The beautiful Spanish Capital, Madrid is perfect for a European city break or a long weekend away. The Spanish city has something for everyone, from culture to history to food and normally sunshine (We got unlucky with the weather when we went (30^th of April) and the temperatures ranged from 15 -19 degrees with minimal sunshine). I have put together a Mini Madrid City Break Travel Guide that revolves around food, rooftop bars and places to go when in the vibrant city. It is a perfect city to get lost in and explore.

When picking a European city break, we could not decide between Madrid and Seville and what swayed us was The Madrid Open. Here is more information on our 3 night city break in Madrid.

Hotel locations in Madrid

Gran Via is a good base to book your accommodation and it is easy to get access to all other routes from here. Like any City, Madrid has luxury accommodation, aparthotels and basic hotels too. It all depends on your budget and what you fancy. When it comes to city breaks, we always opt for a clean central hotel.

We stayed in a 3 star just off Gran Via – Hotel Los Condes. We knew we were not going to spend a lot of time in the hotel and booked a room only rate. With city breaks it is always much nicer to explore the little cafes for breakfast.

Things to do in Madrid

Tours in Madrid

Free walking tour: Every city break must start with one of these. On this occasion we went with Guru Walk and did the Old Town tour. It gives you some idea of what to expect, what to avoid and is full of useful tips. It is in the guide’s interest to make your tour as knowledgeable and enjoyable because at the end of the tour you tip them based on how good you think it was.
Go on a Food tour: Devour Food Tour was amazing, and this set our benchmark for what food to have in Madrid as well as where to go. We went on the Ultimate Spanish Cuisine tour which was 4 hours long. The guide took us to local spots we would have missed or not been able to get tables at. Most of the restaurants/cafes were run by the 3^rd and 4^th generation, giving them a lot of history and character. Here is a video of the tour.
Flamenco Tour: We never did one of these because we ran out of time. One of the tour guides did point out to try and go for an authentic one and not one where they sell you a package and you end up with cheap wine and mediocre flamenco.

Points of Interest in Madrid

Walk along Gran Via and if you fancy some shopping this is the spot to go. From high end to highs street, you are spoilt for choice.
Walk along the Royal Palace and Cathedral and in the square to see the beautiful architecture. If you wish to learn more about both these places, you can pay to go inside them.
Walk past the oldest restaurant in the world – El Botin is worth seeing. It was founded in 1725. You can eat here too but you need to make a reservation 3 months in advance. The locals say sometimes you can get lucky with a table late evening, but we tried and had no luck.
Visit the Chueca neighbourhood which has some amazing restaurants and bars, cute sidewalks, boutiques and has with a great vibe.
Visit Retiro parque – It is the Madrid’s main park and is great to walk around. They have a lake too where you can hire boats to row around the water
Madrid has several squares to explore. Some of the popular ones are Plaza Major and Puerta del Sol. When at Puerta del Sol look for the sign that shows you how far the rest of Spain is from the centre point which is on the Square. The Square also has the famous clock that is linked to the New Years tradition of eating 12 grapes at each chime at midnight.
Plaza Major is the main square and is bustling. It still has Baroque architectural style from the 16th century. Many events happen on this square especially on public holidays.
Visit the local markets like Mercado San Anton. Mercado de San Miguel is very touristy – good to have a peek at but you barely get a seat. More details under where to eat

Madrid Open (Tennis in Madrid)

If you love tennis, then plan your trip around Madrid Open (April/May). We purchased tickets in advance to avoid the risk of missing out. I am not sure whether you can get last minute tickets. Madrid Open has clay courts and it is a different experience. Obviously, I prefer Wimbledon because there is more etiquette and I love the whole strawberries & cream and Pimms craze. You do not get that at Madrid Open. You cannot take in water bottles –you leave them in a cupboard and take it on your way out. There are several food and drink spots, but they get very busy. The practice courts are easy to access and you get close to the players too.

Rooftops and Terraces to visit in Madrid:

I am always chasing rooftops especially when it comes to city breaks. A few popular ones charge to get in and do not give you any credit towards your drinks. I chose not to go to them because you can get equally great views from other rooftops.

The ones below are amazing rooftops, free to get in or if they have a fee, you keep the receipt and redeem this against your order which I think is fair.

Dear Hotel: This is opposite the famous RIU one. The view maybe slightly different but you can still see the sunset and it is much cheaper. Located on the 14^th floor and has 360-degree views of the city. It is located in Gran Via
El Cielo de Chicote: Above Hotel Montera, expect beautiful views of Gran Via. Booking is recommended especially for the Golden Hour. The cocktails are perfectly shaken too. Access to the bar is 10 euros pp and this is deducted from your bill. This was my favourite one.
Only You Atocha Hotel: Located near the popular train station Atocha, this is perfect for getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The terrace has great views of the city. It is not far from Retiro Park.
Ella Sky Bar: The service here is slow (or we picked a wrong date) but the views are great and cocktails amazing. You have to pay to book a table but the deposit gets taken off your bill.
Thompson by Hyatt: The Hyatt is set in a beautiful location. Whilst there was construction going on, the rooftop had only been open one week and I can only imagine how popular it will be in the summer.

Places to eat and drink in Madrid

The locals love their tapas and the evenings have a lovely buzz because everyone goes out. Tapas was invented to encourage people to eat whilst they are drinking. The locals do not order tapas like we do. They go to a restaurant/café, order one type of tapas to share and have a drink and then move onto the next place.

The best tapas spots are the ones you don’t hear about because the locals don’t post about it so much on social media.

Try and avoid the tourist spots e.g. if you are in a square just go down one of the side streets and pick a place there rather than eat at one on the square.

In terms of drinks, stick to the local beer and wine or cocktails. We learnt Sangria is not a Spanish thing and in fact a cocktail that was made in America and a lot of places in Spain do not make it the proper way. Ask for Tinto de Verano instead which is similar and made up of equal part of wine and soda (local lemonade). You can have the local lemonade in beer too.

Markets in Madrid

Mercado San Anton – with tapas starting at 1 euro, there is a great buzz here and the food selection is fabulous.
Visit Anton Martin, another market for local produce. Try their olives, local meat and much more at this market. It is a mixture of shops and eateries. We were introduced to crisps with anchovies here and wow, it was delicious. Did you know most of the olive oil we consumer is from Spain? We think it is Italy but they but it off Spain because the demand is so high.
Mercado de San Miguel aka San Miguel Market: go and pay it a visit and have a drink but it’s a very touristy place. After trying some croquettes here compared to what proper croquettes were like at the local tapas bar, I would not recommend it for food.

Cafes in Madrid

Cafe de la luz for coffee/breakfast was one that was voted as a café to visit by Conte Traveller. This cosy café will make you feel at home. With its mix and match décor, expect good coffee and food. We enjoyed the fresh Spanish tomatoes on some toast with some Iberico ham tasted so delicious.
Try out Churros at the popular San Gines and then try them at Chocolat– My preference is the latter. Chocolat source them to many of the other shops too. They make porras which are a thicker fluffier version of churros. The dipping chocolate is much better quality at Chocolat.
HanSo café: If you are going to have the basque cheesecake you have to do this in Spain right? We went to Hanso café for a coffee and cheesecake. Each mouthful just melted away. It was one of the best Basque cheesecakes I have ever had.
Eat my trip: A brunch restaurant and creative cafe. The brunch here is amazing and the menu is inspired by travels of the owner. We shared one and had the most delicious smoothies here too. You must book to avoid waiting around. We got there and were told we could check back in an hour but they could not guarantee a table. As we were walking away, I went on their website where I was able to book a slot in the next 15 minutes. I believe the upstairs is for walk ins and downstairs for reservations.

Tapas in Madrid

Casa Revuelta: The croquettes were unreal here. We had some at San Miguel market that were probably double the price but did not have the fluffy melt in the mouth texture or taste like they did here.
Calamari Sandwich at Bar La Campana – I never knew there was such a thing as calamari sandwich. Crispy fried calamari in a fresh bun, served with some lemon juice. There are a few places that sell this but this one came highly recommended.

Traditional Restaurants in Madrid

Taberna La Indigna – A local restaurant where you need to try. Going to local restaurant is brilliant however you need to know some Spanish because communication is hard, and you can end up over ordering or misinterpreting each other. Google translate does help with menu choices but that is it. The food was delicious here, portions are generous and it was reasonably priced too
If you are lucky, make a reservation at El Botin which is the oldest restaurant in the world! Casa Botín, founded in 1725, is the oldest restaurant in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records and a benchmark of Madrid’s best traditional cuisine. The reviews are mixed. Getting a booking is not easy – we tried a few times (based on what the locals had told us) but had no joy. ** Some food tour companies offer El Botin as part of their tour and have a guaranteed seating. Devour Tours offers it on one of them but we were too late. Email them to find out more.
Los Galayos for sucking pig: I can confirm the pig was delicious. We shared one and it was ample with a soup starter. Again, the language barrier meant we ordered a soup each (which luckily was nice) and the staff thought that was all we came for. Madrid is known for its pork and the suckling pig is a must try.

General Tips on Madrid City Break

Most places in Madrid accept card payments
Ubers are really easy to get in Madrid – even from the airport.
We walked everywhere and felt safe – streets are clean in most of the capital
Knowing some Spanish helps – we struggled with ordering a few times. English is spoken but in the local restaurants it isn’t. This is pushing me to learn it.
You can get free tap water every where you go. Just be firm when you tell them.
Everything in Madrid starts at midday and dinners are usually between 9 and 11 pm (yes it is late).

Save this page for your next city break tips and food experiences in Madri. Love city breaks? Here is a guide on how to spend 3 nights in Paris.

Hotel locations in Madrid