Last updated on December 19, 2023.

Madrid is the capital of Spain. With its excellent historic sites, beautiful architecture, and delicious food, it makes for a great few days of exploration. It’s also a good base for day trips to a few other cities. I’ve visited Madrid four times and passed through on an overnight layover another time, and always look forward to going back to see more.

Street sign in Barrio de las Letras, Madrid, Spain
Street sign in Barrio de las Letras

 

Airport

Madrid Barajas International Airport serves the city. It’s the largest airport by size in Europe and one of the busiest as well. There are plenty of shops and restaurants in the airport which makes it a pleasant place to have a layover or fly out of.

Madrid Barajas International Airport
Madrid Barajas International Airport

 

Train Stations

There are two main train stations in Madrid, Atocha Railway Station (Estación de Madrid Atocha) and Madrid Chamartín. Atocha serves destinations to the south, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and Marseille. Chamartín serves destinations to the northwest, León, Segovia, and Lisbon.

Atocha Railway Station

 

Getting Around

To get into the city from the airport and to get around, I’ve always used the Madrid Metro, which is very convenient. The best deal for getting around the city during your stay is to buy a tourist card from one of the automated machines at any metro station. It includes unlimited use for a period of 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 days from initial use, including to and from the airport.

 

Hotel Arosa (Permanently Closed)

The first hotel I stayed at in Madrid was the Hotel Arosa in 2010, located in the middle of Gran Vía. It’s in a historic building built in 1922. The room was a decent size and the location was unbeatable. I was able to walk to many of the places I was interested in visiting.

The Arosa is permanently closed, but it reopened at the end of 2019 as the Pestana CR7 Madrid Lifestyle Hotel, a luxury hotel with Cristiano Ronaldo as an investor.

 

Hostal Viky

For an overnight layover in 2012, I stayed at Hostal Viky, which is located near the airport in Barajas. I needed an easy overnight and this small hotel did the trick. They have a free airport shuttle and it’s only five minutes to the international terminal.

 

Melía Barajas

On a one day trip in 2019, I stayed at the Melía Barajas. It’s also located a short drive from the airport and includes a free airport shuttle. I used the metro to get there from the airport and into the city center. It’s only a seven minute walk to the metro station.

Melía Barajas in Madrid, Spain
Melía Barajas
Lobby at Melía Barajas in Madrid, Spain
Lobby

The hotel had nice rooms for a great price, a swimming pool, and breakfast included in the rate. The only problem was that the bed sunk in the middle. They could definitely use some new mattresses.

My room at Melía Barajas
My room
Bathroom at Melía Barajas
Bathroom

 

Football

Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are two of the biggest football clubs in Europe. Real play at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu while Atleti play at the Wanda Metropolitano. I’ve visited the Bernabéu on a tour but haven’t had the chance to attend a game for either team (at least in Madrid).

Street sign in Madrid, Spain
Street sign in Madrid

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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