Madrid Royal Palaces, Art, and Spanish Culture

Madrid In A Nutshell

The first time I visited Madrid was on a whistlestop tour back in 2016! I was visiting a friend in Badajoz in Extremadura and Madrid was the most convenient place to fly to. Despite only initially spending one day there, I vowed to return!

And return I did! One year later in fact. In 2017, my friend and I decided to continue our fabulous Spanish summer with a trip to the capital. We spent 4 days in Spain’s capital and loved every minute of it!

Madrid instantly drew us in with its mix of history and buzz. It’s hard not to fall in love with the city. We took photos of our feet at Kilometre Zero in the bustling Puerta del Sol, we marveled at the jaw-dropping Royal Palace, and enjoyed some of the finest churros at San Ginés.

With so much art in the city, we had to take it in. We visited the Reina Sofia art museum and saw one of my favourite paintings, Guernica by Picasso. We ate our way through both San Miguel and San Ildefonso markets and partied the night away in Chueca.

We also spent a day in Retiro Park. This huge green space is ideal for chilling by the lake, taking a boat ride, and wandering through the beautiful gardens.

As a gay traveller, Madrid Pride was always on my bucket list and I finally got to experience it on my third trip in 2024!

I fell in love with Madrid the moment I stepped into Puerta del Sol on my first day and I can’t wait to share all of my top tips with you!