76 Best Sights in Madrid, Spain

Unlike El Retiro and Western Park, this secluded 158-acre park is mostly forested and unlandscaped, making it ideal for disconnecting in nature. Its location in the Ciudad Universitaria neighborhood makes it a popular meeting place for university students in warm-weather months. You won't run into any tourists here.

Built between 1792 and 1798 by Italian architect Francisco Fontana, this neoclassical chapel was financed by King Carlos IV, who also commissioned Goya to paint the vaults and the main dome. Goya depicted events of the 13th century (such as St. Anthony of Padua resurrecting a dead man) as if they had happened in his own time five centuries later, with naturalistic images never used before to paint religious scenes. Opposite the image of the frightening dead man on the main dome, Goya painted himself as a man covered with a black cloak. Goya, who died in Bordeaux in 1828, is buried here (without his head, which was stolen in France) under an unadorned gravestone.

Most Madrileños have no idea that the city's (and greater region's) oldest Mudejar church, erected in the 13th century, is located in Carabanchel. Though currently under renovation and closed to the public, it remains exceptionally well-preserved. The hermitage has a rectangular floor plan and a six-story brick-and-stone belfry with two bells (these were added in the 20th century). Note the intricate Moorish-influenced arches above the doorways and windows fashioned out of brick. If by some stroke of luck you gain entry to the church—it purportedly opens occasionally on Saturday at 11 am—you'll find colorful medieval frescoes and a well within.

Madrid's main train station is a steel-and-glass hangar built in the late 19th century by Alberto de Palacio y Elissague, who became famous for his work with Ricardo Velázquez on the Palacio de Cristal in El Retiro Park. It was the site of one of the 2004 Al-Qaeda train bombings that collectively killed 193 and injured over 2,000, the topic of the 2022 Netflix documentary 11M: Terror in Madrid. Today, following renovations by architect Rafael Moneo, the station's main hall resembles a greenhouse; it's filled with tropical trees and contains a busy turtle pool, a magnet for kids.  Beware of detours and delays through 2024. In 2022, the city green-lit a €69 million renovation that will reroute the station's main entrance through the iconic wrought-iron façade facing Calle de Atocha.

This UFO-like tower is 360 feet tall and an excellent viewpoint from which to gaze at some of the city’s most outstanding buildings including the Palacio Real, Palacio de Cibeles (City Hall), the four skyscrapers to the north, and up to 50 landmarks for which you’ll find descriptions in English and Spanish.

The Plaza de Cibeles, where three of Madrid’s most affluent districts (Centro, Retiro, and Salamanca) intersect, is both an epicenter of municipal grandeur and a crash course in Spanish architecture. Two palaces, Buenavista and Linares (baroque and baroque revival, respectively), sit on the northern corners of the plaza and are dwarfed by the ornate Palacio de Cibeles. In the center of the plaza stands one of Madrid’s most defining symbols, Cybele Fountain, a depiction of the Roman goddess of the Earth driving a lion-drawn chariot. During the civil war, patriotic Madrileños risked life and limb to sandbag it as Franco's Nationalist aircraft bombed the city.

There's some debate over whether this church, the oldest in central Madrid, once formed part of an Arab mosque. It was more likely built after the so-called Reconquest of Madrid in 1083, but the brickwork and horseshoe arches are evidence that it was crafted by either Mudejars (workers of Islamic origin) or Christian Spaniards well versed in the style. Inside, exhibits detail the Islamic history of early Madrid.

Enter Madrid's "secret garden" through a swinging wrought-iron gate at the north end of Plaza de la Paja. Hiding in plain sight, the 18th-century grounds are a little-known oasis with a burbling fountain, mampuesto stone paths, low-cut boxwood hedges, and a small arbor. Shaded benches around the perimeter feel a world away from the bustling plaza mere steps from where you sit.

The manicured gardens to the north of the Palacio Real, located where the royal stables once were, are a pleasant place to rest or watch the sun set. Renovated in 2022 as part of the Plaza de España overhaul, they are named for the prolific 18th-century architect who designed the Puerta de Alcalá, Royal Botanical Garden, and San Francisco el Grande convent, among other key sights.  

To get to the local tourist office, cross the arch that's across from the visitors' entrance to the monastery.

Madrid Río takes in some 32 km (20 miles) of green space and bike-friendly paths along the lazy, shallow Manzanares River, beginning at the Puente de los Franceses in the northwest and terminating at the Pasarela Legazpi in the southeast (though footpaths extend much farther south). A popular place to enter is Puente de Segovia, downhill from the Palacio Real; a Christmas market is held here with craft kiosks and food stalls. Outdoor concerts (check out the Veranos de la Villa series; lineups are posted online) and informal riverside dining round out the park’s offerings. Note to nature lovers: Madrid Río connects to Casa de Campo, Western Park, and Madrid's 64-km (40-mile) Anillo Verde (Green Ring) bike path.

An unrenovated building and budget-friendly tapas and groceries make this market a local favorite for both shopping and snacking. The hangar-like space is at its busiest on Saturday from noon to 3 pm, when seafood stalls transform into makeshift fish and shellfish restaurants, frying, steaming, and boiling their freshest wares and serving them on plastic plates alongside jugs of unlabeled table wine—quite the party. 

Forget the architectural fruit displays and polished tapas stalls of Mercado de San Miguel or Mercado de la Paz—this market's allure is its rough-and-ready atmosphere, neighborhood crowd, and rock-bottom prices. In the morning and late afternoon, you'll spot locals filling their shopping carts with always-fresh meat and produce; from 1:30 to 3 pm, all three floors teem with families and workers on their lunch break scoping out menú del día (set meal) options.

Chueca's neighborhood market has been reborn. In 2022, the three-floor complex underwent a massive renovation that gutted and revamped the second floor entirely and added 16 new stalls including an offshoot of the centennial Café Comercial. After browsing the more traditional grocery stalls on the ground floor, take the escalator up to the second for a rollicking tapeo (tapas crawl) or go up one additional floor to imbibe at 11 Nudos, a sceney rooftop restaurant and bar owned by Spanish craft gin Nordés.

Adjacent to the Plaza Mayor, this gastronomic market is a feast for the senses. Its bustling interior—a mixture of tapas spots and grab-and-go counters—sits beneath a fin-de-siècle glass dome reinforced by elaborate wrought iron. Enjoy a glass of wine and maybe a snack here, but save your appetite: the market, as gorgeous as it may be, has become overpriced and underwhelming in recent years. There are two diamonds in the rough: Rocambolesc, with its futuristic ice creams by the Roca brothers, and Daniel Sorlut, a posh oyster bar. 

Once connected to the Palacio Real by an underground passageway, this cloistered Augustinian convent now houses fewer than a dozen nuns. It was founded in 1611 by Queen Margarita de Austria, the wife of Felipe III, and has several artistic treasures, including a reliquary where a vial with the dried blood of St. Pantaleón is said to liquefy every July 27. The ornate church has superb acoustics for medieval and Renaissance choral concerts. Tours are in Spanish only and take about 90 minutes.

This museum boasts three large floors filled with Spanish relics, artifacts, and treasures ranging from ancient history to the 19th century. Among the highlights are La Dama de Elche, the bust of a wealthy 5th-century-BC Iberian woman (notice that her headgear vaguely resembles the mantillas and hair combs still associated with traditional Spanish dress); the ancient Visigothic votive crowns discovered in 1859 near Toledo, believed to date back to the 7th century; and the medieval ivory crucifix of Ferdinand and Sancha. There is also a replica of the early cave paintings in Altamira (access to the real thing, in Cantabria Province, is highly restricted).

Consider getting the multimedia guide offering select itineraries to make your visit more manageable.

One of Madrid's most captivatingly opulent museums is also one of its least known. This former palace, built in 1893 by the marquis of the same name, preserves the nobleman's art collection including works by El Greco, Tintoretto, Van Dyck, and Zurbarán. These hang in gilded and frescoed halls appointed with ornate period furniture.

To reach this museum inside the Centro de Conde Duque, take the door to your right after the entrance and walk up the stairs. Founded in 2001, the museum displays 200 modern artworks acquired by City Hall since 1980. The paintings, graphic art, sculpture, and photography are mostly by local artists.

Founded in 1929 in a former 17th-century hospice, this museum houses paintings, drawings, pictures, ceramics, furniture, and other objects illustrating Madrid's history. Exhibits are separated into four major historic periods: Empire, Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, and Modern Times. The museum's collection of around 40,000 items (some of which are in storage at the Centro Conde Duque and brought here only for temporary exhibitions) span the five centuries since Felipe II brought the royal court to Madrid. The restored ornamented facade—a baroque jewel by Pedro de Ribera—and the painstakingly precise, nearly 18-foot model of Madrid—a project coordinated by León Gil de Palacio in 1830—are the two standout exhibits you should not miss.

The intricate, over-the-top 18th-century doorway to this museum, formerly a hospice, is one of the finest pieces of baroque civil architecture in Spain, so it's a wonder that what lies beyond it flies under the radar of most tourists. Painted fans, period clothing, gleaming china and porcelain, and an exhibit on the Dos de Mayo Uprising are the main attractions, and there are usually a few paintings on loan from the Prado as well.

To catch a glimpse of how the Spanish bourgeoisie lived in the early 19th century, step into this former palace of a marquis. Each room sparkles with ornate period furniture, evocative portraits, and other historical artifacts culled from the height of Spanish Romanticism. It’s worth spending a few minutes admiring the flamboyantly decorated fans and backlit lithophanes. The museum can be seen in an hour or two, but don’t rush out: the plant-filled interior patio is a lovely, tranquil place to enjoy tea and pastries.

Trace the evolution of dress in Spain here, from rare old royal burial garments to French fashion pieces of Felipe V's reign and the haute couture creations of Balenciaga and Pertegaz. Explanatory notes are in English, and the museum has a superb modern Spanish restaurant, Café de Oriente, overlooking the gardens.

Fossils, gems, minerals, and more glitter beneath the lights at this under-the-radar museum housed in a hundred-year-old neoclassical building. 

This stately mansion of writer and editor José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947) is a 10-minute walk across the Castellana from Museo Sorolla. Its remarkable collection spans five centuries of Spanish, Flemish, English, and Italian art. Bosch's St. John the Baptist and a number of Goyas are highlights, with El Greco's San Francisco de Assisi and Zurbarán's San Diego de Alcalá close behind. This museum can be seen as part of the Abono Cinco Palacios, a €12 pass that grants access to five local mansion-museums.

This palatial building showcases 70,000 items including textiles, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, glass, crystal, and metalwork. The collection starts with medieval and Renaissance items on the first floor and ends with 18th- and 19th-century pieces on the top floor. The ground floor rotates temporary exhibitions and avant-garde works. This museum can be seen as part of the Abono Cinco Palacios, a €12 pass that grants access to five mansion-museums over a 10-day period.

History buffs interested in old vessels and warships shouldn't miss the 500 years of Spanish naval history displayed in this newly renovated museum. The collection, which includes documents, maps, weaponry, paintings, and hundreds of ship models of different sizes, now features English-language placards and is fully wheelchair-accessible. Beginning with Queen Isabel and King Fernando's reign and the expeditions led by Christopher Columbus and the conquistadores, exhibits also reveal how Spain built a naval empire that battled Turkish, Algerian, French, Portuguese, and English armies and commanded the oceans and shipping routes for a century and a half. Moving to the present day, the museum covers Spain's more recent shipyard and naval construction accomplishments.

This ornate building on the southeast side of Plaza de la Cibeles, built at the start of the 20th century and formerly called Palacio de Comunicaciones, is a massive stone compound bearing French, Viennese, and traditional Spanish influences. It first served as the city's main post office and, after renovations, is now an administrative building housing the mayor's office, a cultural center called CentroCentro (a pleasant place to study or work), several exhibition halls, dining options (on the second and sixth floors), and a rooftop lookout.

In 2019, this working palace belonging to the House of Alba, one of Spain's most powerful noble families, formally opened to the public. Its sumptuous halls and creaky passages are hung with works selected from what many consider to be Spain's finest private art collection—you'll spot Titians, Rubens, Velázquezes, and other instantly recognizable paintings. In the library, Columbus's diaries from his voyage to the New World are on display as well as the first Spanish-language Bible and other priceless official documents. The neoclassical palace was built in the 18th century but was bombed during the Spanish Civil War (only the facade survived); its collection of works thankfully were safeguarded during the conflict. The Duchess of Alba oversaw the reconstruction of the palace to its precise original specifications.  Visits are by tour only, but if online tickets are sold out, try your luck as a walk-in.

A Moderniste palace commissioned in 1902 by the businessman and politician Javier González Longoria, the Palacio de Longoria was built by a disciple of Gaudí. The winding shapes, the plant motifs, and the wrought-iron balconies are reminiscent of Gaudí's works in Barcelona. The building's jewel is its main iron, bronze, and marble staircase, which is unfortunately off-limits to tourists because the building is now in private hands.