This is the heart of Toledo. This square has seen it all, Moorish animal markets, hence the name…read morebeast corner, royal proclamations, torch-lit Inquisition trials, and now, tourist groups with matching hats. It's the place to sit, sip something overpriced, and people-watch while pretending you know how to pronounce Zocodover. Don't miss the churro stands and tacky souvenir shops.

Main square was built in the early 17th century. Home to the largest & oldest marzipan store Santo…read moreTome. Tourist office & bus hub is here. Calle de Comrcio is the town's narrow & busy thoroughfare lined with wine bars, shops & shade. Hundreds of tourists got off our train & flooded the square. This was the Plato buy the worlds best marzipan.

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

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.

Retiro Park is an oasis in the center of Madrid. Is a gorgeous, immaculately maintained green space…read morein the heart of the city. There are numerous entrances into the park and walking paths throughout. On a pretty day, it's hard to find a better place to spend the afternoon. The people watching is fantastic, and there are multiple things to see and do inside the park, including the crystal Palace. I love to go sit by the lake and watch the people on the boats. They are often musicians playing, kids riding their bikes, and families enjoying all that Madrid has to offer.

So if I lived in Madrid, I'd run Parque Del Retiro daily. We wandered in for a stroll but I had my…read moreheart set on a little mermaid moment, l was ready to row a boat, minus any kissing the girl. We meandered through the park a bit and eventually found ourselves to the row boats. After a little coaching from bestie, I sort of had it down. We'll just say I won't soon be rowing on any Olympic team and I managed to splash a good amount of water up on us but we were going places! This has got to be a must do if you're visiting. The weather shaped up rather nicely and we had the boat in by sunset. I loved seeing how many runners were out at different times of the day here. Beautiful park to spend some time.

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.

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.

This is their national art museum, located in central Madrid, with many magnificent works spread…read moreacross three levels. It's tightly run, with scanners at the entrance. No camera is allowed in the exhibit rooms. We spent quite some time at Goya's 'May 2nd' and 'May 3rd' paintings. We saw the May 2 parade last Saturday; with a few wars going on right now, it was fitting to see the horror of fighting.

Beautiful park with the view of Royal palace. Conveniently located by bus stop for multiple bus…read morelines. When I visited in May it closed at 8.

Lovely palace gardens .... if it's a nice day- it is worth it to take a walk around to the only…read moreentrance on Paseo de la virgin del puerto - closer to the Pio principal train station . It's downhill from the palace . So if you plan to see the palace then remember after the gardens - it's a walk uphill . This place is free and so beautiful and quiet . Two peacocks walking around not very afraid of people near them . I saw horse and carriage with guards constantly circling around the top and the bottom of the palace.

We had a nice time walking around outside of it. I'm enjoying the history. It's a pretty cool…read moremonument. It would've been nice to go inside, but we did not plan ahead and we did not have tickets maybe next time.

Because nothing says Spanish like a 2nd-century Egyptian temple chilling in a park. Let's check it…read moreout. Found out this was a gift from Egypt, reassembled stone by stone. In the 1960s, Egypt was building the Aswan High Dam, which was going to flood a huge area full of ancient Nubian monuments. UNESCO launched an international campaign to help save them, and a bunch of countries, including Spain, stepped up with money, expertise, and support to relocate temples and preserve cultural heritage. As a thank-you, Egypt gifted the Temple of Debod to Spain in 1968. Other countries got temples too. Italy got the Temple of Ellesyia, the Netherlands got the Temple of Taffeh, and the U.S. got the Temple of Dendur, now in The Met in NYC. See? Kindness is rewarded. You'll get a temple.

My mom and I did their 4:00 PM E-bike tour this past week. It was a great experience and our guide…read morewas excellent! I would recommend doing this tour on your first day/afternoon in Madrid so you can get acclimated to the city and see some of the main sites. Our guide, Fran, was knowledgeable, personable, and animated. The background he provided at each of the sites was interesting and helped us learn more about Madrid and Spanish history. He also had great tips and recommendations for where to go in Madrid. The tour was about 10-15 people I'd say. It was a good size to command enough attention to safely drive on the road in a lane but have everyone stay together. They provided a water bottle, helmet, bike. Fran even took us to a special "surprise stop" at the end (churros!). With the E-bike, you could adjust the assistance and you still pedaled to make the assist go, but it was a good choice to have some assist as there are hills and you don't want to worry about having to keep up on going when you're driving in a lane on the road. The shop also has bikes, roller blades, and skate/penny boards for rent.

Best way to spend 2 hours at Parque De El Retiro. The park is rather large but flat so exploring…read moreby bike is not only fun but makes for a fun way to see the park. Rental was quick and easy, you have to leave your ID and 2 hours was about $7.50 euros per person. We easily explored the parque in 1 hour with time for photos and admiring the beauty it offers. Definitely recommend!

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!