CLOSE X
  • Start Here
    • Budget Travel
    • Not a Seasoned Traveler Yet?
    • The Importance of Family Travel
    • Couple Travel
    • Healthy Food When Traveling Is Healthy Travel
    • Solo Travel Ideas
    • Wellness Travel – Good Places in Europe to Re-Charge Your Batteries
  • Resources
    • Safety Tips for Travelers (Before Booking)
    • Your Rights If Bumped From An Overbooked Flight
    • How To File for Compensation for Delayed / Cancelled European Flights
    • Do You Need to Buy Travel Insurance? (Maybe Not)
    • I Need a Visa To Go There???
    • Valuable Resources at the State Department
    • Understanding the European Schengen Area
  • Blog
  • News You Can Use
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Foto Friday
  • Videos

Never Stop Traveling

5 Unique Madrid Experiences

Share
Tweet
Pin3
Share
3 Shares

Last Updated on February 18, 2022 by Jim Ferri

the Mercado San Miguel, a unique Madrid experience
The Mercado San Miguel, a unique Madrid experience

I returned to Madrid a while ago after not having been there for many years, and was astounded by the unique Madrid experiences I found — not in a bad way, but in a very positive one…

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

By Jim Ferri

Madrid has transformed itself into one of the great cities of Europe.

It’s full of vitality and energy, the food scene is incredible, the shopping is great and there are tons of things to do. It’s also exceptionally clean, with hardly any graffiti to be seen anywhere, unlike many other European cities. It’s a great walking city and the Metro is comfortable, safe and efficient, once you get the hang of reading the route map and transferring at different stations.

Here are a unique Madrid experience, here are five interesting things to do in the Spanish capital.

A Unique Madrid Experience: Lunch at the Mercado San Miguel

The Mercado San Miguel, a unique Madrid experience
The Mercado San Miguel, a unique Madrid experience

Tapas are small hors d’oeuvres-type food you find in many Spanish bars and they’re quite varied and delicious. It was right outside the Plaza Mayor where we stumbled upon the Mercado San Miguel, a great Beaux-Arts building inside which were dozens of tapas bars, pastry shops and paella shops. The crowd was a good mix of tourists and locals, which was great.

Mercado San Miguel Unique Madrid Experiences
Mercado San Miguel

San Miguel proved to be a luncheon gold mine, where you can have little meat, fish, cheese and vegetable tapas, washing them down with countless varieties of beers and wines. I heard it was great in the evening, as well. Bring your appetite.

Shop and Dine in Barrio Salamanca

Barrio Salamanca Unique Madrid Experiences
Barrio Salamanca

The city’s attractive Salamanca district up near the National Archeological Museum, is an upscale shopping and dining area, with more than a few options for a unique Madrid experience. We wound up going back there many times for dinner since our hotel was nearby. Two of the best restaurants we found were Sula, which specializes in pork dishes (dinner was €101 including a good bottle of wine) and Alkalde, a popular Basque restaurant where we had a huge dinner with wine for €168.

Barrio Salamanca Unique Madrid Experiences
Barrio Salamanca

Serrano is it’s most famous shopping street and when we were there a month-long shopping promotion was heralded by giant high-heeled shoes, brightly painted by different artists, all along the street. In one little courtyard on a side street we discovered a little flea market hosted by a few small shops. The little market had an upscale twist —as we wandered about we were offered complimentary glasses of good French champagne. How does one say ooh la la en español?

See the Royal Palace / Have Dinner in the Royal Theater for a Unique Experience

Dinner at the Royal Theater Unique Madrid Experiences
Dinner at the Royal Theater

No matter how inexpensively you try to vacation you should always have one night you say “the budget the damned.” Dinner in the posh Royal Theater (in the Opera House) will help you do just that. This is a very unique Madrid experience.

The Royal Palace Unique Madrid Experiences
The Royal Palace

Its decor is opulent, the food and wine excellent and you need to make reservations since the place is so popular. Try to kick things off royally before dinner by taking a tour of the Royal Palace (only a two-minute walk away) or, as we did, just stroll around the large plaza that separates the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral across from it. It’s a great place to stroll in the evening.

Stroll Along Paseo de Recoletos

Paseo de Recoletos Unique Madrid Experiences
Paseo de Recoletos

For a nice afternoon walk stroll along the Paseo de Recoletos, a 100-yard-wide boulevard lined with wide ornate walkways and beautiful pools and fountains. Relax on one of the benches or have a coffee or afternoon drink in one of the outdoor cafés. It’s a unique Madrid experience.

You can also walk along the Paseo del Prado, an extension of Recoletos to the south (or maybe it’s the other way around) but that’s a bit more commercial unless you go into the botanical gardens adjacent to the Prado Museum.

people in a museum
Prado Museum

The Prado used to be one of my favorite museums in Europe — an Old-World building I often wandered into right in off the street, with no crowds, no lines, no hassel. Now there are long lines for tickets, they’ve modernized everything with a new addition and even relocated the entrance. I had been looking forward to returning here but despite the great art was so turned off by the overall experience that we left after only a short time.

Choose An Area and Get Lost

people on a street
La Latina

Another unique Madrid experience is just to go to an area of the city and wander about, aka “get lost.” One of the best mornings I had was “getting lost,” something I often do in many cities. I choose an area where there are few tourists, go there and then wander back towards a central location. In Madrid I chose the La Latina area, and found myself in a quiet little neighborhood where the sidewalks were dappled with shade and merchants had goods out in front of the shops. I wandered into several antique shops, finding junk in two and better things in two others.

an antique shop
La Latina

Continuing along up a slight hill I could hear church bells pealing in the distance, and then came across a little plaza with a statue of a soldier in the center. A sign told me this was the Plaza de Cascsorro, and I saw the statue was of Eloy Gonzalo, a local soldier who lost his life in the Spanish-American war in Cuba. I remember reading about people who say buenos dias to Eloy every morning to bring good luck.

a dog sitting on the sidewalk
La Latina

I said hello to Eloy and continued on up the street, passing many outdoor cafés and bars where people were still enjoying their late-morning coffees. Up ahead I could see one of the large arches leading into the Plaza Mayor, my destination.


  • Photo Essay: Madrid
  • Best Things To Do in Madrid
  • Great Meals in Unexpected Places
  • Getting Lost in Paris, London and Vienna
  • 11 Unique Dining Experiences Around the U.S.

If you go:

Madrid Visitors & Convention Bureau
https://www.esmadrid.com/en

Share
Tweet
Pin3
Share
3 Shares

Comments

  1. Donna Manz says

    July 11, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Jim,
    This article on Madrid came out just in time! Friends are looking at Spain in the fall; it’s good to have a personal perspective, so, thanks!
    Donna

    Reply
  2. Jim Ferri says

    July 11, 2012 at 6:42 pm

    Thanks Donna. Tell your friends that Madrid and Spain are incredible destinations.

    Reply
  3. Carla Marie Rupp says

    July 11, 2012 at 8:30 pm

    I love reading your story, Jim, imagining the great food you tasted and the sights. I liked the part about “getting lost” on purpose and going towards a place. It made me remember wandering around Madrid also in wonder. Yes, it is incredible!

    Reply
  4. Jim Ferri says

    July 11, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    Thanks, Carla.
    Getting lost is always a voyage of discovery!

    Reply
    • Donna Manz says

      July 17, 2012 at 9:55 pm

      Jim,

      People who appreciate the rewards of “getting lost” should refer back to the story you ran on that topic a couple of months ago … getting lost in London, Paris and Vienna … the charms we find when we wander!

      Reply
  5. Maggie says

    September 27, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    Thanks to Google I ran into your articles and I’m so glad I did. We are traveling to Spain next Friday, the 5th and we’ll be there for a two weeks. Can’t wait to get lost in Madrid and visit Segovia (two of our destinations). What can you tell me about Leon, A Coruña or Santiago de Compsostela

    Reply
  6. Jim Ferri says

    October 1, 2012 at 9:23 am

    Hi Maggie,
    I’m glad you found us too! Unfortunately, I’ve never visited Leon, A Coruña or Santiago de Compsostela. I wanted to visit Santiago de Compsostela on this trip to Spain but just ran out of time. As you likely know it’s a popular place that’s a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Be sure to stop by Mercado San Miguel in Madrid for a quick bite and, if you have time, Candido or one of those great little restaurants in Segovia’s town square.

    Reply
  7. Esther says

    January 6, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    I’m glad to read so many nice things about my beloved city. For me one of the Top 5 is the Circulo de Bellas Artes rooftop, I go there very often and never get bored, they have the best panoramic views of the city and it’s only 3€.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Newsletter Signup

Site Search

  • Budget Travel
  • Not a Seasoned Traveler Yet?
  • The Importance of Family Travel
  • Couple Travel
  • Healthy Food When Traveling Is Healthy Travel
  • Solo Travel Ideas
  • Wellness Travel – Good Places in Europe to Re-Charge Your Batteries
  • Safety Tips for Travelers (Before Booking)
  • Your Rights If Bumped From An Overbooked Flight
  • How To File for Compensation for Delayed / Cancelled European Flights
  • Do You Need to Buy Travel Insurance? (Maybe Not)
  • I Need a Visa To Go There???
  • Valuable Resources at the State Department
  • Understanding the European Schengen Area
  • Privacy Policy
© 2023 James Ferri Associates LLC. All rights reserved. A Sprout New Media Website.