Smart Self-Managed Tours

City guide · Spain

Madrid

A photograph of Madrid
Photograph · Dmitry Dzhus from London · CC BY 2.0

Madrid stands about 660 metres above sea level on the River Manzanares, near the middle of the Iberian Peninsula, and covers 605.77 km² with over 3.4 million people in the city in 2025 and around 6.8 million in the metropolitan area. It started as a walled outpost of the Emirate of Córdoba in the late ninth century and only became a capital in 1561, when the Hispanic Monarchy fixed its court there. Much of a first visit is one walkable band: the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, the Buen Retiro park of 1631, and the three museums strung along the Paseo del Prado.

Practical information
Not recorded No country-level practical facts — language, currency, emergency number, plug type — are ingested yet. This section will populate once that data source is added.

Planning a visit

  1. January: seasonal closure recorded
  2. February: seasonal closure recorded
  3. March: seasonal closure recorded
  4. April: seasonal closure recorded
  5. May: seasonal closure recorded
  6. June: no seasonality data recorded
  7. July: no seasonality data recorded
  8. August: no seasonality data recorded — this month
  9. September: no seasonality data recorded
  10. October: seasonal closure recorded
  11. November: seasonal closure recorded
  12. December: seasonal closure recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Aquarium
    01 1 hr 30 min

    Aquarium

    • Notable
    • Family attraction
  5. Faunia
    05 1 hr 30 min

    Faunia

    • Notable
    • Family attraction

How the city is laid out

Not recorded No editorial orientation text has been written for this city yet. It will appear here once the city guide is reviewed.

Getting around

Not recorded No transit lines, fares or ticket types are ingested yet. This section will populate once a public-transport data source is added.

Nearby districts and related places

Nearby places

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Madrid