Madrid is the largest city in Spain, and when I arrived it became very clear. The two cities we visited before Madrid were medium/small (Granada and Cordoba), so this was a whole new experience. We spent three nights in Madrid, and this was our first stop where we did not stay in a hostel, instead, we were in an Airbnb to celebrate Sam’s 22nd birthday. To celebrate, we first went to Madrid’s Mercado, which I discuss in detail in my food blog about Spain, then we walked around the city for a bit before setting for a nice dessert of grommet cronuts, Sam’s favorite. On our next full day, we explored half of the city, wanting to divide it up to have a relaxing time in Madrid, since we had multiple days in the city. We walked through Sol which is the main part of the city, then we explored Plaza Mayor which was beautiful because they were setting up for Christmas. Afterwards, we went to the Royal Palace of Madrid which was spectacular and beautiful. The architecture throughout the whole city was lovely, it was a mixture of traditional Spanish architecture, gothic styles, and more modern styles as well. It looked very Southern European, which makes sense because it is Southern European. Ultimately, it was beautiful. From there, we headed over to the Temple of Debod and Parque del Oeste, both were lovely and allowed for a 180 view of Madrid. We ended the day by going to a candy store, and then with a relaxing evening in our apartment. On our final full day in Madrid, we explored the other half of the city. This included Parque del Retiro which was lively and all of the trees were changing colors which made the small forests of trees orange and yellow. After, we went to the Museo del Prado which holds many pieces by Spanish artists including Picasso. We ended the day with several adventures such as one last stop to the Mercado for dinner, a sunset view of the city at Parque del Oeste, and a trip to the most famous place to get churros and chocolate, Chocolateria San Gines which opened in 1894. The hot chocolate was the best I have had abroad, as it had a hint of cinnamon in it which added depth to the flavor. It was exciting and fun to eat in such a historic place. There was a line out the door, but we were fortunate enough to find a place to sit in no time. The experience is one I will never forget.
Overall, Madrid was fun. If you enjoy a big-city vibe, then this is the place for you, but if you are looking for someplace smaller, with a little more culture, I would recommend Granada or even Barcelona. Madrid felt similar to New York City or Chicago due to its vast size and fast-paced vibe. There were thousands of people exploring all aspects of the city, even on weekdays in the morning, which made it incredibly different compared to the other places we went to in Spain.
