The palace is absolutely beautiful, but it's currently fully under construction. You aren't able to…read moreenter and there's a lot of scaffolding blocking the beautiful views of the large glass windows.

Located inside el Parque del Retiro, this 19th-century conservatory means more to us than the art…read moreexhibit it is currently used for. Though it was closed for renovation when we were there in April 2024, it is OUR special place where we exchanged our first set of rings with intentionality. If in Madrid, come for the nature walk and live music, the beautiful and lush ambience, and the fountain backdrop.

Palacio Real de Madrid is probably my favorite palaces we've seen on our travels…read more I loved that they had these massive air purifiers so it didn't smell stale or dusty (it was incredibly comfortable), but I also adored the absolutely gorgeous purple wallpaper and how much care had been taken in the decor inside the building. Absolutely do a tour if you have a chance as ours gave such a clear impression of the space and added such a nice depth to our visit. It was one of my favorite things we did while in Madrid, and I can't recommend visiting Palacio Real de Madrid enough.

It was interesting, lavish, gaudy, historic and decadent. Went in early May so it wasn't peak…read moretourist season, and still fairly busy. Official tickets for the week was sold out, however was able to book with a tour company that wasn't that much more than regular prices. That actually seemed to have worked out better than I planned as it allowed you to skip the line. Plan for a couple of hours, and don't forget the armory on your way out.

I have visited Madrid several times and did not realize that you can a) go into the Palacio de…read moreCibeles and b) that it is free. My bf made this discovery when he was exploring while I was at work. Great discovery! After entering through a security/bag check, you walk upstairs onto the 2nd floor. There is a tourist office as well as a large relaxing/working space. An exhibit offers an overview of the commitment to green spaces in English and Spanish. The floors above house the history of the building, including the architecture and design. There are also special exhibits featuring different artists. If you are visiting before early May 2026, I highly recommend Ana Juan's "Wunderkammer" exhibition. Beautiful and thought provoking! There is an observation deck that can be accessed for €4. It was closed in mid-Feb for technical repairs without a confirmed reopening date. Hopefully it will be available to the public again soon! A bit farther away but you can always venture to the top of the Riu hotel for incredible views.

So I was sad because I bought a ticket to go on the rooftop, but it was raining, so I couldn't. But…read morethey refunded me automatically, so that was good. So instead I meandered between floors looking at all the art waiting for the rain to dissipate a bit. Some was cool, some I didn't get, to each their own. It's a gorgeous building and worth a visit if you have the time. I'll have to come back for the rooftop next time!

Another visit that was high on the list of things to do in Madrid…read more I bought passes that came with an English guide. I enjoyed having that, but you could easily come through on your own without a guide and be fine. Our guided tour was about 90 minutes, but you could also stay as long after as you desired. We ended up staying about another hour to catch some of the things the tour didn't stop at. Note that you cannot take photos inside. It also seems to get pretty busy early, so it might be a good idea to go fairly early or closer to closing. Would highly recommend the Prado.

We checked into our hotel kind of late and already had 5:30 PM reservation tickets for Museo del…read morePrado that we bought about a month in advance. It was close to our hotel but not close enough to make it there on time since we were literally just leaving the hotel at 5:30 PM. The hotel attendant immediately suggested taking a cab because we were already running behind. When we arrived, I swear the line looked a mile long! Thankfully my bf asked one of the attendants before we jumped in line because apparently all those people were waiting for the free admission window. We found out that they offer daily late-entry free admission Monday-Saturday from 6 PM-8 PM. Since we already had tickets, they scanned us right in and there was basically no wait. Huge tip: if you purchased tickets in advance, do NOT automatically follow the giant line! Walk directly toward the front and ask an attendant where ticket holders should enter. It will save you so much time! Lol. I mainly wanted to come here for the Francisco Goya artwork. The museum definitely feels very old world European and is heavily centered around royalty, religion, and classical art. After a while it can start to feel emotionally heavy even for a Catholic like me. If you really enjoy soaking in the artwork and taking your time, I'd recommend visiting earlier in the day so you don't feel rushed trying to see everything. My one complaint is that the directions to the toilets/restrooms were not very clear. We spent a while walking around trying to find one before eventually giving up and leaving since we were already exhausted and super jet lagged. Thankfully our hotel was only about a 20-minute walk away. It was still a great experience and definitely something I'd recommend if you're visiting Madrid. P.S. Photos are not allowed inside, so don't expect to be taking pictures of the artwork while visiting.

I think that this is my favorite building in Madrid. It's definitely one of the signature buildings…read morethat you'll see in a lot of Madrid photos. It was built around 1910 and the tip is covered in pure gold. The inside of the building is probably the most luxe hotel in Madrid and is absolutely beautiful. They have a rooftop bar and restaurant that was super good but way more expensive than literally anywhere in Madrid. I recommend going up to the roof of the Circulo de Bellas Artes building across the street for an amazing view of the Metropolis building. You'll get a beautiful photo for sure!

Stunning architecture and beautifully lit, there's no missing the Metropolis building as a landmark…read moreas you walk up the hill from Fuente de la Cibeles towards La Puerta del Sol. A Beaux-Arts structure that was built between 1907 and 1910, it's an office building today but restored to its original glory. The rounded tower at the tip is covered with leaves of 24 carat gold! The status is the winged goddess Victoria, the personified goddess of victory. Not much to do here other than take a selfie and enjoy the building. It is closed to the public. Five stars for beauty, down to three for being closed.

This was a pretty typical night club like level of service but during the day. You can't order a…read moredrink at the bar and there weren't any tables so we basically paid 6 euros each to take 3 pictures. It probably could be nice if it wasn't as packed and the service was friendlier. In my opinion there are much better options in the area. At the very least the should tell you that there aren't any tables (or ways to get a drink) before you commit to going up. They kept sending people up despite them being beyond capacity

Rooftop vibe was immaculate! The sun came out for us and it was a stunning afternoon. Snow capped…read moremountains in the distance, great drinks, sunshine and good music. The pina coladas could be stronger ;) I think I was thinking of a similar drink in Lake Tahoe called a pain killer, I just wanna feel a little numb after one but not need two. A must visit in Madrid!

It is wonderful place .. I felt very comfortable .. with attention .. thank you very much miy…read morerrcomendable

We came free for our Christmas Eve dinner and everything was perfect! Service as spectacular! It's…read moremore of a tapas style menu. A tapas style prix fix menu. Can't wait to come back!

The last time Jamie W and I vacationed in Madrid over 15 years ago, we made the big mistake of…read moretrying to squeeze this museum and the Prado into the same afternoon. We had to race through the Reina Sofia without allowing the requisite time to appreciate the masterworks constantly hidden by the crowds. We didn't make the same mistake last week and decided to focus a full afternoon here. There was no avoiding the long line that snaked around the plaza even though we bought the 32,8€ Paseo del Arte passes which covers all three of Madrid's essential museums. We still had to redeem our passes to get our museum tickets. It only took about 25 minutes before we made the beeline to the museum's spotlight masterwork, Picasso's "Guernica" on the second floor. Viewing was packed and unmovable, but it's still the definitive visualization of the horrors of war made striking by the monochromatic palette (Video 1). The building was once an 18th-century hospital before it became an art museum as recently as 1988. It houses Spain's most significant collection of 20th-century art. Along with Picasso, other contemporary masters are also on display here. Artists represented include Salvador Dali (Photos 3 & 5), Joan Miro (Photo 2), and Rene Magritte (Photo 7). Up on the third floor is even more contemporary art dating back only to 1975 including works by Andy Warhol (Photo 6) and Robert Mapplethorpe (Photo 4). This was our favorite of Madrid's Golden Triangle which includes the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. Definitely take your time perusing. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/qwUK6nAE-z

I was very excited for my visit here as I wanted to see a Picasso piece in person, as well as take…read morein some more modern contemporary art. They had great pieces and I enjoyed my time. The staff were friendly and helpful with my questions and the museum was clean. I was disappointed to find that both the garden and third floor were closed the day I visited, so I felt like I missed out on some things.

Retiro Park is like the Central Park of Madrid. This gigantic park has it all. Large grassy areas…read morefor a picnic or long pathways to run or walk. A big lake in the center to rent a row boat and ride around or a crystal palace to swoon over. Retiro is big and it can be hard to see everything on foot. There are lots of available rental bikes to make your trip throughout the park even easier.

Beautiful park ! Lots of space for kids to run and play ! Plenty of cafes to grab coffee before and…read moreevening stroll! Came in winter and still is stunning

Going to a bullfight has been a bucket list item for me. Finally made it this one. Have to admit,…read moremy girlfriend didn't know what a bullfight was. She thought the bulls fought each other. Surprise! Matador's stab them to death. Ultimately it was an incredible experience.

I went and did the self walking tour. It was very interesting. I am from America and we don't…read morehave bull fighting.