Madrid Spain
- Nimrod
- Sep 12, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 17
June 2024 [To all the posts in Spain]
So why Madrid Spain and why stay for only 2 days?
It's a bit of a long story, so I'll try to keep it short. We were actually aiming for the Olympics in Paris, but we thought it would be a good idea to travel somewhere beforehand, so I suggested my beloved Spain. My suggestion was accepted, and we set out on a long trip, starting in Madrid Spain.
We really love the city, which has almost everything...well except for a beach. Although that's a downside for us personally, you can definitely say the city's advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
So you might be asking what can you even do in Madrid in two days after having visited several times already? The answer to that is probably to start enjoying the city and don't rush from one tourist attraction to the other. (unless you’re rushing to your flight).
We rented an apartment that turned out excellent, right at the entrance to Plaza Mayor on del Sal 2 street (link here). It had an elevator but no parking :) and from there, we set out to explore the city.
The weather was great, not yet the heat of summer, and the mornings and evenings were very pleasant.
By the way, the sun only sets at 10PM so there's plenty of time during the day...
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Day one in Madrid
We started the first day with a morning run in Retiro Park, starting at Puerta del Sol, making a lap around the park and passing through Puerta de Alcalá towards Puerta del Sol, and then back to Plaza Mayor.
After a morning coffee, oh, and this is an interesting point- in many places in Spain a cappuccino comes with a fluffy cream topping with cinnamon (like in the 80's), so it's better to order a café con leche (coffee with milk) or a latte, and then its great.
We then went for a stroll around the Malasaña neighborhood, located north of Gran Via street.
By chance, we entered a store called Chopper Monster, which turned out to be a really cool store selling clothes, shoes, accessories, and music in a rock style, as you can see below:
I met these two cooks on the street of El Marqués de Sta. Ana. They were cute and agreed to have their photo taken. I directed them a little and asked them to take a big puff from their cigarettes. I’m not sure how they understood me with my broken Spanish, but nearly everyone knows how to smoke, so it worked…
For coffee, we sat at Lolina Vintage Café on Espiritu Santo 9, a 70's-style vintage café and bar, best known for its mojitos and desserts. As for the coffee, I'm not so sure... From what I see and taste, the coffee culture among the Spaniards is a bit different than ours. One thing’s for sure, it’s much cheaper here…
Here in Plaza del Dos de Mayo in the central square of the neighborhood I found a slightly different angle of these two fighters who fought against Napoleon. By the way, It seems like one of them had the blade of his spear confiscated…
The neighborhood parents are waiting for their kids to come out of kindergarten. It was a slightly rainy day, which made it look even more impressive.
We had lunch at Vega, a vegetarian restaurant, this was our third visit there. There are two branches in Madrid, it's located at 9 de la Luna Street. Great restaurant, here’s a picture from the table next to us…
After the restaurant, we went back to the apartment for a bit of rest, and then I went for a stroll on my own in the neighborhood south of the square, the Latina neighborhood. I started from Plaza Mayor towards the 'San Miguel' market, and from there to the lovely De la Cava Baja street, full of small restaurants, cafes, and tapas bars.
After walking along Baja Street I arrived at Mercado de la Cebada which is the market of the La Latina neighborhood (each neighborhood here has its own market, and you can get here by taking the metro to the Latina station).
Unlike the San Miguel market this market is not just for tourists but a real market with vegetables, fruits, seafood, and even some art. You can eat and drink here as well.
I arrived just before closing time. One of the stall owners' children was playing on the floor, waiting for his mom to close up the stall so they could go home.
Here I took a photo in Plaza de la Cebada, where the Latina metro station is located.
On the way back from La Latina I returned via C. Del Almendro, which looks like one of the older streets in Madrid. There, I saw a charming courtyard through a fence. I liked its minimalistic style so I took a photo…
This couple was putting on a show, well mainly the lady. She was flipping her hair and dancing cheerfully. It seemed they were in a good mood and quite connected, which usually makes the photo more interesting.
On the way back, I entered the overcrowded San Miguel Market, filled with tourists and modern food stalls. Personally, the packed market filled with tourists is less my style.
Overall, desirable cities are becoming more and more tourist-oriented and less like real residential cities. With central streets acting as tourist traps trying to cater to their tastes. In order to experience some “local authenticity” you need to move away from these tourist hotspots. Maybe I’m exaggerating, and authenticity no longer exists, or maybe it's become too banal...
After leaving San Miguel, I entered Plaza Mayor again on the way to the apartment. I discovered some interesting scenes, like this one. I can't remember who the dog belonged to, but it seemed to fit in perfectly: “Alright, I’ll wait here for the lady to finish taking her photo” lost somewhere in the invisible clouds us humans use…
I also stumbled into a movie set, for a moment I became their stills photographer. Luckily, the actress was filmed from behind because she glanced at me for a moment. I hope I didn’t ruin the scene…
Day two in Madrid
On the second day, we took a street art tour in the Lavapiés neighborhood, which started at Pl. de Lavapiés, located at about a 15-minute walk from Plaza Mayor or one metro stop from Puerta del Sol to Lavapiés station.
The neighborhood is charming, with a mix of students, long-time residents, immigrants, and of course, an increasing number of short-term rental apartments for tourists.
It reminds me a bit of neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, similar to Florentin or areas in Jaffa (South Tel Aviv), which are beginning to empty out of residents in favor of investors.
Some residents oppose the growing number of tourists, tour groups, and rental apartments, which are driving up monthly rental prices and making the neighborhood unaffordable for them.
There are also residents who oppose street art because it creates tourist attractions that draw large, noisy groups and increase investor demand in the neighborhood.
Despite all this, the neighborhood hosts an annual street art week, where artists are invited to paint on walls and compete. This is this year's winning mural (Golden Kipi).
Many shop owners allow street artists to paint on their store shutters, so it's worth coming early in the morning or on Sundays when the shutters are closed, so you can see the paintings.
We passed by and entered a community garden that the street's residents created. It’s really charming with plants, murals, seating areas, and small vegetable gardens. The residents don’t like large groups of tourists entering the space, so it's best to go alone or in pairs. The place is called Esto Es Una Plaza, meaning “Our square” and it’s located at 27 Dr. Fourquet Street.
We also passed by an old tobacco factory on De Embajadores Street, which is about to be renovated. The surrounding wall is now covered in incredible art.
Some friends from Africa standing very close to the San Miguel market, with their 'stalls' of goods ready for a quick pack-up…
In the afternoon, I wanted to visit the Egyptian temple in Madrid (Templo de Debod). Who said there's no Egyptian temples in Madrid? Well, there is and there’s even a line at the entrance. We didn’t go inside the building, but I took photos from the outside. The temple is located in a park and promenade that’s quite close to the popular Royal Palace, so it’s easy to reach on foot.
Here’s Ricardo and a few friends practicing skateboard jumps in front of the Royal Palace, waiting for hundreds of tourists to pass and give them the chance to take another jump. I took his number to send him the pictures, but it turns out I forgot to save his number, so I didn’t send them. It’s a bit unfortunate…
In the evening as the sun set, I went out again from Plaza Mayor to Puerta del Sol for some nightly photo shots.
walking routes & Maps
Attached below is a map of the walking route we took in Madrid on the first day:
View the route of the first day in Madrid on a dynamic map here
Walking route in Madrid - day one
Overview: The route passes through two neighborhoods: Malasaña and La Latina. The route was not planned in advance; I knew of a few places I wanted to visit for photography and personal interest. Feel free to deviate and go wherever you like. It’s advisable to bring water and a hat as it’s starting to get warm.
When I explored: 06/10/2024
How to get there: Reach Plaza Mayor by foot or take the metro to Puerta del Sol or a bus (use Google Maps). If starting from another location, head to the Malasaña neighborhood.
Start and End: Plaza Mayor (Plaza de Mayor - our apartment)
Places visited on the first day
Parque de El Retiro (Park)
Lolina Vintage Café - Address: Espiritu Santo 9
Chopper Monster - Address: Corre. Alta de San Pablo, 21
Vega Restaurant - Address: de la Luna, 9 (Restaurant)
Plaza del Dos de Mayo, Malasaña (Square)
De la Cava Baja in La Latina (Street)
Mercado de la Cebada in La Latina (Covered Market)
Plaza de la Cebada (Square)
C. del Almendro (Street)
Mercado de San Miguel (Covered Market)
Plaza Mayor (Square)
Attached is a map of the walking route in Madrid on the second day:
View the route for the second day in Madrid on a dynamic map here
Walking route in Madrid - Day Two
Overview: The route passes through the Lavapiés neighborhood and its main streets (optional - visit the Reina Sofia Museum, home of Picasso's Guernica). Besides the amazing street art in the neighborhood, you can also just sit for coffee or a meal.
In the afternoon: Walk towards the Royal Palace and the Temple of Debod (optional visit to Plaza España), then return via the pedestrian street C. de Arenal (optional visit to the Opera House). In the evening, take another stroll around Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol.
When I explored: 06/11/2024
How to get there: We arrived by metro from Sol Station to Lavapiés Station (Line 3). You can also walk.
Start and End: Plaza Mayor (our apartment)
Places visited on the second day:
Street Art Tour (https://cooltourspain.com/)
C. de Argumosa, Lavapiés
Esto Es Una Plaza, Lavapiés (Community garden)
La Tabacalera de Lavapiés (Old tobacco factory)
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Excellent option, includes Picasso's Guernica)
Templo de Debod (Egyptian temple)
The park walk from Royal Palace to Debod Temple
Plaza de España
C. de Arenal (Shopping pedestrian street)
Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol at night
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