“De Madrid al cielo”, or from “Madrid to heaven”, is how locals Madrillenos describe their city. It’s so wonderful that there’s nowhere better, for the living at least.
In contrast to Madrid, I’ve found that Spain’s second biggest city, Barcelona, is a more frequent addition to the itineraries of international travelers. This is probably because it’s blessed with pleasant weather year round, has a more developed travel scene for youth and budget visitors, and boasts a couple of beaches with clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Seemingly languid and landlocked by comparison, Madrid is often overlooked if time is tight in favour of its fun loving national counterpart. This is a shame as Madrid has a lot to offer travelers – from stunning architecture to incredible eats – even if it isn’t as in your face as Barcelona.
I think that the best way to describe the juxtaposition of these two cities is by metaphor. Barcelona is unapologetically flashy and oozes carefree youthfulness like the prom queen in a 90’s teen movie. Madrid, by contrast, is the more refined and sophisticated college student that comes home for summer break wielding an air of confidence and mystery that everyone can’t help but notice.
With that, here are some photos we took during a self-guided walking tour of Madrid. At the end of the post is a description of each picture. For those less interested in planning your own trek, Sandemans offers a selection of tours, including a great free walking tour daily that covers many of Madrid’s main sites.
1. Casa de la Panadería in Plaza Mayor
2. Entering Plaza Mayor
3-5. Almudena Cathedral
6. Palacio Real
7-11. Mercado de San Miguel
12. Museo’del Jamon
13-14. Parque del Retiro
15. Puerta de Alcalá in the Plaza de la Independencia
16. Mercado de San Antón in the super hip Chueca neighbourhood
17-18. Instituto Cervantes along Calle de Alcalá
19. Gran Via, an upscale street renowned for shopping and high end hotels
20. Calle Lope de Vega
21-22. Plaza Mayor at night
Any spots that you wouldn’t miss on your Madrid walking tour? Let us know in the comments!
Madrid Walking Tour photos courtesy of Lauren Barth and JP Bervoets
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I love that you wrote this post! I only spent 17 hours in Madrid – quite unfortunate that it was so short, but considering it was a layover I guess I got lucky that it was long enough to get out of the airport. With that said, in 17 hours I feel like I can honestly say I’ve never been in a city that felt so alive … I feel like it’s completely underrated (everyone I knew packed their bags for weekends in Barcelona, and no one went to Madrid)! I ended up spending a few months living in Rome, which I loved for so many reasons, but there was definitely something completely unique and special about Madrid. I remember the 4 am cab ride back to the airport, and being so amazed by all the people out still going strong at that hour. It was such a lovely city and had such a cool vibe … I am absolutely dying to get back to Madrid and spend some more time there!
xo Elle
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