plaza de Oriente, opposite the palace's east façade.

Midday: Calle Mayor and San Miguel Market

Walk up Calle Mayor via Plaza de la Villa, one of the oldest squares in the city. For lunch, the San Miguel Market lines up tapas counters under its iron-and-glass hall; entry is free, Sunday to Thursday from 10am to midnight, until 1am on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays. It is packed between 1pm and 3pm: come a little earlier, or share a few plates standing rather than waiting for a table.

Afternoon: Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía

Two minutes away, you enter the Plaza Mayor through one of its arches. Avoid a drink on its terraces if you are watching your budget: it is one of the most expensive spots in the centre. Then head to the Puerta del Sol, with its kilometre zero plaque and the clock that marks the start of the new year, and walk up to Gran Vía via calle de la Montera or calle de Alcalá. The avenue is best walked in the late afternoon, when its façades from the 1910s to the 1930s light up; the Metrópolis building marks its start, at the junction with Alcalá.

If you would rather catch a sunset, the Temple of Debod, about twenty minutes' walk west of Plaza de España, offers one of the most popular open views in the city; access to the site is free.

Day 2: the Paseo del Arte, from the Prado to the Retiro

The second day focuses on the east of the centre, between the great museums, the Retiro park and the Literary Quarter, with no metro rides needed.

Morning: the Prado Museum

The Prado Museum opens at 10am, Monday to Saturday until 8pm and on Sunday until 7pm (metro Banco de España or Estación del Arte). General admission costs €15. Allow three hours for a route focused on Velázquez, Goya, El Greco and Hieronymus Bosch; setting yourself a list of works keeps you from wearing yourself out in the galleries. On Sunday, entry to the permanent collection is free from 5pm to 7pm: an option if you swap the programme around, but the queue is long.

Midday: the Literary Quarter

Cross the Paseo del Prado to have lunch in the Barrio de las Letras, the quarter where Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Quevedo lived. Quotations from writers are set into the paving of calle de las Huertas, and the bars on Plaza de Santa Ana serve set lunch menus on weekdays. The Lope de Vega house museum, calle de Cervantes 11, is free to visit, by guided tour only and with a booking, Tuesday to Sunday.

Afternoon: Retiro, Puerta de Alcalá and Cibeles

Then head to the Retiro park, free, open from 6am to 10pm from October to March and until midnight from April to September. Allow two hours for the lake and its monument to Alfonso XII, the Velázquez Palace (free Reina Sofía exhibitions) and the rose garden; the Crystal Palace, closed for restoration, can only be seen from outside. Leave by the north-west gate, which opens onto the Puerta de Alcalá, a monumental gate from the late 18th century, then walk down calle de Alcalá to Plaza de Cibeles and its palace, the seat of the city council, whose hall is free to enter.

Evenings: where to go for tapas

Madrid comes alive in the evening, bar after bar, ordering a drink and one or two tapas at each stop.

• Saturday evening: La Latina. Calle de la Cava Baja and calle de la Cava Alta are home to dozens of tapas bars, ten minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor. The atmosphere picks up after 9pm.
• Sunday evening: the Literary Quarter. Around Plaza de Santa Ana and calle de las Huertas, the bars stay lively on Sundays, handy for ending the weekend near the Prado.
• The right habit. In some bars a small tapa still comes free with your drink; elsewhere, raciones (portions to share) replace a main course. Check the menu and the price before ordering on a terrace in the tourist squares.

Adapting the weekend to the season

• Summer. The heat is intense in the afternoon: schedule the Prado between 1pm and 5pm, keep the Retiro for the morning or evening, since it stays open until midnight from April to September, and aim for sunset at the Temple of Debod.
• Winter. Days are short and the Royal Palace closes at 6pm (4pm on Sunday): do not push it back to the afternoon. In December, the Christmas market on the Plaza Mayor and the Gran Vía lights easily fill an evening.
• Spring. May is the month of the San Isidro festivities, around 15 May, with free concerts and verbenas in the neighbourhoods; the Retiro rose garden is in bloom at the same time.
• Autumn. On 12 October, the national holiday, several museums (Reina Sofía, San Fernando Academy, National Archaeological Museum) are free for everyone: if your weekend falls on that date, expect long queues.
• Sunday morning. The Rastro flea market sets up around Ribera de Curtidores, in La Latina: a good alternative to the Prado if you would rather browse before the Retiro.

Weekend schedule at a glance

Prices observed in October 2026. For two days, paid admissions come to €33 per adult (Royal Palace and Prado), plus €17.50 if you take the two-day tourist travel pass.

Further reading

To go deeper into day one, our guide to Habsburg Madrid explores the lanes around the Plaza Mayor. If you are staying an extra day, or if your trip falls on weekdays, see Free Madrid to make the most of the museums' free slots, and our guide to getting around Madrid to choose between single tickets and a travel pass.