Visas & entry
Spain is in the Schengen Area. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can enter with valid ID; many visitors including UK, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders can normally visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day Schengen period, but must check current entry, passport-validity and ETIAS requirements before travel.
Getting in
- Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport: The main international and domestic gateway, with direct Metro, Cercanías and airport-bus links into Madrid city. Use it for the whole region; collect a rental car here only if the Sierra Norte, Patones or wine-country villages are central to the trip.
- Madrid Puerta de Atocha–Almudena Grandes: The principal rail arrival point from southern and eastern Spain and a convenient base for central Madrid. It is also the useful city-side hub for Cercanías trips toward Alcalá de Henares and Aranjuez.
- Madrid Chamartín–Clara Campoamor: The main rail gateway from northern Spain and a major long-distance/commuter hub. It is more convenient than Atocha for northern districts and some Sierra-bound connections, but most first-time visitors will still stay nearer the center.
- Estación Sur / Méndez Álvaro: Madrid's main intercity bus terminal. Useful for cheaper domestic arrivals and some regional bus routes, but not a reason to base yourself there; connect onward by Metro or Cercanías.
Getting around
Base in Madrid city for a first 4–8-night visit and use Metro plus walking in the capital. Cercanías is the right tool for Alcalá de Henares, Aranjuez and El Escorial; it is cheap and direct enough that changing hotels is pointless. Rent a car only for a mountain or rural extension—Rascafría, Buitrago, Patones, Chinchón and winery country are scattered, while buses are slow, infrequent and poor for linking one village to another. Avoid driving in central Madrid unless you enjoy parking costs, traffic restrictions and garage hunting.
Money
Spain uses the euro (€). Cards and contactless payment work almost everywhere in Madrid and in most larger regional towns, but carry some cash for small bars, rural stops and occasional minimum-spend policies. Tipping is modest: round up or leave 5–10% for notably good table service; it is not compulsory.
Daily budget · EUR (€)
- Value
- €95–145
- Mid-range
- €180–300
- High-end
- €450–900+
- Per person per day, excluding international flights, assuming two people share a room.
- €95–145: Hostel bed or an early-booked simple double outside the prime centre; bakery breakfast, menú del día lunch, casual tapas, metro/Cercanías and selected paid sights.
- €180–300: The realistic first-visit sweet spot—well-located three- or four-star hotel or good apartment, one proper restaurant meal a day, museums, rail day trips and occasional taxis.
- €450–900+: Luxury central hotel, tasting menus, private guides or drivers, premium football tickets and flexible car arrangements. Major matches, marquee concerts and New Year can push this beyond €1,000.
- Hotel date and location drive the budget far more than local transport. Spring weekends, Christmas, football and concert dates are the rates to avoid if value matters.
- Save intelligently on food, not location: use menú del día lunches and bar snacks, but keep the hotel central enough that you are not wasting time and money on taxis. Prado general admission is €15; the Bernabéu tour starts around €37 online.
Eating well
- Have cocido at lunch, preferably in autumn or winter; it is substantial enough to make a big dinner unrealistic.
- Madrid does not operate like Andalusia: do not assume every drink comes with a meaningful free tapa. Order deliberately.
- For the most convincing bar experience, eat a few hot snacks standing at the counter rather than turning every stop into a seated meal.
- Plaza Mayor is the traditional home of the calamari sandwich, but fame is not a quality guarantee; treat it as a snack stop, not a culinary pinnacle.
- Book sought-after restaurants, weekend roast-lunch tables in Chinchón, and popular Patones restaurants in advance; Patones is especially crowded at weekend midday.
- Time Aranjuez for spring if local produce matters: the gardens, asparagus and strawberries are strongest together.
Book before you land
Prado Museum timed entry, especially weekends, holidays and peak spring/autumn dates · Royal Palace of Madrid timed entry in peak periods · Real Madrid match tickets and Santiago Bernabéu tour slots · Major concerts, flamenco shows and headline sporting events · Hayedo de Montejo access permit in autumn, when required
- Do not build a first trip around rural overnights: Madrid city is the efficient base, and Alcalá, Aranjuez and El Escorial are straightforward rail day trips.
- Madrid runs late. Lunch commonly starts after 14:00 and dinner after 21:00; eat earlier if you prefer, but do not expect every serious restaurant to be fully alive at 19:00.
- Summer city sightseeing is a heat-management exercise: do outdoor routes early, use museums and long lunches in the afternoon, and save plazas and rooftops for evening.
- For the Sierra, check weather and bus timetables the day before. A short map distance can mean a long bus journey, a missed connection or an exposed hike in rapidly changing conditions.
- On mountain and village weekends, arrive early by car. Parking around La Pedriza, Patones and scenic Sierra Norte stops becomes the day’s main problem by late morning.
- Keep an eye on local holidays, Semana Santa, San Isidro and Christmas: they raise hotel prices, alter opening hours and make central Madrid markedly busier.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this region.
Season by season
December–February
Central Madrid is cool to cold, with January daytime highs around 10°C/50°F and chilly nights; the Sierra can have snow and ice.
museums and galleriesrestaurants and cocidoChristmas lightslow-key city breaks outside holiday weeks
Christmas through January 6 is busy and pricier in the center, while mountain driving and hiking can require winter conditions planning; major holidays bring closures or reduced hours.
March–May
Days progress from cool to comfortably warm, with typical highs rising from roughly 16°C/61°F in March to 22°C/72°F in May; April and May can be wet.
first-time city visitsAranjuez gardensrail day tripsspring mountain walking
Bring a rain layer, and expect stronger hotel and restaurant demand around Semana Santa and especially the San Isidro period in May.
June–August
Madrid is hot, dry and intensely sunny, with July–August average highs around 32°C/90°F; higher Sierra trails are more tolerable but can see afternoon storms.
late-night dining and nightlifemuseum-focused itinerariesearly-start mountain daysescaping to Rascafría or higher Guadarrama
Sightseeing on foot is unpleasant from early afternoon into evening, southern royal towns bake, some independents close for holidays, and rural bus schedules are least useful.
September–November
September remains warm, October is especially comfortable for walking, and November turns cooler and wetter; Sierra Norte foliage is best in the later part of the season.
city walkingfood-focused tripsAranjuez and El Escorial day tripsLozoya and Sierra Norte foliage
October–November need a wet-weather museum backup, and scenic mountain villages and the Hayedo de Montejo draw heavy weekend traffic and demand.
Events worth planning around
Semana Santa · Usually March or April; dates vary with Easter. · Madrid city
Central areas become busier and some opening patterns change. It is worth booking central accommodation earlier, but Madrid is less dominated by processions than Seville.
San Isidro Festival · Centered on May 15, usually with programming across the first half of May. · Madrid city
Concerts, street food, traditional dress and bullfighting-related programming make this the one festival worth deliberately timing for; central hotels and popular restaurants cost more and fill faster.
Madrid Christmas and Three Kings season · Roughly late November through January 6. · Madrid city
Lights, the Plaza Mayor market and domestic holiday travel make the center crowded rather than quiet. Reserve a central hotel early and check holiday closures or reduced museum hours around December 24–25, December 31, January 1 and Epiphany.
What to eat
Eat Madrid as an inland Castilian capital, not as generic tapas country: go for chickpea stews, offal, roast meats and serious bar snacks, with seafood arriving through the city’s national-market supply chains. Make lunch the substantial meal, use bars for standing snacks and aperitifs, and save churros or porras for breakfast or merienda rather than treating them as a nightly dessert.
Cocido madrileño — chickpea, meat and vegetable stew, traditionally served in three courses; seek it at lunch in cool weather.Callos a la madrileña — tripe stew with paprika, chorizo and blood sausage; order only if you actually like offal.Bocadillo de calamares — fried squid in a bread roll, the classic central-Madrid snack.Patatas bravas, chopitos and soldaditos de Pavía — essential bar orders, best eaten standing at the counter.Churros or porras with thick hot chocolate — a cold-weather breakfast or merienda.Torrijas — Easter-season bread pudding-style sweet.Local asparagus and strawberries — especially worth seeking in Aranjuez in spring.Traditional Castilian roast lunch, local anís and D.O. Madrid wine — the food case for a rural southern detour.
Madrid city: Cocido madrileño · Callos a la madrileña · Bocadillos de calamares · Chopitos, bravas and soldaditos de Pavía · Churros or porras with chocolate
Aranjuez: Spring asparagus · Strawberries · Riverside meals alongside the royal-garden visit
Chinchón: Traditional Castilian roast lunch · Anís de Chinchón
Chinchón and Colmenar de Oreja: D.O. Madrid wines · Vineyard-and-winery visits
Patones de Arriba: Mountain cooking