Top 10 Things To Do in Madrid

Samantha Smith is a student at The Ohio State University and an ISA Spring 2015 Featured Photo Blogger. She studied abroad with ISA in Madrid, Spain.

The things you can do in Madrid are endless, and even after living there for four months I left wishing I had had more time to see everything. Here’s a list of 10 of my favorite things that my friends and I did in Madrid that I would recommend to anyone studying abroad there:

1. Attend a Real Madrid game at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

2. Then, attend a Real Madrid tailgate outside the stadium for one of the championship league games that you can’t get tickets for. The fans gather in huge crowds and chant while burning flares and flying flags.

Real Madrid vs. Juventus semi-finals game
Real Madrid vs. Juventus semi-finals game

3. Walk through Parque del Retiro with some friends and take the little boats out on the water during a sunny day.

Palacio de Crystal, Retiro Park
Palacio de Crystal, Retiro Park

4. Go to the rooftop of El Corte Ingles department store near Gran Via for an incredible view of the city (it’s free!)

5. Go to the La Latina neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon. This is when all the local bars and restaurants set up their terrace seating outside and huge crowds gather for food and drink specials and socializing into the night. It’s like a block party, but better!

6. Find El Mercado de San Miguel behind Plaza Mayor for some of the most delicious fresh made foods. There are countless different stands with every type of food, drink, and dessert you can imagine.

Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid
Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid

7. Go to a concert at Fabrik, a huge warehouse-like venue outside the city where top name DJ’s and artists come to perform from midnight to 8 a.m.

Martin Garrix at Fabrik ticket stub
Martin Garrix at Fabrik ticket stub

8. Take a day to walk through the Malasaña and Chueca neighborhoods for coffee, lunch and shopping.

9. Take the cable cars over Casa de Campo (Madrid’s largest green space that includes a zoo and amusement park) and bring music or picnic supplies with you for when you reach the park at the top. We spent our last day in Madrid here just hanging out and enjoying the nice weather.

Casa de Campo cable car lift
Casa de Campo cable car lift
Casa de Campo green space
Casa de Campo green space

10. Attend at least one bullfight to say you’ve seen it with your own eyes.

San Isidro bullfighting arena
San Isidro bullfighting arena

Ready for some adventure? Learn more here!

 

5 thoughts

Leave a Reply