In February, we found cheap flights to Madrid out of Tampa, and we jumped on the chance to finally go to Spain. As we had planned, we split our time between Madrid and Barcelona; the cities are both very different, but also both worth a visit. Here’s what we did with our four days in Madrid:
Day 1
After a bit of a snafu with our seats on the flight as well as other delays, we found ourselves in Madrid a few hours later than originally planned. The customs line was lengthy, and we needed to have our Spanish Health Control Forms filled out (we did this in advance, definitely recommend). Once we got out of the airport, we took the Express Bus into the city center, getting off at Cibeles.
From there, we walked to our hotel, the Hotel Petit Palace Lealtad Plaza, which was in the perfect locationf or us. Our room wasn’t quite ready yet, so we dropped off our bags and went shopping! Not only were we in need of groceries, including milk, for the dude, but I also had forgotten to pack my trusty tripod, and I knew I wanted a replacement. We explored the Puerta del Sol, but ultimately ended up getting everything we needed at El Corte Inglés. This English market is known for being pricier than stores around us, but we found everything we needed.
With the stroller loaded up, we headed back to the hotel to siesta and unpack. We then spent the evening scoping out El Retiro Park, which is humongous and absolutely lovely, as well as the nearby Ibiza neighborhood. We ended up grabbing dinner at perretxiCo (would recommend) and picked up some dessert from a cute bakery called La Manon before calling it a night.
Day 2
We didn’t have any set plans for the day, so we took the opportunity to wander around, making our way through the Paseo del Prado and by the Palacio de Comunicaciones. While there, I unintentionally snapped a picture of a cute couple, so we ended up catching up with them so I could send them the photo. (If you ever get a nice picture of me unintentionally, please tell me!)
We grabbed breakfast at Panod, a great bakery, before hitting up the Mercado de San Antón, Primark (one of our European favorites), and the Plaza de Santo Domingo. We found a playground here – they’re all over the place in Madrid, which we loved – so we hung out for a bit, then headed over to the Royal Palace of Madrid. We did not go into the palace, but we did take in the great views nearby. We are also glad we walked a little further to check out the Muralla Arabe, the “Muslim Walls of Madrid” that were built in the 9th century.
We knew we had to check out the Plaza Mayor after doing our research, but honestly, felt it was overrated. That being said, we had a great lunch at the Mercado de San Miguel, including some delicious mozzarella and various empanadas. We also got churros and chocolate from the Chocolatería San Ginés (thanks for the recommendation, Parisa); it was super crowded, but the takeout line moved quickly. We did a little more grocery shopping, then opted to rest up. We ordered to-go from Restaurante Plato (the scallop risotto was good, but the dish was small; the croquetas were not worth it) for dinner and watched TV in bed – we’re definitely still learning how traveling with a toddler is different!
Day 3
We got a late start but made the most of it, swinging back to our favorite – El Retiro Park – to do some further exploration. We got to check out the Palacio de Cristal – free to enter, and a fun photo spot – as well as La Roseda, where the roses were in bloom. The rose garden was beautiful, and definitely worth checking out in May/June! From there, we had to hustle out for our lunch reservation at the oldest restaurant in the world: Sobrino de Botín.
In full transparency, Botín is probably better experienced without a toddler in tow, but we made it work. This is definitely one to make a reservation for in advance, as they book up! We shared sangria and croquetas, the latter of which the dude also enjoyed, and then Tyler and I each had the suckling pig, which is what they’re known for. The pork was delicious, but I did find it harder to eat than I expected! Apparently, their egg soup is also really good (thanks Alex!), but we called it after the main course.
Of course, we then decided to grab gelato on our way back to the hotel, stopping at GIOELIA before our siesta. The staff was super nice, and the gelato was just what we needed on a hot afternoon. We spent our evening back at El Retiro, wandering around and enjoying the playgrounds, then ordered Pizzamascalzone for dinner.
Day 4+
Since we were heading out to Barcelona later in the day, we checked out of our hotel and left our bags. After a quick stop at El Riojano for breakfast (must-eat), we made our way to the Parque de la Montana. Note: there are a ton of stairs, which was an adventure with the stroller, to say the least. When we got to the top, we were able to see some great views of the city, as well as check out the Templo de Debod, an Egyptian temple that was transported to Madrid.
We then went back to the hotel to grab our bags and made our way to the train station. After four days in Barcelona, we actually made our way back to Madrid for the last night. When we got back, we stayed in the Petit Palace Savoy Alfonso XII, which is right around the corner from our first hotel, but we had the advantage of getting a room upgrade (totally worth it for the last night). It’s also directly across the street from El Retiro, which was obviously a hit. Definitely would recommend staying here!
For our last night in Madrid, we swung by a local grocery store, Dia, and ordered empanadas from Empanadas Baires, which were a tasty way to end our time in Spain. We didn’t plan anything too involved for the last night, as we had to fly home early the next morning!