Image: Trompe l'oeil on a Madrid Wall
Madrid? Do we have to go?
I secretly planned a four city tour of Spain for Red’s 50th and reluctantly included Madrid. It was only included on our itinerary because the train from Barcelona to Seville went via Madrid, so I figured it would be a wasted opportunity not to stop off for a visit.
The more I researched the city, the more I thought it was a mistake to visit, but Spain’s capital city is a dark horse and completely took me by surprise. Even though it poured down with rain for most of our stay we really enjoyed our three-night stay immensely and we got to experience an authentic slice of Spanish culture.
If it had been similar to Barcelona (a place we were over-excited to visit) it would have paled in comparison, but it was so completely different. Our visit showed a different side to this country and our first glimpse of true Spanish culture.
Where to Stay in Madrid
Neighbourhood: Tirso de Molina, Centro
One of the most awkward travel tasks is to know the best area to stay. It’s always a challenge to find that perfect balance between budget and location. I want to be within walking distance of a vibrant neighbourhood, but don’t want to be in tourist-central. We love integrating into local life, albeit for a short time, and want off the beaten path places to eat and drink where we have an opportunity of interacting with the locals.
Of course one of the challenges of avoiding the tourist hubs is that the language barrier can be an issue, but as international travelers we’re adept at pointing and signing our needs, and throwing in a token word or two in the local tongue.
We stayed at Far Home Plaza Mayor and although our ensuite hostel room was a bit small, they had bright and friendly communal areas, and it was within our desired budget. It was ideally located for exploring the local neighborhoods and skirting the tourist traps. It was an easy stroll to Centro, the central district of the city.
Where to Eat in Madrid
Neighbourhood: La Latina, Centro
Even though there is a robust metro system in Madrid, we ended up walking to find places to eat. We gravitated towards the La Latina area, which is a maze of narrow lanes filled with tapas bars and cantinas. It’s one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and is the perfect destination to rub shoulders with the locals.
We tried a number of different tapas bars in La Latina, but Bar Cruz was a firm favorite we returned to a number of times.
It had a real neighbourhood feel and there was a sign on their wall that said “we don’t speak English, but we promise not to laugh at your Spanish” – which was a lie, they did laugh, but the fact that we tried endeared us to them and by the second night they welcomed us like a long-lost cousin!
Around the corner from Bar Cruz was the compact Cascorro Bistrot, which was more modern but just as friendly.
That’s the great thing about eating in tapas bars, you can return to the same one again and again, without missing out on the chance to discover more places on the same night.
If you’re looking for the perfect companion to a tapas you should try Mahou, it’s a fresh tasting pilsen-style larger that goes down very easily. Usually I’m more of a wine drinker, but I enjoyed throwing back more than my fair share of Spain’s foremost beer brand.
Neighbourhood: Sol
This area is known as the heart of Madrid with the 18th-century plaza Puerta del Sol at it’s centre.
Yes there’s lots of wide avenues with shops, hotels, and bars converge on the plaza, but you can dive down the narrow back streets to find low-key tapas bars the locals use. It’s more touristy than La Latina, but offered an interesting alternative, and there was a little more English spoken.
Complimentary Tapas
In Barcelona is was very unlikely that you’d be offered a free tapas for every drink you ordered, but here in Madrid it was the norm. The quality of the free tapas was higher in the La Latina than it was in Sol. They are usually just a amuse bouche (a French term for mouth amuser and designed to get your taste buds tingling).
This Spanish custom is a great way to entice you back for a repeat visit, and it worked for us. We went back to Bar Cruz multiple times for the free tapas, but each time we also ended up ordering small dishes from the menu.
Day Trip from Madrid
We’d had our cultural fill in Barcelona, and just weren’t in the mood to tour around palaces, museums, or art galleries. We opted for a slow travel approach that allowed us to recharge our batteries in preparation for our next stop in Seville. We spent the rainy days aimlessly wandering the streets, and dropping into bars and tapas bars when the downpours became too frantic.
Rather than getting our historical fix in Madrid we took a day trip to Toledo on the train, which is the historical capital of Spain and well worth a visit.
Toledo is a fabulous citidel to wander around, and although it’s quite touristy, you can still get off the beaten path to discover small coffee shops and restaurants providing a slice of Spanish culture and ambiance.
Featured Image
To put the featured image into perspective, here’s the full image of this impressive painted trompe l’oeil.
Madrid took us by surprise, and if you’re traveling via train around Spain your journey will take you through Madrid at least once. Take the opportunity to explore this city in more detail, even if it’s just to sample the free tapas and Spanish hospitality.
Yes we visited Spain’s capital city and saw the inside of more tapas bars than historical sights, but are rainy adventure allowed us to interact with the locals and experience more Spanish culture than if we’d wandered around a grand palace or art gallery. Don’t you agree that sometimes you just have to take your tourist hat off, and get stuck into daily life?
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Madrid took us by surprise. Find out what Spain's capital city has to offer if you don't want to tour the sights or visit art museums. #TT #TravelBlogger Click To Tweet
Glad you enjoyed Madrid! We were there in September when it was a lot warmer and not raining. We also stayed near the Tirso de Molina station. We can’t wait to go back and visit some things we missed, like Toledo 🙂
Susan Pazera recently posted..Madrid: A Guide for First-Time Visitors
Tirso de Molina was such a good choice. Easy to walk the neighbourhood and a metro station right on the doorstep. Toledo was a bonus – and such a wonderful and relaxing day out. The trains tend to get sold out, so try to book your return journey Toledo ticket online when you’ve got an idea of what time you plan on leaving the town – rather than heading back to the train station and trying to get on the next available train.
Jay Artale recently posted..A to Z of Travel Writing Tips: F is for Focus Facts and Flow
Would love to re-visit Madrid soon. Still looks just as I remember it eve though its been nearly 10 years since I have been back. Will definitly check out your food spot recommendations.
There were plenty of vegetarian and pescatarian options that suited our palettes – but if you’re a meat eater, you’ll be in foodie heaven.
Jay Artale recently posted..Roundup of the best Travel Writing Articles, Books, and Podcasts
My family lived in Madrid for 3 years and I was lucky enough to experience the city slowly. I also got to see the bad side too – I worked in the Embassy in passport services helping Americans who were robbed or scammed or in some kind of trouble. It is just like any other big city – you have to be cautious and careful but there is lots to love!
Yes I felt like after the frantic pace we used to explore Barcelona, and slow trip of Madrid is just want was needed to make sure we were enjoying the experience rather than going through the motions of sightseeing.
Jay Artale recently posted..Quirky places to eat Vegetarian Tapas and Pintxo in Barcelona
We were there in April of this year and it rained actually poured so much the underground walkways were closed due to flooding. I even got soaked while I took photos a bus went past and I was caught in the wave of water. Oh well thats ok.
Sounds like we got off lightly with our constant drizzle.
Jay Artale recently posted..Case Study: Establishing your Travel Guide Objective
Haha happy you enjoyed Madrid, but I love the fact that you did not want to go there 😀
I had the same feeling about London, but for me the feeling has stayed, its really not my kind of city. Maybe some day I’ll try a revisit, but for right now theres just to many other places I would love to visit first 🙂
Ann recently posted..Valens Aqueduct in Istanbul
Yes I have a long list of places I want to visit, and so the other places I’m less enthusiastic about get pushed down the list, but from now on I’m going to try and include those when I’m exploring, and see if any other take me by surprise.
Jay Artale recently posted..London on a Budget is still possible
Thats a good way of “dealing” with the not so attractive places, sneaking them in, in between 😀
I have kind of gotten everyone else with in my travelparty to go places that they did not really want to… so I am guessing that I will have to start planning that kind of trips aswell.,. 😛
Ann recently posted..Travelling with kids
Those galleries are well worth a visit next time.
Catherine Boardman recently posted..Lovely Leiden Netherlands Weekend Break
Yes I read there were some good ones – we were just burnt out from sightseeing. But next time I’ll be sure to take in more of the sights.
Jay Artale recently posted..Roundup of the best Travel Writing Articles, Books, and Podcasts
Did you have some churros? That is one of the most typical things to do there! Madrid has its things.
For me, as a native from Barcelona, it will never compare to my hometown, but I know of many people who like the combination of imperialism (big massive avenues and streets) and small neighborhoods like the ones you just described.
Jenn – The Solivagant Soul recently posted..Making friends while traveling solo
No churros for me… I’m more of a savory type of eater – give me a bit of cheese and some olives and I’m happy!
Jay Artale recently posted..How Travel Writers Self-Publish Podcast Ep#25: Using your Five Senses to improve your travel writing
Awwwww I’m glad you enjoyed Madrid. It sometimes feels like a second home to me as my sister lives there, so I go out a few times a year. At first thoughts, it wasn’t my favourite place in Spain, but since getting under the skin and seeing it more as a local with insder tips I’ve come to love it. It’s also gret you got out to see Toledo 🙂 another easy day tip from Madrid is Segovia and Avila – both stunning ancient cities.
Thanks for the day-trip recommendations.
I had the exact same doubts about visiting Madrid, and that’s why I didn’t go… But you made me change my mind now. I also like to rest from the cultural activities wandering aimlessly, that’s such a great way to relax and unwind the mind…
I always feel pressure to see all the top sights. But sometimes you can get to know a city and it’s people better by slowing down and absorbing your surroundings.
Jay Artale recently posted..Quirky places to eat Vegetarian Tapas and Pintxo in Barcelona
Very interesting to read this. I keep seeing really cheap fares to Madrid and I’m a bit meh, but this has inspired me a bit more. Toledo looks stunning, that’s probably more me!
Yes, I was definitely Meh too. But well worth a visit. I just loved how each city we visited had a different personality.
So funny that you were reluctant to visit, because I would love to go! I haven’t been to Spain yet, but it’s high on my list. A day trip to Toledo sounds like it would be wonderful.
I’d definitely recommend it. We had such a fun time doing nothing – which I think shows what a great vibe the city has.
Thanks for sharing this article very Informative.
You’re welcome!
What a great post and a good reminder that we shouldn’t judge a destination based on website knowledge alone.
Yes you’re right, sometimes you have to just take a chance and experience a place for yourself.
I do not like big, crowded cities, but did one day in Madrid as against 2 weeks elsewhere in Spain. But that one day was rainy and we had our hoodies and umbrellas! But it did good by way of exercise as we were on our feet the whole day. The plaza at puerta de sol was one highlight! 🙂
Jan recently posted..Blue Mountains – A Weekend Getaway from Sydney
We loved the area we stayed in, and exploring that at night was the highlight for us.
A truly enjoyable read. Madrid has been one city that I have been keen to visit for some time. You’ve provided some wonderful place to enjoy local tapas. Love it! Thank you 🙂
Well worth a visit Marilyn … and the tapas was just wonderful.
This post caught my attention because I have never looked into going to Madrid. Much like you, I don’t long to visit. I’m pleased to know you enjoyed your time there. I’m sure I would want to include a day trip to Toledo for this historical architecture.
Sharon recently posted..Take a Virtual Tour of These Museums Any Time
Since visiting, I’ve learned about more day trips out of the city, so I’d gladly go back to explore more of this region.