OVERVIEW
Unusually for me, I will make this short:
If you like cities in general, and European cities especially, and
You like beautiful parks, architecture, and cultural sites, and
You like to be treated nicely by every single local with whom you interact, and
You want an overwhelming choice of some of the best bars and restaurants we’ve personally visited anywhere (and I’ve been to a few over the years), well then, go to Madrid. It is the definition of Diamond Certified. In fact, we were knocked out.
So move over, Rome, Amsterdam, London and Paris, you’ve got company.
Major company.
LAY OF THE LAND
Madrid is pretty much in the middle of Spain, and we stayed pretty much in the middle of Madrid. We flew in and out of Madrid’s very huge but nice airport, and also took a train to Seville for three nights (Travel Guide forthcoming).
We walked to and from the train station; the airport is 30 - 60 minutes from central Madrid, depending upon traffic. We used Cabify to book a car each time - this Uber alternative is the go-to for locals here (not Uber) and in Spain in general and it worked great for us. Just get the app on your phone and set it up in advance - it works exactly like Uber or Lyft.
Here is a more detailed map. I am doing something different this time, in that a live version (clickable) of it is here: Portico Darwin Madrid Map. The blue pins are either where we stayed, or among the favorite places we visited - I did this to encourage you to use the real map, but also to highlight how central and walkable it all is.
Indeed, our lodging was so central, we didn’t use Madrid’s supposedly excellent subway system - my apologies, but go and you’ll see.
Heck, we didn’t use Cabify or a taxi in town, either. Yeah, it’s that walkable.
LODGING
When I’m not mooching at a friend’s or relative’s place, normally, I say, “It’s either a hotel, or an Airbnb or something like one.” But this time, we did both, to your benefit, because both of our picks are easy to recommend.
First: Oh, my, how to describe this hotel without sounding foolish? But I’ll just go ahead: CoolRooms Palacio de Atocha may be my favorite city hotel in which we’ve stayed.
Look, as you probably have, I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in a bunch of very nice hotels, all over the place. But from the staff, to the lounge, to the pool (and the wonderful dining available at it), to the exactly-perfect room, this boutique hotel is nothing if not Diamond Certified.
Oh, and its location? See “Diamond Certified,” above - it was right where you want to be, but it was bank-vault quiet in our room. It was not inexpensive - I think we paid $500/night for the two nights we were there. But you could spend way more and what an ideal place from which to familiarize yourself with Madrid.
Did I mention Real Madrid played at Liverpool on our second night in town, and a real-deal pub was right around the corner?
After our first two nights, it was off via the awful, stupid, and mindless high-speed rail system upon which Spain has flushed money, to Seville
It took 2.5 hours at 150 MPH, in luxury, with one stop in Cordoba.
But that’s a different blog post.
When we came back, we checked into our Airbnb for the next 4 nights. I’ll cut to the chase: it was only a half-mile from our hotel, yet its location was even better. Oh, and completely Diamond Certified, just like the hotel, if not quite as quiet.
If you visit Madrid, and a single king-sized bed will work for you, this is a place to seriously consider and probably just book. We loved it; it was about $300 per night.
Airbnb in Chueca Neighborhood in Madrid
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
If you’re not following closely, perhaps you’re missing that we loved Madrid. Maybe its world-class parks and green space will remind you?
We spent our very first full day exploring Parque de El Retiro. Sorry, but it was . . . well, it begins with a “D” and ends with a “C.”
And then there’s the ginormous park, Campo del Moro, near the must-do Palacio de Real Madrid (below) and the gonzo Galería de las Colecciones Reales (also below). Again, Diamond Certified, and a perfect combo with the Palace and Gallery.
Shocker, but we found a park bar with these views.
Do not attempt to do it on the same day, but not far way (but with a lot of climbing) is the Templo de Debod. These are Egyptian artifacts transported to Spain. Unusually for Madrid, I can only rate this site as Serviceable, despite the views.
But if the reflecting pools were refilled (the cobblestoned area above), I could imagine this being a must (!).
Lastly, don’t miss a stroll along the broad and very leafy Paseo del Prado.
You know, like maybe on your way to . . . Museo Nacional del Prado (below)?
EATING/DRINKING
Let me clear: There was so much I couldn’t keep up, and it wasn’t only the many fine Negronis we enjoyed. I simply don’t visit many places with this quantity of quality places - only Amsterdam comes to mind.
And like Amsterdam, the hospitality was uniformly wonderful, in every restaurant and bar (and shop) we visited.
(Well, OK, the barmaid serving me a late afternoon Weißbier the one afternoon at Mercado de San Ildefonso was grouchy, but that was literally it - true story.)
TL;DR: You’ll have a hard time making an eating/drinking mistake in Madrid. There are many Killer or better places we visited that I am leaving off.
Sorry.
Not sorry.
However, I can suggest lots of Jamón ibérico and Fino (or Oloroso) Sherry.
Here are some places that stood out, and I will start with two that are different - they’re markets, and not the touristy one (Mercado San Miguel, which we blew off).
Of course they both featured something Julie always insists upon.
Mercado San Anton: Diamond Certified
10 Seconds of Seriousness: the picture above is a bar here, yes, but oh, what a tapas bar (Pro Tip: Your receipt has the bathroom code - you’ll want it)
3 levels of goodness of all kinds
Example: more olives than I’d ever seen
Mercado de San Ildefonso: Killer
As above, but with Weißbier at one of the bars
Vinoteca Vides: Textbook and Diamond Certified
A local’s wine and tapas bar just a few doors down from our Airbnb, I was treated wonderfully here
And oh, the Jamón ibérico
Cervecería Oldenburg: Textbook
A wonderful beer bar that goes nicely with a show at Clamores Club (below)
So cool, they have no website, just their beer list online
Propaganda: Killer
Top-notch Italian foods and wines
One of the better meals we had on the trip, it was also just a few doors down from our Airbnb
Tasca Celso y Manolo: Killer
Local food at a high level
This wasn’t just a few doors down from our Airbnb - it was next door (you are correct if you’re beginning to think there were a ton of places near us)
ChinChin: Killer
Who says a lounge where every surface is covered with tapestry wallpaper of cats can’t serve top-flight cocktails?
Salmon Guru: Diamond Certified
Is the most strangely named bar I’ve visited also among the very best?
Yes, yes it is.
And yes, yes it was.
Ferretería Restaurante: Killer
Recommended by the staff at CoolRooms, and they weren’t wrong
We went on our final night in Madrid, and it was an ideal place to wrap things
MUSEUMS/GALLERIES/PERFORMANCE ART/OTHER
Major Pro Tip: In all cases, check to see if you can buy tickets in advance, and only do so at the official website. You’re welcome!
Museo Nacional del Prado: Textbook and Diamond Certified
It must begin here
Huge and world-class
Better to do it over two different days - it’s that big
Museo de Historia de Madrid: Killer
Don’t sleep on this wonderful and reasonably-sized museum
Very nice beginning-until-now explanation of the city
Pairs nicely with Mercado de San Ildefonso, above
Palacio de Real Madrid: Diamond Certified
Your quintessential European royal residence
With Campo del Morro, it is like Versailles on a smaller scale
And it comes complete with its own fully-equipped cathedral
Galería de las Colecciones Reales: Diamond Certified
This imposing and incredibly modern art museum blew us away
It houses the art collection of Spain’s monarchy
A perfect match with a visit to the Palace
Plaza Mayor: Textbook
Sure, every major European city has a place like this
We still liked having drinks and people-watching from here
Sala Clamores: Diamond Certified
Our Sunday night in Madrid seeing the rock band BALTHVS here at this cozy club really deserves its own blog post
The band was equally Diamond Certified - I hope you will check them out
Will I offend anyone by including my church photos under this category?
Hopefully not, and we only visited one (after visiting two in Seville), the impressive (and impressively named) Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande.
SHOPPING
This time, I am not poo-poo’ing the concept; Madrid is a major city, with appropriately great stores, many of which you won’t find stateside.
So here is some shopping that even I gave a shit about, and I am leaving out a whole bunch of stuff, because . . . well, I still really don’t like to shop when on vacation.
Adolfo Dominguez: Diamond Certified
What an impressive clothing store, for men and women
The pedestrian street on which it is located (Calle de Fuencarral) had a whole bunch of great stores; ask Julie
adidas Real Madrid Team Store: Killer
Let’s put it this way: I bought something fairly spendy here
And I am happier for it
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a store next to a restaurant we visited twice, Orio Pintxos (see - it was Killer, and still didn’t make the list above). The store is called Eme Studios, and I mention it only because both times we walked by, there was a line around the block of people waiting to get in.
Apparently, it is a Spanish streetwear brand the cool kids wear, and they were lined up for Eme’s next exclusive drop.
Next time.
THE TAKEAWAY
Go before it’s too late, and it becomes another . . . London, Paris, Amsterdam, or even our beloved Rome Roma.
