Madrid is famous for its art museums, cosmopolitan vibe, restaurants, and rooftop bars. If you only have one day in Madrid, there is plenty here to keep you busy.
With a well-planned day, you can visit Madrid’s must-see sights, including the Prado National Museum and the Royal Palace, plus tour a famous market, enjoy the view from a rooftop bar and restaurant, and explore one of Madrid’s picturesque neighborhoods.
This itinerary is a wonderful mix of must-visit landmarks plus a few memorable dining experiences. We spent eight days in Madrid and this itinerary includes the top places to visit in Madrid plus a few of our favorite experiences, ensuring you get the most out of your visit.
In this guide, we provide a detailed one day itinerary for Madrid, complete with walking directions, where to eat along the way, and how to book your tickets in advance. In order to spend one perfect day in Madrid, you will need to make some reservations in advance, but it will pay off once you are here.
Below is a list of the top places to visit if you have one day in Madrid. For a full list of things to do in Madrid, take a look at our Madrid Bucket List.
*Note: The Prado National Museum can be swapped for the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum or the Reina Sofia Museum, depending on your interests in art.
Below is a map of the places you will visit on this one day Madrid itinerary, plus a walking route.
How to Use This Map: Click the tab in the top left hand corner of the map to view the layers (points of interest and the walking route). You can click the check marks to hide or show layers. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each point of interest.
If you click the star next to the title of the map, this map will be added to your Google Maps account. To view it on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, click the menu button, go to “Your Places,” click Maps, and you will see this map on your list.
Overview of this itinerary:
9:00 am: Parque del Retiro
10:00 am: Prado National Museum
12:30 pm: Palacio de Cibeles & Mirador Madrid
1:15 pm: Azotea del Círculo
2:30 pm: City Center (Plazas, Chocolate & Churros)
3:30 pm: Mercado San Miguel
4:30 pm: Royal Palace of Madrid
7:00 pm: Barrio de La Latina
I do my best to keep the hours of operation and pricing up to date for each attraction, however, these can change at any time. I recommend getting updated hours and pricing for your dates of travel. The link to the official website is provided for each site.
Many museums and sites in Madrid do not open until 10 am. If you want to get started a little bit earlier than that, this grand park is a wonderful place to go for a morning stroll.
Retiro Park (also called El Retiro and Parque del Retiro) is a large park that sits on the east side of Madrid. On this itinerary, you will slowly work your way across the city, ending on the west side of the city center. This avoids any backtracking or unnecessary walking.
Retiro Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is filled with a long list of landmarks, gardens, and hidden treasures to visit. Places to see include the Grand Pond of El Retiro, the Fountain of the Fallen Angel, the Crystal Palace, and the Rose Garden.
To get here, you can walk (depending on your hotel location), take a taxi or use a rideshare app, or take the metro to the Retiro station.
Crystal Palace in Retiro Park
Spend the rest of the morning visiting one of Madrid’s top art museums. The Prado National Museum is the top art museum to visit in the city, but the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and Reina Sofia Museum are great options, depending on your interests in art.
The Prado National Museum is the most popular art museum in Madrid and one of the top attractions in the city. This museum contains an enormous collection of European art as well as the largest collection of Spanish art in the world. On a visit here, you will see works of art by Francisco Goya, El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, and Bosch.
This museum is located close to Retiro Park (about a 15-minute walk from the Great Pond).
Planning Your Visit to the Prado Museum
Opening time is at 10 am. Purchase your tickets in advance for the 10 am time slot. Lines to enter start forming before opening time. We recommend getting in line around 9:45 am. Even though you have a timed entry ticket, there still can be lines to enter (we waited in line for 20 minutes for our 10:30 am entry time).
Purchase your tickets online in advance on the official website several weeks in advance of your visit. If the 10 am time slot is sold out, then check GetYourGuide for tickets.
The Prado Museum is open 7 days a week, generally from 10 am to 8 pm, with reduced hours on Sunday.
It takes 1 to 3 hours to visit the Prado Museum, depending on your interests. On this itinerary, you have about 2 hours inside of the museum. The official website has itineraries on how to spend one or two hours at the museum.
Be aware that photography is not allowed in the museum.
There are several cafes where you can take a break, have a cup of coffee or a snack, before moving on with your day.
If you have no interest in visiting the Prado National Museum, there are two nearby art museums nearby that are worth considering.
The Prado National Museum, the Reina Sofia Museum, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum form a trio of art museums which is called Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art. These museums were listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum has artworks by English, Dutch, Italian, and German artists. Famous artworks include Paul Cezanne’s Seated Man, Edgar Degas’ Swaying Dancer, Edouard Manet’s Horsewoman, Van Gogh’s Les Vessenots in Auvers, and Dalí’s Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee.
Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee
This museum is located very close to the Prado Museum and Retiro Park. It is free on Monday but does not open until noon, so if you will be spending one day in Madrid on a Monday, this museum will not work in this itinerary. Get hours, pricing, and purchase your tickets in advance on the official website.
Reina Sofia Museum
On display is a large collection of 20th century art, much of this being Impressionist and Expressionist paintings. The most famous work of art is Picasso’s Guernica.
Picasso’s Guernica
The Reina Sofia Museum is located near the Atocha Train Station. The downside of visiting this museum is its location. It is located farther from El Retiro Park and the next stop on this itinerary, Palacio de Cibeles, so be prepared to do some extra walking (it will be a 20-minute walk to the palace) or take bus 27. However, of the three art museums mentioned, it is our favorite.
Purchase your tickets, get pricing, and confirm hours on the official website. The museum is closed on Tuesday.
For a sweeping view of Plaza de Cibeles and Gran Vía, visit Mirador Madrid, a rooftop viewpoint that sits on top of Palacio de Cibeles.
Palacio de Cibeles is one of the most beautiful buildings in Madrid. It sits on Plaza de Cibeles, not far from the Prado National Museum.
From the Prado Museum, it is a 10-minute walk to get here. It is a 6-minute walk from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and a 20-minute walk from the Reina Sofia Museum.
Palacio de Cibeles and Plaza de Cibeles | One day in Madrid
The view from Mirador Madrid
To visit Mirador Madrid, purchase a timed entry ticket in advance (a 12:30 pm time slot works well for this itinerary).
Arrive 10 minutes early so you can ride the elevator up to Floor 6E and walk to the entry point for Mirador Madrid. The visit is timed such that every 30 minutes a small group of people visit the terrace, which helps keep crowds low. From the entry point, you will walk up 88 steps to get to the upper outdoor terrace.
Get hours and pricing on the official website and purchase your tickets in advance. Mirador Madrid is closed on Monday, some holidays, and can close in the summer due to high temperatures.
Note: There is also a rooftop bar on Palacio de Cibeles called Terraza Cibeles. This terrace sits lower than Mirador Madrid, so you don’t get the sweeping views of the city. However, if you could not get a ticket to Mirador Madrid, this is a nice option to get a similar view. Just be aware that it does not get good reviews and only a few tables have a view. We visited both and Mirador Madrid is the winner for the view and overall experience. Get hours and learn more on the official website.
The view from Terraza Cibeles
Azotea del Círculo is one of Madrid’s most famous rooftop bars. It is located on Gran Vía and from here you get panoramic views of Madrid. To get here, it is just a 7-minute walk from Palacio de Cibeles. It is a beautiful, short walk, with views of Gran Vía and the famous Metropolis Building.
The rooftop terrace of Azotea del Círculo | One day in Madrid
The view from Azotea del Círculo
Azotea del Círculo serves wine, beer, and cocktails as well as lunch. You can grab a seat at one of the outdoor tables or sofas or make a reservation for lunch.
Try not to eat or drink too much! This afternoon, you will also visit a food hall and have the option to snack on chocolate and churros.
Now it is time to go on a stroll through the city center of Madrid. This quick, short walking tour takes you to two of Madrid’s famous squares with the option to stop for chocolate and churros.
From Azotea del Círculo, walk to Puerta del Sol. Go for a stroll along Gran Vía, one of Madrid’s famous streets, and then turn left onto Calle de la Montera to get to Puerta del Sol.
Puerta del Sol is one of the largest squares in Madrid. It was one of the original gates in the city walls that once surrounded the city. Things to see here include the Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, Kilometer Zero (a plaque marking the geographical center of Spain), and the Royal Post Office.
Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree
From Puerta del Sol, it is a 5-minute walk to Plaza Mayor. This large square was the site of the main market. Surrounding the square are restaurants, shops, and nine gates line the square, creating grand entry and exit points.
The short walk from Puerta del Sol to Plaza Mayor is filled with views like this one.
Plaza Mayor | One day in Madrid
One of the top foods to eat in Madrid are churros. The best place to get them is at Chocolatería San Ginés, one of the oldest cafes in the city. A visit here is rather quick and from Plaza Mayor, it is just a 2-minute walk to get here.
This is an optional detour…again, don’t indulge too much because next up is Mercado San Miguel, a great place to sample a wide variety of Spanish foods.
This small, busy market is one of Madrid’s best dining experiences. Food stalls sell everything from aged cheeses to empanadas to fresh seafood to croquettes. This is the perfect way to sample the local foods and wash it down with a glass of wine or Estrella beer.
Mercado San Miguel can be very crowded midday, so finding a table might be challenging, but this is still a very worthwhile experience. We loved trying the foods in this market and visited it several times while in Madrid.
For the remainder of the afternoon, visit the Royal Palace of Madrid and Almudena Cathedral. These two landmarks sit side-by-side on the west side of the city center. It takes less than 10 minutes to walk here from Mercado San Miguel.
The cathedral stays open later (open until 9 pm in July and August and 8 pm September through June) than the Royal Palace (open until 7 pm in the summer and 6 pm in the winter). Confirm these times before your trip, just in case they change.
First, make a very quick stop at this viewpoint for a beautiful view of the cathedral. You can also scope out the lines to enter the Royal Palace (these lines form on the square in between the cathedral and the fence that surrounds the palace).
The view of Almudena Cathedral from Mirador de la Catedral
The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the royal family. Now it is only used for royal ceremonies. With more than 3,000 rooms, it is the largest functioning royal palace in Europe. A visit here is similar to visiting Versailles.
On a visit here, you will tour the rooms of the palace and the Royal Armoury.
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