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The best of Madrid, Spain- The Madrid Top 10

These are our top ten recommendations to enjoy the best that Madrid has to offer - the best sights, attractions, the top 10 things to do in the capital of Spain, the top 10 restaurants, historic sites, apartments and much more. We hope these recommendations will help you to explore to the full this wonderful city and make the best of your stay.

Top 10 Sights

Royal Palace. Madrid's most beautiful building, the largest royal palace in Western Europe.

Puerta del Sol. Madrid's most central and best known square.

Plaza Mayor. Marvellous enclosed square, perfect to sit outside and people watch.

Templo de Debod. An authentic 2nd Century BC Egyptian temple in the middle of Madrid!

Madrid Cathedral. Madrid's largest and most important church.

Plaza de la Villa. Incredibly historic square, home to the 15th Century Torre de Lujanes, 16th Century Casa de Cisneros and the 17th Century Casa de la Villa.

Puerta de Alcalá. A Madrid icon, this old city gate even has a song dedicated to it!

Gran Vía. Madrid's most famous and most central street.

Plaza de Cibeles. Central square where Real Madrid celebrates championship wins and home to the Bank of Spain.

Plaza de Oriente. Beautiful square located in front of the Royal Palace.



Top things to do in Madrid

Watch flamenco. Madrid is a stage for some of the best flamenco dancers in the world. Visit a flamenco restaurant for the perfect night-out.

See a bullfight. The best bullfighters show off their skills in Spain's capital.
Watch Real Madrid play. The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium plays host to one of the best football teams in the world.

Take an open-topped bus tour. See the most important sights and monuments in under 2 hours, enabling you to choose which to visit later.

Eat at the world's oldest restaurant. Botin is recognised as such in the Guinness Book of Records.

Try some tapas. The quintessential and ubiquitous Spanish food.

Take a ride on Madrid's cable car. The Teleférico gives visitors wonderful panoramic views of many of the capital's best sights & attractions.
Walk in the Park. Enjoy the wide open spaces, rose-garden, boating lake, and the wonderful street theatre at the Retiro Park.
Go to the Rastro. Madrid's weekly flea market allows you to buy almost anything under the sun!
Try chocolate con churros. After all the activity above, you'll need to restore your energy with some chocolate con churros. What's this? Find out here...



Top 10 Museums

The Prado. One of Europe's premier art museums, the Prado is a must when visiting Madrid.

The Reina Sofia. Picasso's 'Woman in Blue' and Guernica paintings are just 2 of the highlights.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza. Some say this is the world's best private art collection, now managed by the Spanish state.

CaixaForum. A new addition to Madrid's cultural offering, includes an amazing vertical garden.

Fundación Lázaro Galdiano. Overshadowed by the famous museums listed above, but this is Madrid's hidden gem - one of the city's best art museums.  

Goya Museum. The main attraction here are the frescos the famous painter was commissioned to paint in this chapel.

Museo Sorolla. The studio-mansion of the Impressionist painter Joaquin Sorolla exhibits examples of his works.

Casa Museo Lope de Vega. Dedicated to Spain's greatest playwright, this small museum reproduces a 17th Century Spanish home.

Archaeological Museum. The most important exhibit here is the Dama de Elche, a woman's bust from the 4th or 5th Century BC.

Naval Museum. One of the world's most important naval museums, right here in Madrid.