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Feel like a real foodie 1 Day
Taste culinary creativity and expert recommendations.
Hello!!! I'm Nadia, your hostess. As an avid food enthusiast, I explore new culinary destinations whenever I can. My passion extends to the rich history and traditions of my beloved city. With this in mind, I have carefully crafted three distinct tapas routes for you to explore different facets of this city. I sincerely hope you enjoy the experiences I have prepared for you and, above all, that you savor the essence of my Madrid!
To start, I suggest you go have a coffee at El comercial. It is not the cheapest place, but it is a mythical place in Madrid. If you want another option I like it Faraday in Chueca has a delicious lemon and lavender cake, there you can walk along C/ Pedro Zerolo and experience the hipster atmosphere.
For aperitif time, I suggest you continue through Chueca and enter the San Antón Market. There you have options that are worth it, my favorites "Bodegón de Vinos" or "Bodegón gourmet" others that are also very worthwhile are, Diurno eating sirloin with pasta, The blue cine if you like mushrooms.
To eat I suggest two legendary places, Casa Botín, the oldest restaurant in the world where you can taste a spectacular suckling pig or the famous "Madrid stew" at Lhardy.
In the afternoon I suggest a walk to El Retiro to see it or take a boat ride.
If you want to do some cultural option in addition to trying Madrid gastronomy, I suggest the Prado Museum or Sorolla Museum .
And if you want a fun plan, Sweet Space.
For dinner without a doubt Zalacaín, which now has Íñigo Pérez as chef, where you can try its famous baKalao tellagorri.
The center of Madrid is very walkable and is the best way to explore its streets. To move from one neighborhood to another I recommend the subway but if you walk you can enjoy the monuments of the city. The whole area of Madrid de los Austrias is almost pedestrian.
Madrid is a very bicycle-friendly city. BiciMAD is a public service of electric bicycles, offering a service with electric bicycles, practical, simple. It can be used as an annual subscriber or as an occasional user, through the totem at the station, where you will be provided on site with a card for 1, 3 or 5 days and billed at the end of the selected period depending on the use of the service.
All areas of the city are served by bus, the “Airport Express” line (with a fixed fare of 5€).
The fleet is modern, with comfortable vehicles and has built-in free wifi.
The usual schedule covers the whole day from 6:00 to 23:30, while on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the service is extended from 7:00 to 23:00.
The average frequency ranges from 4 minutes to a quarter of an hour, although it depends on the day of the week, the schedule and certain urban traffic conditions.
In any case, you can find out the frequencies of each line, itineraries and other information on the EMT website, https://www.emtmadrid.es/EMTBUS/Mibus or, even more conveniently, using the official app “EMT Madrid”.
The night buses are called “búhos”, and on weekdays, Sundays and holidays, they leave from Cibeles with an interval of 30-35 minutes between 12:00 midnight and 4:00 am.
As for fares, a single ticket, which can be purchased on board the vehicle, costs 1.50€. Payment can be made by contactless bank card or cell phone. If paying in cash, only 5€ bills are accepted for exchange.
There is a fare called “Metrobús”, valid for all EMT buses and metro zone A and priced at 12.20€ or “Bus+Bus”, which allows travel on all buses with one line transfer per trip included and costs 18.30€.
Cabs are available throughout the city and are a convenient way to get around, especially if you have luggage or are tired.
From the airport there is a flat fare of 30 ? to the city center. There are also for-hire vehicle for hire (VTC) services such as Uber and Cabify.
Renting a car just to get around Madrid makes no sense at all. Like any big city, it has its traffic problems, and there is also the cost of parking.
Add to this the fact that the city has excellent public transportation and reasonably priced cabs, and I would strongly advise against renting a car.
Another thing is that you plan to make excursions outside Madrid and want to go on your own.
Another option is “Carsharing”: Madrid is one of the European cities with the largest offer of carsharing companies, a perfect option for tourists who do not travel to Madrid by car and at a certain moment of their visit need one.
You can rent a car with carsharing companies operating in Madrid (Wible, free2move, sharenow).
Motorcycle enthusiasts are in luck because Madrid is one of the European cities with the largest number of motorbike-sharing vehicles. Besides being very easy to use, “motosharing” services are super practical and you can do it with apps like (Cooltra or Acciona Motosharing).
The Madrid Cercanías network has 9 lines, and a timetable that goes from 05:30 to 23:30 hours. Commuter trains are great to cross the city quickly or to travel to towns around Madrid, such as Alcalá de Henares, El Escorial and even Guadalajara.
Madrid’s metro is fast and inexpensive, with an extensive network covering the city and some nearby municipalities. With 12 lines and a schedule from 6:00 to 1:30, it is advisable to arrive on time. Frequency varies from 3 to 7 minutes, being higher in the late hours and on holidays.
Children under four years of age travel free of charge. Tickets can be purchased from automatic machines at stations, tobacconists and authorized points. The card costs 2.50€ and lasts 10 years, but is included in the tourist season ticket.
The 10-trip ticket, called “Metrobús”, costs 12.20€ and is valid on all Zone A lines, including light rail and EMT buses. In addition, there is no charge for the number of stations.
To access the airport, there is a supplement of 3.00€ at some stations.
For more detailed information on schedules and intervals, please visit: https://www.metromadrid.es/en/linea.
Always remember to check schedules and routes, especially if there are events or holidays that may affect the transportation service. Check also the prices, sometimes they can change, enjoy your stay in Madrid!
Themed guides to travel like a true local
