🇪🇸Madrid
Spain's grand capital — golden-hour tapas crawls, world-class art museums, and a city that doesn't sit down to dinner before 9pm.
In photos
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Quick facts
Money & what things cost
Cards are accepted almost everywhere, including small tapas bars and taxis — contactless is the norm on the metro and buses too. It's still worth carrying €20–40 in cash for tiny neighborhood bars, tips, or market stalls. ATMs (cajeros) are plentiful; skip the standalone tourist-branded ones with poor rates, use bank-affiliated machines, and always decline the 'convert to USD' (DCC) prompt so your card's own exchange rate applies.
What locals earn
| Average monthly salary (Madrid) | ≈ €2,200 ($2,510) | gross; Madrid runs above the Spain-wide average of ≈ €2,461 gross |
| National minimum wage (SMI) | €1,221/month gross (14 payments/yr) | ≈ $1,390 |
Food & drink
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Menu del día (fixed lunch menu) | €12–16 | $14–18 |
| Casual tapas dinner, per person | €10–15 | $11–17 |
| Mid-range restaurant dinner, per person | €25–40 | $28–46 |
| Café con leche | €1.50–2.50 | $1.70–2.85 |
| Caña (small draft beer) | €2–4 | $2.30–4.55 |
Transport
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Metro/bus single ticket (flat fare) | €1.50 | $1.70 |
| Tourist transit pass (1 day, covers metro/bus/Cercanías) | €8.40 | $9.60 |
| Taxi flag fare (daytime) | €2.55 + metered | $2.90+ |
| Barajas Airport → city center (fixed taxi rate) | €33 flat | $38 |
Where to sleep & what it costs
| Tier | Per night | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel dorm | €22–32 ($25–36) | Clusters around Sol, Malasaña, and Lavapiés |
| Budget hotel | €40–80 ($46–91) | Small family-run hostales near the center |
| Mid-range hotel | €100–180 ($114–205) | Best value in Malasaña, La Latina, or Chueca |
| Luxury | €250–450+ ($285–513+) | Grand hotels around Gran Vía and Salamanca |
Getting around
- From the airport
- Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas (MAD) sits about 13km/8mi northeast of downtown. The cheapest option is the Cercanías C-1 train to Atocha (€2.60, ~27 min); Metro Line 8 reaches Nuevos Ministerios in about 20 minutes for €4.50–5 (includes airport supplement); the 24-hour Airport Express bus runs to Atocha/Cibeles for €5 in 30–40 minutes. A fixed-rate taxi anywhere inside the M-30 ring costs a flat €33, day or night.
- Metro & bus
- One of Europe's most extensive metro systems — 12 lines cover nearly every neighborhood, trains run frequently, and a flat €1.50 fare (as of 2026) covers any single ride within the city. Buses fill in the gaps and run a useful night network (Búho) after the metro closes around 1:30am.
- On foot
- The historic center — Sol, Plaza Mayor, Gran Vía, the Prado — is compact and very walkable, mostly flat compared to Rome or Lisbon. Retiro Park and the Salamanca district are an easy stroll from downtown.
- Taxis & ride apps
- Official taxis are white with a diagonal red stripe; they're metered in the city but charge fixed rates to/from the airport. Uber and Cabify both operate widely and are often cheaper than a street-hailed taxi for cross-town trips.
Neighborhoods to stay in
- Sol / Centro
- Dead center — walking distance to Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace, but the most crowded and touristy base.
- La Latina
- Madrid's best tapas-bar-hopping neighborhood, home to the Sunday El Rastro flea market, with a calmer, more local feel than Sol.
- Malasaña
- Bohemian, youthful, covered in vintage shops and late-night bars — Madrid's best nightlife base.
- Salamanca
- Upscale, elegant, quieter streets with the city's best shopping and boutique hotels — good for a calmer, pricier stay.
Tipping & etiquette
- Lunch runs 2–3pm and dinner rarely starts before 9pm — many kitchens are simply closed between roughly 4:30 and 8pm, so plan snacks accordingly.
- You have to ask for the bill ('la cuenta, por favor') — a server bringing it unprompted is considered rude, so don't wait for it to appear.
- Small shops and some restaurants still close for a couple of hours in the early afternoon, especially outside the main tourist center.
- August sees a real exodus — many family-run bars, bakeries, and small shops close for two to four weeks as Madrileños take their own summer holiday.
- Greeting staff with 'hola' on entering a shop or bar and saying 'gracias' on the way out is basic, expected courtesy.
Safety & common scams
Madrid is very safe for violent crime, including at night around the main tourist areas and nightlife districts. The real risk for visitors is petty theft and low-level street scams around crowded plazas and the metro, not personal danger.
Scams to know
- Pickpocketing at Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and on crowded metro cars — keep bags zipped and in front of you, especially on Line 1 and around Sol.
- 'Free' rosemary sprig or bracelet pressed into your hand followed by an aggressive demand for payment — decline firmly and keep walking.
- Fake petition/clipboard scams where a distraction lets an accomplice lift your phone or wallet — politely wave off anyone with a clipboard asking you to sign something.
- Unofficial taxi touts at the airport or Atocha offering a 'discounted' flat fare — use the official taxi rank (white cars, red diagonal stripe) or a licensed app instead.
Emergency numbers: 112 (general EU emergency number, routes to police/ambulance/fire); Madrid also has SAMUR for medical emergencies
Phone & internet
An eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, or similar) activated before landing is the easiest option for a short trip. For longer stays, physical prepaid SIMs from Movistar, Orange, or Vodafone are sold at their own shops around Gran Vía (bring your passport) and offer generous data at €10–20/month — skip the airport kiosks, which mark prices up. Coverage across the whole city is excellent, including underground on the metro.
First-timer FAQs
How many days do I need in Madrid?
Three days covers the essentials well — the Prado/Reina Sofía art axis, the historic center (Sol, Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace), and a tapas-crawl evening in La Latina — with a fourth day free for a Retiro Park picnic or a day trip to Toledo.
Is Madrid walkable, or do I need to use the metro a lot?
The historic core is very walkable and mostly flat, but Madrid is a sprawling city — the metro is fast, cheap, and worth using to reach Retiro's far side, Salamanca, or the Bernabéu without burning half a day on foot.
Do I need to book the Prado or Royal Palace in advance?
It's strongly recommended in peak season (spring and early fall) — timed-entry tickets are cheap and let you skip lines that can otherwise run 30–60 minutes at the door.
Is it true Madrid eats dinner really late?
Yes — 9 or 10pm is completely normal for dinner, and restaurants often don't open their kitchens again until 8:30pm after the lunch service. Tapas bars are a good option if you get hungry earlier.
Do I need a visa?
Most Western passport holders (US, UK, Canada, Australia) can visit Spain visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period under the Schengen rules. The EU's ETIAS pre-travel authorization has been repeatedly delayed and is now targeted for late 2026 — check official EU sources close to your travel date, as it will add a small fee and a short online form once live.