Spain’s capital city has nearly everything you could want in an amazing vacation. From architecture that looks like its right out of a fairytale to a variety of unique neighborhoods to explore, you should never pass up a chance to visit this amazing city. The energy is contagious, the people are friendly, and the sights are amazing. In this Madrid travel guide you’ll find everything you need to know to take advantage of the best highlights Madrid has to offer.
Continuing on with our Euro Roadtrip journey from Portugal we drove the 7.5 hours from Lisbon to Madrid. Madrid is the capital city of Spain and has almost 3.3 million inhabitants! Something I noticed after visiting a few different countries within Europe is even though you are literally visiting countries within hours of eachother like France, Portugal and Spain, they are so very different in culture, language and even the beautiful architecture.
First let’s make sure you have everything you need for your trip away-
Tips for Travelling Spain
Travel with an eSim: Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store that solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving travelers access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards). More than one million people are already using Airalo’s eSIMs.With eSIMs from Airalo, travelers can download and install a digital data pack for over 200 countries/regions and get connected anywhere in the world as soon as they land.
Compensation for delayed or canceled flights: Since 2013, AirHelp has helped more than 10 million passengers understand their rights and receive up to €600 in compensation for delayed or canceled flights.
Book the cheapest Hotels: Hotellook — a service that helps you find and compare prices on hotels around the world, provided by a leading reservation system. Today, Hotellook.com offered to put together information on more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Car Rental: Rentalcars.com is the world’s largest online car rental service. They make eight million bookings a year (and counting) in over 60,000 locations across 160 countries. Rentalcars.com offers 24/7 customer service, connect you to the biggest brands in car rental and their website is available in 43 languages.
Trip Advisor: Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site to discover where to stay, what to do, and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than one billion reviews and opinions of nearly eight million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants, and discover great places nearby.
Find the cheapest flights: WayAway is a flight aggregator that provides travelers with the best rates on airline tickets. Users can also purchase the WayAway Plus membership plan, which gives cashback on flights, accommodation, car rentals, tours, and more.
Watch a Flamenco Show
I told Pete pretty much the first thing I wanted to do when we hit Spain was to try out different Spanish Tapas restaurants and go a see a traditional Flamenco dance- number 1 on the list of highlights in Madrid!
A quick Google search and I reserved us a table at a place called Villa Rosa. The oldest Tablao Flamenco in Madrid, Villa Rosa has been holding performances since 1911. You can buy tickets to the performance that also includes a traditional Spanish Tapas dinner.
Visit the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
We spent 3 nights in Madrid and got to explore all different parts of the city taking in all the different cultural aspects of Spain. A true soccer/football fan would suggest touring the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium as one of the top highlights in Madrid (someone like Pete). It has been the home stadium of Réal Madrid (a famous and very good football league) since its completion in 1947.
Check out Plaza de Toros de las Ventas
Another culture shock I would have to say is seeing the The Ventas Bullring or Plaza de Toros de las Ventas (in Spanish). Spain’s largest bullring and third largest in the world, this place holds bullfights every Sunday from March to late October. Warning: Not for the faint hearted!
Chill in the Plaza Major
The Plaza Mayor is a major public space in the heart of Madrid. Built in back in 1580, it is one of the most beautiful highlights of Madrid- a great place to shop, walk around, eat, and enjoy the outdoors.
Honestly, you just need to take a nice leisurely stroll through the streets of Madrid and you will come across some amazing buildings and quirky little laneways full of vibrant colours.
More in Spain…
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